Page:History of Greece Vol VII.djvu/102

84 34 IlJSsTORV OK GKKKCK. aslant towards the right. The soldiers oa the extreme right of both armies set the example of such inclination, in order to avoid exposing their own unshielded side ; while for the same reason every man along the line took care to keep close to the shield of his right-hand neighbor. We see from hence that, with equal numbers, the right was not merely the post of honor, but also of comparative safety. So it proved on the present occasion, even the Lacedaemonian discipline being noway exempt from this cause of disturbance. Though the Lacedaemonian front, from their superior numbers, was more extended than that of the enemy, still their right files did not think themselves safe without slant- ing still farther to the right, and thus outflanked very greatly the Athenians on the opposite left wing ; while on the opposite side the Mantineians who formed the right wing, from the same disposition to keep the left shoulder forward, outflanked, though not in so great a degree, the Skiritae and Brasideians on the Lacedemonian left. King Agis, whose post was with the lochi in the centre, saw plainly that when the armies closed, his left would be certainly taken in flank and perhaps even in the rear. Accordingly, he thought it necessary to alter his dispositions even at this critical moment, which he relied upon being able to accomplish through the exact discipline, practised evolutions, and slow march, of his soldiers. The natural mode of meeting the impending danger would have been to bring round a division from the extreme right, where it could well be spared, to the extreme left against the advancing Mantineians. But the ancient privilege of the Skiri- tae, who always fought by themselves OR the extreme left, forbade such an order. 1 Accordingly, Agis gave signal to the Braside- ians and Skiritae to make a flank movement on the left so as to get on equal front with the Mantineians ; while in order to fill 1 Thucvd. v, 67. Tore 6e Kfpaf fiev evuvvfiov ZntpiTai ai>rolg ravTO, a el - av rqv rqv r a. iv fiov o i aKEdaipflviuv T ?  T u v i %OVT e c, etc. The strong ani precise language, which Thucvdides here uses, shows that this was a privilege pointedly noted and much esteemed : among the Lacedaemonians, especially, ancient routine was more valued than elsewhere And it is essential to take notice of the circumstance, in order to lha generalship of Agis, which has been rather hardlv criticised