72 XENOPHON ON HORSEMANSHIP. 



gloriously, at Mantinea. *' And there came 

 one to Xenophon as he was offering sacrifice, 

 and said, * Gryllus is dead.' And Xenophon 

 took off the garland that was on his head, 

 but ceased not his sacrifice. Then the mes- 

 senger said, ' His death was noble.' And 

 Xenophon returned the garland to his head 

 again ; and it is in the tale that he shed no 

 tears, but said, * I knew that I begat him 

 mortal' " So runs the story; and it is added 

 that Diodorus came safely out of the battle, 

 and lived to rear a son of his brother's name. 

 Xenophon himself died at a good old age, not 

 later than 355. 



There is no reason for doubting the tradi- 

 tion that Xenophon's family belonged to the 

 Equestrian * class in the state, and that conse- 

 quently he served in the cavalry in his youth. 

 He was old enough to have borne a man's 

 part in the last years of the Peloponnesian 

 War and during the episode of the Thirty 

 Tyrants ; but history does not even mention 

 his name in connection with either. Still, his 

 whole bearing during the retreat of the Ten 

 Thousand was far from being that of a mere 

 * See p. 75- 



