mouth of this river, which was navigable up to Sparta, was defended by a
citadel, the ruins of which were remaining in the time of Pausanias. As the
Lacedæmonians regarded this town as their principal port, in which their
naval forces, as well as the greater part of their merchant ships
assembled, they employed considerable labour and expence in rendering it
commodious and safe; for this purpose they dug a very spacious basin which,
on one side was defended by motes, and on the other by numerous
fortifications: the strength of these may be judged of from the
circumstance, that even after the armies of Sparta had been utterly
defeated by Epaminondas, and Philip, the son of Demetrius, neither of these
conquerors could capture this sea-port. In it were deposited all the
requisites for their naval force, and from it sailed their merchant ships
with cargoes to Crete, Africa, and Egypt; to all of which countries,
according to Thucydides, the Lacedæmonians carried on a lucrative and
regular traffic. Another of their sea-ports was Epidaurus, situated on the
Gulf of Argos, in the eastern part of Laconia. The country round it
contained many vineyards, the wine of which was exported in considerable
quantities, and supplied other parts of Greece. This district is still
celebrated for its wine, called Malvasia, (or Malmsey,) a corruption from
Maleates, the ancient name of this part of Laconia.

We have already alluded to the supposed aversion of the Spartans to
maritime affairs, which, according to some authors, arose from Lycurgus
having prohibited them from building vessels, or employing sailors; but
this idea is unfounded, and seems to have arisen from the fact, that their
kings were prevented, by a positive law, from commanding the fleets. That
the Spartans engaged in commerce, we have, as has been just stated, the
express testimony of Thucydides; and there is abundant evidence that they
had always armed vessels during their wars; and even so early as the time
of Croesus, they sent some troops to Satnos, and plundered that island: and