agesilaus-第1章

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Agesilaus







by　Xenophon







Translation　by　H。　G。　Dakyns















Dedicated　To



Rev。　B。　Jowett；　M。A。



Master　of　Balliol　College



Regius　Professor　of　Greek　in　the　University　of　Oxford















Xenophon　the　Athenian　was　born　431　B。C。　He　was　a



pupil　of　Socrates。　He　marched　with　the　Spartans；



and　was　exiled　from　Athens。　Sparta　gave　him　land



and　property　in　Scillus；　where　he　lived　for　many



years　before　having　to　move　once　more；　to　settle



in　Corinth。　He　died　in　354　B。C。







The　Agesilaus　summarises　the　life　of　his　Spartan



friend　and　king；　whom　he　met　after　the　events　of



the　Anabasis。



































AGESILAUS







An　Encomium







The　date　of　Agesilaus's　death　is　uncertain360　B。C。　（Grote；



〃H。　G。〃　ix。　336）；　358　B。C。　（Curt。　iv。　196；　Eng。　tr。）











I







To　write　the　praises　of　Agesilaus　in　language　equalling　his　virtue　and



renown　is；　I　know；　no　easy　task；　yet　must　it　be　essayed；　since　it　were



but　an　ill　requital　of　pre…eminence；　that；　on　the　ground　of　his



perfection；　a　good　man　should　forfeit　the　tribute　even　of　imperfect



praise。







As　touching；　therefore；　the　excellency　of　his　birth；　what　weightier；



what　nobler　testimony　can　be　adduced　than　this　one　fact？　To　the



commemorative　list　of　famous　ancestry　is　added　to…day　the　name＇1＇



Agesilaus　as　holding　this　or　that　numerical　descent　from　Heracles；　and



these　ancestors　no　private　persons；　but　kings　sprung　from　the　loins　of



kings。　Nor　is　it　open　to　the　gainsayer　to　contend　that　they　were　kings



indeed　but　of　some　chance　city。　Not　so；　but　even　as　their　family　holds



highest　honour　in　their　fatherland；　so　too　is　their　city　the　most



glorious　in　Hellas；　whereby　they　hold；　not　primacy　over　the　second



best；　but　among　leaders　they　have　leadership。







＇1＇　Or；　〃even　to…day；　in　the　proud　bead…roll　of　his　ancestry　he　stands



　　　　commemorated；　in　numerical　descent　from　Heracles。〃







And　herein　it　is　open　to　us　to　praise　both　his　fatherland　and　his



family。　It　is　notable　that　never　throughout　these　ages　has　Lacedaemon；



out　of　envy　of　the　privilege　accorded　to　her　kings；　tried　to　dissolve



their　rule；　nor　ever　yet　throughout　these　ages　have　her　kings　strained



after　greater　powers　than　those　which　limited　their　heritage　of



kingship　from　the　first。　Wherefore；　while　all　other　forms　of



government；　democracies　and　oligarchies；　tyrannies　and　monarchies；



alike　have　failed　to　maintain　their　continuity　unbroken；　here；　as　the



sole　exception；　endures　indissolubly　their　kingship。＇2＇







＇2＇　See　〃Cyrop。〃　I。　i。　1。







And　next　in　token　of　an　aptitude　for　kingship　seen　in　Agesilaus；



before　even　he　entered　upon　office；　I　note　these　signs。　On　the　death



of　Agis；　king　of　Lacedaemon；　there　were　rival　claimants　to　the　throne。



Leotychides　claimed　the　succession　as　being　the　son　of　Agis；　and



Agesilaus　as　the　son　of　Archidamus。　But　the　verdict　of　Lacedaemon



favoured　Agesilaus　as　being　in　point　of　family　and　virtue



unimpeachable；＇3＇　and　so　they　set　him　on　the　throne。　And　yet；　in　this



princeliest　of　cities　so　to　be　selected　by　the　noblest　citizens　as



worthy　of　highest　privilege；　argues；　methinks　conclusively；　an



excellence　forerunning　exercise　of　rule。＇4＇







＇3＇　For　this　matter　see　〃Hell。〃　III。　iii。　1…6；　V。　iv。　13；　Plut。



　　　　〃Ages。〃　iii。　3　（Cloigh；　iv。　3　foll。）；　Paus。　iii。　3。







＇4＇　See　Aristides　（〃Rhet。〃　776）；　who　quotes　the　passage　for　its



　　　　measured　cadence。







And　so　I　pass　on　at　once　to　narrate　the　chief　achievements　of　his



reign；　since　by　the　light　of　deeds　the　character　of　him　who　wrought



them　will；　if　I　mistake　not；　best　shine　forth。







Agesilaus　was　still　a　youth＇5＇　when　he　obtained　the　kingdom；　and　he



was　still　but　a　novice　in　his　office　when　the　news　came　that　the　king



of　Persia　was　collecting　a　mighty　armament　by　sea　and　land　for　the



invasion　of　Hellas。　The　Lacedaemonians　and　their　allies　sat　debating



these　matters；　when　Agesilaus　undertook　to　cross　over　into　Asia。　He



only　asked　for　thirty　Spartans　and　two　thousand　New　Citizens；＇6＇



besides　a　contingent　of　the　allies　six　thousand　strong；　with　these　he



would　cross　over　into　Asia　and　endeavour　to　effect　a　peace；　or；　if　the



barbarian　preferred　war；　he　would　leave　him　little　leisure　to　invade



Hellas。







＇5＇　B。C。　399；　according　to　Plut。　（〃Ages。〃　ad　fin。）　he　was　forty…three；



　　　　and　therefore　still　〃not　old。〃　See　〃Hell。〃　III。　iv。　1　for　the



　　　　startling　news；　B。C。　396。







＇6＇　For　the　class　of　Neodamodes；　see　Arnold's　note　to　Thuc。　v。　34



　　　　（Jowett；　〃Thuc。〃　ii。　307）；　also　Thuc。　vii。　58；　〃Hell。〃　I。　iii。　15。







The　proposal　was　welcomed　with　enthusiasm　on　the　part　of　many。　They



could　not　but　admire　the　eagerness　of　their　king　to　retaliate　upon　the



Persian　for　his　former　invasions　of　Hellas　by　counter…invasion　on　his



own　soil。　They　liked　the　preference　also　which　he　showed　for　attacking



rather　than　awaiting　his　enemy's　attack；　and　his　intention　to　carry　on



the　war　at　the　expense　of　Persia　rather　than　that　of　Hellas；　but　it



was　the　perfection　of　policy；　they　felt；　so　to　change　the　arena　of



battle；　with　Asia　as　the　prize　of　victory　instead　of　Hellas。　If　we



pass　on　to　the　moment　when　he　had　received　his　army　and　set　sail；　I



can　conceive　no　clearer　exposition　of　his　generalship　than　the　bare



narration　of　his　exploits。







The　scene　is　Asia；　and　this　his　first　achievement。　Tissaphernes　had



sworn　an　oath　to　Agesilaus　on　this　wise：　if　Agesilaus　would　grant　him



an　armistice　until　the　return　of　certain　ambassadors　whom　he　would



send　to　the　king；　he　（Tissaphernes）　would　do　his　utmost　to　procure　the



independence　of　the　Hellenic　cities　in　Asia。　And　Agesilaus　took　a



counter　oath：　without　fraud　or　covin　to　observe　the　armistice　during



the　three　months＇7＇　necessary　to　that　transaction。　But　the　compact　was



scarcely　made　when　Tissaphernes　gave　the　lie　to　the　solemn　undertaking



he　had　sworn　to。　So　far　from　effecting　peace；　he　begged　the　King　to



send　him　a　large　armament　in　addition　to　that　which　he　already　had。　As



to　Agesilaus；　though　he　was　well　aware　of　these　proceedings；　he



adhered　loyally　to　the　armistice。







＇7＇　See　Grote；　〃H。　G。〃　x。　359；　〃Hell。〃　III。　iv。　5。







And　for　myself；　I　look　upon　this　as　the　first　glorious　achievement　of



the　Spartan。　By　displaying　the　perjury　of　Tissaphernes　he　robbed　him



of　his　credit　with　all　the　world；　by　the　exhibition　of　himself　in



contrast　as　a　man　who　ratified　his　oath　and　would　not　gainsay　an



article　of　his　agreement；　he　gave　all　men；　Hellenes　and　barbarians



alike；　encouragement　to　make　covenant　with　him　to　the　full　extent　of



his　desire。







When　Tissaphernes；　priding　himself　on　the　strength　of　that　army　which



had　come　down　to　aid　him；　bade　Agesilaus　to　be　gone　from　Asia　or　to



prepare　for　war；＇8＇　deep　was　the　vexation　depicted　on　the　faces　of　the



Lacedaemonians　there　present　and　their　allies；　as　they　realised　that



the　scanty　force　of　Agesilaus　was　all　too　small　to　cope　with　the



armaments　of　Persia。　But　the　brow　of　their　general　was　lit　with　joy　as



gaily　he　bade　the　ambassadors　take　back　this　answer　to　Tissaphernes：



〃I　hold　myself　indebted　to　your　master　for　the　perjury　whereby　he　has



obtained　to　himself　the　hostility　of　heaven；　and　made　the　gods



themselves　allies　of　Hellas。〃　And　so　without　further　pause　he



published　a　general　order　to　his　soldiers　to　pack　their　baggage　and



prepare　for　active　service；　and　to　the　several　cities　which　lay