106 LYCURGUS.

Plato tells us, chose a servant for that office called Zopv- rus, no better than any common slave. Lycurgus was of another mind ; he would not have masters bought out of the market for his young Spartans, nor such as should sell their pains ; nor was it lawful, indeed, for the father himself to breed up the children after his own fancy; but as soon as the}- were seven years old they were to be enrolled in certain companies and classes, where they all lived under the same order and discipline, doing their exercises and taking their play to- gether. Of these, he who showed the most conduct and courage was made captain ; they had their eyes always upon him, obeyed his orders, and underwent patiently whatsoever punishment he inflicted ; so that the whole course of their education was one continued exercise of a ready and perfect obedience. The old men, too, were spec- tators of their performances, and often raised quarrels and disputes among them, to have a good opportunity of find- ing out their different characters, and of seeing which would be valiant, which a coward, when they should come to more dangerous encounters. Reading and writing they gave them, just enough to serve their turn ; their chief care was to make them good subjects, and to teach them to endure pain and conquer in battle. To this end, as they grew in years, their discipline was proportionably in- creased ; their heads were close-clipped, they were accus- tomed to go bare-foot, and for the most part to pla}- naked. After they were twelve years old, they were no longer allowed to wear any under-garment ; they had one coat to serve them a year ; * their bodies were hard and dry, with but little acquaintance of baths and unguents ; these human indulgences they were allowed only on some few

• The chiton and the Itimation, snonding in use to the Roman tunic

one inside and one out, constituted and toga.

the ordinary Greek dress ; cone-