Chapter XXVIII. That the Treatment of Lycurgus the Law-giver of the Lacedaemonians Was Not Worthy of a God

[OENOMAUS] ‘BUT when the precursor and model of Tyrtacus once came to thee, thou saidst he had come from hollow Laccdaemon, “a friend of Zeus and all who in Olympus dwell,” and that thou wert in doubt, “whether to hail him god or mortal man, yet hope prevailed to welcome him as god,” because he came “to seek good laws.”

‘But, if he was a god, how was it that the ”friend of Zeus and all who in Olympus dwell”did not understand civic law?

‘However, since such matters as have been shown to this most godlike of men by the voice of the god cannot perhaps be discovered without a god’s help, let us look at the divine utterance, and the things which thou didst teach Lycurgus:

“To seek good laws, Lycurgus, thou art come; such will I give.”

‘Give then, I should say: for no such gift as this didst thou ever yet promise to any man.

“So long as to the oracles ye pay Your promises and vows, and justice due To fellow citizens and strangers give, Show to the aged reverence sincere, Duly respect the sons of Tyndarus, Menelaus and the deathless heroes, who In noble Lacedaemon dwell enshrined, So long far-seeing Zeus shall guard your home.”

‘Apollo! What divine teaching and exhortation! And for this no long voyage is needed, nor a journey from Peloponnesus to Delphi, or even to the very Hyperboreans, whence, as they say, in accordance with the response of another prophetess, Asteria,

“Founders and priests of fragrant Delos came.”

‘I suppose that this Lycurgus never had a nurse, nor ever sat in a company of old men, from whom, as well as from her, he might have heard nobler and wiser lessons than these.

‘Perhaps, however, thou wilt add something more, if Lycurgus entreat thee to speak plainly.

“If some should lead aright, and others follow,”----

I shall still say that this comes from the same company, and request Lycurgus not to desist, for the chance that he may go back to Sparta with some political lesson received from thee.

“Two ways there are diverging far apart, This leading on to freedom’s glorious home, That to the hateful cell of slavery. This manly valour treads and concord true, And to this path be ye the peoples’ guides. Through hateful strife and baneful cowardice Men reach the other path; of that beware.”

‘Thou bid’st them to be manly: this we have often heard even from the cowardly. But also to be of one mind: this we have heard not only from the wise, but ere now from the very leaders of sedition: so we can excuse thee from giving us this exhortation.

‘Nevertheless being a prophet didst thou not know that we have received it many a time and from many persons, who had neither eaten greedily of the laurel, nor drunk the water of Castalia, nor ever been supercilious about wisdom?

‘Tell us then about manliness, tell us about freedom, tell us about concord, in what way they are engendered in a state, and bid not us, who are ignorant, to lead the peoples in this path, but lead us thyself. For it is a noble path, but difficult for us and formidable.’

To this he adds further remarks.