Page:History of Greece Vol VII.djvu/107

89 EFFECTS OF THE VICTORY. 85 the honor of Sparta. The disaster in Sphakteria, disappointing all previous expectation, had drawn upon her the imputation of something like cowardice ; and there were other proceedings which, with far better reason, caused her to be stigmatized as stupid and backward. But the victory of Mantineia silenced all such disparaging criticism, and replaced Sparta in her old position of military preeminence before the eyes of Greece. It worked so much the more powerfully because it was entirely the fruit of Lacedaemonian courage, with little aid from that peculiar skill and tactics, which was generally seen concomitant, but had in the present case been found comparatively wanting. The manoeuvre of Agis, in itself not ill-conceived, for the purpose of extending his left wing, had failed through the disobedience of the two refractory polemarchs : but in such a case the shame of failure falls more or less upon all parties concerned ; nor could either gen- eral or soldiers be considered to have displayed at Mantineia any of that professional aptitude which caused the Lacedaemonians to be styled " artists in warlike affairs." So much the more con- spicuously did Lacedaemonian courage stand out to view. After the left wing had been broken, and when the Argeian Thousand had penetrated into the vacant space between the left and centre, so that they might have taken the centre in ilank, and ought to have done so, had they been well advised, the troops in the centre, instead of being daunted as most Grecian soldiers would have been, had marched forward against the enemies in their front, and gained a complete victory. The consequences of the bp-ttle were thus immense in reestablishing the reputation of the Lace- daemonians, and in exalting them again to their ancient dignity of chiefs of Peloponnesus.' We are not surprised to hear that the two polemarchs, Aristo- kles and Hipponoidas, whose disobedience had wellnigh caused the ruin of the army, were tried and condemned to banishment as cowards, on their return to Sparta.- Looking ai the battle from the point of view of the other side, 1 Thucyd. v, 75. Kai TT/V virb T&V 'EAhqvuv TOTS tirijepoftevriv alriav Bf>a.fijTijTi, ivl epyif) TOVTV uTtE/.vaavTO' TV%TI uev, of edoKOW, KaKi^o/^^vo yiuui) de t ol ai)Tol ud mrtr. ~ Thucyd. v, 72.
 * fifdaxiav diu T/JV kv ry vi/au gvftfop&V, KCU tf T?/V U^TJV ufimJ-.iav 7e K