Agis and Cleomenes

Plutarch

Plutarch. Plutarch's Lives, Vol. X. Perrin, Bernadotte, translator. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press; London: William Heinemann Ltd., 1921.

And the men of old, in my opinion, did not regard bravery as a lack of fear, but as fear of reproach and dread of disgrace. For the men who feel most dread of the laws have most courage in facing their enemies; and those shun death least who most fear ill fame.

Therefore it has been well said[*](By Stasinus of Cyprus. Cf. Plato, Euthyphro, 12a; Kinkel, Ep. Graec. Frag. i. p. 30.):

  1. . . . for where dread is, there also is reverence.
And Homer says[*](Iliad, iii. 172, Helen to Priam.):
  1. Revered art thou by me, dear father-in-law, and
  2. dreaded too;
and
  1. Without a word, in dread of their leaders.[*](Iliad, iv. 431, of the Achaeans marshalled for battle.)
For by the multitude reverence is most apt to be felt towards those whom they also fear. For this reason, too, the Lacedaemonians erected a temple to Fear alongside the mess-hall of the ephors, after they had endowed this magistracy with almost absolute powers.

And now to resume; Cleomenes, when day came, published a list of eighty citizens who must go into exile, and removed all the ephoral chairs except one; in this he purposed to sit himself for the transaction of public business. Then he called a general assembly and made a defence of his proceedings. He said that Lycurgus had blended the powers of senate and kings, and that for a long time the state was administered in this way and had no need of other officials.