Page:History of Greece Vol IX.djvu/357

 IMPROVEMENTS OF IPHIKRATES. 635 considerable importance. Shortly afterwards they receivtd rein forcements which enabled them to turn it to still better account. The first measure of Praxitas was to pull down a considerable breadth of the two walls, leaving a breach which opened a fren passage for any Lacedaemonian army from Sikyon to reach and pass the isthmus. He then marched his troops through the breach, forward on the road to Megara, capturing the two Corinthian de- pendencies of Krommyon and Sidus on the Saronic gulf, in which he placed garrisons. Returning back by the road south of Corinth, he occupied Epieikia on the frontier of Epidaurus, as a protection to the territory of the latter against incursions from Corinth, and then disbanded his army. A desultory warfare was carried on during the ensuing winter and spring between the opposite garrisons in Corinth and Sikyon. It was now that the Athenian Iphikrates, in the former place, be gan to distinguish himself at the head of his mercenary peltasts whom, after their first organization by Konon, he had trained to effective tactics under the strictest discipline, and whose movements he conducted with consummate skill. His genius introduced im- provements both in their armor and in their clothing. He length- ened by one half both the light javelin and the short sword, which the Thracian peltasts habitually carried ; he devised a species of leggings, known afterwards by the name of Iphikratides ; and he thus combined, better than had ever been done before, rapid mo- tion, power of acting hi difficult ground and open order, ef- fective attack, either by missiles or hand to hand, and dexterous retreat in case of need. 1 As yet, he was but a young officer, in surprised and held Lechseum, defeating the general body of the confede- rates who came out from Corinth to retake it. But his narrative of all these circumstances differs materially from that of Xenophon ; whom I here follow in preference, making allowance for great partiality, and for much confusion and obscurity. Xenophon gives us plainly to understand, that Lechseum was not captured by the Lacedaemonians until the following year, by Agesilaus and Tcleu- tias. It is to be recollected that Xenophon had particular means of knowing what was done by Agesilaus, and therefore deserves credit on that head, always allowing for partiality. Diodorus does not mention Agesilaus in ' connection with the proceedings at Lechaeum. 1 Diodor. xv, 44 ; Cornelius Nepos, Vit. lohicrat. c. 2 ; Polysen. iii, 9, Id