八喜电子书 > 经管其他电子书 > the polity of the athenians and the lacedaemonians >

第9部分

the polity of the athenians and the lacedaemonians-第9部分


按键盘上方向键 ← 或 → 可快速上下翻页,按键盘上的 Enter 键可回到本书目录页,按键盘上方向键 ↑ 可回到本页顶部!
————未阅读完?加入书签已便下次继续阅读!



its his humour。 But at Lacedaemon there is not one man who would not feel ashamed to welcome the coward at the common mess…tabe; or to try conclusions with such an antagonist in a wrestling bout。 Consider the day's round of his existence。 The sides are being picked up in a football match;'2' but he is left out as the odd man: there is no place for him。 During the choric dance'3' he is driven away into ignominious quarters。 Nay; in the very streets it is he who must step aside for others to pass; or; being seated; he must rise and make room; even for a younger man。 At home he will have his maiden relatives to support in isolation (and they will hold him to blame for their unwedded lives)。'4' A hearth with no wife to bless it that is a condition he must face;'5' and yet he will have to pay damages to the last farthing for incurring it。 Let him not roam abroad with a smooth and smiling countenance;'6' let him not imitate men whose fame is irreproachable; or he shall feel on his back the blows of his superiors。 Such being the weight of infamy which is laid upon all cowards; I; for my part; am not surprised if in Sparta they deem death preferable to a life so steeped in dishonour and reproach。

'2' See Lucian; 〃Anacharsis;〃 38; Muller; 〃Dorians;〃 (vol。 ii。 309;     Eng。 tr。)

'3' The {khoroi}; e。g。 of the Gymnopaedia。 See Muller; op。 cit。 iv。 6;     4 (vol。 ii。 334; Eng。 tr。)

'4' {tes anandrias}; cf。 Plut。 〃Ages。〃 30; or; {tes anandreias}; 〃they     must bear the reproach of his cowardice。〃

'5' Omitting {ou}; or translate; 〃that is an evil not to be     disregarded。〃 See Dindorf; ad loc。; Sturz; 〃Lex。 Xen。〃 {Estia}。

'6' See Plut。 〃Ages。〃 30 (Clough; iv。 36); 〃Hell。〃 VI。 iv。 16。



X

That too was a happy enactment; in my opinion; by which Lycurgus provided for the continual cultivation of virtue; even to old age。 By fixing'1' the election to the council of elders'2' as a last ordeal at the goal of life; he made it impossible for a high standard of virtuous living to be disregarded even in old age。 (So; too; it is worthy of admiration in him that he lent his helping hand to virtuous old age。'3' Thus; by making the elders sole arbiters in the trial for life; he contrived to charge old age with a greater weight of honour than that which is accorded to the strength of mature manhood。) And assuredly such a contest as this must appeal to the zeal of mortal man beyond all others in a supreme degree。 Fair; doubtless; are contests of gymnastic skill; yet are they but trials of bodily excellence; but this contest for the seniority is of a higher sortit is an ordeal of the soul itself。 In proportion; therefore; as the soul is worthier than the body; so must these contests of the soul appeal to a stronger enthusiasm than their bodily antitypes。

'1' Reading {protheis}。 See Plut。 〃Lycurg。〃 26 (Clough。 i。 118);     Aristot。 〃Pol。〃 ii。 9; 25。

'2' Or; 〃seniory;〃 or 〃senate;〃 or 〃board of elders〃; lit。 〃the     Gerontia。〃

'3' Or; 〃the old age of the good。 Yet this he did when he made 。 。 。     since he contrived;〃 etc。

And yet another point may well excite our admiration for Lycurgus largely。 It had not escaped his observation that communities exist where those who are willing to make virtue their study and delight fail somehow in ability to add to the glory of their fatherland。'4' That lesson the legislator laid to heart; and in Sparta he enforced; as a matter of public duty; the practice of virtue by every citizen。 And so it is that; just as man differs from man in some excellence; according as he cultivates or neglects to cultivate it; this city of Sparta; with good reason; outshines all other states in virtue; since she; and she alone; as made the attainment of a high standard of noble living a public duty。

'4' Is this an autobiographical touch?

And was this not a noble enactment; that whereas other states are content to inflict punishment only in cases where a man does wrong against his neighbour; Lycurgus imposed penalties no less severe on him who openly neglected to make himself as good as possible? For this; it seems; was his principle: in the one case; where a man is robbed; or defrauded; or kidnapped; and made a slave of; the injury of the misdeed; whatever it be; is personal to the individual so maltreated; but in the other case whole communities suffer foul treason at the hands of the base man and the coward。 So that it was only reasonable; in my opinion; that he should visit the heaviest penalty upon these latter。

Moreover; he laid upon them; like some irresistible necessity; the obligation to cultivate the whole virtue of a citizen。 Provided they duly performed the injunctions of the law; the city belonged to them; each and all; in absolute possession and on an equal footing。 Weakness of limb or want of wealth'5' was no drawback in his eyes。 But as for him who; out of the cowardice of his heart; shrank from the painful performance of the law's injunction; the finger of the legistlator pointed him out as there and then disqualified to be regarded longer as a member of the brotherhood of peers。'6'

'5' But see Aristot。 〃Pol。〃 ii。 9; 32。

'6' Grote; 〃H。 G。〃 viii。 81; 〃Hell。〃 III。 iii。 5。

It may be added; that there was no doubt as to the great antiquity of this code of laws。 The point is clear so far; that Lycurgus himself is said to have lived in the days of the Heraclidae。'7' But being of so long standing; these laws; even at this day; still are stamped in the eyes of other men with all the novelty of youth。 And the most marvellous thing of all is that; while everybody is agreed to praise these remarkable institutions; there is not a single state which cares to imitate them。

'7' See Plut。 〃Lycurg。〃 1。



XI

The above form a common stock of blessings; open to every Spartan to enjoy; alike in peace and in war。 But if any one desires to be informed in what way the legislator improved upon the ordinary machinery of warfare and in reference to an army in the field; it is easy to satisfy his curiosity。

In the first instance; the ephors announce by proclamation the limit of age to which the service applies'1' for cavalry and heavy infantry; and in the next place; for the various handicraftsmen。 So that; even on active service; the Lacedaemonians are well supplied with all the conveniences enjoyed by people living as citizens at home。'2' All implements and instruments whatsoever; which an army may need in common; are ordered to be in readiness;'3' some on waggons and others on baggage animals。 In this way anything omitted can hardly escape detection。

'1' I。e。 〃in the particular case。〃 See 〃Hell。〃 VI。 iv。 17; Muller;     〃Dorians;〃 iii。 12 (vol。 ii。 242 foll。; Eng。 tr。)

'2' Or; 〃the conveniences of civil life at home。〃

'3' Reading {parekhein}; or if {paragein}; 〃to be conveyed。〃 Cf。     Pausan。 I。 xix。 1。 See 〃Cyrop。〃 VI。 ii。 34。

For the actual encounter under arms; the following inventions are attributed to him。 The soldier has a crimson…coloured uniform and a heavy shield of bronze; his theory being that such an equipment has no sort of feminine association; and is altogether most warrior…like。'4' It is most quickly burnished; it is least readily soiled。'5'

'4' Cf。 Aristoph。 〃Acharn。〃 320; and the note of the scholiast。

'5' See Ps。 Plut。 〃Moral。〃 238 F。

He futher permitted those who were above the age of early manhood to wear their hair long。'6' For so; he conceived; they would appear of larger stature; more free and indomitable; and of a more terrible aspect。

'6' See Plut。 〃Lycurg。〃 22 (Clough; i。 114)。

So furnished and accoutred; he divided his citizen soldiers into six morai'7' (or regimental divisions) of cavalry'8' and heavy infantry。 Each of these citizen regiments (political divisions) has one polemarch'9' (or colonel); four lochagoi (or captains of companies); eight penteconters (or lieutenants; each in command of half a company); and sixteen enomotarchs (or commanders of sections)。 At the word of command any such regimental division can be formed readily either into enomoties (i。e。 single file) or into threes (i。e。 three files abreast); or into sixes (i。e。 six files abreast)。'10'

'7' The {mora}。 Jowett; 〃Thuc。〃 ii。 320; note to Thuc。 v。 68; 3。

'8' See Plut。 〃Lycurg。〃 23 (Clough; i。 115); 〃Hell。〃 VI。 iv。 11; Thuc。     v。 67; Paus。 IV。 viii。 12。

'9' See Thuc。 v。 66; 71。

'10' See Thuch。 v。 68; and Arnold's note ad loc。; 〃Hell。〃 VI。 iv。 12;     〃Anab。〃 II。 iv。 26; Rustow and Kochly; op。 cit。 p。 117。

As to the idea; commonly entertained; that the tactical arrangement of the Laconian heavy infantry is highly complicated; no conception could be more opposed to fact。 For in the Laconian order the front rank men are all leaders;'11' so that each file has everything necessary to play its part efficiently。 In fact; this disposition is so easy to understand that no one who can distinguish one human being from another could fail to follow it。 One set have the privilege of leaders; the other the duty of followers。 The evolutional orders;'12' by which greater depth or shallowness is given to the battle line; are given by word of mouth by the enomotarch (or commander of the section); who plays the part of the herald; and they cannot be mistaken。 None of these manouvres presents any difficulty whatsoever to the understanding。

'11' See 〃Anab。〃 IV。 iii。 26; 〃Cyrop。〃 III。 iii。 59; VI。 iii。 22。

'12' I。e。 〃for doubling depth〃; e。g。 anglice; 〃form two deep;〃 etc。;     when marching to a flank。 Grote; 〃H。 G。〃 vii。 108; Thuc。 v。 66;     also Rustow and Kochly; op。 cit。 p。 111; S。 8; note 19; p。 121;     17; note 41。

But when it comes to their ability to do battle equally well in spite of some confusion which has been set up; and whatever the chapter of accidents may confront them with;'13' I admit that the tactics here are not so easy to understand; except for people trained under the laws of Lycurgus。 Even movements which an instructor in heavy…armed warfare'14' might look upon as difficult are performed by the Lacedaemonians with the utmost ease。'15' Thus; the troops; we will suppose; are marching in column; one section of a company is of course stepping up behind another from the rear。'16' Now; if at such a moment a hostile force appears in front in battle orde

返回目录 上一页 下一页 回到顶部 0 0

你可能喜欢的