agesilaus-第4章

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rear；　reserving　only　his　personal　escort。＇2＇　And　now　in　battle　order



the　rival　squadrons　faced　each　other；　when　the　Thessalians；　not　liking



a　cavalry　engagement　in　face　of　heavy　infantry；　wheeled　and　step　by



step　retreated；　their　opponents　with　much　demureness　following。　Then



Agesilaus；　detecting　the　common　error　under　which　both　parties



laboured；　sent　round　his　own　bodyguard　of　stalwart　troopers　with



orders　to　their　predecessors　（an　order　they　would　act　upon　themselves）



to　charge　the　enemy　at　full　gallop　and　not　give　him　a　chance　to　rally。



The　Thessalians；　in　face　of　this　unexpected　charge；　either　could　not



so　much　as　rally；　or　in　the　attempt　to　do　so　were　caught　with　their



horses'　flanks　exposed　to　the　enemy's　attack。　Polycharmus；　the



Pharsalian；　a　commandant　of　cavalry；　did　indeed　succeed　in　wheeling；



but　was　cut　down　with　those　about　him　sword　in　hand。　This　was　the



signal　for　a　flight　so　extraordinary　that　dead　and　dying　lined　the



road；　and　the　living　were　captured　wholesale；　nor　was　a　halt　made



until　the　pursuers　reached　Mount　Narthacius。　Here；　midway　between　Pras



and　Narthacius；　Agesilaus　erected　a　trophy；　and　here　for　the　moment　he



halted　in　unfeigned　satisfaction　at　his　exploit；　since　it　was　from　an



antagonist　boasting　the　finest　cavalry　in　the　world　that　he　had



wrested　victory　with　a　body　of　cavalry　organised　by　himself。







＇1＇　I。e。　〃Xerxes。〃







＇2＇　I。e。　〃the　Three　hundred。〃　See　Thuc。　v。　72；　〃Pol。　Lac。〃　xiii。　6。







Next　day；　crossing　the　mountain　barrier　of　Achaea　Phthiotis；　his　march



lay　through　friendly　territory　for　the　rest　of　the　way　as　far　as　the



frontiers　of　Boeotia。　Here　he　found　the　confederates　drawn　up　in



battle　line。　They　consisted　of　the　Thebans；　the　Athenians；　the



Argives；　the　Corinthians；　the　Aenianians；　the　Euboeans；　and　both



divisions　of　the　Locrians。＇3＇　He　did　not　hesitate；　but　openly　before



their　eyes　drew　out　his　lines　to　give　them　battle。　He　had　with　him　a



division＇4＇　and　a　half　of　Lacedaemonians；　and　from　the　seat　of　war



itself　the　allied　troops　of　the　Phocians　and　the　men　of　Orchomenus



only；　besides　the　armament　which　he　had　brought　with　him　from　Asia。







＇3＇　See　〃Hell。〃　IV。　ii。　7。







＇4＇　Lit。　〃mora。〃







I　am　not　going　to　maintain　that　he　ventured　on　the　engagement　in　spite



of　having　far　fewer　and　inferior　forces。　Such　an　assertion　would　only



reveal　the　senselessness　of　the　general＇5＇　and　the　folly　of　the　writer



who　should　select　as　praiseworthy　the　reckless　imperilling　of　mighty



interests。　On　the　contrary；　what　I　admire　is　the　fact　that　he　had



taken　care　to　provide　himself　with　an　army　not　inferior　to　that　of　his



enemy；　and　had　so　equipped　them　that　his　cohorts　literally　gleamed



with　purple　and　bronze。＇6＇　He　had　taken　pains　to　enable　his　soldiers



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；　the