AGE 



AGE 



e'lenls, tbe name of a (lone mentioned by Galcii and other 

 writers ; and fald to be of the nature oi tiie Frirygian llone, 

 but more allrlngent ; and ns tliat was ufcd in dying, this was 

 ia drtffing of leatlier. We have no account of its external 

 appearance, but probably it cont;iini:d vitriol, and perhaps 

 alum. 



The great ufe of vitj-iol or copperas in the management 

 of leather is well known ; and the ilones which contain it, 

 or pvritx, are every where common. The m^rthod ulcd alfo 

 in the preparation of the Ptij^^ii/s Itiph, which was tlie 

 wetting and llightly calcining it,. mult be very proper to 

 make the vitriol contained in this appear, and exert itfelf in 

 the working with it. This llone is uled by ihoemakers to 

 polilh women's Ihocs. 



AGERlUM. See Agistment. 



AGERSOE, in Geography, a fniall ifland of Denmark, 

 in the Greater Belt ; two leagues louth of Corlocr. 



AGE'S, fignifies the palm or hollow ot the hand. 



AGESANDER, in BiogmpLy, one of the tliree fculp- 

 tors, who jointly executed the famous antique group of 

 L.A0CO0N, was born at Rhodes, and flouriflicd about the 

 S8th olympiad. His name Hands full upon the plinth of 

 the gix>up. 



AGESILAUS, in ylm-L-nt H[l}ory, one of the moft il- 

 luft'.ious kings of Sparta, iucceededhis brother Agis againll 

 the competition of his nephew Leotychides, to whom by 

 the laws the crown would have regularly defcended. As he 

 was a younger fon of Archidamus II. he could have no view 

 to the kingdom ; and he was therefore educated in all the 

 rigour of the Spartan difcipline, and in the habits of ielf- 

 4enial, labour and obedience, from which thofe who weie 

 heirs to the throne were exempted. He thus acquired a 

 degree of popularity, which, notwithftanding his low ilature, 

 and his being lame in one leg, feeured his iuccelllon ; more 

 efpecially as lie was patronized and fupported by Lyfander, 

 whofe influence in tb.e Hate was very confiderable, and his 

 rival was fufpeiEled of being the fon ot Alcibiades, who was 

 faid to have corrupted the queen of Agis, ^y a prefent of 

 a thoufand darics. His difpofition and manners, which com- 

 bined refolution andatlivity, with condcfcenfion and gentle- 

 jiefs, more than counterbalanced his natural defefts ; and 

 tliough the oracle had warned the Spartans againil a lame 

 reign, Lyfander contrived to interpret the warning as a caution 

 againil the iliegitimaev of Leotychides, and thus to facilitate 

 the eftablifliment of Agefdaus. By his fubfequent condudl 

 he ingratiated himfelf with pcrfons of all ranks and parties 

 to fuch a degree, that the Ephori arc faid to have checked 

 his ambition by impofing a tine upon him, becaufe he at- 

 tached the affeftions of the citizens to himftlf alone, and 

 thus alienated them from the republic to which they right- 

 fully belonged. Such, however, were the attention and de- 

 ference which he manifi^fted towards the Ephori and the 

 fenate, that he obtained their entire confidence ; and his au- 

 thority was fupcrior to that of any other king of Sparta. 

 Soon after he afcendcd the throne, ante Chriit. jy6, tlie 

 king of Perfia fitted out a powerful fleet, in order to deprive 

 the Lacedaemonians of their empire at fea. Agefilaus, at the 

 jnftigation of Lyfander, was appointed general of the forces 

 that were deftined to an expedition againil Artaxerxes ; and 

 he accepted the office on condition, that a council of 30 

 Spartan commanders Ihould accompany him, and that I-y- 

 fander Ihould be the chief of this council. During his delay 

 at Aulis, he had a quarrel with the Bicotians about a facri- 

 fice, which occafioned a war, that terminated in the fub- 

 verfion of the Spartan dominion. When he arrived at 

 F.phefus, a meifage was addrefled to him by Tiffaphernes, 

 the lieutenant of the Ptrfian king, demanding his reafon for 



coming huo Afia with an armed force ; to which he rcjili^d, 

 that his purpofe was to aid the Greeks, who inliabited tliere, 

 in recovering their ancient liberty. Tiflapherncsj in order to 

 gain time, promifcd in behalf of his mailer to grant liberty 

 to the Grecian cities of Afia. Agefilaus acquiefced, ;'..id a 

 truce was fettled between them. In the mean while the 

 Perfian general, r..-gardlefs of his oath, took advantage of 

 the delay, athmblcd troops and prepared for war. Ageiilaus, 

 though apprized of his treachery, adhered to lire engage- 

 ment ; and this religious obfervation of a folemn treaty 

 gained him, as Xenophon informs us, the univerfal eileem 

 of the cities, whilfl TilTaphernes, by a different conduct, 

 entirely loll their favour. This interval afforded the Lace- 

 daemonian general an opportunity for acquiring an accurate 

 knowledge of the Hate of the country and of the difpo- 

 fition ot the inhabitants. In the courl'e of his enquliy he 

 found that Lyfander arrogated a degree of power, which 

 encroached on his authority and obltruded his influence. 

 Agefilaus did not dilfemble his difgufl. Having given the 

 moil conlidcrable commands and beil governments to private 

 ofhcers, he appointed Lyfander commiflary of the llores and 

 diilributor of provifions, and for the purpofe of further 

 mortifying him and deriding the loniims, he directed them 

 " to conlult their mailer-butcher." Lyfander, afterwards 

 returning to Greece, pnijedltd a variety of fehemes for over- 

 turning the couflitution of Sparta, but his death prevented 

 their accompliihment. 



When 'fiiraphenies had colledled his forces, he com- 

 manded Agefilaus to retire from. Afia, and >ipon his refufal 

 declared war againft him. The fubordinate officers of the 

 Spartan general were alarmed, but Agefilaus himfelf wa« 

 compofed and cheerful ; and having tianfmitted his thanks 

 to Tiflaphernes " for having made the Gods, by his pcT- 

 jiu-y, the enemies of Perfia, and the friends of Greece," he 

 made a feint of marching his army into Caria, the refidence 

 of the Perfian lieutenant, but atlually oven-an Phrygia, 

 where he took many towns and amafl'ed immenfe treafiires, 

 which he diilributed among his officers and foldiers. Having 

 wintered at Ephefus, he devoted tlie enfuing fpring to the 

 exercife and difcipline of his army, which he encouraged by 

 the dillribution of prizes ; and at the fame time he infpired 

 his foldiers with a contempt of their enemies, by llripping 

 the prifoners and expofing them and their garments to fale. 

 The latter were eageriy purchaled ; but the prifoners theni- 

 felves were fo delicate and feeble, that they were deemed of 

 no fervice or value : " fee there," fays Agefilaus to his foil 

 diers, " the perfons againil whom you.fight ;" and pointing 

 to their rich fpoils, " behold there for what you fight." As 

 the feafon advanced, the Lacediemonian army marched into 

 Lydla, defeated the Perfians near Sardis, and ravaged the 

 whole country. This fuccefs terminated in the d^ath of 

 Tiflaphernes ; his command devolved on Tiliiraufles, who 

 attempted to conciliate Agefilaus by rich prefeiits, and to 

 induce him to withdraw his troops and to return into Greece 

 by the promife of liberty to the cities of Afia, upon their 

 payment of^the cullomaiy tribute. The Spartan king, 

 however, defened the propofed accommodation till he had. 

 fubmitted it to the confiderarion of the Hate, and received 

 orders for this purpofe. In the mean wliile he marched into 

 Phiygia, which was the province of Pharnabafus, and the 

 expeiicc of his expedition thither was defrayed by Tithrauites. 

 During his progrefs he received new powers from home, bv 

 which he was conHitut-^d fole commander botli by fea anil 

 land ; an honour which Sparta had never before confenx-d 

 on any of its generals. From Phiygia, where he amafled 

 large fums ot money, he advanced'as far as Paphlagonia, 

 and formed an aUiaiice with Cotys, the prince of tluu 

 3 E 2 couuuy. 



