Page:History of Greece Vol XI.djvu/162

 136 HISTORY OF GREECE. with one accord declined. At length, while the archou hesitated whom to fix upon, an unknown voice in the crowd pronounced tLfi name of Timoleon, son of Timodemus. The mover seemed prompted by divine inspiration ; l so little obvious was the choice, and so preeminently excellent did it prove. Timoleon was named without difficulty, and without much intention of doing Lim honor to a post which all the other leading men declined. Some points must be here noticed in the previous history of this remarkable man. He belonged to an illustrious family in Corinth, and was now of mature age perhaps about fifty. lie was distinguished no less for his courage than for the gentleness of his disposition. Little moved either by personal vanity or by ambition, he was devoted in his patriotism, and unreserved in his hatred of despots as well as of traitors. 2 The government of Corinth was, and always had been, oligarchical ; but it was a regular, constitutional, oligarchy ; while the Corinthian antipathy against despots was of old standing 3 hardly less strong than that of democratical Athens. As a soldier in the ranks of Co- rinthian hoplites, the bravery of Timoleon, and his submission to discipline, were alike remarkable. These points of his character stood out the more forcibly from contrast with his elder brother Timophanes ; who possessed the soldierlike merits of bravery and energetic enterprise, but com- bined with them an unprincipled ambition, and an unscrupulous prosecution of selfish advancement at all cost to others. The military qualities of Timophanes, however, gained for him so much popularity, that he was placed high as an officer in the Co- rinthian service. Timoleon, animated with a full measure of brotherly attachment, not only tried to screen his defects as well as to set off his merits, but also incurred the greatest perils for the purpose of saving his life. In a battle against the Argeians and Kleonaeans, Timophanes was commanding the cavalry, when his horse, being wounded, threw him on the ground, very neai 1 Plutarch, Timoleon, c. 3. u.7i) i deov nvof, uf EOIKEV, elf vovv rf rcj uvdpuTrv, etc. ?co (IT) afyoSpa fiiaorvpavvof fti'at /cat ' Herod :t. v. 92.
 * Plutarch, Timoleon, c. 3 QiXoTtarpif de KOI Kpno? fiiat