Greece -- Biography -- Early works to 1800; Rome -- Biography -- Early works to 1800
all their own countrymen, but also large bodies of foreign mercenary
troops. Machanidas began the battle by a charge of his mercenaries,
who routed the Tarentines and other light troops of the Achæans, but
then instead of moving at once to attack and overwhelm their main
body, hurried away in pursuit, leaving the Achæan phalanx standing
untouched. Philopœmen made light of the disaster which had happened
to the light troops, and, perceiving the fault which the enemy had
committed in leaving their heavy infantry unprotected, so that he had
an open plain over which to march against them, disregarded those
Lacedæmonians who were pursuing his own auxiliaries, and bore straight
down upon their main body, which he took in flank, without any cavalry
to protect it, or any general to give it orders, as the men did not
expect to be attacked, and imagined that the victory was already won
when they saw Machanidas so eager in the pursuit. Philopœmen broke and
routed them with great slaughter, four thousand men being said to have
perished, and then turned to encounter Machanidas, who was returning
with his mercenaries, and found his retreat cut off. A deep and wide
watercourse here divided the two leaders, the one of whom endeavoured
to pass it and escape, while the other tried to prevent this. They
looked no longer like two generals, but the despot seemed more like
some savage beast driven to bay by Philopœmen, that mighty hunter. At
length the despot spurred his horse, a fiery animal, to attempt the
leap. The horse gained the other bank with its fore feet, and was
struggling up it, when Simias and Polyænus, the constant companions
and aides-de-camp of Philopœmen, rode to attack him with levelled
lances. Philopœmen, however, came up with Machanidas before them.
Seeing that the despot's horse was rearing its head so as to protect
its master's body, he turned his own horse a little to one side, and,
seizing his lance firmly with both hands, drove it through his body
and cast him from his horse. It is in this posture that Philopœmen is
represented in the statue at Delphi, which was placed there by the
Achæans in token of their admiration of his courage and conduct on
that day.
XI. It is said that when the Greeks were assembled at the Nemean
Games, Philopœmen, who had been elected commander-in-chief for the
second time, and not long before had won his victory at Mantinea,
being at leisure during the festival displayed his phalanx to the
Greeks, with the troops drawn up in their serried array, and
manœuvring with quickness and precision. Afterwards, while the
musicians were contending for the prize in the theatre he entered it
accompanied by his young soldiers in their military cloaks and purple
uniform, all of them strong men in the prime of life, showing a modest
respect for their general, combined with a martial bearing due to
their many brave feats of arms. Just as they came into the theatre
Pylades the musician began to recite the 'Persians' of Timotheus
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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