Page:History of Greece Vol X.djvu/385

 DEATH OF AGESILAUS. 363 to be proclaimed king of Egypt. Tachos was now full of suppli- cations to Agesilaus to sustain him against his competitor for the Egyptian throne ; while Nektanebis, also on his side, began to bid high for the favor of the Spartans. With the sanction of the au- thorities at home, but in spite of the opposition of Chabrias, Age- silaus decided in favor of Nektanebis, withdrawing the mercenaries from the camp of Tachos, 1 who was accordingly obliged to take flight. Chabrias returned home to Athens ; either not choosing to abandon Tachos, whom he had come to serve, or recalled by special order of his countrymen, in consequence of the remon- strance of the Persian king. A competitor for the throne presently arose in the Mendesian division of Egypt. Agesilaus, vigorously maintaining the cause of Nektanebis, defeated all the efforts of his opponent. Yet his great schemes against the Persian empire were abandoned, and nothing was effected as the result of his Egyptian expedition except the establishment of Nektanebis ; who, having in vain tried to prevail upon him to stay longer, dismissed him in the winter season with large presents, and with a public donation to Sparta of two hundred and thirty talents. Agesilaus marched from the Nile towards Kyrene, in order to obtain from that town and its ports ships for the passage home. But he died on the march, without reaching Kyrene. His body was conveyed home by his troops, for burial, in a preparation of wax, since honey was not to be obtained.' 2 Thus expired, at an age somewhat above eighty, the ablest and most energetic of the Spartan kings. He has enjoyed the advan- tage, denied to every other eminent Grecian leader, that his cha racter and exploits have been set out in the most favorable point of view by a friend and companion, Xenophon. Making every allowance for partiality in this picture, there will still remain a really great and distinguished character. We find the virtues of 1 Diodorus (xv, 93) differs from Plutarch and others (whom I follow) in respect to the relations of Tachos and Nektanebis with Agesilaus; affirm- ing that Agesilaus supported Tichos, anct supported him with success, against Nektanebis. Compare Cornelius Nepos, Chabrias, c. 2, 3. "We find Chabrias serving Athens in the Chersonese in 359-358 B. o (Demosthen. cont. Aristokrat. p. 677, s. 204).
 * Diodor. xv, 9a ; Plutarch, Agesil. c. 38-40 ; Cornelius Nepos, Agesil. 8.