' G R E 
could not fatisfy the more haughty members of the af- 
fenibly, they condefcended to propofe, that in all fuch 
military expeditions as were undertaken by the joint 
forces of both republics, the command tliould be equal 
and alternate; fb that an army of Lacedaemonians, a 
thing hitherto unexampled, would be commanded dur. 
ing lialf the campaign by Athenian generals. Patrocles 
the Phliafian, whofe eloquence and addrefs had been 
diftinguitlied in the former negociation, was not lefs ac¬ 
tive in tlie prefent; and an alliance of the moft inti¬ 
mate kind was concluded between the two republics. 
The Spartan negociations, fo fortunate in Athens, were 
alfo fuccefsful with Dionyfius tyrant of Sicily, and Aj"- 
taxerxes king of Perfia. The former, liimfelf a Dorian, 
naturally lamented the humiliation and didrefs of a 
people, who, during feven Itundred years, had formed 
tJie principal ornament and defence of the Dorian race ; 
while the latter purfued his ufual fydem of alTifting 
tJie weaker party, in order to balance the contending 
powers, and to perpetuate the hoftilities of Greece. 
^ V/liile the Lacbdiemonians gained ftrength by thefe 
important alliances, tiieir enemies took the field. The 
Arcadians began tlie campaign by entering the terri¬ 
tory of Pallene, vvliich fiill remained faithful to Sparta. 
T1 he country was laid walle, the villages burned, the 
city taken by fiorm, and the garrifon, confifting of three 
luindred men, partly Lacedaemonians, put to the fword. 
Soon after this fuccefs, the Arcadians were joined by 
the Elians and Argives. Epaminondas likewile marched 
fouthward at the head of the Thebans, their foot 
amotjnting to feven thoufand, and their cavalry to five 
Jiundred. Before lie reached the Ifthmus, the Lacedse- 
monians had been reinforced by a body of two thoufand 
Sicilian troops, agreeably to their treaty vrith Diony¬ 
fius; and the Athenians had taken the field under the 
commando! Chabrias, the mofl: popular of their gene¬ 
rals, It was the objett of the Spartan and Athenian 
commanders, to prevent the junction of Epaminondas 
with his fouthern allies. For this purpofe they ftrong- 
ly guarded the Ifthmus; an expedient wliich had not 
been put in pratlice fince the expedition of Xerxes. 
The Thebans, however, refolutely broke through, took 
Sicyon, and alfaulted Corinth. But Chabrias, who at 
this time held the alternate command, repulfed them 
with fuch lofs, that Epaminondas judged it proper to 
retire liomew ard ; on which account lie was fltameiiilly 
dil'graced by his countrymen. 
In the beginning of the year before Chrift 367, the 
Spartan army again took tlie field. They received a 
frelh fujiply of troops from Dionyfius, and both troops 
and money from Artaxerxes. But the Theban troops 
commenced the cafiipaign before them, and were ac¬ 
tively employed in Thellaly and Macedon ; fo that 
every circumfiance conlpired to Itimulate Agelilaus and 
the Lacedaemonians. But the infirmities incident to 
©Id age made him decline the command, which w as in- 
trufted to his fon Archidamus; l.is colleague Agefipo- 
lis not polfelling the requifite abilities either for war or 
government. 1 he rapid fuccefs of Archidamus foon 
juftified the prudent choice of the magillrates and peo¬ 
ple. He expelled the hoftile garrifons from the cities 
®f Laconia, llormed Caryae, and put the rebellious in¬ 
habitants to the Iword. From thence he haftened to 
Arcadia, laid wafie the fouthern frontier of that pro¬ 
vince, and i repared to attack the jjop ulous city of Par- 
ihalia, when the united lirength ot the Arcadians, com. 
manded by Lycomedes, and reinforced by the Argives, 
approached to its relief. As foon as Archidamus be¬ 
held the eneuiy prepared to engage, he commanded the 
Spai tans to form, and addrefl'ed them as follows : “ Fel- 
low-ciuzens and friends! if we aie llill brave, we may 
look forward with confidence ; we may yet retrieve our 
affairs, and deliver down our republic to pollerity as 
we received it irom our anceftors. Let us ftrive, then, 
by «ne noble efi'ort, to recover our jiejeditary renown ; 
E C E. 
and let us ceafe being the reproach of our friends, our 
parents, our families, and our country.” Animated 
by/the heroifm of their leader, they were triiifported 
with an enthuliafm of valour, and inipetuoufly rulhed 
agaiiift tlieir opponents, in full confidence of viitory. 
The enemy were difmayed at their mien and afpedt as- 
they adva.nced to the attack. The few who waited 
their approach were totally deftroyed ; many thoufands 
periflied in the purfult; it is faid by hifiorians, that the 
Spartans loft not a mani Archidamus erected a trophy, 
and difpatched a meflenger to Sparta. The people 
were aftembled, when he communicated his extraordi¬ 
nary intelligence. The aged Agefilaus filed tears of 
joy. The ephori and fenators lympathifed with the 
emotions of their king. The patriotic weaknefs was 
communicated from breaft to breaft; the contagion 
fpread ; the fterneft members of this numerous aflem- 
bly difiblved in foftnefs, and melted in fenlibility. 
The Spartans were prevented from reaping riie full 
fruits of their victory, by a conliderable reinforcement 
which the Arcadians foon afterwards received from 
Thebes. By the aftillance of thefe troops, the Mena- 
lians and Parrjiafians, who, from their fituation on the 
fouthern frontier of Arcadia, were moft expofed to the 
incurfions of the enemy, found means to execute a de- 
lign faid to have been fuggefted by Epaminondas. 
They abandoned twenty ftraggling and defencelefs vil¬ 
lages ; and, choofing an advantageous fituation in the 
centre of their territory, eretted a fortrefs, which they' 
lun ounded with a ftrong wall. The benefit of lecurity 
attrabfed new inhabitants ; the walls were extended ; 
the place acquired the name of Megalopolis, the lafl 
city built by the Greeks while they prelerved the dig¬ 
nity of independent government. 
Epaminondas, who had for fome time ferved as a vo¬ 
lunteer in the 1 heban ranks, was, in the beginning of 
the year before Chrift 366, again rellored to the chief 
command, and iiitrufted with a powerful army, with 
which, for the third time, he i!iv..ded the Peioponne- 
lus. The Elians and Arcadians, though hoftile to each 
other, were alike difpoled for rebellion agaiiilf Thebes; 
but iiirtead of marching into their tertitories, a nieafure 
which might have engaged them to fettle their i rivate 
differences, and to unite againft 'i hebes, Epaminondas- 
endeavoured to qiialli tiieir dilaliedtion, by the rapid 
conqueft of Achaia, which, ftretching along the Corin¬ 
thian gulph, Ikirted the northern frontiers of Elis and 
Arcadia. From the nature of tiieir government, the 
Acliteans uiually enjoyed more tranquillity than their 
neighbours, l owards the eaft, and the Iftlunus of Co¬ 
rinth, the cities of Sicyon and Plilius had long been re¬ 
garded as feparate republics, unconnected with the ge¬ 
neral body of the Acli^an nation. zEgium enjoyed the 
prerogative of conftituting the ufual place of conven¬ 
tion tor the ftates of Acliaia; but Dyme, Tirtaea, and. 
Pallene, Icarcely yielded to Aigium in populoulnefs 
and power, and leem, with feveral places of inferior 
note, to have formed fo many feparate and independent 
communities, all alike fubject to the lame fyllem of 
Achsan laws. Immediately before the'Iheban inva- 
fion, the arillocracy had acquired an undue weight in 
the conlfitution of Achaia, io that the principal nobles 
and magiffrates were no looner informed of the ap¬ 
proach of an enemy, than they flocked from all quar¬ 
ters of the province to meet Epaminondas, f'oliciting 
liis favour and friendfliip, little anxious about the inde¬ 
pendence of their country, provided they might pre- 
ferve their perlonal privileges and private fortunes. 
I he people, perceiving tliemlelves betrayed by thole 
wlio ought to have been their protectors, abandoned all 
thoughts, of reliftance. Epaminondas accepted tlie lub- 
millioii of the magiffrates, and received pledges of thehr 
engagement, that Achaia Ihould thenceforth adhere to 
the mtereft of Thebes, and follow the Itaitdard of that 
republic. 
This 
I 
