INTRODUCTION
intro.1
Of the Sayings of Spartan Women the same may be said as of the Sayings of Spartans. It truly represents the work of Plutarch, and many of the sayings are repeated elsewhere in his writings; others perhaps in his writings that are now lost. Whether the sayings were collected in this form by Plutarch or by someone else is a matter of minor importance.
ARGILEONIS
1.1
Argileonis, the mother of Brasidas, when her son had met his death,At the battle of Amphipolis, 422 b.c. and some of the citizens of Amphipolis arrived at Sparta and came to her, asked if her son had met his death honourably and in a manner worthy of Sparta. And when th ey proceeded to tell of his greatness, and declared that he was the best of all the Spartans in such enterprises, she said, Sirs, my son was a gude and honourable mon, but Sparta has mony a mon better than him. Cf. the note on Moralia, 190 b, supra.
GORGOGorgo later became the wife of Leonidas.
2.1
Gorgo, daughter of king Cleomenes, when Aristagoras of Miletus was urging her father to enter upon the war against the Persian king in behalf of the Ionians, promising a vast sum of money, and, in answer to Cleomenes’ objections, making the amount larger and larger, said, Father, the miserable foreigner will be your ruin if you don’t get him out of the house pretty soon! Cf. Herodotus, v. 48-51.
2.2
Once when her father told her to give some grain to a man by way of remuneration, and added, It is because he showed me how to make the wine taste good, she said, Then, father, there will be more wine drunk, and the drinkers will become more intemperate and depraved. Cf. the note on Moralia, 218 d (4), where the same idea is attributed to Archidamus.
2.3
When she had watched Aristagoras having his shoes put on and laced by one of the servants, she said, Father, the foreigner hasn’t any hands! Cf. Diogenes Laertius, vi. 44, where Diogenes the cynic goes Gorgo one better.
