repared to go
away. Before he left the town, he called all the citizens together,
reminded them of all he had done to make them a great people, and ended
by asking every man present to swear to obey the laws until he came
back.

The Spartans were very grateful for all he had done for them, so they
gladly took this oath, and Lycurgus left the place. Some time after, he
came back to Greece; but, hearing that the Spartans were thriving under
the rules he had laid down, he made up his mind never to visit Sparta
again.

It was thus that the Spartans found themselves bound by solemn oath to
obey Lycurgus' laws forever; and as long as they remembered this
promise, they were a thriving and happy people.

XXVI. THE MESSENIAN WAR.

Not very far from Sparta, and next to Laconia, was a country called
Mes-se'ni-a, which was much more fertile, and had long been occupied by
a kindred race descended from Le'lex, brother of Lacedaemon.

When the Spartans found out that the Mes-se'ni-an fields were more
fruitful than their own, they longed to have them, and anxiously watched
for some excuse to make war against the Messenians and win their land.
It was not long before they found one.

There was a temple on the boundary of Messenia and Laconia, where the
people of both countries used to assemble on certain days to offer up
sacrifices to the gods. The Messenian lads, seeing the beauty of the
Spartan girls, and longing to have such strong, handsome, and
intelligent wives, once carried off a few of them into their own
country, and refused to give them up again. The Spartans, indignant at
this conduct, flew to arms, and one night, led by their king, attacked
the Messenian town of Am-phe'a.

As no one expected them, they soon became masters of the place, and in
their anger killed all the inhabitants. The other Messenians, hearing of
this cruel deed, quickly made ready to fight, and bravely began the
struggle which is known as the First Messenian War.

Although very brave, the Messenians had not been as well trained as the
Spartans, and could not drive them back. On the contrary, they were
themselves driven from place to place, until they were forced to take
refuge in the fortified city of I-tho'me. Here they were shut in with
their king, Aristodemus, who was a proud and brave man.

Ithome was built high up on a rock, so steep that the Spartan soldiers
could not climb it, and so high that they could not even shoot their
arrow