Page:Plutarch's Lives (Clough, v.5, 1865).djvu/410

 402 ARATUS. suited for set battles, he was then much inferior in num- bers, and was to deal with a daring leader, still in the heat of youth, while he himself, now past the piime of courage and come to a chastised ambition, felt it his busi- ness to maintain by prudence the glory, which he had obtained, and the other was only aspiring to by forward- ness and daring. So that though the light^armed soldiers had salhed out and driven the Lacedtemonians as far as their camp, and had come even to their tents, yet would not Aratus lead his men forward, but, posting himself in a hollow water- course in the way thither, stopped and prevented the cit- izens from crossing this. Lydiades, extremely vexed at what was going on, and loading Aratus with reproaches, entreated the horse that together with him they would second them that had the enemy in chase, and not let a certain victory slip out of their hands, nor forsake him that was going to venture his life for his country. And being reinforced with many brave men that turned after him, he chai'ged the enemy's right wing, and routing it, followed the pursuit without measure or discretion, let- ting his eagerness and hopes of glory tempt him on into broken ground, full of planted fruit-trees and cut up with broad ditches, where, being engaged by Cleomenes, he fell, fighting gallantly the noblest of battles, at the gate of his country. The rest, flying back to their main body and troubling the ranks of the full-armed infxntry, put the whole army to the rout. Aratus was extremely blamed, being suspected to have betrayed Lydiades, and was constrained by the Achseans, who withdrew in great anger, to accompany them to ^giura, where they called a council, and decreed that he should no longer be fur- nished with money, nor have any more soldiers hired for him, but that, if he would make war, he should pay them himself