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    G。〃 ix。 537 note。







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



who had suffered in the same cause; and with that object marched in



person against Phlius; a proceeding which; however liable to censure



on other grounds; showed unmistakable attachment to his party。'21'







'20' B。C。 383 and 380; see 〃Hell。〃 V。 ii。 10; iii。 10。







'21' See 〃Hell。〃 V。 iii。 16。







Thus; when the adverse faction had put to death those of the



Lacedaemonians then in Thebes; he brought succour to his friends; and



marched upon Thebes。'22' Finding the entire country fenced with ditch



and palisading; he crossed Cynoscephalae'23' and ravaged the district



right up to the city itself; giving the Thebans an opportunity of



engaging him in the plain or upon the hills; as they preferred。 And



once more; in the ensuing year;'24' he marched against Thebes; and now



surmounting these palisades and entrenchments at Scolus;'25' he



ravaged the remainder of Boeotia。







'22' B。C。 378。







'23' See 〃Hell。〃 V。 iv。 34 foll。; for the site see Breitenbach; ad



    loc。







'24' B。C。 377。







'25' See 〃Hell。〃 V。 iv。 47。







Hitherto fortune had smiled in common upon the king himself and upon



his city。 And as for the disasters which presently befell; no one can



maintain that they were brought about under the leadership of



Agesilaus。 But the day came when; after the disaster which had



occurred at Leuctra; the rival powers in conjunction with the



Mantineans fell to massacring his friends and adherents'26' in Tegea



(the confederacy between all the states of Boeotia; the Arcadians; and



the Eleians being already an accomplished fact)。 Thereupon; with the



forces of Lacedaemon alone;'27' he took the field; and thus belied the



current opinion that it would be a long while before the



Lacedaemonians ventured to leave their own territory again。 Having



ravaged the country of those who had done his friends to death; he was



content; and returned home。







'26' Or intimates。







'27' B。C。 370。 See 〃Hell。〃VI。 v。 21。







After this Lacedaemon was invaded by the united Arcadians; Argives;



Eleians; and Boeotians; who were assisted by the Phocians; both



sections of the Locrians; the Thessalians; Aenianians; Acarnanians;



and Euboeans; moreover; the slaves had revolted and several of the



provincial cities;'28' while of the Spartans themselves as many had



fallen on the field of Leuctra as survived。 But in spite of all; he



safely guarded the city; and that too a city without walls and



bulwarks。 Forbearing to engage in the open field; where the gain would



lie wholly with the enemy; he lay stoutly embattled on ground where



the citizens must reap advantage; since; as he doggedly persisted; to



march out meant to be surrounded on every side; whereas to stand at



bay where every defile gave a coign of vantage; would give him mastery



complete。'29'







'28' Lit。 〃perioecid〃; see Plut。 〃Ages。〃 xxxii。 (Clough; iv。 39);



    〃Hell。〃 VI。 v。 32。







'29' Is this parallel to 〃Hell。〃 VII。 v。 10; or 〃Hell。〃 VI。 v。 28?



    According to the historian; Agesilaus adopted similar tactics on



    both occasions (in B。C。 369 and B。C。 362 alike)。 The encomiast



    after his manner appears to treat them as one。 Once and again his



    hero 〃cunctando restituit rem;〃 but it was by the same strategy。







After the invading army had retired; no one will gainsay the sound



sense of his behaviour。 Old age debarred him from active service on



foot or horse; and what the city chiefly needed now; he saw; was



money; if she looked to gain allies。 To the task therefore of



providing that he set himself。 Everything that could be done by



stopping at home he deftly turned his hand to; or when the call arose



and he could better help his country by departure he had no false



pride; he set off on foreign service; not as general; but as



ambassador。 Yet on such embassy he achieved acts worthy of the



greatest general。 Autophradates'30' was besieging Ariobarzanes;'31'



who was an ally of Sparta; in Assos; but before the face of Agesilaus



he fled in terror and was gone。 Cotys;'32' besieging Sestos; which



still adhered to Ariobarzanes; broke up the siege and departed



crestfallen。 Well might the ambassador have set up a trophy in



commemoration of the two bloodless victories。 Once more; Mausolus'33'



was besieging both the above…named places with a squadron of one



hundred sail。 He too; like; and yet unlike; the former two; yielded



not to terror but to persuasion; and withdrew his fleet。 These; then;



were surely admirable achievements; since those who looked upon him as



a benefactor and those who fled from before him both alike made him



the richer by their gifts。







'30' Satrap of Lydia。







'31' Satrap of Propontis or Hellespontine Phrygia。







'32' Satrap of Paphlagonia; king of Thrace。 Iphicrates married his



    daughter。 See Grote; 〃H。 G。〃 x。 410。







'33' Satrap of Caria。







Tachos;'34' indeed; and Mausolus gave him a magnificent escort; and;



for the sake of his former friendship with Agesilaus; the latter



contributed also money for the state of Lacedaemon; and so they sped



him home。







'34' King of Egypt。







And now the weight of; may be; fourscore years was laid upon him;'35'



when it came under his observation that the king of Egypt;'36' with



his hosts of foot and horse and stores of wealth; had set his heart on



a war with Persia。 Joyfully he learned that he himself was summoned by



King Tachos; and that the command…in…chief of all the forces was



promised to him。 By this one venture he would achieve three objects;



which were to requite the Egyptian for the benefits conferred on



Lacedaemon; to liberate the Hellenes in Asia once again; and to



inflict on the Persian a just recompense; not only for the old



offences; but for this which was of to…day; seeing that; while



boasting alliance with Sparta; he had dictatorially enjoined the



emancipation of Messene。'37' But when the man who had summoned him



refused to confer the proffered generalship; Agesilaus; like one on



whom a flagrant deception has been practised; began to consider the



part he had to play。 Meanwhile a separate division'38' of the Egyptian



armies held aloof from their king。 Then; the disaffection spreading;



all the rest of his troops deserted him; whereat the monarch took



flight and retired in exile to Sidon in Phoenicia; leaving the



Egyptians; split in faction; to choose to themselves a pair of



kings。'39' Thereupon Agesilaus took his decision。 If he helped



neither; it meant that neither would pay the service…money due to his



Hellenes; that neither would provide a market; and that; whichever of



the two conquered in the end; Sparta would be equally detested。 But if



he threw in his lot with one of them; that one would in all likelihood



in return for the kindness prove a friend。 Accordingly he chose



between the two that one who seemed to be the truer partisan of



Hellas; and with him marched against the enemy of Hellas and conquered



him in a battle; crushing him。 His rival he helped to establish on the



throne; and having made him a friend to Lacedaemon; and having



acquired vast sums besides; he turned and set sail homewards; even in



mid…winter; hastening so that Sparta might not lie inactive; but



against the coming summer be alert to confront the foe。







'35' Or; 〃But to pass on; he was already; may be; eighty years of age;



    when it came under his observation。 。 。 。〃







'36' This same Tachos。







'37' See 〃Hell。〃 VII。 i。 36; iv。 9。







'38' I。e。 〃the army under Nectanebos。〃 See Diod。 xv。 92; Plut。 〃Ages。〃



    xxxvii。 (Clough; iv。 44 foll。)







'39' I。e。 〃Nectanebos and a certain Mendesian。〃



















III







Such; then; is the chronicle of this man's achievements; or of such of



them as were wrought in the presence of a thousand witnesses。 Being of



this sort they have no need of further testimony; the mere recital of



them is sufficient; and they at once win credence。 But now I will



endeavour to reveal the excellence indwelling in his soul; the motive



power of his acts; in virtue of which he clung to all things



honourable and thrust aside all baseness。







Agesilaus showed such reverence for things divine that even his



enemies regarded his oaths and solemn treaties as more to be relied on



than the tie of f

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