sent however Xenokles and
Skythes to Larissa, the chief town in Thessaly, to arrange terms of
peace. These men were seized upon by the Thessalians and cast into
prison, at which the army was greatly excited, thinking that Agesilaus
could do no less than besiege and take Larissa. He, on the other hand,
said that he valued the lives of either of these two men more than all
Thessaly, and obtained their release by negotiation. This ought not to
surprise us in Agesilaus, for when he heard of the great battle at
Corinth where so many distinguished men fell, and where though many of
the enemy perished the Spartan loss was very small, he showed no signs
of exultation, but sighed heavily, and said, "Alas for Greece, that
she should by her own fault have lost so many men, who if they were
alive could conquer all the barbarians in the world."

The Thessalian tribe of the Pharsalians[181] now attacked his army,
upon which he charged them with five hundred horse, and having routed
them erected a trophy near Mount Narthakius. Agesilaus took great
pride in this victory, because in it he had defeated the Thessalian
horsemen, supposed to be the best in Greece, with cavalry disciplined
by himself in Asia.

XVII. He was here met by Diphridas the Ephor, who brought him orders
to invade Boeotia immediately. Although he had intended to make more
extensive preparations, he thought it right at once to obey, and
informed his friends that the day for which they had marched all the
way from Asia would soon be at hand. He also sent for a reinforcement
of two moras[182] from the army at Corinth. The Lacedaemonium
government at home, also, wishing to do him honour, made proclamation
that whosoever would might enrol himself to serve the King. All
eagerly gave in their names, and from them the ephors selected fifty
of the strongest, whom they sent to Agesilaus as a body-guard. He now
marched through Thermopylae, crossed the friendly country of Phokis,
and entered Boeotia near Chaeronea. While encamped there, he observed
that the sun was eclipsed and became crescent-shaped, and at the same
time came the news of the defeat and death of Peisander in a great
sea-fight off Knidus, against Pharnabazus and Konon the Athenian.
Agesilaus was naturally grieved both at his brother-in-law's death and
at the disaster which had befallen Sparta, but as he feared to damp
the courage of his soldiers on the eve of battle, he ordered the
messengers to spread the contr