agesilaus-第4部分

按键盘上方向键 ← 或 → 可快速上下翻页，按键盘上的 Enter 键可回到本书目录页，按键盘上方向键 ↑ 可回到本页顶部！
————未阅读完？加入书签已便下次继续阅读！





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　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　country　by　departure　he　had　no　false