G R E 
afembly, reflijfting on the facrilegioiis violence that 
had been offered by tlieir troops to tlie f'acred fhrine 
of Olympia, determined to redore t!iat city, as well as 
the direction of the games, to thufe who had, from 
time immemorial, enjoyed both, and to conclude a peace 
with tlie Elians, who folicited it with much earneftnefs, 
as a meafure highly conducive to the general intere'E of 
the Peloponnefus. 
After thefe tranfaflions, Epaminondas took the field 
with the Boeotians, Euboeans, and a (Irong body of 
Theflalians; and upon his arrival in the Peloponnefus, 
he expedded to be joined by the Argives, the Melfe- 
nians, and feveral communities of Arcadia, particularly 
the iniiabitants of Tegea and Megalopolis, With thefe 
Itopes, he proceeded fouthvvard to Nemea, where he en¬ 
camped for feveral days, with an ititention to intercept 
the Athenians, vvhofe neared route into Peloponnelus 
lay through the dillridt of Nemea. But this fcheme was 
defeated by the prudence of the Athenians, who, inftead 
of marching through the Ifthmus, failed to the coafl: of 
Laconia, and proceeded from thence to join their con. 
federates at Mantinaea. When apprifed of this defign, 
Epaminondas moved his camp, and marched forward to 
Tegea, which being ftrongly fortified, and enjoying a 
lofty and central fituation, was judicioufiy chofen as the 
place of rendezvous for his Peloponnefian confederates. 
The ftrength of the enemy at Mantinasa w'as continually 
increaling. Agefilaus had already conducted the Lace¬ 
daemonians to the frontier of Arcadia. If they likewife 
fliould join, the combined forces would prove fuperior 
to the army of Epaminondas, which amounted to thirty 
thoufand in number, and of which the cavalry alone 
exceeded tiiree thoufand. Conlidering thefe circum- 
Itances, he determined on an enterprife, which, if crown¬ 
ed with fuccefs, would render the prefent hitherto fruit- 
iefs expedition not unworthy of his former fame. 
Having decamped with his whole army in the night, 
lie performed a hafty march of thirty miles, in order to 
furprife Sparta; and had not the extraordinary fvvift- 
nefs of a Cretan deferter apprifed Agefilaus of the dan¬ 
ger, that city would have been taken unprepared, and 
totally incapable of defence. The bulk of the Lacedae¬ 
monian army had proceeded too far on the road to Man- 
tinsea, to anticipate the defign of the enemy ; but the 
aged king, with his fon Archidamus, returned, with a 
fmall but valiant band, to the defence of Sparta. Tlie 
engagement which followed, as related by Xenophon, 
appears one of the molt extraordinary that hifiory re¬ 
cords. Epaminondas had employed every precaution 
which his fagacity could fugged; he did not approach 
Sparta by thofe narrow roads, where a fupenority of 
numbers would afford him fmall advantage; he did not 
draw up his forces in the plain, in w'hich, while enter- 
}n£>- the town, they might have been annoyed with mif- 
file weapons; nor did lie allow an opportunity of fur- 
priling him by dratagem or ambufcadc, in the manage¬ 
ment of which the Spartans were at all times fo dex¬ 
terous. Seizing an eminence which commanded the 
town, he determined to defcend into it with every ad¬ 
vantage on his own fide, and without the feeniing pof- 
fibility of being expofed to any inconvenience. But the 
ilfue of fo well-concerted an enterprife, the hidorian he- 
fitates whether to refer to a particular providence of the 
gods, or to al'cribe to the invincible courage of men 
|!( 5 luated by defpair. Archidamus, with fcarcely an 
hundred men, oppofed the progrefs of the enemy, cut 
down the fird ranks, and advanced to alfault the remain¬ 
der, Then, fays Xenophon, “ thofe Thebans who had 
fo often concpiered, who were far fuperior in number, 
and who poffeded the advantage of the ground, diame- 
fully gave way. The Spartans purl'ued them with im- 
petuodty, but were foon repelled with lofs; for the di¬ 
vinity, whofe allidancehad produced this extraordinary 
yiiSlory, feems alfo to have prefcribed the limits beyopd 
ivhich it was not to extend.” 
Vpi.. VlIJI.. No. S. 5 S' 
■C c E. fi7 
Epaminondas, foiled in art attempt whicli promifed 
fuch a fair profpedt of fuccefs, did not fink under his 
didippointment. As he had reafon to believe that the 
whole forces at Mantinsa would be withdrawn from 
that place to the defence of Sparta, lie immediately 
founded a retreat, returned to Tegea with the utmofl; 
expedition, and allowing his infantry time for reft and 
refrelliment, ordered the liorfe to advance forward to 
Mantinaea, (which was diftant only twelve miles,) and 
to maintain their ground until Ills arrival with the reft 
of the army. He expedted to find the Mantinaeans to¬ 
tally unprepared for fuch a vifit; and as it was tlien au¬ 
tumn, he doubted not that moll of the townfmen would 
be employed in the country, in reaping and bringing in 
the corn. His plan was wife, and well executed. The 
fituation of the Mantinaeans correfponded to his hopes. 
But it feemed as if fortune had delighted to baffle all 
his enterprifes. Before the Theban forces arrived at 
Mantinaea, a numerous fquadroii of Athenian cavalry 
entered that place, commanded by Hegelochus, wlio 
then firft learned the departure of the allies to protedt 
the Lacedemonian capital. He had fcarcely received 
this intelligence, when the Thebans appeared, and, ad¬ 
vancing widi great rapidity, prepared to efledt the pur- 
pole ot their expedition. The Athenians had not time 
to retrefii themfelves; they were inferior in number; 
they knew the bravery of the Theban and Theilaliaii 
cavalry, witli whom they mult contend ; yet, regardlefs 
of every conlideration but the fafety of their allies, they 
rulhed into the field, ftopped the progrefs of tlie aO'ail- 
ants, and, after a fierce and bloody engagement, which 
dilplayed great courage on both fides, obtained an ac¬ 
knowledged vidtory. The enemy craved the bodies T 
their dead ; the vidtors eredted a trophy of their ul'etul 
valour, which had faved Mantinaea from falling a prey 
to the invaders. 
The repeated misfortunes, which would have broken 
the fpirit of an ordinary commander, now determined 
Epaminondas to bring on a general engagement. The 
confederates had re-alleinbled at Mantinaea, Ifrength- 
ened by coiifiderable reinforcements. Frelh luccours 
had likewife arrived to the Thebans. Never had fipcii 
numerous armies taken the field during the jierpetual 
wars in which thole unhappy republics were engaged. 
Epaminondas, after ranging his men in battalions, led 
tiiem on towards Mantinaea. The enemy, apprifed of 
his march, drew up their forces before the walls; the 
Lacedaemonians and Arcadians in the right wing, the 
Athenians in the left, the Acliaeans and Elians in the 
centre. Meanwhile Epaminondas, marching llowly along, 
extended his circuit as if he wilhed to decline the en¬ 
gagement. This opinion, too lightly conceived, proved 
fatal to the- enemy. They abandoned their arms and 
their ranks, difperl'ed in their tents, and loft not only 
that external arrangement, but that inward preparation, 
that martial ardour of mind, which ought to animate 
loldiers at the near prolpect of an engagement. Epa¬ 
minondas feized the decilive moment of attack. Facing 
to the right, he converted the column of march into an 
order of battle. His troops were thus dilpoled inlfanta- 
neoully in the fame order in which he meant to fight. 
At the head of his left wing, which conlilted of the 
flower of the Boeotians, and which, as at the battle of 
Leuftra, he formed into a firm wedge with ipreading 
flanks, he advanced againli: the Spartans and Manti- 
najans; and trufting the event of the battle to the rapid 
impulfe of this unexpeifted onlet, he commanded the 
centre and right wing, in which he placed lei’s confi¬ 
dence, to proceed with a flow pace, that they might 
not come up and grapple with the oppoling divilioiis of 
the enemy, until the victory of his leit wing had taught 
them to conquer. This judicious delign was crowned 
with fuccels. The enemy, perceiving the dreadful Ihock 
to which they were expoied, flew to their arms, and 
fuddenly refuined their ranks; but thefe operations were 
n A perfomted 
