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Such were the concerns and projects of Agesilaus. Meanwhile the
Lacedaemonians at home were quite alive to the fact that moneys had
been sent into Hellas, and that the bigger states were leagued
together to declare war against them. It was hard to avoid the
conclusion that Sparta herself was in actual danger, and that a
campaign was inevitable. While busy, therefore, with preparations
themselves, they lost no time in despatching Epicydidas to fetch
Agesilaus. That officer, on his arrival, explained the position of
affairs, and concluded by delivering a peremptory summons of the state
recalling him to the assistance of the fatherland without delay. The
announcement could not but come as a grievous blow to Agesilaus, as he
reflected on the vanished hopes, and the honours plucked from his
grasp. Still, he summoned the allies and announced to them the
contents of the despatch from home. "To aid our fatherland," he added,
"is an imperative duty. If, however, matters turn out well on the
other side, rely upon it, friends and allies, I will not forget you,
but I shall be back anon to carry out your wishes." When they heard
the announcement many wept, and they passed a resolution, one and all,
to assist Agesilaus in assisting Lacedaemon; if matters turned out
well there, they undertook to take him as their leader and come back
again to Asia; and so they fell to making preparations to follow him.
Agesilaus, on his side, determined to leave behind him in Asia Euxenus
as governor, and with him a garrison numbering no less than four
thousand troops, which would enable him to protect the states in Asia.
But for himself, as on the one hand he could see that the majority of
the soldiers would far rather stay behind than undertake service
against fellow-Hellenes, and on the other hand he wished to take as
fine and large an army with him as he could, he offered prizes first
to that state or city which should continue the best corps of troops,
and secondly to that captain of mercenaries who should join the
expedition with the best equipped battalion of heavy infantry,
archers, and light infantry. On the same principle he informed the
chief cavalry officers that the general who succeeded in presenting
the best accoutred and best mounted regiment would receive from
himself some victorious distinction. "The final adjudication," he
said, "would not be made until they had crossed from Asia into Europe
and had reached the Chersonese; and this with a view to impress upon
them that the prizes were not for show but for real campaigners."[19]
These consisted for the most part of infantry or cavalry arms and
accoutrements tastefully furnished, besides which there were chaplets
of gold. The whole, useful and ornamental alike, must have cost nearly
a thousand pounds,[20] but as the result of this outlay, no doubt, arms
of great value were procured for the expedition.[21] When the
Hellespont was crossed the judges were appointed. The Lacedaemonians
were represented by Menascus, Herippidas, and Orsippus, and the allies
by one member from each state. As soon as the adjudication was
complete, the army commenced its march with Agesilaus at its head,
following the very route taken by the great king when he invaded
Hellas.
Meanwhile the ephors had called out the ban, and as Agesipolis was
still a boy, the state called upon Aristodemus, who was of the royal
family and guardian of the young king, to lead the expedition; and now
that the Lacedaemonians were ready to take the field and the forces of
their opponents were duly mustered, the latter met[22] to consider the
most advantageous method of doing battle.
Timolaus of Corinth spoke: "Soldiers of the allied forces," he said,
"the growth of Lacedaemon seems to me just like that of some mighty
river--at its sources small and easily crossed, but as it farther and
farther advances, other rivers discharge themelves into its channel,
and its stream grows ever more formidable. So is it with the
Lacedaemonians. Take them at the starting-point and they are but a
single community, but as they advance and attach city after city they
grow more numerous and more resistless. I observe that when people
wish to take wasps' nests--if they try to capture the creatures on the
wing, they are liable to be attacked by half the hive; whereas, if
they apply fire to them ere they leave their homes, they will master
them without scathe themselves. On this principle I think it best to
bring about the battle within the hive itself, or, short of that, as
close to Lacedaemon as possible."[23]
The arguments of the speaker were deemed sound, and a resolution was
passed in that sense; but before it could be carried out there were
various arrangements to be made. There was the question of headship.
Then, again, what was the proper depth of line to be given to the
different army corps? for if any particular state or states gave too
great a depth to their battle line they would enable the enemy to turn
their flank. Whilst they were debating these points, the
Lacedaemonians had incorporated the men of Tegea and the men of
Mantinea, and were ready to debouch into the bimarine region.[24] And
as the two armies advanced almost at the same time, the Corinthians
and the rest reached the Nemea,[25] and the Lacedaemonians and their
allies occupied Sicyon. The Lacedaemonians entered by Epieiceia, and
at first were severely handled by the light-armed troops of the enemy,
who discharged stones and arrows from the vantage-ground on their
right; but as they dropped down upon the Gulf of Corinth they advanced
steadily onwards through the flat country, felling timber and burning
the fair land. Their rivals, on their side, after a certain forward
movement,[26] paused and encamped, placing the ravine in front of them;
but still the Lacedaemonians advanced, and it was only when they were
within ten furlongs[27] of the hostile position that they followed suit
and encamped, and then they remained quiet.
And here I may state the numbers on either side. The Lacedaemonian
heavy-armed infantry levies amounted to six thousand men. Of Eleians,
Triphylians, Acroreians, and Lasionians, there must have been nearly
three thousand, with fifteen hundred Sicyonians, while Epidaurus,
Troezen, Hermione, and Halieis[28] contributed at least another three
thousand. To these heavy infantry troops must be added six hundred
Lacedaemonian cavalry, a body of Cretan archers about three hundred
strong, besides another force of slingers, at least four hundred in
all, consisting of Marganians, Letrinians, and Amphidolians. The men
of Phlius were not represented. Their plea was they were keeping "holy
truce." That was the total of the forces on the Lacedaemonian side.
There was collected on the enemy's side six thousand Athenian heavy
infantry, with about, as was stated, seven thousand Argives, and in
the absence of the men of Orchomenus something like five thousand
Boeotians. There were besides three thousand Corinthians, and again
from the whole of Euboea at least three thousand. These formed the
heavy infantry. Of cavalry the Boeotians, again in the absence of the
Orchomenians, furnished eight hundred, the Athenians[29] six hundred,
the Chalcidians of Euboea one hundred, the Opuntian Locrians[30]
fifty. Their light troops, including those of the Corinthians, were
more numerous, as the Ozolian Locrians, the Melians, and
Arcarnanians[31] helped to swell their numbers.
Such was the strength of the two armies. The Boeotians, as long as
they occupied the left wing, showed no anxiety to join battle, but
after a rearrangement which gave them the right, placing the Athenians
opposite the Lacedaemonians, and themselves opposite the Achaeans, at
once, we are told,[32] the victims proved favourable, and the order
was passed along the lines to prepare for immediate action. The
Boeotians, in the first place, abandoning the rule of sixteen deep,
chose to give their division the fullest possible depth, and,
moreover, kept veering more and more to their right, with the
intention of overlapping their opponent's flank. The consequence was
that the Athenians, to avoid being absolutely severed, were forced to
follow suit, and edged towards the right, though they recognised the
risk they ran of having their flank turned. For a while the
Lacedaemonians had no idea of the advance of the enemy, owing to the
rough nature of the ground,[33] but the notes of the paean at length
announced to them the fact, and without an instant's delay the
answering order "prepare for battle" ran along the different sections
of their army. As soon as their troops were drawn up, according to the
tactical disposition of the various generals of foreign brigades, the
order was passed to "follow the lead," and then the Lacedaemonians on
their side also began edging to their right, and eventually stretched
out their wing so far that only six out of the ten regimental
divisions of the Athenians confronted the Lacedaemonians, the other
four finding themselves face to face with the men of Tegea. And now
when they were less than a furlong[34] apart, the Lacedaemonians
sacrificed in customary fashion a kid to the huntress goddess,[35] and
advanced upon their opponents, wheeling round their overlapping
columns to outflank his left. As the two armies closed, the allies of
Lacedaemon were as a rule fairly borne down by their opponents. The
men of Pellene alone, steadily confronting the Thespiaeans, held their
ground, and the dead of either side strewed the position.[36] As to
the Lacedaemonians themselves: crushing that portion of the Athenian
troops which lay immediately in front of them, and at the same time
encircling them with their overlapping right, they slew man after man
of them; and, absolutely unscathed themselves, their unbroken columns
continued their march, and so passed behind the four remaining
divisions[37] of the Athenians before these latter had returned from
their own victorious pursuit. Whereby the four divisions in question
also emerged from battle intact, except for the casualties inflicted
by the Tegeans in the first clash of the engagement. The troops next
encountered by the Lacedaemonians were the Argives retiring. These
they fell foul of, and the senior polemarch was just on the point of
closing with them "breast to breast" when some one, it is said,
shouted, "Let their front ranks pass." This was done, and as the
Argives raced past, their enemies thrust at their unprotected[38]
sides and killed many of them. The Corinthians were caught in the same
way as they retired, and when their turn had passed, once more the
Lacedaemonians lit upon a portion of the Theban division retiring from
the pursuit, and strewed the field with their dead. The end of it all
was that the defeated troops in the first instance made for safety to
the walls of their city, but the Corinthians within closed the gates,
whereupon the troops took up quarters once again in their old
encampment. The Lacedaemonians on their side withdrew to the point at
which they first closed with the enemy, and there set up a trophy of
victory. So the battle ended.
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