Key to Easy Latin Stories for beginners/Part III/VIII
VIII.THE SPARTAN KINGS.
127.These honours and privileges are assigned to Spartan kings: the two priesthoods of Lacedaemonian Jupiter and of the heavenly Jupiter; also the power of waging war, which power no one can interfere with without being condemned to death. When they go forth to war the kings go first and return last; in the army they are guarded by a hundred chosen men. They use as many victims in their expeditions as they choose, and receive both the skins and backs of all slain cattle.’
Their honours in time of peace.
128.In peace honours and rewards are granted to the same. If any one offers a puhlic sacrifice the kings have the first seats at the hanquet, and the commencement of distributing the food is made by them, yet in such way that a douhle portion is assigned to each king. At all the public games they have the best seats. Each king nominates two Pythii; now the Pythii are citizens who are sent to Delphi to consult the oracles. Whenever the kings do not come to the supper, food and wine are sent home for each of them; but to them, when present, a double portion is assigned. The kings alone pronounce judgment on all matters.
Respect paid to them when dead.
129.These rewards, therefore, are assigned to the kings while alive, but when they are dead the following. Horsemen announce the death of the king throughout the whole of Laconia, but women in the city going round beat a kettle. When this is done from each house the man and his wife neglect themselves in grief; unless they do this they incur a heavy fine. When a king is dead all the citizens come together from all sides to escort the funeral; but if he has died in war they make an effigy of him, and carry it to burial laid on a handsomely strewn couch. When a king is buried there is great mourning for ten days. The successor of the dead king, at the commencement of his reign, frees every Spartan from debt.
Hereditary professions.
130.Now the Lacedaemonians have this in common with the Elgyptians. With them heralds and flute-players and cooks succeed to the professions of their fathers; and the son of a flute-player is a flute-player, a cook’s son is a cook, and a herald’s son is a herald. Nor does any one else, trying for this office on account of his clearness of voice, exclude a herald’s son; but every one pursues his own business after the manner of his father. Well, these things are thus arranged (lit. have themselves thus).