OCR Text |
Show = Lhe Ait Bookeof the frft part Cuara.s.o an Armic,had carried awayfiftie thoufand flaues; and, vvhich was worfe, their difci. plinewas corrupted, Auarice & Luxutie reigned among them, the poore was oppref ied by therich, & the generofitie of{pirit, that had fometime bintheir generall vertue, washardly now to be foundamong thebeft ofthem. There were left in Sparta nomore than feuen hundred natural Citizens,ofwhom not aboue one hundredhad Lands:all the reft were needie people, and defirous ofinnouation.Hereupon followed inteftinefediti- on; which endangered the Citie moft ofall, dgisa good King,who foughtto reforme the diforders ofthe State, exhorted the peopletoaftri@ obferuation of Lycargus, his layves. To which purpofe he canfed themto paffe an AG,for the abolithing ofall debts, andequalldiuifionof Lands. All the younger, and poorerfort were glad ofthis: but the yo rich men oppofedit. Thefe had recourfe vnto Leomidasthe other King, (forin Sparte were two Kings)whotooke their part : being himfelfea diffolute man,as onetrained vp in the Court ofSyris, whence alfo he had his wife. Inthiscontention Leonidas was expelled the Citic,and a new King chofenin his ftead.But gis his friends & Counfailors in this enterprife, abufed his good meaning to their owne private commoditie. They vvere hattie to, take awayall debts,& cancell all bands, for they themfelues were deeply indebted « but the diuifion oflandsthey afterwards hindred, becaufe their own pof- {effions were great... Hence arofe a tumult in.Sparta, which thefe menincreafed by their foule oppreffion of the poorer Citizens,So that in fine, Leonidas was brought home, and reftored to his Kingdome, and the twoaduerfe Kings driuen to take Sanguarie; out ofvwhich,C/eombrotus, the late-made King,was difmilled into exile : but gis was?" trained forth, drawninto prifon, and therebyhis enemies condemned & ftrangled,together with his Mother, & his old Grandmother. The‘like to this was never known in Sparta : and ( whichis the more odious ) this.cruelti¢ proceeded from the Ephori, MagiStratesthatfhould haue giuen Patronageto the lawes,vfing their power,and morepower than to them belonged,againft a King,that had proceeded orderlyin reforming the Citic,asthe law required. Thedeath of Age was much lamentedbyall good Citizens; & feruedto eftablith the impotentrule ofa few tyrannicall oppreffors.In which cafe dratus might well hopeto adioyne Lacedemow tothe Acheans Common-wealth: thoughit were greatiniuftice 46 totake fuchaduantages, and attemptby force,that which wouldhaue redoundedto the generall good ofPeloponuefis, andtothe benefit of Sparta itfelfe,if it couldhanebin wroughtby perfwafion. Butthe fame man who redrefled the diforders of Sparta, and reuenged the death of 4gis,did alfo requite, theiniuk attempts of the Acheans, cuen in their own kinde: obtruding vpon, them, by force,an vnion ofall Peloponnefas ,choughlittle to their good liking, forthatthe Lecedemensans and their King, fhould haue bin the principall; not they and their Pretot. Leonidas hauing thus caufed 4g%s to beflaine,tooke his wifethat vvas yery-tichandbeautifull, and gaueherin marriage ( perforce) to his ownfon cle omenes.Vhisyoung Prince fell greatly enamouredonhis wife, & fought towin hetal- 40 feétion,as wellashehad her perfon.Hedifcourfed much with her about the purpofeo! her.formershusband Ags, & by pittying his misfortune, began to entertainea defire 0 accomplithing that, wherein. 4gé,had failed. So comming him{clfeto be King,whileft he was very young, he gladly embracedall occafionsof. War: for that he hoped by ftrong handtoeffect that, which 4gs, by proceeding formally, in fo corruptan eftate of the Citie,had attempted to his own ruine. Therefore when the Epheri gaue him 12 charge, totake and fortifie 4thenaum,a Templeon the marches of Laconia, to vvhic both they & the AMegalopolitans pretended title; he readily performedit. Hereof a™ #s made no complaint,but fought to take by furprize7egca 8 Orchomenns, Cities thea confederate with theLacedemonians :wherin,his intelligence failing,he loft the labor o Pn painful nights trauel,& difcouered his enmity to SpartasofwhichC/eomenes was nothing CHar2.§.6. ofthe Eliftorie of the World. "therefore he came itperfon,and todke pare ofa bufinedfeslittie pleafing him in the préfent,andleffein the future. When he met with Cleomenes,. he'durft nor fight'sbut oppdfed himfelfe againft Ariflomachws who defired té gine battaile, Yet' had the Acheaits twentie thoufand foot, and one thoufandhorfe, in their Armie ¥ Whereas Cleamenes had nomore than fiue thoufandin all. This gaue reputation to the Lacedemonian, and raifed anillreport vpon Aratus,which Ly/iadas helped to make wore, by accufing his cowar- dize. Neuertheleffe the arhcans wouldnotfall out with Ararm their Benefactor, but chofehimtheir Generall the yeare following,againft Lyfiades his accufer that fued for the place. Being General himfelfe,it behooued him to confute,with deedes,the flande- rouswords of Ly/iadus. Therefore he purpofedto fet vponthe Evans' but was met * withall on the way,fieere vntothe Mount Lye, by Gleomeres ; who vanquithed hin inagreatbattaile, and draue himto hide himfelfe all night for Feare; fo that he Was thought to haue bin flaine.This mifaduentire Aratus recomipencedby "a tricke of his owne more natural occupation : performing with his broken Armie,that which could hardly hate bin expected, had te bin victorious. For whileft there vvas no fufpicion of any great matcet that he could vndertake; he fuddenly wrought with fome of the Mantineans,who did fet him into their Citie. Thele Mastinwaws, (whom hehad thus brought to his purpofe ) hat once before idyned themfelues with the Achsians ; but thortly yponfeare, or fonie therpaffion, they gaue themfelues tothe v#tbens 5 and so ftomthe. £roliaus, prefently afterthis victorie, to Cleomenes, from whom immediately theywete thus wonne. Forthis their leuitiethey vvere not punifhed, bit frecly admitted nowagaine into the dchean focictie.A$ this'good fucceffe repaired the'credit of -2- ratesfo'another battaile almoft rnined it: C/eomenes and he encountted neere ynto 472- gelopolis,where the dcheans had fomewhatthebetter atthefirft,but theit Gerieral durft aot follow his aduantage. Thereupon Lyfiadas, of whom we fpake before, stewfomeWhatimpatient with anger;and taking With him allthe Horfe,btake vpon the Lacedemowians, whomhe routed atthie beginning; burt purfiing thentoo far into places of hard paflage, he was flaine by them,andhis followers driuen backe vpontheirowneComipaMlonsyin fuch fortchat finally allthe Armie was difordered andputto fight, This was agreat loffe,and incenfed the Acheans againft-Aratas::yettheir indignation proceeded fofurther,thatthat they refufed to make any longer contribution, towards the pay of thofe Mercenaries which he had waged.This Aratastooke patiently, andfollowed the Watreneuertheleffe,, whereinthough Cleoménes wanne fore Townes, and Aratus gor thebetterin one fall fight,yet little of impoitance was done; the drbeansbeirig wea- tie,and the Spartan Kingintentiue to anotherbufineffe: 3 a oe Clomenes hauing leddeinto thefield all that werelike to hindethis purpofe,and tired then with painfull iournics, forfooke the Achead warteon a fudden, and came vnexpected hometo sparta, where he flue the Ephori,and reftored byforcethe ancient difciplinesf Lycurges. ‘Then gaue he anaccount of his doings : and fhewing by what de # grees the Epbori had incroched vponthe powerof Kings, & many diforders nas grown inthe Gitie , he iuftified his proceedings, and forthivith began to make equall divifiog ofthe Land§,reducing allto the firt inftitition. Healfo fupplied the defelt of Citi zens,by choofing new,outof fuch as werefriends to the State,and valiant men :fo thay heneefortli his Countrie might notaltogetherftanditi need of Mercenaric helpe, as it tely had done; to faticitfelfe from the v£toliaws, Ilyrians, and fuch other encmics,. Allthis was difpatched in great hafte ;the Spartans well fatisfied , and Cleomienes bi fereadyin the field; ere his enetties could takeany aduantage of theft his domeft!talltroubles. mavicwadey BOT jo *Theltheans hearing ofthis gteat alteration in SparraithOughtthat ir Would be long CteCleomicnes dutttiffue forth ofthe Citic, for feareof forne ve Hellion. But it was not lad "a tfed ous long erethey liearehthat he had Watted all tlie Colintrie &f 47%2 2/opolis; forrie. By thefe degrees the war began. Intheentrance whereto Aratus had difcouere thee Atolian practice, & therefore would haue ftaied the quarrell from proceeding os far. But Lyfiad.es & Ariftomachus would needs fight, and he could do none other § " alAreadisavhispleafure; anid was admitted into Mantinen's andready t6 take othe time Generall ofthe Acheaws,(He and Lyfiadas being ofgreat account, fincethey Sdand by bettorien.His Lacedemoviansrefumed their aneiént coutage; aps ne' hin beruled by them efjpecially feeing: Cleomenes vvas fo vrgent. Ariftomachws was &§ ¥ abandoned their tyrannie) who fentvnto-4ratus, lying then in Arbens, and requite c¢ ina ioutnicto bemadeinto Lacemia. No diflwafions ofrates would_ Places,eucn of acbaiaiThefe-riewes dilpleafed them nora tittle i but they ffitift pape lechdureto heareworfe. For whet: Cleoments: had fhiaketi ‘Off the power of the By hori, eutbed his authoritic,he proceeded moretoundlyiti hisworke , being waht hence idehad sti hearttodemand the Principalitie of Greece. (He did nottherefore Ort contend about the pofledion ofafew Townes : pur aduehtured ‘to! -witthe or ee |