AGESILAUS
By
Xenophon
Translation by H. G. Dakyns
Dedicated To Rev. B. Jowett, M.A. Master of
CONTENTS:
Xenophon the Athenian was born 431 B.C. He was a pupil of Socrates. He marched
with the Spartans, and was exiled from
The Agesilaus summarises the life of his Spartan friend and king, whom he met after the events of the Anabasis.
This was typed from Dakyns' series, "The Works of Xenophon," a four-volume set. The complete list of Xenophon's works (though there is doubt about some of these) is:
Work Number of books
The Anabasis 7
The Hellenica 7
The Cyropaedia 8
The Memorabilia 4
The Symposium 1
The Economist 1
On Horsemanship 1
The Sportsman 1
The Cavalry General 1
The Apology 1
On Revenues 1
The Hiero 1
The Agesilaus 1
The Polity of the Athenians and the Lacedaemonians 2
Text in brackets "{}" is my transliteration of Greek text into English using an Oxford English Dictionary alphabet table. The diacritical marks have been lost.
An Encomium
The date of Agesilaus's death is
uncertain--360 B.C. (Grote, "H. G." ix. 336); 358 B.C. (Curt. iv.
196,
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
[2] See "Cyrop."
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
[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
[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
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
The scene is
[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
[8] Lit. "When Tissaphernes, priding himself . . . bade Agesilaus be gone . . . deep was the annoyance felt."
Tissaphernes meanwhile was
influenced by the fact that Agesilaus had no cavalry,
and that
But Agesilaus, instead of
advancing upon Caria, turned right about and marched in the direction of
Here was an achievement which showed the genius of a general, as all agreed. When once war as declared, and the arts of circumvention and deceit were thereby justified, he had proved Tissaphernes to be a very bade in subtlety;[9] and with what sagacity again did he turn the circumstances to account for the enrichment of his friends. Owing to the quantity of wealth captured, precious things were selling for a mere song. Thereupon he gave his friends warning to make their purchases, adding that he should at once march down to the sea-coast at the head of his troops. The quartermasters meanwhile received orders to make a note of the purchasers with the prices of the articles, and to consign the goods. The result was that, without prior disbursement on their part, or detriment to the public treasury, his friends reaped an enormous harvest. Moreover, when deserters came with offers to disclose hidden treasures, and naturally enough laid their proposal before the king himself, he took care to have the capture of these treasures effected by his friends, which would enable them to do a stroke of business, and at the same time redound to their prestige. For this reason he was not long in discovering many an eager aspirant to his friendship.
[9] See below, xi. 4; "Mem." III. i. 6; IV. ii. 15; "Cyrop."
But a country pillaged and denuded of inhabitants would not long support an army. That he felt. A more perennial source of supply was surely to be found in waving cornfields and thickly clustering homesteads. So with infinite pains he set himself not merely to crush his foes by force, but also to win them to his side by gentleness. In this spirit he often enjoined upon his soldiers to guard their captives as fellow-men rather than take vengeance upon them as evildoers;[10] or, on a change of quarters, if aware of little children left behind by the dealers (since the men often sold them in the belief that it would be impossible to carry them away and rear them), he would show concern in behalf of these poor waifs and have them conveyed to some place of safety; or he would entrust them to the care of fellow-prisoners also left behind on account of old age; in no case must they be left to ravening dogs and wolves. In this way he won the goodwill not only of those who heard tell of these doings but of the prisoners themselves. And whenever he brought over a city to his side, he set the citizens free from the harsher service of a bondsman to his lord, imposing the gentler obedience of a freeman to his ruler. Indeed, there were fortresses impregnable to assault which he brought under his power by the subtler force of human kindness.
[10] See Grote, vol. ix. p. 365 foll.
But when, in
[11] Instead of the plain {zetoie} of the parallel passage ("Hell." III. iv. 15) the encomiast prefers the poetical {masteuoi}.
On the approach of early spring[12]
he collected his whole armament at
[12] B.C. 395; see "Hell." III. iv. 16; Plut. "Marcel." (Clough, ii. 262); Polyb. xii. 20, 7.
Thereupon it was a sight to see the gymnasiums thronged with
warriors going through their exercises, the racecourses crowded with troopers
on prancing steeds, the archers and the javelin men shooting at the butts. Nay,
the whole city in which he lay was transformed into a spectacle itself, so
filled to overflowing was the market-place with arms and armour
of every sort, and horses, all for sale. Here were coppersmiths and carpenters,
ironfounders and cobblers, painters and
decorators--one and all busily engaged in fabricating the implements of war; so
that an onlooker might have thought the city of
But seeing that contempt for the foe is calculated to infuse a certain strength in face of battle, he ordered his criers to strip naked the barbarians captured by his foraging parties, and so to sell them. The soldiers who saw the white skins of these folk, unused to strip for toil, soft and sleek and lazy-looking, as of people who could only stir abroad in carriages, concluded that a war with women would scarcely be more formidable. Then he published a further order to the soldiers: "I shall lead you at once by the shortest route to the stronghold[13] of the enemy's territory. Your general asks you to keep yourselves on the alert in mind and body, as men about to enter the lists of battle on the instant."
[13] Or, "the richest parts of the country," viz.
But Tissaphernes was persuaded
that this was all talk on his part for the purpose of outwitting him a second
time: now certainly Agesilaus would make an incursion
into
This time, however, Agesilaus was
true to his word. In accordance with his published order he advanced straight
upon the region of
Presently hearing that the enemy were
in a state of disorder, the result of every one holding his fellow responsible
for what had happened, he advanced without further stay on
[14] = 25,000 pounds nearly.
It was then that the Persian king, believing that Tissaphernes was to blame for the ill success of his affairs, sent down Tithraustes and cut off the satrap's head. After this the fortunes of the barbarians grew still more desperate, whilst those of Agesilaus assumed a bolder front. On all side embassies from the surrounding nations came to make terms of friendship, and numbers even came over to him, stretching out eager arms to grasp at freedom. So that Agesilaus was now no longer the chosen captain of the Hellenes only, but of many Asiatics.
And here we may pause and consider what a weight of admiration is due to one who, being now ruler over countless cities of the continent, and islands also (since the state had further entrusted the navy to his hands), just when he had reached this pinnacle of renown and power, and might look to turn to account his thronging fortunes; when, too, which overtops all else, he was cherishing fond hopes to dissolve that empire which in former days had dared to march on Hellas;--at such a moment suffered himself not to be overmastered by these promptings, but on receipt of a summons of the home authorities to come to the assistance of the fatherland, obeyed the mandate of his state as readily[15] as though he stood confronted face to face with the Five in the hall of ephors; and thus gave clear proof that he would not accept the whole earth in exchange for the land of his fathers, nor newly-acquired in place of ancient friends, nor base gains ingloriously purchased rather than the perilous pursuit of honour and uprightness.[16]
[15] Cf. Hor. "Od." III. v. 50.
[16] See Pindar, "Olymp." vi. 14.
And, indeed, glancing back at the whole period during which
he remained in the exercise of his authority, no act of deeper significance in
proof of his kingly qualities need be named than this. He found the cities
which he was sent out to govern each and all a prey to factions, the result of
constitutional disturbances consequent on the cessation of the Athenian empire,
and without resort to exile or sanguinary measures he so disposed them by his
healing presence that civil concord and material prosperity were permanently
maintained. Therefore it was that the Hellenes in
[17] See Plut. "Ages." xv.
He crossed the
[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
[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
[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, 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
[12]
It was after this[13] that his
attention was drawn to the men of
[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 route--he marched against Peiraeum.
Finding it strongly guarded, he made as if the city of
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
[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
[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 country by departure he had no false pride; he set
off on foreign service, not as general, but as
ambassador. Yet on such embassy he achieved acts worthy of the greatest
general. Autophradates[30] was besieging Ariobarzanes,[31]
who was an ally of
[30] Satrap of
[31] Satrap of Propontis or Hellespontine Phrygia.
[32] Satrap of Paphlagonia, king
of
[33] Satrap of
Tachos,[34]
indeed, and Mausolus gave him a magnificent escort;
and, for the sake of his former friendship with Agesilaus,
the latter contributed also money for the state of
[34] King of
And now the weight of, may be, fourscore years was laid upon
him,[35] when it came under his observation that the king of Egypt,[36] with
his hosts of foot and horse and stores of wealth, had set his heart on a war
with Persia. Joyfully he learned that he himself was summoned by King Tachos, and that the command-in-chief of all the forces was
promised to him. By this one venture he would achieve three objects, which were
to requite the Egyptian for the benefits conferred on Lacedaemon; to liberate
the Hellenes in Asia once again; and to inflict on the Persian a just
recompense, not only for the old offences, but for this which was of to-day;
seeing that, while boasting alliance with Sparta, he had dictatorially enjoined
the emancipation of Messene.[37] But when the man who had summoned him refused
to confer the proffered generalship, Agesilaus, like
one on whom a flagrant deception has been practised,
began to consider the part he had to play. Meanwhile a separate division[38] of the Egyptian armies held aloof from their
king. Then, the disaffection spreading, all the rest of his troops deserted him;
whereat the monarch took flight and retired in exile to Sidon in Phoenicia,
leaving the Egyptians, split in faction, to choose to themselves a pair of
kings.[39] Thereupon Agesilaus took his decision. If
he helped neither, it meant that neither would pay the service-money due to his
Hellenes, that neither would provide a market, and that, whichever of the two
conquered in the end,
[35] Or, "But to pass on, he was already, may be, eighty years of age, when it came under his observation. . . ."
[36] This same Tachos.
[37] See "Hell." VII. i. 36; iv. 9.
[38] I.e. "the army under Nectanebos." See Diod. xv. 92; Plut. "Ages." xxxvii. (Clough, iv. 44 foll.)
[39] I.e. "Nectanebos and a certain Mendesian."
Such, then, is the chronicle of this man's achievements, or of such of them as were wrought in the presence of a thousand witnesses. Being of this sort they have no need of further testimony; the mere recital of them is sufficient, and they at once win credence. But now I will endeavour to reveal the excellence indwelling in his soul, the motive power of his acts, in virtue of which he clung to all things honourable and thrust aside all baseness.
Agesilaus showed such reverence for things divine that even his 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.
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."
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.
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]
[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
[8] Or, "than the seductions in question."
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, "visible signs of the spirit," etc. See Plut. "Ages." xxxvi.
And amongst these we must not deem them trophies alone which he actually set up, but reckon the many campaigns which he undertook, since they were victories truly, even when the enemy refused to encounter him, victories devoid of danger, yet fraught with even more solid advantage to the state of Sparta and her fellow-combatants; just as in our games we crown as victor him who walks over the field[2] no less than him who conquers by dint of battle.
[2] Or, "without striking a blow." Lit. "without the dust of the arena, 'sine pulvere.'" See Thuc. iv. 73, {akoniti}.
And to speak next of his wisdom,[3] I suppose there is not one of all his doings but must illustrate it;--this man whose bearing towards his fatherland was such that by dint of implicit obedience [he grew to so greate a height of power],[4] whose zeal in the service of his comrades won for him the unhesitating attachment of his friends, who infused into the hearts of his soldiers a spirit, not of discipline only, but of self-devotion to their chief. And yet surely that is the strongest of all battle-lines[5] in which obedience creates tactical efficieny, and alacrity in the field springs out of loyal affection for the general.
[3] Or, "his sagacity."
[4] The words {pleiston iskhue} are supplied from Plutarch ("Ages." iv.), who quotes the passage, "What Xenophon tells us of him, that by complying with, and, as it were, ruled by his country, he grew into such great power with them, that he could do what he pleased, is meant," etc. (Clough, iv. p. 4). The lacuna in the MS. was first noted, I believe, by Weiske. See Breitenbach's note ad loc.
[5] See "Cyrop." VII. i. 30; "Econ." xxi. 7.
Enemies he had to cope with, who had little excuse to disparage, however much they might be compelled to hate their opponent, seeing that he was for ever contriving to give his allies some advantage over them--by sheer deception, if occasion offered; now anticipating them if speed were requisite; now skulking in corners if concealment served; in all points observing one rule of behaviour to his friends and another towards his foes. By turning night into day and day into night[6] he drew so close a veil of mystery over his movements that frequently there was no saying where he was, or whither he would go, or what he might do next. The fastnesses of the enemy he transformed into so many weaknesses,[7] passing this one by, and scaling that, and stealing like a thief into a third.
[6] See "Hell." VI. i. 15; "Pol. Lac." v. 7; "Cyrop."
[7] Or, "the strongholds of the enemy might to all intents and purposes have been open places."
When he was on the march, and was well aware that an enemy might, if he chose, deliver battle, his habit was to lead his troops in compact battle order ready to confront emergencies, with soft, slow step, advancing, as it were, with maidenly demureness,[8] for in such procedure, as he believed, lay the secret of true calm, engendering a dauntless self-assurance, imperturbable, unerring, impervious to treacherous assault. Therefore by such behaviour he was a terror to the enemy, whilst he infused courage and strength in the hearts of his friends, so that throughout his life he continued to be a man whom his foes dared not despise, whom his fellow-citizens cared not to arraign, within the circle of his friends held blameless, the idol and admiration of the outer world.[9]
[8] See above, ii. 3; "Pol. Lac." iii. 5.
[9] Cf. Tacitus's phrase concerning Titus, "deliciae humani generis."
To describe his patriotism[1] point by point in detail were a tedious story, since, as I suppose, there is not one of his several achievements but must finally resolve itself into that. For, to put it briefly, we all know well that where Agesilaus expected in any way to benefit his country there was no toil he shrank from, no danger he avoided, no money he stinted, no excuse whether of age or body he admitted, but deemed it ever the true function of a good king[2] to shower blessings to the utmost on the subjects of his rule.
[1] Lit. "love for his own city."
[2] Or, "regarded it as the cardinal virtue of a real prince." See "Mem." III. ii. 3.
And for my part I hold it as chief among the magnificent benefits so conferred by him upon his country that, being the most powerful member of the state, he made no secret of his absolute submission to the laws,[3] since what lesser man, seeing the king's obedience, would take[4] on himself to disobey? Who, in discontentment at his own poor lot, would venture on revolution, knowing that the king himself could condescend to constitutional control? And that, too, a king who bore himself towards political opponents with a paternal mildness.[5] If he rebuked them sharply for their misdemeanours, he none the less honoured their high endeavours, and proved himself a present help to them in time of trouble.[6] No citizen could be his personal foe; of that he was assured. His desire was to commend them one and all alike, counting the common salvation of all a gain, and reckoning it as a loss if even a mean man perished. For thus he reasoned, nor made a secret of the conclusion he had come to: so long as her citizens continued tranquilly adherent to the laws the happiness of Sparta was secure.[7] And for the rest Sparta would once again be strong on that day when the states of Hellas should learn wisdom.
[3] Or, "he was at the same time the most obvious in his allegiance to the laws."
[4] Lit. "would have taken on himself . . . would have ventured on revolution."
[5] Lit. "as a father to his children."
[6] Or, "and was ready to stand by their side in time of trouble."
[7] Or, "For this was the clear tenor of his thought,
that by tranquil continuance within the laws the citizens of
27.
And if, by admission, it is noble for every Hellene to be a
lover of his fellow-Hellenes, yet we must fare far afield
to find another instance of a general who, expecting to sack some city, would
have refused to seize the prize; or who regarded victory in a war waged against
fellow-Hellenes as a species of calamity. Yet this man when a message was
brought him concerning the battle at Corinth,[8] in which but eight Lacedaemonians had fallen, but of their opponents ten
thousand nearly, showed no sign of exultation, but sighed, saying, "Alas
for Hellas! since those who now lie in their graves,
were able, had they lived, to conquer the hosts of
[8] B.C. 394. See "Hell." IV. ii. 9-23; Diod. xiv. 83; Grote, "H. G." ix. 429.
[9] Lit. "all the barbarians."
[10] See "Econ." i. 23.
Again, if it is a sacred duty to hate the Persian, who of
old set out on a campaign to enslave Hellas; the Persian, who to-day makes
alliance with these (no matter to him which the party, provided it will help
him to work the greater mischief[11]); or gives presents to those (who will
take them and do the greatest harm to his foes the Hellenes); or else concocts
a peace that shall presently involve us in internecine war, as he
anticipates:--but why dwell on facts so patent? --I ask, did ever Hellene
before Agesilaus so enter heart and soul upon his
duty; whether it were to help some tribe to throw off the Persian yoke, or to
save from destruction a revolted district, or if nothing else, at any rate to saddle
the Persian with such troubles of his own that he should cease to trouble
Hellas? An ardent hater of
[11] Or, "the worse the mischief he can work, the better the side."
[12] See Isocr. "Ep." ix. "To Archidamus," S. 11-14.
To turn to another side, that grace of manner which was his, claims more than passing recognition. Here was a man to whom honour was vouchsafed and power present, and who, to crown all else, held in his hands the sceptre of sovereignty--a kingship not plotted against, but respected and beloved. Yet there was no trace of arrogance to be seen in him, but of tender affection and courteous service to his friends proof in abundance without seeking. Witness the zest with which he shared in the round of lovers' talk;[1] the zeal with which he threw himself into the serious concerns[2] of friends. By dint of a hopeful and cheery disposition and unflagging gaiety of heart he attracted to his side a throng of visitors, who came, not simply for the transaction of some private interest, but rather to pass away the day in pleasant sort. Though little apt himself to use high-swelling words, it did not annoy him to hear others sounding their own praises, which he regarded as a harmless weakness, the pledge at least of high endeavour[3] in the future.
[1] See "Hell." V. iii. 20; "Cyrop."
[2] Or, "he would discuss graver matters, according to the humour of his friends."
[3] Or, "of courageous conduct," "noble manhood."
But that he was capable of lofty sentiment and at the right season must not be overlooked. Thus when a letter reached him from the king (I speak of that which was brought by the Persian agent in company with Calleas[4] of Lacedaemon, proposing terms of hospitality and friendship with the Persian monarch), he disdained to accept it, telling the bearer to take back to the king this answer: "He need not be at pains to send him letters in private, but if he could prove himself a friend to Lacedaemon and the well-wisher of Hellas he should have no cause to blame the ardour of his friendship," but added, "if your king be detected plotting, let him not think to find a friend in me. No, not if he sends me a thousand letters." For my part, then, I hold it praiseworthy that, by comparison with pleasing his fellow-Hellenes, Agesilaus scorned such friendship. And this, too, among his tenets I find admirable: the truer title to self-congratulation belonged not to the millionaire, the master of many legions, but to him rather, who, being himself a better man, commanded the allegience of better followers.
[4] See "Hell." IV. i. 15; Plut. "Apophth. Lac." p. 777; Grote, "H. G." x. 402.
And this, in proof of mental forecast, I must needs praise in him. Holding to the belief that the more satraps there were who revolted from the king the surer the gain to Hellas, he did not suffer himself to be seduced, either by gifts or by the mightiness in his power, to be drawn into bonds of friendship with the king, but took precaution rather not to abuse their confidence who were willing to revolt.
And lastly, as beyond all controversy admirable, note this contrast: First, the Persian, who, believing that in the multitude of his riches he had power to lay all things under his feet, would fain have swept into his coffers all the gold and all the silver of mankind: for him, and him alone, the costliest and most precious things of earth. And then this other, who contrariwise so furnished his establishment as to be totally independent of every adventitious aid.[5] And if any one doubts the statement, let him look and see with what manner of dwelling-place he was contented; let him view the palace doors: these are the selfsame doors, he might well imagine, which Aristodemus,[6] the great-great-grandson of Heracles, took and set up in the days of the return. Let him endeavour to view the furniture inside; there he will perceive how the king feasted on high holy days; and he will hear how the king's own daughter was wont to drive to Amyclae in a public basket-carriage.[7] Thus it was that by the adjustment of expenditure to income he was never driven to the commission of any unjust deed for money's sake. And yet if it be a fine thing to hold a fortress impregnable to attck, I count it a greater glory that a man should hold the fortress of his soul inviolable against the assaults of riches, pleasures, fears.
[5] Or, "of all such external needs."
[6] See Herod. vi. 52.
[7] See Plut. "Ages." xix. (Clough, iv. p. 23); the words {e thugater autou} were supplied from this passage by Casaubon.
I will here state to what extent the style of living which he presented stands out in striking contrast to the ostentatious manner of the Persian.[1] In the first place, if the latter made a solemn affectation of being but seldom seen, Agesilaus delighted to live in the eye of day, believing that seclusion might accord well enough as a screen for shameless conduct, but to a life of nobleness and beauty[2] heaven's light added new ornament.[3] And next, if the one prided himself on being unapproachable, the other rejoiced in being accessible to all the world; the one, with his airs and graces, was pleased to transact business slowly, the other was never so happy as when he could satisfy the demands of a petitioner without waste of time.[4]
[1] Or, "how he presented his own manner in antithesis
to the false pretences of the Persian." For {alazoneia}
see "Mem."
[2] Lit. "a life striving towards beauteousness."
[3] Or, "added but greater lustre."
[4] Lit. "could satisfy and dismiss his petitioners without delay."
Again, it is worthy of observation how much easier and simpler to satisfy was the standard of comfort which the Spartan aimed at.[5] For the Persian, men must compass sea and land to discover some beverage which he will care to drink; he needs ten thousand pastrycooks to supply the kick-shaws he will deign to eat; and to procure him the blessing of sleep no tongue can describe what a world of trouble must be taken. But Agesilaus was a lover of toil, and therefore not so dainty; the meanest beverage was sweet to his lips, and pleasant enough to his taste was the chance fare of the moment; and for the purpose of refreshing slumber every place alike conducive. It was not merely that to fare thus gave him pure pleasure, but in the sense of contrast lay a double satisfaction. Here was he roaming earth freely in the midst of a world of delight,[6] and there lay the Persian, under his eyes, who to escape a life of pain must drag together from the uttermost parts of earth the separate ingredients for his pleasure. It was another source of joy that to himself it was given to confront the appointed order of the universe[7] without pain; while through weakness of soul his rival, it was plain to see, was driven to flee away from heat and cold, and to shape his life, not by the pattern of brave men, but of some mean and defenceless animal.[8]
[5] See Herod. i. 135, for the luxury of the Persians and for the refinements of civilisation. See "Mem." II. i. 10; "Cyrop." VIII. i. 40.
[6] Or, "in a round of festivity."
[7] See Plut. "Ages." xiv. (Clough, iv. p. 17); "Apophth. Lac." p. 102; Eur. "Supp." 214, 215.
{de ou truphomen, theou kataskeuen bio dontos toiauten, oisin ouk arkei tade};
[8] Or, "the most defenceless of God's creatures." Lit. "the weakest of animals."
And what a fine trait this was in him, and betokening how lofty a sentiment, that, being content to adorn his own house with works and possessions suited to a man, and being devoted to the breeding of dogs and horses in large numbers for the chase and warfare, he persuaded his sister Cynisca to rear chariot horses,[9] and thus by her victory[10] showed that to keep a stud of that sort, however much it might be a mark of wealth, was hardly a proof of manly virtue. And surely in the following opinion we may discern plainly the generosity of him who entertained it. To win victories over private persons in a chariot race does not add one tittle to a man's renown. He, rather, who holds his city dear beyond all things else, who has himself sunk deep into the heart of her affections, who has obtained to himself all over the world a host of friends and those the noblest, who can outdo his country and comrades alike in the race of kindliness, and his antagonists in vengeance--such a man may, in a true sense, be said to bear away the palm of victory in conquests noble and magnificent; living and in death to him belongs transcendent fame.
[9] I.e. "for the games."
[10] I.e. "at
It is as possessiong qualities such as these that I praise Agesilaus. And in these matters he was not like a man who chances upon a treasure and thereby becomes wealthier, albeit none the more skilful in economy; nor yet like him who, when a plague has fallen upon an enemy, wrests a victory, whereby he may add to his reputation for success, but not for strategy. Rather was his example that of one who in each emergency will take the lead; at a crisis where toil is needful, by endurance; or in the battle-lists of bravery by prowess; or when the function of the counsellor is uppermost, by the soundness of his judgment. Of such a man I say, he has obtained by warrant indefeasible the title peerless.
And if, as a means towards good workmanship, we count among the noble inventions of mankind the rule and the plummet,[1] no less happily shall we, who desire to attain a manly excellence, find in the virtue of Agesilaus a pattern and example. He was God-fearing, he was just in all his dealings, sound of soul and self-controlled. How then shall we who imitate him become his opposite, unholy, unjust, tyrannical, licentious? And, truth to say, this man prided himself, not so much on being a king over others as on ruling himself,[2] not so much on leading his citizens to attack the enemy as on guiding them to embrace all virtue.
[1] See Aeschin. "c. Ctes." p. 52, 25; Plat. "Phileb." 56 B.
[2] See Plut. "Apophth. Lac." p. 104.
Yet let it not be supposed, because he whom we praise has finished life, that our discourse must therefore be regarded as a funeral hymn.[3] Far rather let it be named a hymn of praise, since in the first place it is only the repetition, now that he is dead, of a tale familiar to his ears when living. And in the next place, what is more remote from dirge and lamentation than a life of glory crowned by seasonable death? What more deserving of song and eulogy than resplendent victories and deeds of highest note? Surely if one man rather than another may be accounted truly blest, it is he who, from his boyhood upwards, thirsted for glory, and beyond all contemporary names won what he desired; who, being gifted with a nature most emulous of honour, remained from the moment he was king unconquered; who attained the fullest term of mortal life and died without offence[4] committed, whether as concerning those at whose head he marched, or as towards those others against whom he fought in war.
[3] See Symonds' "Greek Poets," ch. v.
[4] As to the word {anamartetos} so translated, see Breitenbach, Exc. ad x. 4 of his edition.
It only remains for me, under the form of headings,[1] to review the topic of this great man's virtue, in hopes that thus his eulogy may cling to the memory more lastingly.
[1] Or, as others think, "in a summary."
Agesilaus reverenced the shrines and sacred places even of the enemy. We ought, he said, to make the gods our allies on hostile no less than on friendly soil.
He would do no violence to a suppliant, no, not even if he were his own foe; since how irrational must it be to stigmatise robbers of temples as sacrilegious and yet to regard him who tears the suppliant from the altar as a pious person.
One tenet he never wearied of repeating: the gods, he said, are not less pleased with holy deeds than with pure victims.
In the day of his prosperity his thoughts were not raised higher than befits a man; he gave thanks to the gods; and offered more victims when he had nothing to fear than he registered vows in time of apprehension.
He was accustomed in the midst of anxiety to wear an aspect of gaiety, but, when the victory was won, of gentleness.
Amongst friends his warmest greeting was reserved, not for the most powerful, but for the most ardent; and if he hated, it was not him who, being evil entreated, retaliated, but one who, having had kindness done to him, seemed incapable of gratitude.
He rejoiced when sordid greed was rewarded with poverty; and still more if he might himself enrich a righteous man, since his wish was to render uprightness more profitable than iniquity.
He made it a practice to associate with all kinds of people, but to be intimate only with the best.
As he listened to the praise of this man, or the censure of another, he felt that he learnt quite as much about the character of the speakers themselves as of those whom they discussed.
To be cheated by a friend was scarcely censurable, but he could find no comdemnation strong enough for him who was outwitted by a foe. Or again, to dupe the incredulous might argue wit, but to take in the unsuspecting was veritably a crime.
The praise of a critic who had courage to point out his defects pleased him; and plainness of speech excited in him no hostility. It was against the cunning rather of the secretive person that he guarded himself, as against a hidden snare.
The calumniator he detested more than the robber or the thief, in proportion as the loss of friends is greater than the loss of money.[2]
[2] Mr. R. W. Taylor aptly quotes "Othello," III. iii. 157--
"Who steals my purse steals trash; 'tis something, nothing; 'Twas mine, 'tis his, and has been slave to thousands; But he that filches from me my good name Robs me of that which not enriches him And makes me poor indeed."
The errors of private persons he bore with gently, but those of rulers he looked upon as grave; since the mischief wrought in the one case was so small, and so large in the other. The proper attribute of royalty was, he maintained, not an avoidance of responsibility, but a constant striving after nobleness.[3]
[3] On the word {kalokagathia} so translated, see Demosth. 777, 5.
Whilst he would not suffer any image[4] of his bodily form to be set up (though many wished to present him with a statue), he never ceased elaborating what should prove the monument of his spirit, holding that the former is the business of a statuary, the latter of one's self. Wealth might procure the one, he said, but only a good man could produce the other.
[4] See Plut. "Ages." ii. (Clough, iv. p. 2); also Plut. "Ap. Lac." p. 115; ib. p. 103; Cic. "ad Div." V. xii. 7.
As for riches, he employed them not with justice merely, but with liberality, holding that for a just man it is sufficient if he let alone the things of others, but of a liberal man it is required that he should take of his own and give to supply another's needs.
He was ever subject to religious fear,[5] believing that no man during his lifetime, however well he lives, can be counted happy; it is only he who has ended his days with glory of whom it can be said that he has attained at last to blessedness.[6]
[5] See "Cyr." III. iii. 58, and for the word {deisidaimon}, see Jebb, "Theophr. Char." p. 263 foll.; Mr. Ruskin, Preface to "Bibl. Past." vol. i. p. xxv.
[6] See Herod. i. 34; Soph. "Oed. Tyr." 1529; and Prof. Jebb's note ad loc.
In his judgment it was a greater misfortune to neglect things good and virtuous, knowing them to be so, than in ignorance. Nor was he enamoured of any reputation, the essentials of which he had not laboriously achieved.[7]
[7] Or, "for which he did not qualify himself by the appropriate labour."
He was one of the small band, as it seemed to me, who regard virtue, not as a thing to be patiently endured,[8] but as a supreme enjoyment. At any rate, to win the praise of mankind gave him a deeper pleasure than the acquisition of wealth; and he preferred to display courage far rather in conjunction with prudence than with unnecessary risks, and to cultivate wisdom in action more than by verbal discussion.
[8] Or, "as a system of stoical endurance," "a kind of stoicism." But we must not let Xenophon, who is a Socratic, talk of the Stoa. If we knew certainly that the chapter was a much later production, the language would be appropriate enough.
Very gentle to his friends, to his enemies he was most terrible. Whilst he could hold out against toil and trouble with the best, nothing pleased him better than yielding to his comrades. But passion was kindled in him by beauty of deed rather than of person.[9]
[9] Or, "beauteous deeds rather than bodily splendour."
Skilled in the exercise of self-command in the midst of external welfare, he could be stout of heart enough in stress of danger.
Urbanity he practised, not with jest and witticisim, but by the courtesy of his demeanour.
In spite of a certain haughtiness, he was never overbearing, but rich in saving common sense. At any rate, while pouring contempt upon arrogance, he bore himself more humbly than the most ordinary man. In fact, what he truly took a pride in was the simplicity of his own attire, in contrast with the splendid adornment of his troops; or, again, in the paucity of his own wants, combined with a bountiful liberality towards his friends.
Besides all this, as an antagonist he could hit hard enough, but no one ever bore a lighter hand when the victory was won.[10]
[10] Lit. "he was the heaviest of antagonists and the lightest of conquerors."
The same man, whom an enemy would have found it hard to deceive, was pliability itself in the concerns of his friends. Whilst for ever occupied in laying these on a secure foundation, he made it a ceaseless task to baffle the projects of the national foe.
The epithets applied to him are significant. His relatives found in him a kinsman who was more than kind. To his intimates he appeared as a friend in need who is a friend indeed. To the man who had done him some service, of tenacious memory. To the victim of injustice, a knight-errant. And to those who had incurred danger by his side, a saviour second only to the gods.
It was given to this man, as it appears to me, to prove exceptionally that though strength of body may wax old the vigour of a man's soul is exempt from eld. Of him, at any rate, it is true that he never shrank from the pursuit of great and noble objects, so long as[11] his body was able to support the vigour of his soul. Therefore his old age appeared mightier than the youth of other people. It would be hard to discover, I imagine, any one who in the prime of manhood was as formidable to his foes as Agesilaus when he had reached the limit of mortal life. Never, I suppose, was there a foeman whose removal came with a greater sense of relief to the enemy than that of Agesilaus, though a veteran when he died. Never was there a leader who inspired stouter courage in the hearts of fellow-combatants than this man with one foot planted in the grave. Never was a young man snatched from a circle of loving friends with tenderer regret than this old graybeard.
[11]
The benefactor of his fatherland, absolutely to the very end; with bounteous hand, even in the arms of death, dealing out largesse[12] to the city which he loved. And so they bore him home to his eternal resting-place;[13] this hero, who, having raised to himself many a monument of his valour over the broad earth, came back to find in the land of his fathers a sepulture worthy of a king.[14]
[12] See above, ii. 31.
[13] See for this remarkable phrase, Diod. i. 51.
[14] See "Pol. Lac." xv. 9.
THE END