. The women, who had never yet seen the
face of an enemy, gave vent to their fears in wailing and lamentation.
Agesilaus, however, was undismayed, and saved the state by his
vigilance and energy. He repulsed the cavalry of Epaminondas as they
advanced towards Sparta; and so vigorous were his measures of defence,
that the Theban general abandoned all further attempt upon the city,
and proceeded southwards as far as Helos and Gythium on the coast, the
latter the port and arsenal of Sparta after laying waste with fire and
sword the valley of the Eurotas, he retraced his steps to the frontiers
of Arcadia.

Epaminondas now proceeded to carry out the two objects for which his
march had been undertaken; namely, the consolidation of the Arcadian
confederation, and the establishment of the Messenians as an
independent community. In the prosecution of the former of these
designs the mutual jealousy of the various Arcadian cities rendered it
necessary that a new one should be founded, which should be regarded as
the capital of the confederation. Consequently, a new city was built on
the banks of the Helisson, called Megalopolis, and peopled by the
inhabitants of forty distinct Arcadian townships. Here a synod of
deputies from the towns composing the confederation, called "The Ten
Thousand" was to meet periodically for the despatch of business.
Epaminondas next proceeded to re-establish the Messenian state. The
Messenians had formerly lived under a dynasty of their own kings; but
for the last three centuries their land had been in the possession of
the Lacedaemonians, and they had been fugitives upon the face of the
earth. The restoration of these exiles, dispersed in various Hellenic
colonies, to their former rights, would plant a bitterly hostile
neighbour on the very borders of Laconia. Epaminondas accordingly
opened communications with them, and numbers of them flocked to his
standard during his march into Peloponnesus. He now founded the town
of Messene. Its citadel was placed on the summit of Mount Ithome, which
had three centuries before been so bravely defended by the Messenians
against the Spartans. The strength of its fortifications was long
afterwards a subject of admiration. The territory attached to the new
city extended southwards to the Messenian gulf, and northwards to the
borders of Arcadia, comprising some of the most fertile land in
Peloponnesus.

So low had Sparta sunk, that she was fain to send envo