this, and set not thyself against it, lest the Spartans take some
counsel about thee other than might be wished. We do not ask of thee
the putting away of the wife whom thou hast; but do thou give to her
all that thou givest now and at the same time take to thy house
another wife in addition to this one, to bear thee children." When
they spoke to him after this manner, Anaxandrides consented, having
two wives, a thing which was not by any means after the Spartan
fashion. 41. Then when no long time had elapsed, the wife who had come
in afterwards bore this Cleomenes of whom we spoke; and just when she
was bringing to the light an heir to the kingdom of the Spartans, the
former wife, who had during the time before been childless, then by
some means conceived, chancing to do so just at that time: and though
she was in truth with child, the kinsfolk of the wife who had come in
afterwards, when they heard of it cried out against her and said that
she was making a vain boast, and that she meant to pass off another
child as her own. Since then they made a great show of indignation, as
the time was fast drawing near, the Ephors being incredulous sat round
and watched the woman during the birth of her child: and she bore
Dorieos and then straightway conceived Leonidas and after him at once
Cleombrotos,--nay, some even say that Cleombrotos and Leonidas were
twins. The wife however who had born Cleomenes and had come in after
the first wife, being the daughter of Primetades the son of
Demarmenos, did not bear a child again. 42. Now Cleomenes, it is said,
was not quite in his right senses but on the verge of madness,[24]
while Dorieos was of all his equals in age the first, and felt assured
that he would obtain the kingdom by merit. Seeing then that he had
this opinion, when Anaxandrides died and the Lacedemonians followed
the usual custom established the eldest, namely Cleomenes, upon the
throne, Dorieos being indignant and not thinking it fit that he should
be a subject of Cleomenes, asked the Spartans to give him a company of