uled throughout the Greek world, saw the danger, and
were determined to delay and worry the dangerous horde until it
dissipated; and they succeeded so well that presently the 6,000 that
remained were glad to be led by Xenophon to take service under the
Spartan commander Thibron in Asia Minor (399 B.C.). But Xenophon was not
given any independent command. He appears to have acted on the staff of
the successive Spartan commanders till with King Agesilaus he attained
personal influence, and probably planned the new expedition of that king
to conquer Persia, which was only balked by a diversion wrought by
Persian gold in Greece. With Agesilaus Xenophon returned therefore to
Greece, and was present at the great shock of the rival infantries, the
Theban and the Spartan, at Coronea (394 B.C.). But either his presence
in the Spartan army, or his former action against the King of Persia,
whom shifting politics were now bringing over to the Athenian side,
caused him to be sentenced to banishment at Athens, and so made his
return to his native city impossible. He went, therefore, with his royal
patron to Sparta, and sojourned there for some time, even sending for
his sons, now growing boys, from Miletus, and submitting them, at
Agesilaus's advice, to the famous Spartan education. They grew up fine
and warlike young men, so that the death of one of them, Gryllus, in a
cavalry skirmish just before the great battle of Mantinea (362 B.C.)
caused universal regret. But long before this catastrophe the Spartans
gave Xenophon possession of an estate at Skillus, near the famous
Olympia, which combined the pleasures of seclusion and of field sports
with those of varied society when the stream of visitors assembled for
the Olympic games (every four years). He himself tells us that he and
his family, in company with their neighbors, had excellent sport of all
kinds. He was not only a careful farmer, but so keen at hunting hares
that he declares a man at this delightful pursuit "will forget that he
ever cared for anything else." He had also built a shrine to his
patroness, the goddess Artemis, and the solemn sacrifices at her shrine
were the occasion of feasts, whose solemnity only enhanced their
enjoyments. As Mr. Dakyns writes: "The lovely scenery of the place, to
this day lovely; the delicious atmosphere; the rare combination of
mountain, wood, and stream; the opportunity for sport; the horses and
the dogs; the household, the farmstead, and t