6o THE SPARTANS AND THEIR HELOTS [iV Laconia, they thought that a diversion would be best TheLaccdae,no„ia„s effected if they could retaliate on them oicouiagc the expedition by Sending troops to help their dis- of Byasidas in the hope satisfied allies, who moreover were of tnahimr a divetsion, cc • .. • .. ■ ^u jujij ^ //■ •ir.fn. otfermg to mamtam them, and had asked and getting nd of the » ' Helots. Their vion- for assistance from Sparta with the - strous cruelty and tention of revolting. They were also teaciery. ^j^^ ^^ ^ pretext for sending out of the way some of the Helots, fearing that they would take the opportunity of rising afforded by the occupation of Pylos^ Most of the Lacedaemonian institutions were specially intended to secure them against this source of dangec Once, when they were afraid of the number and vigour =' of the Helot youth, this was what they did :— They proclaimed that a selection would be made of those Helots who claimed to have rendered the best service to the Lace- daemonians in war, and promised them liberty. The announcement was intended to test them ; it was thought that those among them who were foremost in asserting their freedom would be most high-spirited, and most likely to rise against their masters. So they selected about 1 two thousand, who were crowned with garlands and went / in procession round the temples ; they were supposed to/ have received their liberty ; but not long afterwards thei Spartans put them all out of the way, and no man knew how any one of them came by his end. — And so they werei only too glad to send with Brasidas seven hundred Helots as hoplites. The rest of his army he hired from Peloponnesus'". He himself was even more willing to go 8i than they were to send him. The Chalcidians too desired , ,. , , to have him, for at Sparta he had Justice and inoacra- ' ^ Hon o/Brasid.is reniein- always been considered a man of bcred afterwards in energy. And on this expedition he proved invaluable to the Lacedae- monians. At the time he gave an impression of justice " Or, reading aKatoTijTa, ' obstinacy.' Co. iv, 70 med.
