Page:History of Greece Vol XII.djvu/315

 TRUDENCE OF DEMOiiTHKS. 283 ras one ot the effects of the Asiatic disasters to cast back upon Greece small bands of soldiers Avho had hitherto found service in the Persian armies. These men Tvillingly came to Cape Tsena- rus to enlist under a warlike king of Sparta ; so that Agis found himself at the head of a force which appeared considerable tc Peloponnesians, familiar only with the narrow scale of Grecian war-muster, though insignificant as against Alexander or his viceroy in Macedonia.^ An unexpected ray of hope broke out from the revolt of Memnon, the Macedonian governor of Thrace. Antipater was thus compelled to withdraw some of his forces to a considerable distance from Greece ; while Alexander, victori- ous as he was, being in Persis or Media, east of Mount Zagros, appeared in the eyes of a Greek to have reached the utmost lim- its of the habitable world.^ Of this partial encouragement Agis took advantage, to march out of Lakonia with all the troops, mercenary and native, that he could muster. lie called on the Peloponnesians for a last effort against Macedonian dominion, while Darius still retained all the eastern half of his empire, and while support from him in men and money might yet be antici- pated.3 Respecting this war, we know very few details. At first, a flush of success appeared to attend Agis. The Eleians, the Achoeans (except Pellene), the Arcadians (except Megalopolis) (July 330 B. c), who afterwards fell into the hands of Alexander (Arrian iii. 24, 7) ; these men could hardly have known of the prostration of their country at home. I suppose the victory of Antipater to have taken place about June 330 b. c. — and the Peloponnesian armament of Agis to have been got together about three months before (March 330 b. c ) Mr. Clinton (Fast. H. App. c. 4. p. 234) discusses the chronology of this event, but in a manner which I cannot think satisfactory. lie seems in- clined to put it some months earlier. I see no necessity for construing the dictum ascribed to Alexander (Plutarch, Agesilaus, 15) as proving close coincidence of time between the battle of Arbela and the final defeat of Agis. ' Alexander in Media, wlicn informed of the whole affair after the death of Agis, spoke of it with contempt as a battle of frogs and mice, if we are to believe the dictum of Plutarch, Agesilaus, 15. rf/c o'lKovfih-qg 6?uyov Sslv nuarjc ne^&eiaTriKei, etc. "* Diodor. xvii. G2 : Deinarchus cent. Demostlien. s. 35,
 * .^>schines adv. Ktesiphont. p. 553. 6 6' 'A?J^ai'6poc t ju rz/c v-pKToi kiiI