Page:History of Greece Vol XI.djvu/124

 yti HISTORY OF GREECE. Seeing that there was no other resource, he put himself ii the head of his best and most attached soldiers, and threw himself, though now an elderly man, into the thickest of the fray. The struggle was the more violent, as it took place in a narrow space between the new blockading wall on one side, and the outer wall of Neapolis on the other. Both the armor and the person of Dion being conspicuous, he was known to enemies as well as friends, and the battle around him was among the most obstinate in Grecian history. 1 Darts rattled against both his shield and his helmet, while his shield was also pierced through by several spears which were kept from his body only by the breastplate. At length he was wounded through the right arm or hand, thrown on the ground, and in imminent danger of being made prisoner. But this forwardness on his part so stimulated the courage of his own troops, that they both rescued him, and made redoubled efforts against the enemy. Having named Timonides commander in his place, Dion with his disabled hand mounted on horseback, rode into Achradina, and led forth to the battle that portion of his troops which were there in garrison. These men, fresh and good soldiers, restored the battle. The Syracusans came back to the field, all joined in strenuous conflict, and the Dionysian assailants were at length again driven within the walls of Ortygia. The loss on both sides was severe ; that of Dionysius eight hundred men ; all of whom he caused to be picked up from the field (un- der a truce granted on his request by Dion), and buried with magnificent obsequies, as a means of popularizing himself with the survivors. 2 When we consider how doubtful the issue of this battle had proved, it seems evident that had Timokrates maintained himself in Epipolas, so as to enable Dionysius to remain master of Epi- pola? as well as of Ortygia, the success of Dion's whole enterprise in Syracuse would have been seriously endangered. 1 Diodor. xvi. 12. 'O de AJI> avehmarus TrapeaTrovdrj^evof, fierii run upiaTuv OTpanuTtiv unrivra rotf Ttofa/tioif nal crvvufyaf ftu%7]v, TTO^VV snotet <pdvov iv arad'nj. '0/Uyu de Jtaor^//art, rf/f diarei^iov ecru, fiux'K ovoi)<;, cvvedoafiE ?rA^i?of ar/jariuTuv f!f arevov TOTTOV. The text here is not quite clear (see Wesseling's note) ; but we gathei from the passage information about the topography of Syracuse. 2 Plutarch, Dion, c. 30; Diodor. XT!. 12, 13.