Page:History of Greece Vol X.djvu/214

 192 HISTORY OF GREECE. In all communities, the return of so many defeated soldiers, lib- erated under a capitulation by the enemy, would have been a scene of mourning. But in Sparta it was pregnant with grave and dangerous consequences. So terrible was the scorn and ignominy heaped upon the Spartan citizen who survived a defeat, that life became utterly intolerable to him. The mere fact sufficed for his condemnation, without any inquiry into justifying or extenuating circumstances. No citizen at home would speak to him, or be seen consorting with him in tent, game, or chorus ; no other family would intermarry with his ; if he was seen walking about with an air of cheerfulness, he was struck and ill-used by the passers-by, until he assumed that visible humility which was supposed to be- come his degraded position. Such rigorous treatment (which we learn from the panegyrist Xenophon) ' helps to explain the satis- faction of the Spartan father and mother, when they learned that their son was among the slain and not among the survivors. De- feat of Spartan troops had hitherto been rare. But in the case of the prisoners at Sphakteria, when released from captivity and brought back to a degraded existence at Sparta, some uneasiness had been felt, and some precautions deemed necessary to prevent them from becoming dangerous malcontents. 2 Here was another 2. If Diodorus relates correctly, there must have been a violation of truce on the part of Kleombrotus and the Lacedaemonians, as glaring as any that occurs in Grecian history. But such violation is never afterwards alluded to by any one, among the misdeeds of the Lacedaemonians. 3. A part, and an essential part, of the story of Diodorus, is, that Archi- damus was present and fought at Leuktra. But we have independent evi- dence rendering it almost certain that he was not there. Whoever reads the Discourse of Isokrates called Archidamus (Or. vi, sect. 9, 10, 129), will sec that such observations could not have been put into the mouth of Ar- chidamus, if he had been present there, and (of course) in joint command with Kleombrotus. 4. If Diodorus be correct, Sparta must have levied a new army from her allies, just after having sworn the peace, which peace exonerated her allies from everything like obligation to follow her headship ; and a new army not for the pcrpose of extricating defeated comrades in Bceotia, but foi pure aggression against Thebes. This, to say the least, is eminently im- probable. On these grounds, I adhere to Xenophon and depart from Diodorus. 1 Xenopb. Rep. Lac. r. ix ; Plutarch, Agesil. c. 30. 8 Thiu-yd. v, 34.