▁oracle ▁but ▁is ▁missing ▁now , ▁except ▁for ▁fragments ▁handed ▁down ▁by ▁classical ▁authors . ▁ ▁The ▁classical ▁authors ▁and ▁the ▁liter ate ▁population ▁of ▁Spart a ▁knew ▁better ▁than ▁to ▁suppose ▁that ▁the ▁r het ra ▁went ▁into ▁effect ▁as ▁written ▁by ▁an ▁oracle ▁and ▁remained ▁un changed . ▁A ▁double ▁tradition ▁developed : ▁tales ▁of ▁the ▁or ac ular ▁r het ra ▁and ▁stories ▁of ▁the ▁laws ▁of ▁Ly c urg us . ▁As ▁there ▁is ▁no ▁history ▁of ▁any ▁constitution al ▁issues ▁div iding ▁the ▁Spart ans , ▁they ▁seem ▁to ▁have ▁had ▁no ▁problem ▁accepting ▁its ▁contradict ions , ▁perhaps ▁because ▁they ▁knew ▁it ▁was ▁legend ary . ▁▁ ▁Also , ▁the ▁concept ▁of ▁the ▁constitution ▁being ▁truly ▁or al ▁and ▁a ▁state ▁secret ▁presents ▁certain ▁par ado xes , ▁such ▁as ▁how ▁the ▁classical ▁authors ▁knew ▁so ▁much ▁about ▁it . ▁Moreover , ▁the ▁work ings ▁of ▁the ▁government ▁of ▁a ▁major ▁Greek ▁state ▁over ▁centuries ▁cannot ▁have ▁been ▁either ▁un written ▁or ▁a ▁secret . ▁For ▁example , ▁C yrus ▁the ▁Young er ▁knew ▁perfectly ▁well ▁that ▁L ys ander ▁was ▁forb idden ▁by ▁law ▁to ▁hold ▁a ▁second ▁term ▁as ▁nav arch , ▁and ▁yet ▁he ▁requested ▁the ▁Spart an ▁government ▁to ▁make ▁an ▁exception . ▁And ▁finally , ▁if ▁the ▁Spart ans ▁were ▁forb idden ▁to ▁write ▁anything ▁down , ▁the ▁existence ▁of ▁ins cri ptions ▁in ▁the ▁Euro t as ▁valley ▁becomes ▁problem atic . ▁The ▁institution ▁of ▁the ▁r het ra ▁in ▁fact