Pausanias Analysis

Under Phintas, son of Sybotas, the Messenians first sent to Delos a sacrifice and a chorus of men in honor of Apollo. Eumelus composed for them the prosodion hymn for the god; indeed, these verses alone are genuinely accepted as the work of Eumelus. It was also in the reign of Phintas that their first dispute arose with the Lacedaemonians; the reason for it is debated, but the following account is the one commonly given.

On the frontier of Messenia there is a sanctuary of Artemis, known as Limnatis, which only the Dorian Messenians and Lacedaemonians shared in common. Now, the Lacedaemonians say that their maidens had come to the festival, and that men of the Messenians violated them and killed their king, Teleclus, son of Archelaus, son of Agesilaus, son of Doryssus, son of Labotas, son of Echestratus, son of Agis, when he attempted to restrain them. Further, they add that the violated maidens, through shame, afterward took their own lives.

The Messenians say that Teleclus plotted against those of their men who came to the sanctuary, who were the principal citizens of Messene in prestige. The reason for his plot was the excellence of the Messenian land. He chose among the Spartans certain men who were still unbearded youths, dressed them up with clothing and other ornaments as maidens, armed them with daggers, and brought them in among the Messenians as they rested. Then the Messenians, defending themselves, killed both the beardless youths and Teleclus himself. And the Lacedaemonians—since it could not have occurred without the knowledge of their state that their king had contemplated these measures—because they were conscious of having begun the wrongdoing themselves, did not press for justice against the Messenians for the murder of Teleclus. Such are the accounts told by both sides: let each person follow whichever of the two accounts he finds more persuasive.

A generation later, when Alcamenes, son of Teleclus, was reigning in Lacedaemon, and from the other royal house Theopompus, son of Nicander, son of Charillus, son of Polydectes, son of Eunomus, son of Prytanis, son of Eurypon, and when Antiochus and Androcles, sons of Phintas, ruled among the Messenians, the hatred between Lacedaemonians and Messenians flared up once more. The Lacedaemonians started the war. An occasion arose, and, since they harbored deliberate enmity and were intent upon conflict at any cost, they took it as not merely sufficient, but entirely plausible grounds for war; yet, had they possessed a more peaceable mind, the matter could have been settled through judicial decision. These were the events that led to war.

Polychares, a Messenian distinguished in many ways and victor at Olympia—when he gained victory, the Eleans were celebrating their fourth Olympiad and the sole contest was the stadion race—this man possessed cattle. However, as he owned no land sufficient for grazing them, he entrusted them to the Spartan Euaephnus, allowing them to graze on Euaephnus's property on the condition that Euaephnus would receive a share of the produce from the herd.

This Euaphnus was, it seems, a man of the following sort—he habitually preferred dishonest gain over trustworthy conduct, and was generally cunning. On that particular occasion, indeed, having sold cattle belonging to Polychares to some merchants who had sailed to Laconia, he himself went to Polychares as if bearing news. Upon arriving, he told Polychares that pirates had come ashore in the region, assaulted him, and had taken his cattle along with the herdsmen as booty. While Euaphnus was persuading him of this, one of the herdsmen escaped from the merchants, returned home, found Euaphnus there with his master, and openly denounced him before Polychares.

Now that he had been caught and could offer no denial, Euaphnus repeatedly begged forgiveness from Polychares himself and from Polychares’ son. He argued that, although human nature is subject to various forces that compel us toward injustice, the lure of profit is the strongest compulsion of all. He further explained the price he had received for the cattle, and urged Polychares' son to accompany him to recover it. But when they were advancing on their way into Laconia, Euaphnus ventured upon a deed still more wicked than the first.

He killed Polycharus' son. When Polycharus learned also of this misfortune, he regularly came to Sparta, forcefully confronting the kings and ephors: repeatedly lamenting his son's death and recounting the wrongs he had suffered at the hands of Euaephnus, whom he himself had made guest-friend and had trusted more than any other Spartan. But as no redress was given by the magistrates notwithstanding his persistent protests, Polycharus, driven now entirely beyond reason and mastered by rage, caring nothing even for his own life, dared to kill any Spartan whom he could seize.