Page:Plutarch's Lives (Clough, v.5, 1865).djvu/412

 404 ARATUS. citizen of which deserved to be preferred to the general- ship before the best of the Macedonians by those that had any regard to the honor of Grecian birth. Besides, Cleomenes sued for that command over the Achjeans as one that would return the honor of that title with real kindnesses to the cities; whereas Antigonus,* being de- clared absolute general by sea and land, would not accept the office unless Acro-Corinthus were by special agree- ment put into his hands, following the example of ^sop'a hunter ; for he would not get up and ride the Achfeans, who desired him so to do, and offered their backs to him by embassies and popular decrees, till, by a garrison and hostages, they had allowed him to bit and bridle them. Aratus exhausts all his powers of speech to show the neces- sity that was upon him. But Polybius writes, that long before this, and before there was any necessity, apprehend- ing the daring temper of Cleomenes, he communicated secretly with Antigonus, and that he had beforehand pre- vailed with the Megalopolitans to press the Achseans to crave aid from Antigonus. For they were the most ha- rassed by the war, Cleomenes continually plundering and ransacking their country. And so writes also Phylarchus, who, unless seconded by the testimony of Polybius, would not be altogether credited ; for he is seized with enthu- siasm when he so much as speaks a word of Cleomenes, and as if he were pleading, not writing a history, goes on throughout defending the one and accusing the other. The AchiBans, therefore, lost Mantinea, which was re- covered by Cleomenes, and being beaten in a great fight near Hecatombseum, so general was the consternation, that they immediately sent to Cleomenes to desire him to come to Argos and take the command upon him. Doson (or going to give), a cousin Demetrius's son, of whom we pres- to Demetrius now dead, whom he ently hear.
 * This Antigonus is Antigonus succeeded as the guardian of Philip,