God; and to resemble him, we must love truth and justice.

§. XVI. AGASICLES, king of the Lacedæmonians (or Spartans, which are one) was of the opinion, That it was better to govern without force: And, fays he, the means to do it, is to govern the people as a father governs his children.

§. XVII. AGESILAUS, king of the fame people, would fay, That he had rather be mafter of himself, than of the greatest city of his enemies; and to preferve his own liberty, than to ufurp the liberty of another man, A prince, fays he, ought to diftinguish himself from his fubjects by his virtue, and not by his ftate or delicacy of life. Wherefore he wore plain, fimple clothing; his table was as moderate, and his bed as hard, as that of any ordinary fubject. And when he was told, that one time or other he would be obliged to change his fashion; No, faith he, I am not given to change, even in a change and this I do, faith he, to remove from young men any pretence of luxury; that they may fee their prince practise what he counfels them to do. He added, That the foundation of the Lacedæmonian laws was, to despise luxury, and to reward with liberty; Nor, faith he, fhould good men put a value upon that which mean and bafe fouls make their delight. Being flattered by fome with divine honour, he asked them, If they could not make gods too? If they could, why did they not begin with themselves?-The fame austere conduct of life made him refuse to have his statue erected in the cities of Afia: nor would he fuffer his picture to be taken; and his reafon is good; For, faith he, the faireft portraiture of men is their own actions.-Whatfoever was to be fuddenly done in the government, he was fure to fet his hand firft to the work, like a common perfon. He would fay, It did not become men to make provifion to be rich, but to be good. Being afked the means to true happiness, he anfwered, To do nothing that should make a man fear to die: another time, To speak well, and do well. Being called home by the Ephori, (or fupreme magiftrates, the way of the

Spartan

Spartan conftitution) he returned; faying, It is not lefs the duty of a prince to obey laws, than to command men. He conferred places of truft and honour upon his enemies, that he might constrain their hatred into love. A lawyer asked him for a letter to make a perfon judge, that was of his own friends; My friends, fays he, have no need of a recommendation to do juftice.-A comedian of note wondering that Agefilaus faid nothing to him, asked, if he knew him? Yes, faith he, I know thee; art not thou the buffoon Callipedes ?-One calling the king of Perfia the great king, he answered, He is not greater than I, unless he hath more virtue than I. One of his friends catching him playing with his children, he prevented him thus; Say nothing, till thou art a father too. He had great care of the education of youth; often faying, We must teach children what they fhall do when they are men. The Egyptians defpifing him because he had but a small train and a mean equipage; Oh, faith he, I will have them to know, royalty confifts not in vain pomp, but in virtue.

§. XVIII. AGIS, another king of Lacedæmonia, im-. prifoned for endeavouring to restore their declining difcipline, being asked, whether he repented not of his defign? answered, No; for, faith he, good actions never need repentance. His father and mother defiring of him to grant fomething he thought unjust, he answered, I obeyed you when I was young; I must now obey the laws, and do that which is reasonable.-As he was leading to the place of execution, one of his people wept; to whom he faid, Weep not for me; for the authors of this unjust death are more in fault than I.

§. XIX. ALCAMENES, king of the fame people, being asked, which was the way to get and preserve honour? answered, To defpife wealth. Another wondering why he refused the prefents of the Meffenians, he anfwered, I make confcience to keep the laws that forbid it. To a miser accufing him of being fo referved in his difcourfe, he faid, I had rather conform to reafon, than

P 4.

thy

thy covetousness; or, I had rather be covetous of my words, than money.

§. XX. ALEXANDRIDAS hearing an exile complain of his banishment, faith he, Complain of the caufe of it (to wit his deferts); for there is nothing hurtful but vice. Being asked, why they were fo long in making the process of criminals in Lacedæmonia? Becaufe, faith he, when they are once dead they are past repent. ance. This fhews their belief of immortality and eternal bleffednefs; and that even poor criminals, through repentance, may obtain it.

§. XXI. ANAXILAS would fay, That the greatest advantage kings had over other men, was their power of excelling them in good deeds.

§. XXII. ARISTON, hearing one admire this expreffion, We ought to do good to our friends, and evil to our enemies; answered, By no means, we ought to do good to all; to keep our friends, and to gain our enemies. A doctrine the most difficult to flesh and blood, of all the precepts of Chrift's fermon upon the mount: nay, not allowed to be his doctrine; but both An eye for an eye;' defended, against his exprefs command, and oftentimes an eye put out, an eftate fequeftered, and life taken away, under a fpecious zeal for religion too; as if fin could be chriftened, and impiety entitled to the doctrine of Chrift. Oh, will not fuch Heathens rife up in judgment against our worldly Christians in the great day of God!

§. XXIII. ARCHIDAMUS, also king of Sparta, being afked, who was mafter of Lacedæmonia? The laws, faith he, and after them the magiftrates.-One praising a musician in his prefence, Ah! faith he, but when will you praise a good man ?-Another faying, That man is an excellent mufician: That is all one, faith he, as if thou wouldst say, There is a good cook: counting both trades of voluptuoufnefs.-Another promifing him fome excellent wine; I care not, faith he, for it will only put my mouth out of taste to my ordinary liquor; which it feems was water.-Two men chofe him an arbitrator; to accept it, he made them promise to do

what

what he would have them: Then said he, ftir not from this place till you have agreed the matter between yourselves; which was done.-Dennis, king of Sicily, fending his daughters rich apparel, he forbad them to wear it, faying, You will feem to me but the more homely. This great man certainly was not of the mind to bring up his children at the exchanges, dancing schools and play-houses.

§. XXIV. CLEOMENES, king of the fame people, would fay, That kings ought to be pleasant; but not to cheapnefs and contempt. He was fo juft a man in power, that he drove away Demaratus, his fellow king, (for they always had two) for offering to corrupt him in a caufe before them, Left, faith he, he fhould attempt others lefs able to refift him, and fo ruin the state.

§. XXV. DERSYLLIDAS perceiving that Pyrrhus would force a prince upon his countrymen the Lacedæmonians, whom they lately ejected, ftoutly oppofed him, saying, If thou art God, we fear thee not, because we have done no evil; and if thou art but a man, we are men too.

§. XXVI. HIPPODAMUS, feeing a young man afhamed, that was caught in bad company, he reproved him fharply, faying, For time to come keep fuch company as thou needeft not blush at.

: §. XXVII. LEONIDAS, brother to Cleomenes, and a brave man, being offered by Xerxes to be made an emperor of Greece, answered, I had rather die for my own country, than have an unjuft command over other mens. Adding, Xerxes deceived himself, to think it a virtue to invade the right of other men.

§. XXVIII. LYSANDER, being asked by a perfon, what was the best frame of government? That, faith he, where every man hath according to his deferts. Though one of the greatest captains that Sparta bred, he had learned by his wifdom to bear perfonal affronts: Say what thou wilt, faith he, (to one that spoke abufively to him) 'Empty thyself, I fhall bear it. His daughters. were contracted in marriage to fome perfons of quality but he dying poor, they refused to marry them; upon which the Ephori condemned each of them in a

great

great fum of money, because they preferred money before faith and engagement.

§. XXIX. PAUSANIAS, fon of Cleombrotus, and colleague of Lyfander, beholding among the Perfian spoils they took, the coftlinefs of their furniture, faid, It had been much better if they had been worth less, and their masters more. And after the victory of Platea, having a dinner dreft according to the Persian manner, and beholding the magnificence and furniture of the treat; What, faith he, do these people mean, that live in such wealth and luxury, to attack our meanness and poverty?

§. XXX. THEOPOMPUS faith, The way to preferve a kingdom is, to embrace the counfel of one's friends, and not to fuffer the meaner fort to be oppreffed. One making the glory of Sparta to confift in commanding well, he answered, No, it is in knowing how to obey well. He was of opinion, That great honours hurt a ftate; adding, That time would abolish great, and augment moderate, honours among men; meaning that men should have the reputation they deferve, without flattery and excess.

A rhetorician bragging himself of his art, was reproved by a Lacedæmonian, Doft thou call that an art, faith he, which hath not truth for its object? Alfo a Lacedæmonian being prefented with an harp after dinner by a mufical perfon, I do not, faith he, know how to play the fool. Another being afked, What he thought of a poet of the times, anfwered, Good for nothing but to corrupt youth. Nor was this only the wisdom and virtue of fome particular perfons, which may be thought to have given light to the dark body of their courts; but their government was wife and juft, and the people generally obeyed it; making virtue to be true honour, and that honour dearer to them than life.

§. XXXI. LACEDEMONIAN customs, according to Plutarch, were thefe: They were very temperate in their eating and drinking, their most delicate difh being a pottage made for the nourishment of antient people. They taught their children to write and

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