agesilaus-第4节

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to　undergo　the　fatigue　of　war；　he　had　filled　their　breasts　with　a



proud　consciousness　that　they　were　equal　to　do　battle　with　any



combatants　in　the　world；　and　what　was　more；　he　had　infused　a　wholesome



rivalry　in　those　about　him　to　prove　themselves　each　better　than　the



rest。　He　had　filled　all　hearts　with　sanguine　expectation　of　great



blessings　to　descend　on　all；　if　they　proved　themselves　good　men。　Such



incentives；　he　thought；　were　best　calculated　to　arouse　enthusiasm　in



men's　souls　to　engage　in　battle　with　the　enemy。　And　in　this



expectation　he　was　not　deceived。







＇5＇　Lit。　〃Agesilaus。〃







＇6＇　See　〃Cyrop。〃　VI。　iv。　1。







I　proceed　to　describe　the　battle；　for　in　certain　distinctive　features



it　differed　from　all　the　battles　of　our　day。　The　contending　forces　met



on　the　plain　of　Coronea；　Agesilaus　and　his　troops　approaching　from　the



Cephisus；　the　Thebans　and　their　allies　from　the　slopes　of　the　Helicon。



These　masses　of　infantry；　as　any　eye　might　see；　were　of　duly　balanced



strength；　while　as　near　as　could　be　the　cavalry　on　either　side　was



numerically　the　same。　Agesilaus　held　the　right　of　his　own　army；　and　on



his　extreme　left　lay　the　men　of　Orchomenus。　On　the　opposite　side　the



Thebans　themselves　formed　their　own　right　and　the　Argives　held　their



left。　While　the　two　armies　approached　a　deep　silence　prevailed　on



either　side；　but　when　they　were　now　a　single　furlong's＇7＇　space　apart



the　Thebans　quickened　to　a　run；　and；　with　a　loud　hurrah；　dashed



forward　to　close　quarters。　And　now　there　was　barely　a　hundred　yards＇8＇



between　them；　when　Herippidas；　with　his　foreign　brigade；　rushed



forward　from　the　Spartan's　battle　lines　to　meet　them。　This　brigade



consisted　partly　of　troops　which　had　served　with　Agesilaus　ever　since



he　left　home；　with　a　portion　of　the　Cyreians；　besides　Ionians；



Aeolians；　and　their　neighbours　on　the　Hellespont。　All　these　took　part



in　the　foward　rush　of　the　attack　just　mentioned；　and　coming　within



spear…thrust　they　routed　that　portion　of　the　enemy　in　front　of　them。



The　Argives　did　not　even　wait　for　Agesilaus　and　his　division；　but　fled



towards　Helicon；　and　at　that　moment　some　of　his　foreign　friends　were



on　the　point　of　crowning　Agesilaus　with　the　wreath　of　victory；　when



some　one　brought　him　word　that　the　Thebans　had　cut　through　the



division　from　Orchomenus　and　were　busy　with　the　baggage…train。



Accordingly　he　at　once　deployed　his　division　and　advanced　by



counter…march　against　them。　The　Thebans　on　their　side；　seeing　that



their　allies　had　scattered　on　Helicon；　and　eager　to　make　their　way



back　to　join　their　friends；　began　advancing　sturdily。







＇7＇　Lit。　〃a　stade。〃







＇8＇　Lit。　〃three　plethra。〃







To　assert　that　Agesilaus　at　this　crisis　displayed　real　valour　is　to



assert　a　thing　indisputable；　but　for　all　that　the　course　he　adopted



was　not　the　safest。　It　was　open　to　him　to　let　the　enemy　pass　in　their



effort　to　rejoin　their　friends；　and　that　done　to　have　hung　upon　their



heels　and　overmastered　their　rear　ranks；　but　he　did　nothing　of　the



sort：　what　he　did　was；　to　crash　front　to　front　against　the　Thebans。



And　so　with　shields　interlocked　they　shoved　and　fought　and　fought　and



shoved；　dealing　death　and　yielding　life。　There　was　no　shouting；　nor



yet　was　there　even　silence；　but　a　strange　and　smothered　utterance；



such　as　rage　and　battle　vent。＇9＇　At　last　a　portion　of　the　Thebans



forced　their　way　through　towards　Helicon；　but　many　were　slain　in　that



departure。







＇9＇　Or；　〃as　the　rage　and　fury　of　battle　may　give　vent　to。〃　See



　　　　〃Cyrop。〃　VII。　i。　38…40。　A　graphic　touch　omitted　in　〃Hell。〃　IV。



　　　　iii。　19。







Victory　remained　with　Agesilaus。　Wounded　himself；　they　bore　him　back



to　his　own　lines；　when　some　of　his　troopers　came　galloping　up　to　tell



him　that　eighty　of　the　enemy　had　taken　refuge　with　their　arms＇10＇



under　cover　of　the　Temple；＇11＇　and　they　asked　what　they　ought　to　do。



He；　albeit　he　had　received　wounds　all　over　him；　having　been　the　mark



of　divers　weapons；　did　not　even　so　forget　his　duty　to　God；　and　gave



orders　to　let　them　go　whithersoever　they　chose；　nor　suffered　them　to



be　ill…treated；　but　ordered　his　bodyguard　of　cavalry　to　escort　them



out　of　reach　of　danger。







＇10＇　I。e。　〃they　had　kept　their　arms。〃







＇11＇　See　Plut。　〃Ages。〃　xix。；　Paus。　ix。　34。







And　now　that　the　battle　had　ceased；　it　was　a　sight　to　see　where　the



encounter　took　place；　the　earth　bedabbled　with　gore；　the　dead　lying



cheek　by　jowl；　friend　and　foe　together；　and　the　great　shields　hacked



and　broken　to　pieces；　and　the　spears　snapped　asunder；　the　daggers



lying　bare　of　sheaths；　some　on　the　ground；　some　buried　in　the　bodies；



some　still　clutched　in　the　dead　men's　hands。　For　the　moment　then；



seeing　that　it　was　already　late　in　the　day；　they　dragged　together　the



corpses　of　their　slain　apart　from　those　of　the　enemy＇12＇　and　laid　them



within　the　lines；　and　took　their　evening　meal　and　slept；　but　early



next　morning　Agesilaus　ordered　Gylis；　the　polemarch；　to　marshal　the



troops　in　battle　order　and　to　set　up　a　trophy；　while　each　man　donned　a



wreath　in　honour　of　the　god；　and　the　pipers　piped。　So　they　busied



themselves；　but　the　Thebans　sent　a　herald　asking　leave　to　bury　their



dead　under　cover　of　a　truce。　And　so　it　came　to　pass　that　a　truce　was



made；　and　Agesilaus　departed　homewards；　having　chosen；　in　lieu　of



supreme　greatness　in　Asia；　to　rule；　and　to　be　ruled；　in　obedience　to



the　laws　at　home。







＇12＇　Reading；　｛tous　ek　ton　polemion　nekrous｝；　after　Weiske。







It　was　after　this＇13＇　that　his　attention　was　drawn　to　the　men　of



Argos。　They　had　appropriated　Corinth；　and　were　reaping　the　fruits　of



their　fields　at　home。　The　war　to　them　was　a　merry　jest。　Accordingly　he



marched　against　them；　and　having　ravaged　their　territory　throughout；



he　crossed　over　by　the　pass＇14＇　down　upon　Corinth　and　captured　the



long　walls　leading　to　Lechaeum。　And　so　having　thrown　open　the　gates　of



Peloponnese　he　returned　home　in　time　for　the　Hyacinthia；＇15＇　where；　in



the　post　assigned　to　him　by　the　master　of　the　chorus；　he　shared　in　the



performance　of　the　paean　in　honour　of　the　god。







＇13＇　B。C。　393。







＇14＇　｛kata　ta　stena｝。　See　〃Hell。〃　IV。　iv。　19。　｛kata　Tenean｝；　according



　　　　to　Koppen's　emendation。







＇15＇　See　Grote；　〃H。　G。〃　v。　208；　Herod。　ix。　7；　〃Hell。〃　IV。　v。　10。







Later　on；　it　being　brought　to　his　notice　that　the　Corinthians　were



keeping　all　their　cattle　safely　housed　in　the　Peiraeum；　sowing　the



whole　of　that　district；　and　gathering　in　their　crops；　and；　which　was　a



matter　of　the　greatest　moment；　that　the　Boeotians；　with　Creusis　as



their　base　of　operations；　could　pour　their　succours　into　Corinth　by



this　routehe　marched　against　Peiraeum。　Finding　it　strongly　guarded；



he　made　as　if　the　city　of　Corinth　were　about　to　capitulate；　and



immediately　after　the　morning　meal　shifted　his　ground　and　encamped



against　the　capital。　Under　cover　of　night　there　was　a　rush　from



Peiraeum　to　protect　the　city；　which　he　was　well　aware　of；　and　with



break　of　day　he　turned　right　about　and　took　Peiraeum；　defenceless　as



it　lay；　capturing　all　that　it　contained；　with　the　various　fortresses



within；　and　having　so　done　retired　homewards。







After　these　exploits＇16＇　the　Achaeans　were　urgent　for　an　alliance；　and



begged　him　to　join　them　in　an　expedition　against　Acarnania。　In　the



course　of　this　the　Acarnanians　attacked　him　in　a　defile。　Storming　the



heights　above　his　head　with　his　light　troops；＇17＇　he　gave　them　battle；



and　slew　many　of　them；　and　set　up　a　trophy；　nor　stayed　his　hand　until



he　had　united　the　Acarnanians；　the　Aetolians；　and　the　Argives；＇18＇　in



friendship　with　the　Achaeans　and　alliance　with　himself。







＇16＇　B。C。　390…389？







＇17＇　See　〃Hell。〃　IV。　vi。　9…11；　where　it　is　expressly　stated　that　the



　　　　action　was　won　by　the　Spartan　hoplites。　See　Hartman；　〃An。　Xen。〃



　　　　（cap。　xi。　〃De　Agesilao　libello〃）；　p。　263；　for　other　discrepancies



　　　　between　the　historian　and　the　encomiast。







＇18＇　See　perhaps　〃Hell。〃　IV。　iv。　19；　vii。　2　foll。







When　the　enemy；　being　desirous　of　peace；　sent　an　embassy；　it　was



Agesilaus　who　spoke　against　the　peace；＇19＇　until　he　had　forced　the



states　of　Corinth　and　of　Thebes　to　welcome　back　those　of　them　who；　for



Lacedaemon's　sake；　had　suffered　banishment。







＇19＇　I。e。　〃of　Antalcidas；　B。C。　387。〃　See　〃Hell。〃　V。　i。　36；　Grote；　〃H。



　　　　G。〃　ix。　537　note。







And　still　later；＇20＇　again；　he　restored　the　exiles　of　the　Phliasians；



who　had　su