Plutarch: Lives of the noble Grecians and Romans
harm than good. For though Lysander's pride and assumption was
most ill-timed and insufferable in its display, yet Agesilaus
surely could have found some other way of setting him right, less
offensive to a man of his reputation and ambitious temper. Indeed
they were both blinded with the same passion, so as one not to
recognize the authority of his superior, the other not to bear with
the imperfections of his friend.
Tisaphernes being at first afraid of Agesilaus, treated with him
about setting the Grecian cities at liberty, which was agreed on.
But soon after finding a sufficient force drawn together, he
resolved upon war, for which Agesilaus was not sorry. For the
expectation of this expedition was great, and he did not think it
for his honor, that Xenophon with ten thousand men should march
through the heart of Asia to the sea, beating the Persian forces
when and how he pleased, and that he at the head of the Spartans,
then sovereigns both at sea and land, should not achieve some
memorable action for Greece. And so to be even with Tisaphernes,
he requites his perjury by a fair stratagem. He pretends to march
into Caria, whither when he had drawn Tisaphernes and his army, he
suddenly turns back, and falls upon Phrygia, takes many of their
cities, and carries away great booty, showing his allies, that to
break a solemn league was a downright contempt of the gods, but the
circumvention of an enemy in war was not only just but glorious, a
gratification at once and an advantage.
Being weak in horse, and discouraged by ill omens in the
sacrifices, he retired to Ephesus, and there raised cavalry. He
obliged the rich men, that were not inclined to serve in person, to
find each of them a horseman armed and mounted; and there being
many who preferred doing this, the army was quickly reinforced by a
body, not of unwilling recruits for the infantry, but of brave and
numerous horsemen. For those that were not good at fighting
themselves, hired such as were more military in their inclinations,
and such as loved not horse-service substituted in their places
such as did. Agamemnon's example had been a good one, when he took
the present of an excellent mare, to dismiss a rich coward from the
army.
When by Agesilaus's order the prisoners he had taken in Phrygia
were exposed to sale, they were first stripped of their garments,
and then sold naked. The clothes found many customers to buy them,
but the bodies being, from the want of all exposure and exercise,
white and tender-skinned, were derided and scorned as
unserviceable. Agesilaus, who stood by at the auction, told his
Greeks, "These are the men against whom ye fight, and these the
things you will gain by it."
The season of the year being come, he boldly gave out that he would
invade Lydia; and this plaindealing of his was now mistaken for a
stratagem by Tisaphernes, who, by not believing Agesilaus, having
been already deceived by him, overreached himself. He expected
that he should have made choice of Caria, as a rough country, not
fit for horse, in which he deemed Agesilaus to be weak, and
directed his own marches accordingly. But when he found him to be
as good as his word, and to have entered into the country of
Sardis, he made great haste after him, and by great marches of his
horse, overtaking the loose stragglers who were pillaging the
country, he cut them off. Agesilaus meanwhile, considering that
the horse had outridden the foot, but that he himself had the whole
body of his own army entire, made haste to engage them. He mingled
his light-armed foot, carrying targets, with the horse, commanding
them to advance at full speed and begin the battle, whilst he
brought up the heavier-armed men in the rear. The success was
answerable to the design; the barbarians were put to the rout, the
Grecians pursued hard, took their camp, and put many of them to the
sword. The consequence of this victory was very great; for they
had not only the liberty of foraging the Persian country, and
plundering at pleasure, but also saw Tisaphernes pay dearly for all
the cruelty he had showed the Greeks, to whom he was a professed
enemy. For the king of Persia sent Tithraustes, who took off his
head, and presently dealt with Agesilaus about his return into
Greece, sending to him ambassadors to that purpose, with commission
to offer him great sums of money. Agesilaus's answer was, that the
making of peace belonged to the Lacedaemonians, not to him; as for
wealth, he had rather see it in his soldiers' hands than his own;
that the Grecians thought it not honorable to enrich themselves
with the bribes of their enemies, but with their spoils only. Yet,
that he might gratify Tithraustes for the justice he had done upon
Tisaphernes, the common enemy of the Greeks, he removed his
quarters into Phrygia, accepting thirty talents for his expenses.
Whilst he was upon his march, he received a staff from the
government at Sparta, appointing him admiral as well as general.
This was an honor which was never done to any but Agesilaus, who
being now undoubtedly the greatest and most illustrious man of his
time, still, as Theopompus has said, gave himself more occasion of
glory in his own virtue and merit than was given him in this
authority and power. Yet he committed a fault in preferring
Pisander to the command of the navy, when there were others at hand
both older and more experienced; in this not so much consulting the
public good, as the gratification of his kindred, and especially
his wife, whose brother Pisander was.
Having removed his camp into Pharnabazus's province, he not only
met with great plenty of provisions, but also raised great sums of
money, and marching on to the bounds of Paphlagonia, he soon drew
Cotys, the king of it, into a league, to which he of his own accord
inclined, out of the opinion he had of Agesilaus's honor and
virtue. Spithridates, from the time of his abandoning Pharnabazus,
constantly attended Agesilaus in the camp whithersoever he went.
This Spithridates had a son, a very handsome boy, called Megabates,
of whom Agesilaus was extremely fond, and also a very beautiful
daughter, that was marriageable. Her Agesilaus matched to Cotys,
and taking of him a thousand horse, with two thousand light-armed
foot, he returned into Phrygia, and there pillaged the country of
Pharnabazus, who durst not meet him in the field, nor yet trust to
his garrisons, but getting his valuables together, got out of the
way and moved about up and down with a flying army, till
Spithridates joining with Herippidas the Spartan, took his camp,
and all his property. Herippidas being too severe an inquirer into
the plunder with which the barbarian soldiers had enriched
themselves, and forcing them to deliver it up with too much
strictness, so disobliged Spithridates with his questioning and
examining, that he changed sides again, and went off with the
Paphlagonians to Sardis. This was a very great vexation to
Agesilaus, not only that he had lost the friendship of a valiant
commander, and with him a considerable part of his army, but still
more that it had been done with the disrepute of a sordid and petty
covetousness, of which he always had made it a point of honor to
keep both himself and his country clear. Besides these public
causes, he had a private one, his excessive fondness for the son,
which touched him to the quick, though he endeavored to master it,
and, especially in presence of the boy, to suppress all appearance
of it; so much so that when Megabates, for that was his name, came
once to receive a kiss from him, he declined it. At which when the
young boy blushed and drew back, and afterward saluted him at a
more reserved distance, Agesilaus soon repenting his coldness, and
changing his mind, pretended to wonder why he did not salute him
with the same familiarity as formerly. His friends about him
answered, "You are in the fault, who would not accept the kiss of
the boy, but turned away in alarm; he would come to you again, if
you would have the courage to let him do so." Upon this Agesilaus
paused a while, and at length answered, "You need not encourage him
to it; I think I had rather be master of myself in that refusal,
than see all things that are now before my eyes turned into gold."
Thus he demeaned himself to Megabates when present, but he had so
great a passion for him in his absence, that it may be questioned
whether if the boy had returned again, all the courage he had would
have sustained him in such another refusal.
After this, Pharnabazus sought an opportunity of conferring with
Agesilaus, which Apollophanes of Cyzicus, the common host of them
both, procured for him. Agesilaus coming first to the appointed
place, threw himself down upon the grass under a tree, lying there
in expectation of Pharnabazus, who, bringing with him soft skins
and wrought carpets to lie down upon, when he saw Agesilaus's
posture, grew ashamed of his luxuries and made no use of them, but
laid himself down upon the grass also, without regard for his
delicate and richly dyed clothing. Pharnabazus had matter enough
of complaint against Agesilaus, and therefore, after the mutual
civilities were over, he put him in mind of the great services he
had done the Lacedaemonians in the Attic war, of which he thought
it an ill recompense to have his country thus harassed and spoiled,
by those men who owed so much to him. The Spartans that were
present hung down their heads, as conscious of the wrong they had
done to their ally. But Agesilaus said, "We, O Pharnabazus, when
we were in amity with your master the king, behaved ourselves like
friends, and now that we are at war with him, we behave ourselves
as enemies. As for you, we must look upon you as a part of his
property, and must do these outrages upon you, not intending the
harm to you, but to him whom we wound through you. But whenever
you will choose rather to be a friend to the Grecians, than a slave
of the king of Persia, you may then reckon this army and navy to be
all at your command, to defend both you, your country, and your
liberties, without which there is nothing honorable, or indeed
desirable among men." Upon this Pharnabazus discovered his mind,
and answered, "If the king sends another governor in my room, I
will certainly come over to you, but as long as he trusts me with
the government, I shall be just to him, and not fail to do my
utmost endeavors in opposing you." Agesilaus was taken with the
answer, and shook hands with him; and rising, said, "How much
rather had I have so brave a man my friend than mine enemy."
Pharnabazus being gone off, his son, staying behind, ran up to
Agesilaus, and smilingly said, "Agesilaus, I make you my guest;"
and thereupon presented him with a javelin which he had in his
hand. Agesilaus received it, and being much taken with the good
mien and the courtesy of the youth, looked about to see if there
were anything in his train fit to offer him in return; and
observing the horse of Idaeus, the secretary, to have very fine
trappings on, he took them off, and bestowed them upon the young
gentleman. Nor did his kindness rest there, but he continued ever
after to be mindful of him, so that when he was driven out of his
country by his brothers, and lived an exile in Peloponnesus, he
took great care of him, and condescended even to assist him in some
love-matters. He had an attachment for a youth of Athenian birth,
who was bred up as an athlete; and when at the Olympic games this
boy, on account of his great size and general strong and full-grown
appearance, was in some danger of not being admitted into the
list, the Persian betook himself to Agesilaus, and made use of his
friendship. Agesilaus readily assisted him, and not without a