Page:History of Greece Vol VII.djvu/97

79 AKGEIANS NEAR MANTINEIA. 79 jrcler of battle. The Mantineians occupied the right wing, the post of honor, because the ground was in their territory : next to them stood their dependent Arcadian allies : then the chosen Thousand- regiment of Argos, citizens of wealth and family. trained in arms at the cost of the state : alongside of them, the remaining Argeian hoplites, with their dependent allies of Kle- onte and Ornerc : last of all, on the left wing, stood the Athenians, their hoplites as well as their horsemen. It was with the greatest surprise that Agis and his army be- held this unexpected apparition. To any other Greeks than Lacedaemonians, the sudden presentation of a formidable enemy would have occasioned a feeling of dismay from which they would have found it difficult to recover ; and even the Lacedae- monians, on this occasion, underwent a momentary shock unpar- alleled in their previous experience. 1 But they now felt the full advantage of their rigorous training and habit of military obedi- ence, as well as of that subordination of officers which was pecu- liar to themselves in Greece. In other Grecian armies orders were proclaimed to the troops in a loud voice by a herald, who received them personally from the general : each taxis, or com- oany, indeed, had its own taxiarch, but the latter did not receive his orders separately from the general, and seems to have had no personal responsibility for the execution of them by his soldiers Subordinate and responsible military authority was not recog- nized. Among the Lacedaemonians, on the contrary, there was a "egular gradation of military and responsible authority, " com- manders of commanders," each of whom had his special duty in insuring the execution of orders. 2 Every order emanated from the Spartan king when he was present, and was given to the polemarchs (each commanding a mora, the largest military divis- 1 Thucyd. v, 66. //u/l Aa.Ke6aifj.ovi.uv up%ovTe<; upxovTuv elai, Kal rb iirtftefaf rov Spu/tivav TTOA- Xcnophon, DC Kopubl. Laced, xi, 5. Ai irapcr/uya.1 Zansp vxti nf/pvieof ti rov tvufj.oTu.pxov 7-.dyu 6t]AovvTai : compare xi, 8, r<p T jt A/V fiir-j-ov :rp' /T/uJa Ka&iaTaadai, etc.