agesilaus-第7章

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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　presence。〃







＇7＇　See　Plut。　〃Ages。〃　xi。　（Clough；　iv。　p。　14）；　〃Parall。　Min。〃　v；　Ovid。



　　　　〃Met。〃　xi。　102　foll。







What　construction　some　will　put　upon　the　story　I　am　well　aware；　but



for　myself　I　am　persuaded　that　many　more　people　can　master　their



enemeis　than　the　foes　we　speak　of。＇8＇　Doubtless　such　incidents　when



known　to　but　few　may　well　be　discredited　by　many；　but　here　we　are　in



the　region　of　establishing　facts；　seeing　that　the　more　illustrious　a



man　is　the　less　can　his　every　act　escape　notice。　As　to　Agesilaus　no



eye…witness　has　ever　reported　any　unworthy　behaviour；　nor；　had　he



invented　it；　would　his　tale　have　found　credence；　since　it　was　not　the



habit　of　the　king；　when　abroad；　to　lodge　apart　in　private　houses。　He



always　lay　up　in　some　sacred　place；　where　behaviour　of　the　sort　was



out　of　the　question；　or　else　in　public；　with　the　eyes　of　all　men



liable　to　be　called　as　witnesses　to　his　sobriety。　For　myself；　if　I



make　these　statements　falsely　against　the　knowledge　of　Hellas；　this



were　not　in　any　sense　to　praise　my　hero；　but　to　dispraise　myself。







＇8＇　Or；　〃than　the　seductions　in　question。〃



















VI







Nor；　in　my　opinion；　were　those　obscure　proofs　of　courage　and　true



manliness　which　he　furnished　by　his　readiness　ever　to　wage　war　against



the　strongest　enemies；　whether　of　Sparta　or　of　Hellas；　placing　himself



in　the　forefront　of　the　contests　decided　on。　If　the　enemy　cared　to



join　issue　in　fair　field　he　would　not　chance　upon　a　victory　won　by



panic；　but　in　stubborn　battle；　blow　for　blow；　he　mastered　him；　and　set



up　trophies　worthy　of　the　name；　seeing　that　he　left　behind　him



imperishable　monuments　of　prowess；　and　bore　away　on　his　own　body



indelible　marks　of　the　fury　with　which　he　fought；＇1＇　so　that；　apart



from　hearsay；　by　the　evidence　of　men's　eyes　his　valour　stood　approved。







＇1＇　Or；　〃visibl