tion for one of the "three hundred," he went away "rejoicing
that there were three hundred better men than himself found in the
city." Pisistratidas going with some others, ambassador to the king of
Persia's lieutenants, was asked whether they came with a public
commission, or on their own account, to which he answered, "If
successful, for the public; if unsuccessful, for ourselves." Agrileonis,
the mother of Brasidas, asking some Amphipolitans that waited upon her
at her house, whether Brasidas died honourably and as became a Spartan?
they greatly extolled his merit, and said there was not such a man left
in Sparta; whereupon she replied, "Say not so, my friends; for Brasidas
was indeed a man of honour, but Lacedaemon can boast of many better men
than he."

The senate, as I said before, consisted at first of those that were
assistants to Lycurgus in his great enterprise. Afterwards, to fill up
any vacancy that might happen, he ordered the most worthy men to be
selected, of those that were full threescore years old. This was the
most respectable dispute in the world, and the contest was truly
glorious; for it was not who should be swiftest among the swift, or
strongest of the strong, but who was the wisest and best among the good
and wise. He who had the preference was to bear this mark of superior
excellence through life, this great authority, which put into his hands
the lives and honour of the citizens, and every other important affair.
The manner of the election was this: when the people were assembled,
some persons appointed for the purpose were shut up in a room near the
place; where they could neither see nor be seen, and only hear the
shouts of the constituents: for by them they decided this and most
other affairs. Each candidate walked silently through the assembly, one
after another according to lot. Those that were shut up had writing
tables, in which they set down in different columns the number and
loudness of the shouts, without knowing who they were for; only they
marked them as first, second, third, and so on, according to the number
of the competitors. He that had the most and loudest acclamations, was
declared duly elected. Then he was crowned with a garland, and went
round to give thanks to the gods: a number of young men followed,
striving which should extol him most, and the women celebrated his
virtues in their songs, and blessed his worthy life and conduct. Each of
his relations offered him a repa