5 4 The Advancement of Learning 



30. And here it were fit to leave this point, touching the con- 

 currence of mihtary virtue and learning ; (for what example 

 would come with any grace after those two of Alexander 

 and Caesar?) were it not in regard of the rareness of circum- 

 stances that I find in one other particular, as that which did 

 so suddenly pass from extreme scorn to extreme wonder; 

 and it is of Xenophon the philosopher, who went from 

 Socrates* school into Asia, in the expedition of Cyrus the 

 younger, against King Artaxerxes. This Xenophon at that 

 time was very young, and never had seen the wars before ; 

 neither had any command in the army, but only followed 

 the war as a voluntary, for the love and conversation of 

 Proxenus his friend.^ He was present when Phalynus came 

 in message from the great king to the Grecians, after that 

 Cyrus was slain in the field, and they a handful of men left 

 to themselves in the midst of the king's territories, cut off 

 from their country by many navigable rivers, and many 

 hundred miles. The message imported, that they should 

 deliver up their arms, and submit themselves to the king's 

 mercy. To which message before answer was made, divers 

 of the army conferred familiarly with Phalynus, and 

 amongst the rest Xenophon happened to say, Why, Phaly- 

 nus, we have now but these two things left, our arms and our 

 virtue ; and if we yield up our arms, how shall we make use 

 of our virtue ? Whereto Phalynus smiling on him, said, 

 // / he not deceived, young gentleman, you are an Athenian : 

 and, I believe you study philosophy, and it is pretty that you 

 say : hut you are much abused, if you think your virtue can 

 withstand the king's power. ^ Here was the scorn ; the won- 

 der followed : which was, that this young scholar or philo- 

 sopher, after all the captains were murdered in parley by 

 treason, conducted those ten thousand foot through the 

 heart of all the king's high countries from Babylon to Grsecia 

 in safety, in despite of all the king's forces, to the astonish- 

 ment of the world, and the encouragement of the Grecians 

 in time succeeding to make invasion upon the kings of 

 Persia: as was after purposed by Jason the Thessalian, 

 attempted by Agesilaus the Spartan, and achieved by 

 Alexander the Macedonian, all upon the ground of the act 

 of that young scholar. 

 Vni. I. To proceed now from imperial and military virtue to moral 



1 Xen. Anab. ii. ad fin. ' Xen. Anab. ii *, i J 



