liberty than was tolerated in other Grecian states. Hence she took
a lively interest in the welfare and glory of her native land, and was
animated by an earnest and lofty spirit of patriotism. The Spartan
mother had reason to be proud of herself and of her children. When a
woman of another country said to Gorgo, the wife of Leonidas, "The
Spartan women alone rule the men," she replied, "The Spartan women
alone bring forth men." Their husbands and their sons were fired by
their sympathy to deeds of heroism. "Return either with your shield,
or upon it," was their exhortation to their sons when going to battle.

Lycurgus is said to have divided the land belonging to the Spartans
into 9000 equal lots and the remainder of Laconia into 30,000 equal
lots, and to have assigned to each Spartan citizen one of the former of
these lots, and to each Perioecus one of the latter.

Neither gold nor silver money was allowed in Sparta, and nothing but
bars of iron passed in exchange for every commodity. As the Spartans
were not permitted to engage in commerce, and all luxury and display in
dress, furniture, and food was forbidden, they had very little occasion
for a circulating medium, and iron money was found sufficient for their
few wants. But this prohibition of the precious metals only made the
Spartans more anxious to obtain them; and even in the times of their
greatest glory the Spartans were the most venal of the Greeks, and
could rarely resist the temptation of a bribe.

The legislation of Lycurgus was followed by important results. It made
the Spartans a body of professional soldiers, all trained and well
disciplined, at a time when military training and discipline were
little known, and almost unpractised in the other states of Greece.
The consequence was the rapid growth of the political power of Sparta,
and the subjugation of the neighbouring states. At the time of
Lycurgus the Spartans held only a small portion of Laconia: they were
merely a garrison in the heart of an enemy's country. Their first
object was to make themselves masters of Laconia, in which they finally
succeeded after a severe struggle. They next turned their arms against
the Messenians, Arcadians, and Argives. Of these wars the two waged
against Messenia were the most celebrated and the most important. They
were both long protracted and obstinately contested. They both ended
in the victory of Sparta, and in the subjugation of Messenia. These