Page:History of Greece Vol VI.djvu/412

 590 HISTORY OF GREECE. the two opposing columns came into conflict, shield against shield, tne comparative force of forward pressure would decide the victory. This motive is sufficient to explain the extraordinaiy depth of the Theban column, which was increased by Epame- inondas, half a century afterwards, at the battle of Leuktra, from a depth of twenty-five men to the still more astonishing depth of fifty : nor need we suspect the correctness of the text, with some critics, or suppose, with others, that the great depth of the Theban files arose from the circumstance that the rear ranks were too poor to provide themselves with armor. 1 Even in a depth of eight, which was that of the Athenian column in the present engagement, 2 and seemingly the usual depth in a battle, the spears of the four rear ranks could hardly have protruded sufficiently beyond the first line to do any mischief. The great' use of all the ranks behind the first four, was partly to take the place of such of the foremost lines as might be slain, partly, to push forward the lines before them from behind. The greater the depth of the files, the more irresistible did this propelling force become : hence the Thebans at Delium, as well as at Leuktra, found their account in deepening the column to so remarkable a degree, to which we may fairly presume that their hoplites were trained beforehand. The Thebans on the right thus pushed back 3 the troops on the left of the Athenian line, who retired at first slowly, and for a short space, maintaining their order unbroken, so that the vic- tory of the Athenians on their own right would have restored Ihe battle, had not Pagondas detached from the rear two squad- ehus, Bt'of 'EAAucJof, p. 143, ed. Fuhr ; Plato, Legg. i, p. 636 ; and Symposion, p. 182, "pingues Thebani et valentes," Cicero de Fato, iv, 7. Xenophon (Memorab. iii, 5, 2, 15 ; iii, 12, 5 : compare Xenoph. de Athen. Rcpubl. i, 13) maintains the nitural bodily capacity of Athenians to be eqnal to that of Boeotians, but deplores the want of aupaaKca, or bodily training. 1 See the notes of Dr. Arnold and Poppo, ad Thucyd. iv, 96. J Thtnyd. iv, 96. To 6e ie^ibv, y oi Qrjpaloi faav, e/cpara TE ruv 'A.di}vciuv icai w<7 tip evo i Kara (Jpaxd fb npurov irr]Kofa)v&ovv. The word uauftEvot (compare iv, 35 ; vi, 70), exactly expresses the for- ard pushing of the mass of hoplites with shield and spear.
 * Compare Thucyd. v, 68 ; vi, 67.