Book 6
102
But the class called Mothaces among the Lacedæmonians are freemen, but still not citizens of Lacedæmon. And Phylarchus speaks of them thus, in the twenty-fifth book of his History—But the Mothaces are foster-brothers of Lacedæmonian citizens. For each of the sons of the citizens has one or two, or even more foster-brothers, according as their circumstances admit. The Mothaces are freemen then, but still not Lacedæmonian citizens; but they shard all the education which is given to the free citizens; and they say that Lysander, who defeated the Athenians in the naval battle, was one of that class, having been made a citizen on account of his preeminent valour. And Myron of Priene, in the second book of his history of the Affairs of Messene, says, The Lacedæmonians often emancipated their slaves, and some of them when emancipated they called Aphetæ, Ἀφέτης, from ἀφίημι, to liberate. and some they called Adespoti, Ἀδέσποτος, from α, not, and δεσπότης, a master. and some they called Erycteres, and others they called Desposionaute, δεσποσιοναύτης, from δεσπότης, and ναύτης, a sailor whom they put on board their fleets, and some they called Neodamodes, νεοδαμώδης, from νεὸς, new, and δῆμος, people. but all these were different people from the Helots. And Theopompus, in the seventh book of his history of the Affairs of Greece, speaking of the Helots that they were also called Eleatæ, writes as follows:—"But the nation of the Helote is altogether a fierce and cruel race. For they are people who have been enslaved a long time ago by the Spar- tans, some of them being Messenians, and some Eleatæ, who formerly dwelt in that part of Laconia called Helos.
