agesilaus-第6节

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



than　the　tie　of　friendship　amongst　themselves。　These　same　men；　who



would　shrink　from　too　close　intercourse　with　one　another；　delivered



themselves　into　the　hands　of　Agesilaus　without　fear。　And　lest　the



assertion　should　excite　discredit；　I　may　name　some　illustrious



examples。　Such　was　Spithridates　the　Persian；　who　knew　that



Pharnabazus；＇1＇　whilst　negotiating　to　marry　the　daughter　of　the　great



king；　was　minded　to　seize　his　own　daughter　unwedded。　Resenting　such



brutality；　Spithridates　delivered　up　himself；　his　wife；　his　children；



and　his　whole　power；　into　the　hands　of　Agesilaus。　Cotys＇2＇　also；　the



ruler　of　Paphlagonia；　had　refused　to　obey　a　summons　from　the　king；



although　he　sent　him　the　warrant　of　his　right　hand；＇3＇　then　fear　came



upon　him　lest　he　should　be　seized；　and　either　be　heavily　fined　or　die



the　death；　yet　he　too；　simply　trusting　to　an　armistice；　came　to　the



camp　of　Agesilaus　and　made　alliance；　and　of　his　own　accord　chose　to



take　the　field　with　Agesilaus；　bringing　a　thousand　horsemen　and　two



thousand　targeteers。　Lastly；　Pharnabazus＇4＇　himself　came　and　held



colloquy　with　Agesilaus；　and　openly　agreed　that　if　he　were　not　himself



appointed　general…in…chief　of　the　royal　forces　he　would　revolt　from



the　king。　〃Whereas；　if　I　do　become　general；〃　he　added；　〃I　mean　to　make



war　upon　you；　Agesilaus；　might　and　main；〃　thus　revealing　his



confidence　that；　say　what　he　might；　nothing　would　befall　him　contrary



to　the　terms　of　truce。　Of　so　intrinsic　a　value　to　all；　and　not　least



to　a　general　in　the　field；　is　the　proud　possession　of　an　honest　and



God…fearing　character；　known　and　recognised。　Thus　far；　as　touching　the



quality　of　piety。







＇1＇　See　〃Hell。〃　III。　iv。　10；　Plut。　〃Ages。〃　xi。　（Clough；　iv。　9）。







＇2＇　See　〃Hell。〃　IV。　i。　3；　Plut。　〃Ages。〃　xi。　（Clough；　iv。　13）。







＇3＇　Diod。　xvi。　34。







＇4＇　See　〃Hell。〃　IV。　i。　37。



















IV







To　speak　next　of　his　justice＇1＇　in　affairs　of　money。　As　to　this；　what



testimony　can　be　more　conclusive　than　the　following？　During　the　whole



of　his　career　no　charge　of　fraudulent　dealing　was　ever　lodged　against



Agesilaus；　against　which　set　the　many…voiced　acknowledgmment　of



countless　benefits　received　from　him。　A　man　who　found　pleasure　in



giving　away　his　own　for　the　benefit　of　others　was　not　the　man　to　rob



another　of　his　goods　at　the　price　of　infamy。　Had　he　suffered　from　this



thirst　for　riches　it　would　have　been　easier　to　cling　to　what　belonged



to　him　than　to　take　that　to　which　he　had　no　just　title。　This　man；　who



was　so　careful　to　repay　debts　of　gratitude；　where＇2＇　the　law　knows　no



remedy　against　defaulters；　was　not　likely　to　commit　acts　of　robbery



which　the　law　regards　as　criminal。　And　as　a　matter　of　act　Agesilaus



judged　it　not　only　wrong　to　forgo　repayment　of　a　deed　of　kindness；



but；　where　the　means　were　ample；　wrong　also　not　to　repay　such　debts



with　ample　interest。







＇1＇　See　Muller　and　Donaldson；　〃Hist。　Gk。　Lit。〃　ii。　196；　note　2。







＇2＇　Or；　〃a　state　of　indebtedness　beyond　the　reach　of　a　tribunal。〃　See



　　　　〃Cyrop。〃　I。　ii。　7。







The　charge　of　embezzlement；　could　it　be　alleged；　would　no　less　outrage



all　reason　in　the　case　of　one　who　made　over　to　his　country　the　benefit



in　full　of　grateful　offerings　owed　solely　to　himself。　Indeed　the　very



fact　that；　when　he　wished　to　help　the　city　or　his　friends　with　money；



he　might　have　done　so　by　the　aid　of　others；　goes　a　long　way　to　prove



his　indifference　to　the　lure　of　riches；　since；　had　he　been　in　the



habit　of　selling　his　favour；　or　of　playing　the　part　of　benefactor　for



pay；　there　had　been　no　room　for　a　sense　of　indebtedness。＇3＇　It　is　only



the　recipient　of　gratuitous　kindness　who　is　ever　ready　to　minister　to



his　benefactor；　both　in　return　for　the　kindness　itself　and　for　the



confidence　implied　in　his　selection　as　the　fitting　guardian　of　a　good



deed　on　deposit。＇4＇







＇3＇　Or；　〃no　one　would　have　felt　to　owe　him　anything。〃







＇4＇　See　〃Cyrop。〃　VI。　i。　35；　Rutherford；　〃New　Phrynichus；〃　p。　312。







Again；　who　more　likely　to　put　a　gulf　impassable　between　himself　and



the　sordid　love　of　gain＇5＇　than　he；　who　nobly　preferred　to　be　stinted



of　his　dues＇6＇　rather　than　snatch　at　the　lion's　share　unjustly？　It　is



a　case　in　point　that；　being　pronounced　by　the　state　to　be　the　rightful



heir　to　his　brother's＇7＇　wealth；　he　made　over　one　half　to　his　maternal



relatives　because　he　saw　that　they　were　in　need；　and　to　the　truth　of



this　assertion　all　Lacedaemon　is　witness。　What；　too；　was　his　answer　to



Tithraustes　when　the　satrap　offered　him　countless　gifts　if　he　would



but　quit　the　country？　〃Tithraustes；　with　us　it　is　deemed　nobler　for　a



ruler　to　enrich　his　army　than　himself；　it　is　expected　of　him　to　wrest



spoils　from　the　enemy　rather　than　take　gifts。〃







＇5＇　Or；　〃base　covetousness。〃







＇6＇　Or　reading；　｛sun　auto　to　gennaio｝　（with　Breitenbach）；　〃in



　　　　obedience　to　pure　generosity。〃　See　〃Cyrop。〃　VIII。　iii。　38。







＇7＇　I。e。　Agis。　See　Plut。　〃Ages。〃　iv。



















V







Or　again；　reviewing　the　divers　pleasures　which　master　human　beings；　I



defy　any　one　to　name　a　single　one　to　which　Agesilaus　was　enslaved：



Agesilaus；　who　regarded　drunkenness　as　a　thing　to　hold　aloof　from　like



madness；　and　immoderate　eating　like　the　snare　of　indolence。　Even　the



double　portion＇1＇　allotted　to　him　at　the　banquet　was　not　spent　on　his



own　appetite；　rather　would　be　make　distribution　of　the　whole；



retaining　neither　portion　for　himself。　In　his　view　of　the　matter　this



doubling　of　the　king's　share　was　not　for　the　sake　of　surfeiting；　but



that　the　king　might　have　the　wherewithal　to　honour　whom　he　wished。　And



so；　too；　sleep＇2＇　he　treated　not　as　a　master；　but　as　a　slave；



subservient　to　higher　concerns。　The　very　couch　he　lay　upon　must　be



sorrier　than　that　of　any　of　his　company　or　he　would　have　blushed　for



shame；　since　in　his　opinion　it　was　the　duty　of　a　leader　to　excel　all



ordinary　mortals　in　hardihood；　not　in　effeminacy。　Yet　there　were



things　in　which　he　was　not　ashamed　to　take　the　lion's　share；　as；　for



example；　the　sun's　heat　in　summer；　or　winter's　cold。　Did　occasion　ever



demaned　of　his　army　moil　and　toil；　he　laboured　beyond　all　others　as　a



thing　of　course；　believing　that　such　ensamples　are　a　consolation　to



the　rank　and　file。　Or；　to　put　the　patter　compendiously；　Agesilaus



exulted　in　hard　work：　indolence　he　utterly　repudiated。







＇1＇　See　〃Pol。　Lac。〃　xv。　4。　See　J。　J。　Hartman；　〃An。　Xen。〃　257。







＇2＇　See　Hom。　〃Il。〃　ii。　24；　｛ou　khro　pannukhion　eudein　boulephoron



　　　　andra｝；　〃to　sleep　all　night　through　beseemeth　not　one　that　is　a



　　　　counsellor。〃W。　Leaf。







And；　as　touching　the　things　of　Aphrodite；　if　for　nothing　else；　at　any



rate　for　the　marvel　of　it；　the　self…restraint　of　the　man　deserves　to



be　put　on　record。　It　is　easy　to　say　that　to　abstain　from　that　which



excites　no　desire　is　but　human；　yet　in　the　case　of　Megabates；　the　son



of　Spithridates；　he　was　moved　by　as　genuine　a　love　as　any　passionate



soul　may　feel　for　what　is　lovely。　Now；　it　being　a　national　custom



among　the　Persians　to　salute　those　whom　they　honour　with　a　kiss；



Megabates　endeavoured　so　to　salute　Agesilaus；　but　the　latter　with　much



show　of　battle；　resisted〃No　kiss　might　he　accept。〃＇3＇　I　ask　whether



such　an　incident　does　not　reveal　on　the　face　of　it　the　self…respect　of



the　man；　and　that　of　no　vulgar　order。＇4＇　Megabates；　who　looked　upon



himself　as　in　some　sense　dishonoured；　for　the　future　endeavoured　not



to　offend　in　like　sort　again。＇5＇　Whereupon　Agesilaus　appealed　to　one



who　was　his　comrade　to　persuade　Megabates　again　to　honour　him　with　his



regard；　and　the　comrade；　so　appealed　to；　demanding；　〃If　I　persuade



him；　will　you　bestow　on　him　a　kiss？〃　Agesilaus　fell　into　a　silence；



but　presently　exclaimed：　〃No；　by　the　Twins；　not　if　I　might　this　very



instant　become　the　swiftest…footed；　strongest；　and　handsomest　of



men。＇6＇　And　as　to　that　battle　I　swear　by　all　the　gods　I　would　far



rather　fight　it　over　again　than　that　everything　on　which　I　set　my　eyes



might　turn　to　gold。〃＇7＇







＇3＇　See　Plut。　〃Ages。〃　（Clough；　iv。　p。　13　foll。）







＇4＇　Reading；　｛kai　lian　gennikon｝；　or；　〃a　refinement　of　self…respect；〃



　　　　〃a　self…respect　perhaps　even　over…sensitive。〃







＇5＇　Lit。　〃made　no　further　attempt　to　offer　kisses。〃







＇6＇　See　Plut。　〃Ages。〃　ii。　（Clough；　iv。　p。　2）：　〃He　is　said　to　have　been



　　　　a　little　man　of　a　contemptible　pres