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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 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 cou

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