As the Lacedxmonian institutions were so unfavourable to literature, adverse to all foreign intercourse, and produc tive of strict secrecy in their own politics, there is little ac curate information to be found in ancient writers with re gard to the more early internal transactions of their state. There appears, however, to have been a constant and vio lent struggle among the nicely balanced powers of the government ; and, in order to restrain the overbearing spi rit of the senate, king Theopompus, who completed the first conquest of Messenia, seems to have either originally instituted the order, or at least to have greatly enlarged the authority, of the popular magistrates, named Ephori. These were five in number, elected annually by the people from their own body ; and bearing a near resemblance to the tribunes of Rome. The primitive design of their of fice was merely to serve as vindicators of the constitu tional rights of the people against any encroachments of the kings or the senate; but, by they acquired a more extensive authority, deciding on measures of peace or war, determining the number of forces to be raised, and provid ing funds for their maintenance ; holding courts of inquiry into the conduct of all magistrates, supreme and subordi nate ; engrossing, in short, the whole administration of civil affairs ; and reducing the kings always to the situation of mere hereditary generals of the army.
The Lacedwmonians were by this time by far the most powerful people of Greece. Masters of Messenia, and ancient allies of Corinth, they in a great measure com manded in Peloponnesus. Their ambition was unbounded; and they watched every opportunity of extending their power. Whenever the Grecian states were involved in mutual wars, or agitated by internal seditious, they were ready to interfere as mediators ; and while, in this capacity, they usually conducted matters with much apparent mo deration, they seldom failed to strengthen the influence of their own state. They uniformly favoured the aristocra tical or oligarchical parties in the different Grecian cities ; and having always, by this plan, a few chiefs in every place indebted to their support, they easily rendered these depen dent leaders effectual instruments of securing to them the aid, and almost the submission of their respective coun tries. This policy they began about this time to pursue among the Athenians, whom they had assisted to liberate from the yoke of the tyrant Hippias. But, for an account of their proceedings in this affair, and also of their trans actions in the Persian, Peloponnesian, and Theban wars, we must refer our readers to the articles ATHENs, ErAmi NONDAS, and GREECE.
A few of the more important of the intermediate and insulated events, however, which belong to the history of Lacedzernon, and which affected its internal interests more directly and permanently, require to be noticed, as far as our limits will permit. A short time after the conclusion of the Persian war, the Spartan commonwealth was thrown into the utmost confusion, and reduced to the brink of ruin, by a destructive earthquake in its capital, and a formidable insurrection of the Helots. By the former of these cala
mities, 20,000 lives were lost, and only five houses left standing in the city. The wretched slaves throughout the country, profiting by the disorder and distress which ensu ed, rose in a body to avenge their sufferings, and secure their freedom ; but by the exertion of king Archidatnus, a sufficient number of Spartans were assembled to protect the metropolis ; and the insurgents, many of whom were descendants of the Alessenians, betook themselves in a body to the strong hold of Ithon.0 The Lace,ias.unnians, though singularly expert in the use of arms, were utterly helpless in almost every other occupation ; and by the sim ple desertion of their slaves, exclusive of their formidable opposition as an enemy, were reduced to the greatest straits. The operations of agriculture, and the exercise of the mechanic arts, were suspended ; and application was made for succour to all the neighbouring states. By the reinforcements thus procured, tie rebellion was so far re duced. that the remaining insurgents were blocked up in ithome ; but the extt.tordinary strength of the place, and the desperate resistance of item possessors, rendered every ass.' uit unavailing' ; and it was found necessary to solicit the aid of the Athenians, who were esteemed the most skilful of the Greeks in the conduct or sieges. Their united tacks still proving unsuccessful, lecourse was again had to the old method of blc-:kade ; and it was during the leisure.
of this tedious plan of proceeding, that the assuming viva city of the Athenians on the one hand, and the unyielding pride of the Lacedxmonians on the other, occasioned those mutual animosities, which led directly, though not imme diately, to the fatal Peloponnesian war. So far did the suspicions of the Lacedxmonians arise, that they declined a continuance of the Athenian assistance'; and these last, on their part, were so exasperated by their dismissal, that they forthwith renounced the confederacy with the Lacedx monians, and formed an alliance with Argos, the invete rate enemy of Sparta. The reduction of the Helots was at length effected ; but nothing that they had ever suffered from their relentless oppressors can be compared with a measure which was subsequently adopted, while the Lace dxmonians were hard pressed during the first period of the Peloponnesian war, and which is perhaps the most dis o.raeeful that has been recorded in the annals of any nation. Desirous to carry the war to a distance, but dreading the renewal of insurrection among the slaves, should the troops be removed from home, they invited, by proclamation, such of the Helots as were willing to merit the gift of freedom, and the dignity of citizens, by deeds in arms, to present themselves to the magistrates for the honourable trial. Having thus discovered the more enterprising indi viduals, who might have been most ready for insurrection, about 2000 were selected, marched in solemn procession around the temple, under pretence of being admitted as freemen to the participation of religious rites, and then pri vately massacred by their unfeeling tyrants.