to Zacynthus, where the Lacedæmonians still following him, seized his person and his servants; these they carried away, but the Zacynthians refusing to let them take Demaratus, he passed over to Asia, where he was honourably received by Darius, and presented with many lands and cities.-Such was the fortune of Demaratus, a man distinguished among his countrymen by many memorable deeds and sayings; and who alone, of all the kings of Sparta, obtained the prize in the Olympic games, in the chariot-race of four horses.

LXXI. Leotychides the son of Menaras, who succeeded Demaratus after he had been deposed, had a son named Zeuxidamus, called by some of the Spartans, Cyniscus, or the whelp. He never enjoyed the throne of Sparta, but dying before his father, left a son named Archidamus. Leotychides, on the loss of his son, took for his second wife Eurydame, sister of Menius, and daughter of Diactoris; by her he had a daughter called Lampito, but no male offspring: she, by the consent of Leotychides, was married to Archidamus, son of Zeuxidamus.

LXXII. The latter days of Leotychides were not spent in Sparta; but the cause of Demaratus was avenged in this manner:-Leotychides commanded an army of his countrymen, in an expedition against Thessaly, and might have reduced the whole country; but suffering himself to be bribed by a large sum of money, he was detected in his own camp, sitting on a sack of money. Being brought to a public trial, he was driven from Sparta, and his house razed. He fled to Tegea, where he died; but the above events happened some time afterwards.

LXXIII. Cleomenes having succeeded in his designs upon Demaratus, took with him Leotychides, and proceeded against Ægina, with which he was exceedingly exasperated, on account of the insult he had received. The people of Ægina, on seeing themselves assailed by the two kings, did not meditate a long resistance; ten of the most illustrious and affluent were selected as hostages: among these were Crios, son of Polycritus, and Casambris, son of Aristocrates, men

of considerable authority. Being carried to Attica, they there remained among their most inveterate ene mies.

LXXIV. Cleomenes afterwards fled to Thessaly for his treachery against Demaratus becoming manifest, he feared the resentment of the Spartans: from thence he went to Arcadia, where he endeavoured to raise a commotion, by stirring up the Arcadians against Sparta. Among other oaths, he exacted of them an engagement, to follow him wherever he should think proper to conduct them. He particularly wished to carry the principal men to the city of Nonacris, there to make them swear by the waters of Styx. These are said to be found in this part of Arcadia: there is but little water, and it falls drop by drop from a rock into a valley, which is enclosed by a circular wall.-Nonacris is an Arcadian city, near Phe

reos.

LXXV. When the Lacedæmonians heard what Cleomenes was doing, through fear of the conse quences, they invited him back to Sparta, offering him his former dignity and station. Immediately on his return he was seized with madness, of which he had before discovered very strong symptoms: for whatever citizen he happened to meet, he scrupled not to strike him on the face with his sceptre. This extravagant behaviour induced his friends to confine him in a pair of stocks; seeing himself, on some occa→ sion, left with only one person to guard him he demanded a sword; the man at first refused to obey him, but finding him persist in his request, he at length, being a Helot, and afraid of what he threat. ened, gave him one. Cleomenes, as soon as he receiv. ed the sword, began to cut the flesh off his legs; from his legs he ascended to his thighs, from his thighs to his loins, till at length, making gashes in his belly, he died. The Greeks in general consider his death as occasioned by his having bribed the Pythian to give an answer against Demaratus. The Athenians alone assert, that he was thus punished for having plunder ed the temple of the goddesses at Eleusis. The Ar gives say, that it was because he had forced many of

their countrymen from the refuge they had taken in a temple of Argos, and had not only put them to the sword, but had impiously set fire to the sacred wood.

LXXVI. Cleomenes, upon consulting the Delphic oracle, had been told that he should certainly become master of Argos: he accordingly led a body of Spartans to the river Erasinus, which is said to flow from the Stymphalian lake. This lake is believed to show itself a second time in the territories of Argos, after disappearing for some time in an immense gulph; it is then called by the Argives, Erasinus. Arriving at this river, Cleomenes offered sacrifices to it; the en trails of the victim gave him no encouragement to pass the stream, from which incident he affected to praise the river god for his attachment to his countrymen; but, nevertheless, vowed that the Argives should have no occasion to rejoice. From hence he advanced to Thyrea, where he sacrificed a bull to the ocean; and embarking his forces, proceeded to Tirynthia, and Nauplia.

LXXVII. The Argives, hearing of this, advanced to the sea to repel him as soon as they came to Tirynthe, at a place called Sipia, they encamped in the Lacedæmonian territory, at no great distance from the enemy. They were not so much afraid of meeting their adversaries openly in the field, as of falling into an ambuscade: of this indeed they had been forewarned by the Pythian, in the declaration made jointly to the Milesians and themselves :

When female hands the strength of man shall tame,
And among Argives gain a glorious name,

Women of Argos shall much grief display,

And thus shall one in future ages say:

"A serpent huge, which wreath'd its body round,
"From a keen sword received a mortal wound."

These incidents filled the Argives with the greatest terror; they accordingly resolved to regulate their motions by the herald of the adverse army: as often, therefore, as this officer communicated any public order to the Lacedæmonians, they did the same.

LXXVIII. Cleomenes taking notice that the Argives observed what the herald of his army announced, directed that when the signal should be given for his soldiers to dine, they should immediately take their arms and attack the Argives. The Lacedæmonians upon this gave the signal for dinner, the Argives did the same; but whilst they were engaged in eating, the enemy rushed upon them, slew a prodigious number, and surrounded many others, who escaping from the field, took refuge in the grove of Argos.

LXXIX. Whilst they remained here, Cleomenes determined on the following measure:-By means of some deserters, he learned the names of all those Argives who had escaped to this grove; these he called out one by one, telling them that he had re-. ceived their ransom: this in the Peloponnese, is a fixed sum, and is settled at two minæ for each captive. The number of the Argives was fifty, whom, as they respectively came out, when called, Cleomenes put to death. This incident was unknown to those who remained in the asylum, the thickness of the wood not allowing them to see what passed. Till at length, one climbing a tree, saw the transaction, after which no one appeared when called.

LXXX. Cleomenes then ordered his Helots to encompass the wood with materials for the purpose; and they obeying him, it was set on fire. Whilst it was burning, Cleomenes desired to know of one of the fugitives, to what divinity that grove was sacred. He replied, to Argos. At this the Lacedæmonian in great agitation exclaimed-"O Apollo, thy prediction has misled me, promising that I should become master of Argos. Thy oracle has, I fear, no other termination."

LXXXI. Cleomenes afterwards permitted the greater part of his forces to return to Sparta; and reserving only a select body of a thousand men, he went to offer sacrifice at the temple of Juno. Wishing to perform the ceremonies himself on the altar, the priest forbade him, saying, it was a privilege granted

to no foreigner. Upon this, he ordered the Helots to drag the priest from the altar, and beat him. He then sacrificed, and afterwards returned to Sparta.

LXXXII. On his return, he was accused before the Ephori of bribery, and of neglecting the opportunity he had of taking Argos. Whether the reply which Cleomenes made was true or false, I am not able to determine: he observed, that having taken possession of the temple of Argos, the prediction of the oracle seemed to him finally completed. He concluded therefore, that he ought not to make any farther attempts upon the city, till he should first be satisfied from his sacrifices, whether the deity would assist or oppose him. When he was performing the sacred rites auspiciously in the temple of Juno, a flame of fire burst from the bosom of the sacred image, which entirely convinced him that he should not take Argos. If this flame had issued from the head, he should have taken the place by storm, but its coming from the breast, decisively declared that all the purposes of the deity were accomplished. His defence appeared plausible and satisfactory to his countrymen, and he was acquitted by a great majority.

LXXXIII. Argos however was deprived of so many of its citizens, that the slaves usurped the management of affairs, and executed the offices of government: but when the sons of those who had been slain, grew up, they obtained possession of the city, and after some contest expelled the slaves, who retired to Tirynthe, which they seized. They for a time forebore to molest each other, till Cleander, a soothsayer and an Arcadian, of the district of Phigasis, coming among them, he persuaded the slaves to attack their masters. A tedious war followed, in which the Argives were finally, though with difficulty, victorious.

LXXXIV. The Argives affirm, that on account of the things above mentioned, Cleomenes lost his reason, and came to a miserable end. The Spartans, on the contrary, will not allow his madness to have been occasioned by any divine interposition; they say, that