Regum et imperatorum apophthegmata

Somebody promised to give to Cleomenes cocks that would die fighting, but he retorted, No, don’t, but give me those that kill fighting. [*](Cf. Moralia, 224 B, infra, and Plutarch’s Life of Lycurgus, chap. xx. (52 E).)

When Paedaretus was not chosen to be one of the three hundred, [*](Cf. Herodotus, vii. 205, and viii. 124; Thucydides, v. 72; Xenophon, Constitution of Sparta, 4.3.) an honour which ranked highest in the State, he departed, cheerful and smiling, with the remark that he was glad if the State possessed three hundred citizens better than himself. [*](Cf. Moralia, 231 B, and Plutarch’s Life of Lycurgus, chap. xxv. (55 C).)

When Damonidas was assigned to the last place in the chorus by the director, he said, Good ! You have discovered a way by which even this place may come to be held in honour. [*](Cf. Moralia, 149 A and 219 E. A similar remark is attributed to Agesilaus in Moralia, 208 D, and the idea is also accredited to Aristippus by Diogenes Laertius, ii. 73. )

Nicostratus, the general of the Argives, [*](At the time of ARchidamus III., 261-338 B.C.) was urged by Archidamus to betray a certain stronghold, his reward to be a large sum of money and marriage with any Spartan woman he wished, save only the royal family; but his reply was that Archidamus was not descended from Heracles, for Heracles, as he went about, punished the bad men, but Archidamus made the good men bad.

Eudamidas, seeing Xenocrates, already well on in years, discussing philosophy with his pupils in the Academy, and being informed that he was seeking after virtue, said, And when will he make use of it? [*](Cf. Moralia, 220 D.)

At another time, after he had listened to a philosopher who argued that the wise man is the only good general, he said,The speech is admirable, but the speaker has never been amid the blare of trumpets. [*](Ibid., 220 D infra.)

Antiochus, when he was an ephor, heard that Philip had given to the Messenians their land, whereupon he asked whether Philip had also given them the power to prevail in fighting to keep it. [*](Repeated Ibid., 217 F.)

Antalcidas, retorting to the Athenian who called the Spartans unlearned, said, At any rate,

When another Athenian said to him, You cannot deny that we have many a time put you to rout from the Cephisus, he said, But we have never put you to rout from the Eurotas ! [*](Cf. Moralia, 217 D and 810 F, Plutarch’s Life of Agesilaus, chap. xxxi. (613 D). The Cephisus was a river near Athens, and the Eurotas a river near Sparta.)

When a lecturer was about to read a laudatory essay on Heracles, he said, Why, who says anything against him ? [*](Cf. Moralia, 217 D.)

While Epameinondas the Theban was general, panic never fell upon his troops.

He used to say that the most beautiful death was death in war.

He used to declare that the heavy-armed soldier ought to have his body trained not only by athletic exercises but by military drill as well. [*](Cf. Cornelius Nepos, Epaminondas, xv. 2. 4 and 5.) For this reason he always showed a repugnance towards fat men, and one such man he expelled from the army, saying that three or four shields would scarce serve to protect his belly, because of which he could not see a thing below it. [*](Cf. Plutarch’s Life of M. Cato, chap. ix. (341 C).)

He was so frugal in his manner of living that once, when he was invited to dinner by a neighbour, and found there an elaborate display of cake and

When the cook rendered his accounts to Epameinondas and his fellow-officers of the expenses for several days, Epameinondas showed indignation only at the great amount of olive oil. As his fellowofficers expressed their surprise, he said it was not the matter of expense that worried him, but that he had taken into his body so much oil.

While the city was keeping holiday, and all were busy with drinking and social enjoyment, Epameinondas, as he was walking along unwashed and absorbed in thought, met one of his intimate friends, who inquired in surprise why it was that he alone was going about in that state. So that all of you, said he, may get drunk and have a holiday. [*](Cf. Themistius, Oration, vii. 88 C.)

A worthless fellow, who was guilty of one of the minor offences, he would not let off at the request of Pelopidas, but, when the man’s mistress pleaded for him, he let him off, saying that such favours may properly be received by strumpets, but not by generals. [*](Cf. Moralia, 808 E.)

When the Spartans threatened an invasion, and oracles were reported to the Thebans, of which some told of defeat and others of victory, he ordered that these be placed at the right of the speakers’ platform, and those at the left. When they had all been so placed, he arose and said, If you are willing to obey your officers, and come to close quarters with the enemy, these are the oracles for you, and he pointed to those of good omen; but if you are going to play the cowards in the face of danger, then those, and he glanced at those of ill omen. [*]( )

On another occasion, when he was leading his troops against the enemy, there came a thunderstroke, and, when those about him inquired what he thought the god meant to signify by this, he replied, That the enemy have been thunder-struck out of all sense because, when such places as those are near at hand, they pitch their camp in places such as these. [*](Cf. Polyaenus, Strategemata, ii. 3. 3.)

He used to say that of all the fair and goodly fortune that had fallen to his lot the thing that gave him the greatest gratification was that his victory over the Spartans at Leuctra came while his father and mother were still living. [*](Cf. Moralia, 786 D and 1098 B, and Plutarch’s Life of Coriolanus, chap. iv. (215 C).)