91 G 
G R E 
with kindnefs in Italy, Sicily, Cyrene, and many parts 
of Afia. Tliol'e who are fit to bear arms miift al(b leave 
the. city, and carry nothing from thence that may not 
eaflly be tranfported. They muff, then, fix on fome port; 
well fortified by nature, and which art may render fe- 
ciire againfl every hoftile artault. This, henceforth, 
mufi: be tlieir city and country ; and from this, as a cen¬ 
tre, they murt: on all (ides infefi the enemy, until either 
the Theba,ns remit their arrogance, or the laft drop of 
the Spartan blood perifli.” 
The fpeech of Archidamus expreflTed the general fenfe 
of his country. The allies were dilhiirtTed with permif- 
iion to abb as befl: fuited their convenience, but with 
alfurance that Sparta would never liften to any terms 
of accommodation w'hile deprived of Melfene. With 
this anfwer the ambart'adors returned to their refpebtive 
cities. Soon afterwards they were difpatched to Thebes, 
where, having propofed their demands, they W'ere of¬ 
fered admiflion iiuo the Theban confederacy. They 
anfwered, that this was not peace, but only a change 
of the war ; and at length, after various propofitions and 
reafoning, they obtained the much-defired neutrality. 
The Spartans, thus defertedon every fide, would pro¬ 
bably have been the yiiStims of their pride and obfti- 
nacy, if circumllances unforefeen had not prevented the 
Thebans and Arcadians from carrying on the war with 
their ufual fuccefs. Projebts of glory and ambition had 
dilarmed the refentment of fipaminondas. That abtive 
and enterprifing leader, who thought that notliing was 
done while any thing was neglecbed, had fet himlelf to 
render Thebes iniftrefs of tjie fea. The attention and 
labour of the republic were direfted to this new objebl; 
preparations were made at Aulis with filence and ce¬ 
lerity ; and when tlie defign fcenied ripe for execution, 
Epaminondas failed to Rhodes, Chios, and Byzantium, 
to concert meafures with thofe maritime fiates, which 
bad already begun to rtiake off the yoke of the Athe¬ 
nians. But the vigilance of the latter, who had fent 
out a ftrong fleet under Laches, a commander of repu¬ 
tation and ability, prevented the dangerous confequences 
of this defection; and the Theban arms were, at the 
fame time, fummoned to a fervice which more immedi¬ 
ately concerned their interefl: and honour, 
Alexander, the tyrant of Pherae, in the year before 
Chrifl; 364, having entered into an alliance with Athens, 
be was thus enabled to attack the principal cities of 
Theflaly, :v:id to lay wafte the whole territory. The 
opprerted Thellklians had recourfe to Thebes, v/hofe 
powerful protebtion they had fo happily experienced 
on former occafions, and wliofe Itandaid they had-uni- 
formly followed, with an alacrity which aft'orded a fiif- 
ficient pledge of their gratitude. The Thebans decreed 
to affifl: them with ten thoufaiul men, and the command 
was entrulted to Pelopidas, the perfonal enemy of Alex¬ 
ander, who inllantly marched into Theflaly j and, being 
joined by the allies near the town of Pharfaliis, they en¬ 
camped at the foot of the mountains of Cynpl'cephalae. 
The tyrant Alexander approached with an army of 
twenty thoufand men, boldly offering battle. Nor did 
Pelopidas decline the engagement, tii.ough his troops 
were, in number, inferior to tlie enemy. The ablion 
began with the cavalry, and was favourable to the The. 
bans; but the mercenaries of Alexander, having gained 
the advantage of the ground, prelfed with vigour the 
Theban and Thefl'alian infantry. In this emergency, 
Pelopidas rode up, and, encouraging the retiring troops 
with his voice and abdion, gave them fuch frelh fpirits, 
that Alexander did not doubt their having received a 
confiderable reinforcement,The mercenaries were prefled 
in their turn, and thrown into diforder, Pelopidas, dart¬ 
ing lys eye through their broken ranks, efpied Alexander 
in the right wing, rallying his men, and preparing to 
advance with his ufual intrepidity. At this fight the 
Theban^ accompanied by a few horfenxen, impetuoufly 
i 
E C T. 
vuflied forward, calling aloud to his adverfary, and chal¬ 
lenging him to fingle combat. Alexander, overcome 
with fear, retired behind his guards, who received, fird 
with a fliower of javelins, and then with their fpears, 
the little band of Pdoyidas ; who, after a dreadful car¬ 
nage, fell a victim to his own ungovernable fury. Mean¬ 
while, his troops advancing to the relief of their gene¬ 
ral, the guards of the tyrant were repelled; the Tlve- 
bans, with their allies, proved vibdorious in every part 
of the battle ; the enemy were difperfed in flight, and 
purfued with the lol's of three thoufand men. But tlie 
death of Pelopidas threw a gloom over the vibtory. He 
was lamented by the Thebans and Tlieffalians with heart¬ 
felt forrow. Accompanied by an innumerable crowd of 
moui ners, his body was carried inprocellion to Thebes. 
The Thelfalians, in whofe fervice he had fallen, requeft- 
ed the honour of fupplying the expences of liis funeral, 
which was celebrated with every circumftance of Iblcmn 
magnificence. The Thebans appointed Malcitas and 
Diogeitoii to the command in Theflaly; and the tyrant 
Alexander was again defeated, and dripped of all his 
poll'ertions except Pherre; while the neighbouring cities 
entered into a clofe alliance with Thebes. 
While operations, deltructive or frultlefs, employed, 
the aefivity of 'I'hebes, her allies in Arcadia were occu¬ 
pied witli a defign extremely unpardonable. To pave' 
the way for the total conqueft of tlie Peloponnefus, in 
which lliey had already obtained an afeendant, they 
began by wrerting feveral places from the Elians, the 
leaft warlike, and mofl; wealthy, of their neighbours. 
The Elians, worfted in every eneounter, craved the aflilt- 
ance of Sparta, which, being reinforced by tlie Achaeans, 
(notwithlfaiiding the neutrality fo recently ftipulated,) 
made feveral vigorous but unfuccefsful efiorts for the 
defence of the Elian territory. The Arcadians ftill 
pullied their conquefts in that country, gaining one town 
after another, until at length Olyippia itl'elf fell into 
their liands. As poffelTors of this facred city, and by 
virtue of a pretended right derived from the inliabitaiits 
of Pi fa, an ancient but decayed place in the neighbour¬ 
hood of Olympia, the Arcadians prepared to celebrate 
tile hundred and fourth Olympiad, the era of which was 
at hand. At the approaciiof this aiiguft folemnity, the 
concourfe, as ufual, was great from every part of Greece; 
hollilities were fufpended ; and all parties united in com¬ 
mon amiifements, and common ceremonies of religion. 
The prayers and facrifices were performed, and the 
military games had begun, when the fpebfators were 
alarmed by the fiidden clafhing of armour, and the fight 
of a real battle. The Elians had marched fortli with 
their whole forces, and furprifed the Arcadians, who, 
with two thoufand Argives, and a body of Athenian 
cavalry amounting to four hundred, guarded the facred 
groves and temples of Olympia, The vigour of their 
unexpedted artault fucceflively repelled thefe intruders, 
who fled in diforder through the ftreets, and were pur¬ 
fued by tlie Elians with an infpired valour, “ fince,’* 
fays Xenophon, “ Heaven alone can do, in one day, 
what no other power can accomplilh but in great length 
of time; make cowards courageous.” The Arcadians, 
however, recovering from their tonfternation, began to 
rally. Tlie artailants were refilled with obftinacy ; but 
did nofretire, till having loft Stratolas their command¬ 
er, with otlier brave men, they retreated in good order, 
after giving a confpicuous proof of their courage and 
intrepidity to thofe who had long defpifed their unwar¬ 
like charadler. The Arcadians renewed the guard with 
double vigilance; fortified the avenues that led to the 
Stadium and Hippodrome; and having taken thefe ne- 
celfary precautions againfl: a fecond furprile, proceeded 
with the remaining ceremonies of the fellival, which, 
though brought to an uiidifturbed concliilioii, was never 
acknowledged in the records of the Elians. And after 
celebrating the Olympic gamesj the Arcadians, in full 
afliembly, 
