[740] Τοὺς δὲ Μεσσηνίους οἶδα αὐτὸς ἐπὶ ταῖς σπονδαῖς Ἀριστομένην Νικομηδους καλοῦντας (Pausan. ii. 14, 5). The practice still continued in his time.
Compare, also, Pausan. iv. 27, 3; iv. 32, 3-4.
[741] Pausanias heard the song himself (iv. 16, 4)—Ἐπέλεγον ᾆσμα τὸ καὶ ἐς ἡμᾶς ἔτι ᾀδόμενον:—
Ἔς τε μέσον πεδίον Στενυκλήριον ἔς τ᾽ ὄρος ἄκρον
Εἵπετ᾽ Ἀριστομένης τοῖς Λακεδαιμονίοις.
According to one story, the Lacedæmonians were said to have got possession of the person of Aristomenês, and killed him: they found in him a hairy heart (Steph. Byz. v. Ἀνδανία).
[742] Pausan. iv. 15, 1.
Perhaps Leotychides was king during the last revolt of the Helots, or Messenians, in 464 B. C., which is called the third Messenian war. He seems to have been then in exile, in consequence of his venality during the Thessalian expedition,—but not yet dead (Herodot. vi. 72). Of the reality of what Mr. Clinton calls the third Messenian war, in 490 B. C., I see no adequate proof (see Fast. Hell. vol. i. p. 257).
The poem of Rhianus was entitled Μεσσηνιακά. He also composed Θεσσαλικὰ, Ἠλιακὰ, Ἀχαϊκά. See the Fragments,—they are very few,—in Düntzer’s Collection, pp. 67-77.
He seems to have mentioned Nikoteleia, the mother of Aristomenês (Fr. ii. p. 73): compare Pausan. iv. 14, 5.