the history-第103节

按键盘上方向键 ← 或 → 可快速上下翻页，按键盘上的 Enter 键可回到本书目录页，按键盘上方向键 ↑ 可回到本页顶部！
————未阅读完？加入书签已便下次继续阅读！


onians　have　likewise　a　custom　at　the　demise　of　their　kings　which　is　common　to　them　with　the　barbarians　of　Asia…　indeed　with　the　greater　number　of　the　barbarians　everywhere…　namely；　that　when　one　of　their　kings　dies；　not　only　the　Spartans；　but　a　certain　number　of　the　country　people　from　every　part　of　Laconia　are　forced；　whether　they　will　or　no；　to　attend　the　funeral。　So　these　persons　and　the　helots；　and　likewise　the　Spartans　themselves；　flock　together　to　the　number　of　several　thousands；　men　and　women　intermingled；　and　all　of　them　smite　their　foreheads　violently；　and　weep　and　wall　without　stint；　saying　always　that　their　last　king　was　the　best。　If　a　king　dies　in　battle；　then　they　make　a　statue　of　him；　and　placing　it　upon　a　couch　right　bravely　decked；　so　carry　it　to　the　grave。　After　the　burial；　by　the　space　of　ten　days　there　is　no　assembly；　nor　do　they　elect　magistrates；　but　continue　mourning　the　whole　time。　　　　　They　hold　with　the　Persians　also　in　another　custom。　When　a　king　dies；　and　another　comes　to　the　throne；　the　newly…made　monarch　forgives　all　the　Spartans　the　debts　which　they　owe　either　to　the　king　or　to　the　public　treasury。　And　in　like　manner　among　the　Persians　each　king　when　he　begins　to　reign　remits　the　tribute　due　from　the　provinces。　　　　　In　one　respect　the　Lacedaemonians　resemble　the　Egyptians。　Their　heralds　and　flute…players；　and　likewise　their　cooks；　take　their　trades　by　succession　from　their　fathers。　A　flute…player　must　be　the　son　of　a　flute…player；　a　cook　of　a　cook；　a　herald　of　a　herald；　and　other　people　cannot　take　advantage　of　the　loudness　of　their　voice　to　come　into　the　profession　and　shut　out　the　heralds'　sons；　but　each　follows　his　father's　business。　Such　are　the　customs　of　the　Lacedaemonians。　　　　　At　the　time　of　which　we　are　speaking；　while　Cleomenes　in　Egina　was　labouring　for　the　general　good　of　Greece；　Demaratus　at　Sparta　continued　to　bring　charges　against　him；　moved　not　so　much　by　love　of　the　Eginetans　as　by　jealousy　and　hatred　of　his　colleague。　Cleomenes　therefore　was　no　sooner　returned　from　Egina　than　he　considered　with　himself　how　he　might　deprive　Demaratus　of　his　kingly　office；　and　here　the　following　circumstance　furnished　a　ground　for　him　to　proceed　upon。　Ariston；　king　of　Sparta；　had　been　married　to　two　wives；　but　neither　of　them　had　borne　him　any　children；　as　however　he　still　thought　it　was　possible　he　might　have　offspring；　he　resolved　to　wed　a　third；　and　this　was　how　the　wedding　was　brought　about。　He　had　a　certain　friend；　a　Spartan；　with　whom　he　was　more　intimate　than　with　any　other　citizen。　This　friend　was　married　to　a　wife　whose　beauty　far　surpassed　that　of　all　the　other　women　in　Sparta；　and　what　was　still　more　strange；　she　had　once　been　as　ugly　as　she　now　was　beautiful。　For　her　nurse；　seeing　how　ill…favoured　she　was；　and　how　sadly　her　parents；　who　were　wealthy　people；　took　her　bad　looks　to　heart；　bethought　herself　of　a　plan；　which　was　to　carry　the　child　every　day　to　the　temple　of　Helen　at　Therapna；　which　stands　above　the　Phoebeum；　and　there　to　place　her　before　the　image；　and　beseech　the　goddess　to　take　away　the　child's　ugliness。　One　day；　as　she　left　the　temple；　a　woman　appeared　to　her；　and　begged　to　know　what　it　was　she　held　in　her　arms。　The　nurse　told　her　it　was　a　child；　on　which　she　asked　to　see　it；　but　the　nurse　refused；　the　parents；　she　said；　had　forbidden　her　to　show　the　child　to　any　one。　However　the　woman　would　not　take　a　denial；　and　the　nurse；　seeing　how　highly　she　prized　a　look；　at　last　let　her　see　the　child。　Then　the　woman　gently　stroked　its　head；　and　said；　〃One　day　this　child　shall　be　the　fairest　dame　in　Sparta。〃　And　her　looks　began　to　change　from　that　very　day。　When　she　was　of　marriageable　age；　Agetus；　son　of　Alcides；　the　same　whom　I　have　mentioned　above　as　the　friend　of　Ariston；　made　her　his　wife。　　　　　Now　it　chanced　that　Ariston　fell　in　love　with　this　person；　and　his　love　so　preyed　upon　his　mind　that　at　last　he　devised　as　follows。　He　went　to　his　friend；　the　lady's　husband；　and　proposed　to　him　that　they　should　exchange　gifts；　each　taking　that　which　pleased　him　best　out　of　all　the　possessions　of　the　other。　His　friend；　who　felt　no　alarm　about　his　wife；　since　Ariston　was　also　married；　consented　readily；　and　so　the　matter　was　confirmed　between　them　by　an　oath。　Then　Ariston　gave　Agetus　the　present；　whatever　it　was；　of　which　he　had　made　choice；　and　when　it　came　to　his　turn　to　name　the　present　which　he　was　to　receive　in　exchange；　required　to　be　allowed　to　carry　home　with　him　Agetus's　wife。　But　the　other　demurred；　and　said；　〃except　his　wife；　he　might　have　anything　else〃：　however；　as　he　could　not　resist　the　oath　which　he　had　sworn；　or　the　trickery　which　had　been　practised　on　him；　at　last　he　suffered　Ariston　to　carry　her　away　to　his　house。　　　　　Ariston　hereupon　put　away　his　second　wife　and　took　for　his　third　this　woman；　and　she；　in　less　than　the　due　time…　when　she　had　not　yet　reached　her　full　term　of　ten　months…　gave　birth　to　a　child；　the　Demaratus　of　whom　we　have　spoken。　Then　one　of　his　servants　came　and　told　him　the　news；　as　he　sat　in　council　with　the　Ephors；　whereat；　remembering　when　it　was　that　the　woman　became　his　wife；　he　counted　the　months　upon　his　fingers；　and　having　so　done；　cried　out　with　an　oath；　〃The　boy　cannot　be　mine。〃　This　was　said　in　the　hearing　of　the　Ephors；　but　they　made　no　account　of　it　at　the　time。　The　boy　grew　up；　and　Ariston　repented　of　what　he　had　said；　for　he　became　altogether　convinced　that　Demaratus　was　truly　his　son。　The　reason　why　he　named　him　Demaratus　was　the　following。　Some　time　before　these　events　the　whole　Spartan　people；　looking　upon　Ariston　as　a　man　of　mark　beyond　all　the　kings　that　had　reigned　at　Sparta　before　him；　had　offered　up　a　prayer　that　he　might　have　a　son。　On　this　account；　therefore；　the　name　Demaratus　was　given。　　　　　In　course　of　time　Ariston　died；　and　Demaratus　received　the　kingdom：　but　it　was　fated；　as　it　seems；　that　these　words；　when　bruited　abroad；　should　strip　him　of　his　sovereignty。　This　was　brought　about　by　means　of　Cleomenes；　whom　he　had　twice　sorely　vexed；　once　when　he　led　the　army　home　from　Eleusis；　and　a　second　time　when　Cleomenes　was　gone　across　to　Egina　against　such　as　had　espoused　the　side　of　the　Medes。　　　　　Cleomenes　now；　being　resolved　to　have　his　revenge　upon　Demaratus；　went　to　Leotychides；　the　son　of　Menares；　and　grandson　of　Agis；　who　was　of　the　same　family　as　Demaratus；　and　made　agreement　with　him　to　this　tenor　following。　Cleomenes　was　to　lend　his　aid　to　make　Leotychides　king　in　the　room　of　Demaratus；　and　then　Leotychides　was　to　take　part　with　Cleomenes　against　the　Eginetans。　Now　Leotychides　hated　Demaratus　chiefly　on　account　of　Percalus；　the　daughter　of　Chilon；　son　of　Demarmenus：　this　lady　had　been　betrothed　to　Leotychides；　but　Demaratus　laid　a　plot；　and　robbed　him　of　his　bride；　forestalling　him　in　carrying　her　off；　and　marrying　her。　Such　was　the　origin　of　the　enmity。　At　the　time　of　which　we　speak；　Leotychides　was　prevailed　upon　by　the　earnest　desire　of　Cleomenes　to　come　forward　against　Demaratus　and　make　oath　〃that　Demaratus　was　not　rightful　king　of　Sparta；　since　he　was　not　the　true　son　of　Ariston。〃　After　he　had　thus　sworn；　Leotychides　sued　Demaratus；　and　brought　up　against　him　the　phrase　which　Ariston　had　let　drop　when；　on　the　coming　of　his　servant　to　announce　to　him　the　birth　of　his　son；　he　counted　the　months；　and　cried　out　with　an　oath　that　the　child　was　not　his。　It　was　on　this　speech　of　Ariston's　that　Leotychides　relied　to　prove　that　Demaratus　was　not　his　son；　and　therefore　not　rightful　king　of　Sparta；　and　he　produced　as　witnesses　the　Ephors　who　were　sitting　with　Ariston　at　the　time　and　heard　what　he　said。　　　　　At　last；　as　there　came　to　be　much　strife　concerning　this　matter；　the　Spartans　made　a　decree　that　the　Delphic　oracle　should　be　asked　to　say　whether　Demaratus　were　Ariston's　son　or　no。　Cleomenes　set　them　upon　this　plan；　and　no　sooner　was　the　decree　passed　than　he　made　a　friend　of　Cobon；　the　son　of　Aristophantus；　a　man　of　the　greatest　weight　among　the　Delphians；　and　this　Cobon　prevailed　upon　Perialla；　the　prophetess；　to　give　the　answer　which　Cleomenes　wished。　Accordingly；　when　the　sacred　messengers　came　and　put　their　question；　the　Pythoness　returned　for　answer　〃that　Demaratus　was　not　Ariston's　son。〃　Some　time　afterwards　all　this　became　known；　and　Cobon　was　forced　to　fly　from　Delphi；　while　Perialla　the　prophetess　was　deprived　of　her　office。　　　　　Such　were　the　means　whereby　the　deposition　of　Demaratus　was　brought　about；　but　his　flying　from　Sparta　to　the　Medes　was　by　reason　of　an　affront　which　was　put　upon　him。　On　losing　his　kingdom　he　had　been　made　a　magistrate；　and　in　that　office　soon　afterwards；　when　the　feast　of　the　Gymnopaediae　came　around；　he　took　his　station　among　the　　lookers…on；　whereupon　Leotychides；　who　was　now　king　in　his　room；　sent　a　servant　to　him　and　asked　him；　by　way　of　insult　and　mockery；　〃how　it　felt　to　be　a　magistrate　after　one　had　been　a　king？〃　Demaratus；　who　was　hurt　at　the　question；　made　answer…　〃Tell　him　I　have　tried　them　both；　but　he　has　not。　Howbeit　this　speech　will　be　the　cause　to　Sparta　of　infinite　blessings　or　else　of　infinite　woes。〃　Having　thus　spoken　he　wrapped　his　head　in　his　robe；　and；　leaving　the　theatre；　went　home　to　his　own　house；　where　he　prepared　an　ox　for　sacrifice；　and　offered　it　to　Jupiter；　after　which　he