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 812 HISTORY OF GREECE. to be ascendant and profitable. 1 Accordingly, he resolved, being now within a day's march of his enemies, to hasten on a battle without making known the bad news. Proclaiming that intelli- gence had been received of a sea-fight having taken place, in which the Lacedaemonians had been victorious, though Peisander himself was slain, he offered a sacrifice of thanksgiving and sent round presents of congratulation, which produced an encouraging effect, and made the skirmishers especially both forward and victorious. To his enemies, now assembled in force on the plain of Koro- neia, the real issue of the battle of Knidus was doubtless made known, spreading hope and cheerfulness through their ranks ; though we are not informed what interpretation they put upon the solar eclipse. The army was composed of nearly the same con- tingents as those who had recently fought at Corinth, except that we hear of the JEnianes in place of the Halians ; but probably each contingent was less numerous, since there was still a necessity for occupying and defending the camp near Corinth. Among the Athenian hoplites, who had just been so roughly handled hi the preceding battle, and who were now drafted off by lot to march into Boeotia, against both a general and an army of high reputa- tion, there prevailed much apprehension and some reluctance ; as we learn from one of them, Mantitheus, who stood forward to volunteer his services, and who afterwards makes just boast of it before an Athenian dikastery. 2 The Thebans an Boeotians were probably hi full force, and more numerous than at Corinth, since it was their own country which was to be defended. The camp waa established hi the territory of Koroneia, not far from the great 1 Xen. Hellen. iv, 3, 13. 'O fiEV ovv 'Ayjjo'iAao^ irv&ofievof TUVTO, rbfj.lv Ttpurov ^a/leTrwf efepev' kml fiKVTOi tve&v/tfrdTi, OTI TOV orparctyzarof Tb xfalaTov elr] at>ro t 3ov/tfvui> airuiruv