e are any such, who openly
practise pederasty. And the first mythologists seem not improperly to
have joined Mars and Venus together; for all nations of this character
are greatly addicted either to the love of women or of boys, for which
reason it was thus at Lacedaemon; and many things in their state were
done by the authority of the women. For what is the difference, if the
power is in the hands of the women, or in the hands of those whom they
themselves govern? it must turn to the same account. As this boldness of
the women can be of no use in any common occurrences, if it was ever so,
it must be in war; but even here we find that the Lacedaemonian women
were of the greatest disservice, as was proved at the time of the Theban
invasion, when they were of no use at all, as they are in other cities,
but made more disturbance than even the enemy.

The origin of this indulgence which the Lacedaemonian women enjoy is
easily accounted for, from the long time the men were absent from home
upon foreign expeditions [1270a] against the Argives, and afterwards the
Arcadians and Messenians, so that, when these wars were at an end, their
military life, in which there is no little virtue, prepared them to obey
the precepts of their law-giver; but we are told, that when Lycurgus
endeavoured also to reduce the women to an obedience to his laws, upon
their refusal he declined it. It may indeed be said that the women were
the causes of these things, and of course all the fault was theirs. But
we are not now considering where the fault lies, or where it does not
lie, but what is right and what is wrong; and when the manners of the
women are not well regulated, as I have already said, it must not only
occasion faults which are disgraceful to the state, but also increase
the love of money. In the next place, fault may be found with his
unequal division of property, for some will have far too much, others
too little; by which means the land will come into few hands, which
business is badly regulated by his laws. For he made it infamous for any
one either to buy or sell their possessions, in which he did right; but
he permitted any one that chose it to give them away, or bequeath them,
although nearly the same consequences will arise from one practice as
from the other. It is supposed that near two parts in five of the whole
country is the property of women, owing to their being so often sole
heirs, and having such large fortunes in marriag