Plutarch: Lives of the noble Grecians and Romans
revel it in the open streets and the midst of the market-place,
crowned with garlands and attended with flute-women, inviting
everybody he met to partake in his festivity. So much more does
joy without discretion transport and agitate the mind than
either fear or sorrow. Antigonus, therefore, having in this
manner possessed himself of Acro-Corinthus, put a garrison into
it of those he trusted most, making Persaeus the philosopher
governor.
Now Aratus, even in the lifetime of Alexander, had made an
attempt, but, a confederacy being made between Alexander and the
Achaeans, he desisted. But now he started afresh, with a new
plan of effecting the thing, which was this: there were in
Corinth four brothers, Syrians born, one of whom, called
Diocles, served as a soldier in the garrison, but the three
others, having stolen some gold of the king's, came to Sicyon,
to one Aegias, a banker, whom Aratus made use of in his
business. To him they immediately sold part of their gold, and
the rest one of them, called Erginus, coming often thither,
exchanged by parcels. Becoming, by this means, familiarly
acquainted with Aegias, and being by him led into discourses
concerning the fortress, he told him that in going up to his
brother he had observed, in the face of the rock, a side-cleft,
leading to that part of the wall of the castle which was lower
than the rest. At which Aegias joking with him and saying, "So,
you wise man, for the sake of a little gold you have broken into
the king's treasure; when you might, if you chose, get money in
abundance for a single hour's work, burglary, you know, and
treason being punished with the same death," Erginus laughed and
told him then, he would break the thing to Diocles (for he did
not altogether trust his other brothers), and, returning within
a few days, he bargained to conduct Aratus to that part of the
wall where it was no more than fifteen feet high, and to do what
else should be necessary, together with his brother Diocles.
Aratus, therefore, agreed to give them sixty talents if he
succeeded, but if he failed in his enterprise, and yet he and
they came off safe, then he would give each of them a house and
a talent. Now the threescore talents being to be deposited in
the hands of Aegias for Erginus and his partners, and Aratus
neither having so much by him, nor willing, by borrowing it from
others, to give anyone a suspicion of his design, he pawned his
plate and his wife's golden ornaments to Aegias for the money.
For so high was his temper, and so strong his passion for noble
actions, that, even as he had heard that Phocion and Epaminondas
were the best and justest of the Greeks, because they refused
the greatest presents and would not surrender their duty for
money, so he now chose to be at the expense of this enterprise
privately, and to advance all the cost out of his own property,
taking the whole hazard on himself for the sake of the rest that
did not so much as know what was doing. And who indeed can
withhold, even now, his admiration for and his sympathy with the
generous mind of one, who paid so largely to purchase so great a
risk, and lent out his richest possessions to have an
opportunity to expose his own life, by entering among his
enemies in the dead of the night, without desiring any other
security for them than the hope of a noble success.
Now the enterprise, though dangerous enough in itself, was made
much more so by an error happening through mistake in the very
beginning. For Technon, one of Aratus's servants, was sent away
to Diocles, that they might together view the wall. Now he had
never seen Diocles, but made no question of knowing him by the
marks Erginus had given him of him; namely, that he had curly
hair, a swarthy complexion, and no beard. Being come,
therefore, to the appointed place, he stayed waiting for Erginus
and Diocles outside the town, in front of the place called
Ornis. In the meantime, Dionysius, elder brother to Erginus and
Diocles, who knew nothing at all of the matter, but much
resembled Diocles, happened to pass by. Technon, upon this
likeness, all being in accordance with what he had been told,
asked him if he knew Erginus; and on his replying that he was
his brother, taking it for granted that he was speaking with
Diocles, not so much as asking his name or staying for any other
token, he gave him his hand, and began to discourse with him and
ask him questions about matters agreed upon with Erginus.
Dionysius, cunningly taking the advantage of his mistake, seemed
to understand him very well, and returning towards the city, led
him on, still talking, without any suspicion. And being now
near the gate, he was just about to seize on him, when by chance
again Erginus met them, and, apprehending the cheat and the
danger, beckoned to Technon to make his escape, and immediately
both of them, betaking themselves to their heels, ran away as
fast as they could to Aratus, who for all this despaired not,
but immediately sent away Erginus to Dionysius to bribe him to
hold his tongue. And he not only effected that, but also
brought him along with him to Aratus. But, when they had him,
they no longer left him at liberty, but binding him, they kept
him close shut up in a room, whilst they prepared for executing
their design.
All things being now ready, he commanded the rest of his forces
to pass the night by their arms, and taking with him four
hundred chosen men, few of whom knew what they were going about,
he led them to the gates by the temple of Juno. It was the
midst of summer, and the moon was at full, and the night so
clear without any clouds, that there was danger lest the arms
glistening in the moonlight should discover them. But as the
foremost of them came near the city, a mist came off from the
sea, and darkened the city itself and the outskirts about it.
Then the rest of them, sitting down, put off their shoes,
because men both make less noise and also climb surer, if they
go up ladders barefooted, but Erginus, taking with him seven
young men dressed like travelers, got unobserved to the gate,
and killed the sentry with the other guards. And at the same
time the ladders were clapped to the walls, and Aratus, having
in great haste got up a hundred men, commended the rest to
follow as they could, and immediately drawing up his ladders
after him, he marched through the city with his hundred men
towards the castle, being already overjoyed that he was
undiscovered, and not doubting of the success. But while still
they were some way off, a watch of four men came with a light,
who did not see them, because they were still in the shade of
the moon, but were seen plainly enough themselves as they came
on directly towards them. So withdrawing a little way amongst
some walls and plots for houses, they lay in wait for them; and
three of them they killed. But the fourth, being wounded in the
head with a sword, fled, crying out that the enemy was in the
city. And immediately the trumpets sounded, and all the city
was in an uproar at what had happened, and the streets were full
of people running up and down, and many lights were seen shining
both below in the town, and above in the castle, and a confused
noise was to be heard in all parts.
In the meantime, Aratus was hard at work struggling to get up
the rocks, at first slowly and with much difficulty, straying
continually from the path, which lay deep, and was overshadowed
with the crags, leading to the wall with many windings and
turnings; but the moon immediately and as if by miracle, it is
said, dispersing the clouds, shone out and gave light to the
most difficult part of the way, until he got to that part of the
wall he desired, and there she overshadowed and hid him, the
clouds coming together again. Those soldiers whom Aratus had
left outside the gate, near Juno's temple, to the number of
three hundred, entering the town, now full of tumult and lights,
and not knowing the way by which the former had gone, and
finding no track of them, slunk aside, and crowded together in
one body under a flank of the cliff that cast a strong shadow,
and there stood and waited in great distress and perplexity.
For, by this time, those that had gone with Aratus were attacked
with missiles from the citadel, and were busy fighting, and a
sound of cries of battle came down from above, and a loud noise,
echoed back and back from the mountain sides, and therefore
confused and uncertain whence it proceeded, was heard on all
sides. They being thus in doubt which way to turn themselves,
Archelaus, the commander of Antigonus's troops, having a great
number of soldiers with him, made up towards the castle with
great shouts and noise of trumpets to fall upon Aratus's people,
and passed by the three hundred, who, as if they had risen out
of an ambush, immediately charged him, killing the first they
encountered, and so affrighted the rest, together with
Archelaus, that they put them to flight and pursued them until
they had quite broke and dispersed them about the city. No
sooner were these defeated, but Erginus came to them from those
that were fighting above, to acquaint them that Aratus was
engaged with the enemy, who defended themselves very stoutly,
and there was a fierce conflict at the very wall, and need of
speedy help. They therefore desired him to lead them on without
delay, and, marching up, they by their shouts made their friends
understand who they were, and encouraged them; and the full
moon, shining on their arms, made them, in the long line by
which they advanced, appear more in number to the enemy than
they were; and the echo of the night multiplied their shouts.
In short, falling on with the rest, they made the enemy give
way, and were masters of the castle and garrison, day now
beginning to be bright, and the rising sun shining out upon
their success. By this time, also, the rest of his army came up
to Aratus from Sicyon, the Corinthians joyfully receiving them
at the gates and helping them to secure the king's party.
And now, having put all things into a safe posture, he came down
from the castle to the theater, an infinite number of people
crowding thither to see him and to hear what he would say to the
Corinthians. Therefore drawing up the Achaeans on each side of
the stage-passages, he came forward himself upon the stage, with
his corslet still on, and his face showing the effects of all
his hard work and want of sleep, so that his natural exultation
and joyfulness of mind were overborne by the weariness of his
body. The people, as soon as he came forth, breaking out into
great applauses and congratulations, he took his spear in his
right hand, and, resting his body upon it with his knee a little
bent, stood a good while in that posture, silently receiving
their shouts and acclamations, while they extolled his valor and
wondered at his fortune; which being over, standing up, he
began an oration in the name of the Achaeans, suitable to the
late action, persuading the Corinthians to associate themselves
to the Achaeans, and withal delivered up to them the keys of
their gates, which had never been in their power since the time
of king Philip. Of the captains of Antigonus, he dismissed
Archelaus, whom he had taken prisoner, and Theophrastus, who
refused to quit his post, he put to death. As for Persaeus,
when he saw the castle was lost, he had got away to Cenchreae,
where, some time after, discoursing with one that said to him
that the wise man only is a true general, "Indeed," he replied,
"none of Zeno's maxims once pleased me better than this, but I
have been converted to another opinion by the young man of
Sicyon." This is told by many of Persaeus. Aratus, immediately
after, made himself master of the temple of Juno and haven of