AGESILAUS
AGESILAUS. Agesilaus said that the inhabitants of Asia
were bad freemen and good servants. When they were wont
to call the king of Persia the Great King, Wherein, said he,
is he greater than I, if he is not more just and wise than I am?
Being asked which was better, valor or justice, he answered,
We should have no need of valor, if we were all just.
When he broke up his camp suddenly by night in the enemy's country, and saw a lad he loved left behind by reason
of sickness, and weeping, It is a hard thing, said he, to be
pitiful and wise at the same time. Menecrates the physician, surnamed Jupiter, inscribed a letter to him thus:
Menecrates Jupiter to King Agesilaus wisheth joy. And
he returned in answer: King Agesilaus to Menecrates
wisheth his wits. When the Lacedaemonians overcame
the Athenians and their confederates at Corinth, and he
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heard the number of the enemies that were slain; Alas,
said he, for Greece, who hath destroyed so many of her men
as were enough to have conquered all the barbarians together. He had received an answer from the Oracle of
Jupiter in Olympia, which was to his satisfaction. Afterwards the Ephori bade him consult Apollo in the same
case; and to Delphi he went, and asked that God whether
he was of the same mind with his father. He interceded
for one of his friends with Idrieus of Caria, and wrote to
him thus: If Nicias has not offended, set him free; but
if he is guilty, set him free for my sake; by all means
set him free. Being exhorted to hear one that imitated
the voice of a nightingale, I have often, said he, heard
nightingales themselves. The law ordained that such as
ran away should be disgraced. After the fight at Leuctra,
the Ephori, seeing the city void of men, were willing
to dispense with that disgrace, and empowered Agesilaus
to make a law to that purpose. But he standing in the
midst commanded that after the next day the laws should
remain in force as before. He was sent to assist the king
of Egypt, with whom he was besieged by enemies that
outnumbered his own forces; and when they had entrenched their camp, the king commanded him to go out
and fight them. Since, said he, they intend to make themselves equal to us, I will not hinder them. When the
trench was almost finished, he drew up his men in the void
space, and so fighting with equal advantage he overcame
them. When he was dying, he charged his friends that
no fiction or counterfeit (so he called statues) should be
made for him; For if, said he, I have done any honorable
exploit, that is my monument; but if I have done none, all
your statues will signify nothing.
