having married too small a wife,(507) which implies the opinion, that the community had a right to require their kings to keep up a robust family.(508) The kings, however, were compelled to submit to this treatment, in a state in which every magistrate exercised the full powers of his office with a certain degree of severity. We find, however, that the ephors had also jurisdiction in cases which were neither civil actions nor the scrutinies of public officers; for example, they punished a man for having brought money into the state;(509) another for indolence;(510) a third from the singular reason that he was generally injured and insulted:(511) and their share in the superintendence of public education,(512) as well as over the celebration of the public games,(513) gave them a jurisdiction in causes relating to these points. In cases of this kind, however, we are ignorant how far they acted as a separate board, and how far in connexion with other magistrates, for example, as assessors of the kings.(514) They judged according to unwritten laws, as Sparta knew no others. Aristotle calls this, deciding according to their will and pleasure.(515) 5. Another more important circumstance, as affecting the extension of the power of the ephors, was, that these officers (from what time we are not informed) placed themselves in connexion with the popular assembly, so that they had a right to transact business with it in preference to all other magistrates. They had power to convene the people,(516) and put the vote to them.(517) They must in early times have had the privilege of proposing laws(518) (but doubtless not till after they had passed through the gerusia), if the ephor Chilon is correctly called a legislator.(519) They also possessed great authority in transactions with foreign nations. They admitted ambassadors, and had also power to dismiss them from the boundary,(520) likewise to expel suspected foreigners from the state,(521) and therefore they were probably the chief managers of the Xenelasia. They frequently carried on the negotiations with foreign ambassadors, with full powers of treating;(522) and had great influence, especially of a preparatory nature,(523) upon declarations of war, as well as armistices and treaties of peace,(524) which the ephors, and particularly the first among them, swore to and subscribed in presence of other persons.(525) To them also was intrusted the right of dismissing ambassadors.(526) In time of war they were empowered to send out troops (φρουρὰν φαίνειν(527)) on whatever day seemed to them expedient;(528) and they even appear to have had authority to determine the number of men.(529) The army they then intrusted to the king, or some other general,(530) who received from them instructions how to act;(531) sent back to the ephors for fresh instructions;(532) were restrained by them through the attendance of extraordinary plenipotentiaries;(533) were recalled by means of the