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LYCURGUS ¹

[1] Lycurgus, the Spartan, introduced the custom among his citizens of wearing their hair long, saying that it made the beautiful more comely and the ugly more frightful. ²

[2] To the man who urged him to create a democracy in the State his answer was, Do you first create a democracy in your own house.³

[3] He ordered that the people build their houses with saw and axe only; for he knew that men are ashamed to bring into simple houses costly vessels, rugs, and tables. ⁴

[4] He prohibited boxing and prize-fighting so that the people might not even in sport get the habit of crying off. ⁵

[5] He prohibited making war upon the same people many times, so that they should not make their opponents too belligerent. And it is a fact that years later, when Agesilaus was wounded, Antalcidas said of him that he was getting a beautiful return from the Thebans for the lessons he had taught them in habituating and teaching them to make war against their will. ⁶

Regum et imperatorum apophthegmata. Plutarch. Frank Cole Babbitt (Translator). Cambridge, MA. 1931.

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Funding provided by The National Endowment for the Humanities.

Current edition Perseus

Sayings of Kings and Commanders (English) (Plutarch. Moralia, Vol. III. Babbitt, Frank Cole, translator. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press; London: William Heinemann Ltd., 1931 (printing).)

Editions (2)

Ἀποφθέγματα βασιλέων καὶ στρατηγῶν Perseus (Plutarch. Moralia, Vol. III. Babbitt, Frank Cole, editor. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press; London: William Heinemann Ltd., 1931 (printing).) — 53 focus

Λυκουρ́γου

[1] Λυκοῦργος ὁ Λακεδαιμόνιος εἴθισε τοὺς πολίτας κομᾶν λέγων ὅτι τοὺς μὲν καλοὺς ἡ κόμη εὐπρεπεστέρους ποιεῖ, τοὺς δὲ αἰσχροὺς φοβερωτέρους.

[2] πρὸς δὲ τὸν κελεύοντα ποιεῖν ἐν τῇ πόλει δημοκρατίαν σὺ πρῶτος, εἶπεν. ἐν τῇ οἰκίᾳ σου ποίησον δημοκρατίαν.

[3] ἐκέλευε δὲ τὰς οἰκίας ποιεῖν ἀπὸ πρίονος καὶ πελέκεως μόνον αἰσχύνεσθαι¹ γὰρ εἰς οἰκίας λιτὰς ἐκπώματα καὶ στρώματα καὶ τραπέζας πολυτελεῖς εἰσφέροντας.

[4] πυγμὴν δὲ καὶ παγκράτιον ἀγωνίζεσθαι ἐκώλυσεν, ἵνα μηδὲ παίζοντες ἀπαυδᾶν ἐθίζωνται.

[5] 189f στρατεύειν δὲ πολλάκις ἐπὶ τοὺς αὐτοὺς ἐκώλυσεν, ὅπως μὴ ποιῶσι μαχιμωτέρους. ὕστερον γοῦν τοῦ Ἀγησιλάου τρωθέντος, ὁ Ἀνταλκίδας εἶπεν καλὰ διδασκάλια παρὰ Θηβαίων λαμβάνειν αὐτὸν ἐθίσαντα καὶ διδάξαντα πολεμεῖν ἄκοντας.

Ἀποφθέγματα βασιλέων καὶ στρατηγῶν Perseus (Plutarch. Plutarchi Chaeronensis Moralia, Vol II. Vernardakēs, Grēgorios N., editor. Leipzig: Teubner, 1889.) — 53 focus

Λυκούργου

[1] Λυκοῦργος ὁ Λακεδαιμόνιος εἴθισε τοὺς πολίτας 20 κομᾶν λέγων ὅτι τοὺς μὲν καλοὺς ἡ κόμη εὐπρεπεστέρους ποιεῖ, τοὺς δὲ αἰσχροὺς φοβερωτέρους.

[2] πρὸς δὲ τὸν κελεύοντα ποιεῖν ἐν τῇ πόλει δημοκρατίαν σὺ πρῶτος εἶπεν ἐν τῇ οἰκίᾳ σου 25 ποίησον δημοκρατίαν.

[3] ἐκέλευε δὲ τὰς οἰκίας ποιεῖν ἀπὸ πρίονος καὶ πελέκεως μόνον· αἰσχύνεσθαι γὰρ εἰς οἰκίας λιτὰς ἐκπώματα καὶ στρώματα καὶ τραπέζας πολυτελεῖς εἰσφέροντας.

[4] πυγμὴν δὲ καὶ παγκράτιον ἀγωνίζεσθαι ἐκώλυσεν, ἵνα μηδὲ παίζοντες ἀπαυδᾶν ἐθίζωνται.

189f

στρατεύειν δὲ πολλάκις ἐπὶ τοὺς αὐτοὺς ἐκώλυσεν, ὅπως μὴ ποιῶσι μαχιμωτέρους. ὕστερον γοῦν τοῦ Ἀγησιλάου τρωθέντος, ὁ Ἀνταλκίδας εἶπεν καλὰ 10 διδασκάλια παρὰ Θηβαίων λαμβάνειν αὐτὸν ἐθίσαντα καὶ διδάξαντα πολεμεῖν ἄκοντας.

Translations (1)

The apophthegms or remarkable sayings of kings and great commanders. Perseus (Plutarch. Plutarch's Morals, Vol. I. Goodwin, William W., editor; Hinton, Edward, translator. Boston: Little, Brown, and Company; Cambridge: Press of John Wilson and Son, 1874.) — 53 focus

[53] LYCURGUS. Lycurgus the Lacedaemonian brought long hair into fashion among his countrymen, saying that it rendered those that were handsome more beautiful, and those that were deformed more terrible. To one that advised him to set up a democracy in Sparta, Pray, said he, do you first set up a democracy in your own house. He ordained that houses should be built with saws and axes only, thinking they would be ashamed to bring plate, tapestry, and costly tables into such pitiful houses. He forbade them to contend at boxing or in the double contest of boxing and wrestling, that they might not accustom themselves to be conquered, no, not so much as in jest. He forbade them also to war often against the same people, lest they should make them the more warlike. Accordingly, many years after, when Agesilaus was wounded, Antalcidas told him the Thebans had rewarded him worthily for teaching and accustoming them to war, whether they would or no.

Notes on the current edition

Sayings of Kings and Commanders

1. Early lawgiver of the Spartans.

2. Cf. Moralia, 228 F, infra, Plutarch’s Life of Lycurgus, chap. xxii. (53 D) and Life of Lysander, chap. i. (434 A). The Spartan custom of wearing the hair long is often referred to; for example Moralia, 189 F and 230 B, infra, Xenophon, Constitution of Sparta, xi. 3.

3. Repeated in Moralia, 155 D, 22 D, and Plutarch’s Life of Lycurgus, chap. xix. (52 A).

4. Cf. Moralia, 227 B, infra, and Life of Lycurgus, chap. xiii. (47 B).

5. See Moralia, 228 D, infra, and cf. Life of Lycurgus, chap. xix. (52 A), and Seneca, De Beneficiis, v. 3.

6. Cf. Moralia, 213 F, 217 E, 227 C, infra; Plutarch’s Life of Lycurgus, chap. xiii. (47 D); Life of Pelopidas, chap. xv. (285 D); Life of Agesilaus, chap. xxvi. (610 D); Polyaenus, Strategemata, i. 16. 2.

Plutarch Regum et imperatorum apophthegmata 53

Frank Cole Babbitt (Translator)

Search the Perseus Catalog for:

LYCURGUS ¹

Current edition Perseus

Λυκουρ́γου

Λυκούργου

Notes on the current edition

Stable identifiers

Search the Perseus Catalog for:

Search the Perseus Catalog for:

LYCURGUS 1

Current edition Perseus

Λυκουρ́γου

Λυκούργου

Notes on the current edition

Stable identifiers

LYCURGUS ¹