Page:History of Greece Vol IX.djvu/318

 296 HISTORY OF GREECE. Pausanias had first to consider what steps he would take to re- cover the bodies of the slain, that of Lysander among them ; whether he would fight a battle and thus take his chance of be- coming master of the field, or send the usual petition for burial- truce, which always implied confession of inferiority. On sub- mitting the point to a council of officers and Spartan elders, their decision as well as his own was against fighting ; not, however, without an indignant protest from some of the Spartan elders, lie considered that the whole original plan of operations was broken up, since not only the great name and genius of Lysander had perished, but his whole army had spontaneously disbanded ; that the Peloponnesian allies were generally lukewarm and -reluctant, not to be counted upon for energetic behavior in case of pressing danger ; that he had little or no cavalry, 1 while the Theban cav- alry was numerous and excellent ; lastly, that the dead body of Lysander himself lay so close to the walls of Haliartus, that even if the Lacedaemonians were victorious, they could not carry it off without serious loss from the armed defenders in their towers. 2 Such were the reasons which determined Pausanias and the major part of the council to send and solicit a truce. But the Thebans refused to grant it except on condition that they should imme- diately evacuate Boeotia, Though such a requisition was contrary to the received practice of Greece, 3 which imposed on the victor the duty of granting the burial-truce unconditionally, whenever it was asked and inferiority thus publicly confessed, nevertheless, such was the reluctant temper of the army, that they heard not merely with acquiescence, but with joy, 4 the proposition of depart ing. The bodies were duly buried, that of Lysander in the territory of Panope, immediately across the Phokian border, but 1 Accordingly we learn from an oration of Lysias, that the service of the Athenian horsemen in this expedition, who were commanded by Orthobu- lus, was judged to be extremely safe and easy; while that of the hoplites was dangerous (Lysias, Orat. xvi, pro Mantith. s. 15). 2 Xen. Hellen. iii, 5, 23. Kopivdtoi pev iravruiraatv OVK ijKOAovdow di- rt Tf, ol 6e Trapovre; ov irpodiiftuf arparevoivTO, etc. 3 See the conduct of the Thebans on this very point (of giving up the slain at the solicitation of the conquered Athenians for burial) after the battle of Delium, and the discossion thereupon, in this History, Vol "VT, rh. aii, p. 393 seq.
 * Xcn. HeJlen. iii, 5, 24. Q 6e uaftevoi TE rai ' i iJKovaav, etc.