on. There were seven companies in the field without counting the
Sciritae, who numbered six hundred men: in each company there were four
Pentecostyes, and in the Pentecosty four Enomoties. The first rank of
the Enomoty was composed of four soldiers: as to the depth, although
they had not been all drawn up alike, but as each captain chose, they
were generally ranged eight deep; the first rank along the whole line,
exclusive of the Sciritae, consisted of four hundred and forty-eight
men.

The armies being now on the eve of engaging, each contingent received
some words of encouragement from its own commander. The Mantineans were,
reminded that they were going to fight for their country and to avoid
returning to the experience of servitude after having tasted that
of empire; the Argives, that they would contend for their ancient
supremacy, to regain their once equal share of Peloponnese of which they
had been so long deprived, and to punish an enemy and a neighbour for a
thousand wrongs; the Athenians, of the glory of gaining the honours of
the day with so many and brave allies in arms, and that a victory over
the Lacedaemonians in Peloponnese would cement and extend their empire,
and would besides preserve Attica from all invasions in future. These
were the incitements addressed to the Argives and their allies. The
Lacedaemonians meanwhile, man to man, and with their war-songs in
the ranks, exhorted each brave comrade to remember what he had learnt
before; well aware that the long training of action was of more
saving virtue than any brief verbal exhortation, though never so well
delivered.

After this they joined battle, the Argives and their allies advancing
with haste and fury, the Lacedaemonians slowly and to the music of many
flute-players--a standing institution in their army, that has nothing to
do with religion, but is meant to make them advance evenly, stepping in
time, without break their order, as large armies are apt to do in the
moment of engaging.

Just before the battle joined, King Agis resolved upon the following
manoeuvre. All armies are alike in this: on going into action they get
forced out rather on their right wing, and one and the other overlap
with this adversary's left; because fear makes each man do his best
to shelter his unarmed side with the shield of the man next him on the
right, thinking that the closer the shields are locked together the
better will he be protected. The man primarily res