405 by the other Greek ftates. In the fourth year of the 92d olym- Plifeanax The Peloponnefian war again breaking out, the Spartans sent The Pelo- Timea, the wife of Agis, about the fame time bringing forth a fon, Agis faid publickly, that Alcibiades was his father; the mother alfo told her maids, that the boy, inftead of Leotychides, fhould have been called Alcibiades. Mean while Gylippus ma- The Sparnaged the Spartan affairs in Sicily with great reputation, and fo tans gain conducted the war, that the Athenians before Syracufe were to- great retally routed, and almoft wholly cut off. The Spartans, en- putation couraged by the fatal blow their enemy had received in Sicily, in Sicily. exerted themselves in Greece and Ala. They fent Aftyochus to command the foreign troops, which were raifed with Perfian money, while Agis carried on the war in the heart of Attica. The care of maritime affairs was committed to Lyfander, who, L'fander's though not a defcendant of the royal family, yet was allowed character. to be of the Herculean race. He was bred up in his younger years under all the reftrictions of the Spartan inftitutions, which rendered him bold, hardy, and patient. He was affable, modeft, vigilant, and indefatigable; was naturally ambitious, and had an extenfive genius. But with thefe great qualities he had fome bafe ones. He could be very fupple and complaifant, and was abfolutely difhoneft, which vice he openly profefled, it being a common faying of his, That children were cheated with play things, and men with oaths. After taking the command of the fleet, the first thing of importance that he did, was the reftoring the ftate of affairs at Ephefus, where he erected an arsenal for building of gallies, made the ports free for merchants, and gave encouragement to artificers of all kinds, which foon rendered the city wealthy Dd 3 wealthy and flourishing. As Alcibiades, who had now aban doned the Spartan intereft, had got the ear of Tiffaphernes, Lyfander applied himself to the young Cyrus, accufing Tiffaphernes to him, of betraying the Perfian intereft, by fecretly favouring the Athenians. By his complacency and condefcenfion, he fo gained on the young Cyrus, who was ordered by his father to Tupport the Lacedaemonians, that he obtained from him 10,000 darics, to fupport his foldiers and refit his fleet. Agis in the mean time made an attempt to furprise Athens, but was repulfed with confiderable lofs. Athens being then filled with tumults, the new magistrates made offers of peace, which were rejected by Agis. Soon after, the Spartans reduced Eubea, which alarming the Athenians, rendered them more unanimous, and Alcibiades about the fame time gaining several advantages at sea, they in their turn rejected the propofitions of peace made to them by the Spartans. Lyfander not long after gained a victory over the Athenian fleet, while Alcibiades was abfent with a few The Athe-gallies. Though the Athenian commander had rifked an ennians de gagement, exprefsly against the orders of Alcibiades, the Athefeated at nians, however, blamed Alcibiades, and difmiffed him, from fea. which time their affairs quickly declined. The Spartans foon after recalling Lyfander, gave the command of their fleet to Callicratidas, a man not more diftinguished for his bravery than his integrity. Lyfander, who was greatly mortified with being recalled, did his fucceffor all the ill offices in his power. He fent back what money remained in his hands Callicrati- to Cyrus, and at parting faid to his fucceffor with a fneer, Let us das fuc- fee now, Callicratidas, how you can fupport the charge of this ceeds Ly- army. The noble Spartan found it, indeed, very difficult, and Sander in having brought no money from Sparta, he was obliged to go to the com- the court of Cyrus. His plainnefs was treated with contempt mand. by the Perfians, and he finding it impoffible to gain admittance to the prince, faid, I must not be fo eager for money as to do any thing unbecoming Sparta; and returned to Ephefus. Cyrus confidering better of the matter, fent him afterwards money to pay his forces, and fome presents for himself, which laft he fent back again. Callicratidas, irritated by the behaviour of the Spartans, curfed those who firft payed this court to the barbarians, and fwore that upon his return to Sparta, he would use his utmost endeavours to reconcile the Greeks. He, however, had not the good fortune ever to return to his native country. The Spar- Having defeated Conon, he befieged him in Mitylene; but the tan fleet grand feet of the Athenians coming to the relief of the befieged, defeated. he ventured an engagement off the islands of Eginufæ, in which he was flain, and his fleet defeated. Both Cyrus and the Laced monian allies demanded that Lyfander fhould again be Lyfander made admiral. This being directly oppofite to the laws of again ap- Sparta, they appointed one Aracus admiral, but lodged the pointed power with Lyfander, who finding his fleet inferior to that of the enemy, avoided an engagement. Having eluded the enemy mander. for fome time, he failed to the Hellefpont, where he took Lamp com facus. Jacus. He was purfued thither by the fleet of the Athenians, He defeats who, in confidence of their fuperiority, allowed themselves to the Athebe furprised by him, and entirely defeated, their whole fleet fal- niens. ling into his hands, except nine gallies that escaped with Conon Bef. Chr. to Cyprus. This decifive victory, which put an end to the Peloponnefian war, and the maritime power of Athens, threw a great authority into the hands of Lyfander, who now acted rather as a univerfal monarch, than as a general from Sparta. He immediately changed the government of all the neighbouring cities, whether they would or would not, placing in each of them a Spartan as chief magiftrate, with ten of his partizans, from Ephefus, where he had affembled a great number of bold enterprifing men, whom he had attached to his intereft, by admitting them as partners in his crimes. These new governors treated thofe they ruled with the utmost haughtiness and severity, so that from the very beginning, the Lacedemonian government was rendered ungrateful. 406. Athens ta Lyfander collected all the mafs of wealth which his victories had brought into his hands, and destined it to be sent to Sparta, whither he had before difpatched a meffenger with news of his victory. The Spartans directly fending both their kings, Agis and Paufanias, with an army against Athens, and Lyfander foon after arriving on the coast of Attica with an immenfe fleet, the Athenians, after defending themselves for several months, were ken by the at length obliged to capitulate. The terms granted them were Spartans. contained in the following decree, preferved by Plutarch: Know this is the decree of the Lacedæmonians. Pull ye down the Piræum and the long walls. Quit all the towns ye are now poffeffed of, and keep within your own territories. We grant you peace upon these conditions, provided you yield alfo to what shall be further thought reafonable, and receive again your exiles. As for the number of pips you may keep, obferve the orders we shall hereafter give on that bead. Lyfander left them only twelve gallies, and having caused the walls to be demolished, he commited the government to 30 perfons nominated by him, and left a Spartan garrison in the citadel, commanded by one of his own creatures. He then fent the immenfe treasure he had collected to Sparta, under the care of Gylippus, who was one of his creatures, and had diftin- Gylippus guifhed himself in the defence of Syracufe. Notwithstanding the convicted Itrictness of the inftitutions of the Spartans, gold and filver be- of avarice gan to be held in esteem by them, which introduced fraud and and fraud. avarice. Gylippus being of a covetous difpofition, ripped open the money bags at the bottom, and having taken confiderable fums from them, fewed them up again. When he delivered the money at Sparta, he defired that particular notice might be taken of the fairness of the feals; but unluckily for him, Lyfander had put in each bag a ticket, expreffing the fum of money contained therein. Upon comparing the contents of the bags, with these notes, a deficiency was difcovered, which the fenate Dd 4 and and Ephori could not account for: but the fraud was foon fixed upon Gylippus, who being impeached by one of his fervants, was forced to leave his country, with the fcandalous imputation of being a cheat and a thief. Great difputes happened at Sparta about the wealth fent home by Lyfander. Many extolled him greatly, and exceedingly rejoiced at this good fortune, as they called it. Others, who were better acquainted with the nature of things, and with their conftitution, looked upon the receipt of the treafure as an open violation of the laws of Lycurgus, and expreffed their apprehenfions loudly, that in procefs of time they might, by a change in their manners, pay infinitely more for riches than they were worth. They at laft confented to the following decree, that the ftate might make use of gold and filver, but that private men fhould poffefs neither, on pain of capital punishments, a ftrange and ineffectual expedient, as Plutarch obferves, becaufe declaring money to be useful to the ftate, evidently juftified private men in their inclination to be poffeffed of it, and left their hearts open to avarice and the admiration of riches. Lyfander's Lyfander mean while returning to the Hellefpont, acted in his arbitrary ufual arbitrary manner. Even while he remained in Greece, he conduct. did many prefumptuous acts, and particularly he fet up his own ftatuc, and the ftatues of fuch of his commanders as were in his good graces, in brafs. In Afia he ftill fet les bounds to his ambition, and not only made the Greek cities dependant on him, but ftruck terror into the Perfian governors, and particularly maltreated Pharnabazas. This Pertan grandee refolved, if poffible, to humble the infolence and haughtiness of Lyfander, and for this purpofe difpitched fome of his emiffaries to Sparta, where they expofed his ambitious views, charging him with an intention to render himself general for life, and independant of his conftituents, and alledged fuch probable reafons for what they faid, that the fenate and Ephori immediately dispatched a fcytale to recall him. This feytale was a narrow flip of parchment, which was rolled in a fpiral manner, round a small stick, and then wrote upon. Being unloofed, the writing could not be read, till the parchment was again rolled up upon a stick of the fame dimenfions, which the general carried with him when he went upon any expedition. He is recalled, The furprife of Lyfander was inexpreffible when he received the feytale, of which he had no previous intelligence. Hear ing alfo that fome of his friends had been put to death at home, particularly Thorax, one of his principal commanders, in whose houfe a large quantity of filver had been found, he began to fufpect that his recall was owing to the intrigues of Pharnabazus, who had taken that method of refenting the injuries he had received from him. He therefore refolved, according to his maxim, to cek out the lion's fkin with that of the fox*, and * Plut. in Apophthegm. pro procuring a conference with Pharnabazus, ufed all his art to foften the Perfan, and to engage him by a letter under his hand, to deny what might have been fuggefted in his name to the Ephori and outand fenate. Pharnabazus feemed to make fome difficulty of witted by complying, but at length wrote a letter in Lyfander's prefence, Pharnaand in terms fuitable to his wifh. Having, however, before bazus, prepared a letter of quite a different nature, he fubftituted it while he pretended to fold the other, fo that Lyfander, with all his policy, was outwitted. Upon his arrival at Sparta, being informed of the contents of the letter of Pharnabazus, he was greatly disturbed, and fearing that he fhould be called to an account, he pretended that Jupiter Ammon had commanded him in a vifion to come immediately and confult his oracle. The Ephori and fenate with fome reluctance allowed him to depart, but he was no fooner gone, than the kings began to contrive the deftruction of his friends, thereby to ruin his intereft. The Athenians at this time taking arms against their tyrants, Lyfander fuddenly returned to Sparta, and preffed the government to support those whom he had established at Athens, and defired to have the command in the expedition. This the kings oppofed; and Paufanias procured the command of the army to be vested in him, and marching to Athens, inftead of affifting the tyrants, enter ed in a private negociation with the Athenians, and procured for them a peace with Sparta on very honourable terms. This The peoproceeding was highly refented by Lyfander, who, not long ple reconafter, had an opportunity of venting his fpleen, and of recon- ciled to ciling himself to the people; for the Athenians a few years after him. favouring the Perfians against the Lacedæmonians, Paufanias was highly blamed by his countrymen, and Lyfander extolled for a man of integrity, and true public fpirit. "While things were in this fituation, Agis died at Sparta, having in his last moments owned Leotychides for his fon in a public manner. Notwithstanding the folemn declaration of Agis in favour of Agefilans Leotychides, Age laus, the brother of the deceafed, claimed the fucceeds crown, and his great capacity and exemplary virtues having Agis, and procured him many friends, and Lyfander efpoufing his intereft, fets afide he was declared king, and Leotychides was excluded as illegiti- Leatychi❤ mate, both from the kingdom and the private eftate of his fa- des. ther. As Agefilaus had one leg fhorter than the other, his enemies urged againft him an ancient oracle, that advised Sparta to beware of a lame reign. Lyfander made a jeft of this oracle, and turned its fenfe against Leotychides himself, who, as a bastard, he faid, could have no title to the throne, therefore that it was fuch a lame reign against which the oracle warned them. Agefilaus being born a younger brother, was educated no lefs feverely than the children of the meaneft Lacedæmonian, which after wards proved a great happiness to him. He was brave, active, and of an high fpirit, and at the fame time, by his public edu cation, he had acquired a good-natured, affable, and gentle behaviour, which greatly endeared him to the people. He was extremely |