; but he was elected king in
preference to them. When he was on the throne, he did not scruple to
confer on his two rivals the principal offices of the state; all strongly
attached to the public good, even more than to their own glory;
competitors, but not enemies, these great men were actuated by a zeal for
their country, and were neither friends nor adversaries to one another,
but for its preservation.

In this relation, I have followed the opinion of the late Monsieur Boivin,
the elder,(238) and have made use of his learned dissertation upon a
fragment of Diodorus Siculus, which the world was little acquainted with.
He supposes, and proves in it, that the king, spoken of in that fragment,
is Euphaes; and that Aristomenes is the same that Pausanias calls
Aristodemus, according to the custom of the ancients, who were often
called by two different names.

Aristomenes, otherwise called Aristodemus, reigned near seven years, and
was equally esteemed and beloved by his subjects. The war still continued
all this time.(239) Towards the end of his reign he beat the
Lacedaemonians, took their king Theopompus, and, in honour of Jupiter of
Ithome, sacrificed three hundred of them, among whom their king was the
principal victim. Shortly after, Aristodemus sacrificed himself upon the
tomb of his daughter, in conformity to the answer of an oracle. Damis was
his successor, but without taking upon him the title of king.

After his death, the Messenians never had any success in their affairs,
but found themselves in a very wretched and hopeless condition.(240) Being
reduced to the last extremity, and utterly destitute of provisions, they
abandoned Ithome, and fled to such of their allies as were nearest to
them. The city was immediately razed, and the other part of the country
submitted. They were made to engage by oath never to forsake the party of
the Lacedaemonians, and never to revolt from them: a very useless
precaution, only proper to make them add the guilt of perjury to their
rebellion. Their new masters imposed no tribute upon them; but contented
themselves with obliging them to bring to the Spartan market one half of
the corn they should reap every harvest. It was likewise stipulated, that
the Messenians, both men and women, should attend, in mourning, the
funerals of the kings and chief citizens of Sparta; which the
Lacedaemonians probably looked upon as a mark of dependence, and as a kind
of homage paid to their nation.