Page:History of Greece Vol X.djvu/147

POSITION OF THEBES. 125 on conscientious scruples. 1 None of his virtues was found so difficult to imitate by his subsequent admirers, as this mastery over the resentful and vindictive passions. 2 Before Epaminondas could have full credit for these virtues, however, it was necessary that he should give proof of the extra- ordinary capacities for action with which they were combined, and that he should achieve something to earn that exclamation of praise which we shall find his enemy Agesilaus afterwards pronouncing, on seeing him at the head of the invading Theban army near Spar- ta, "Oh.! thou man of great deeds !" 3 In the year B. c. 379, when the Kadmeia was emancipated, he was as yet undistinguished in public life, and known only to Pelopidas with his other friends ; among whom, too, his unambitious and inquisitive disposition was a subject of complaint as keeping him unduly in the background. 4 But the unparalleled phenomena of that year supplied a spur which overruled all backwardness, and smothered all rival inclinations. The Thebans, having just recovered their city by an incredible turn of fortune, found themselves exposed single-handed to the full 1 Plutarch, De Gen. Socr. p. 576 F. 'EiraiieivuvSaf 6e, [ITJ ireiduv uf olerai 8ehrtov elvat ravra UTJ rcpdaaeiv siKOTUf avriTeivei irpbf a fj.fi 5re0ue, ftrjde doKifia&i, ira.paKahovfj.evof. . . . . 'Eire* 6s oi) Tfel'&Ei roi)f TroA/loi)?, ahha ravTrjv upjj.riKafj.ev TTJV 66bv, epv aiirbv KsfovEt <j>6vov Kafiapbv ovra KOI avairiov kfyearavai roif Kaipoif, UETU rov oinaiov roi av^epovTi Trpoaoiaofievov. Compare the same dialogue, p. 594 B.; and Cornelius Nepos, Pelopidas <:. 4. Isokrates makes a remark upon Evagoras of Salamis, which may be well applied to Epaminondas ; that the objectionable means, without which the former could not have got possession of the sceptre, were performed by others and not by him ; while all the meritorious and admirable functions of command were reserved for Evagoras (Isokrates, Or. ix, (Evag.) s. 28). 8 See the striking statements of Plutarch and Pausanias about Philopoe- men, tca'nrep '~E,Tra[j.Lvuvdov BovTioftevoe elvai iia^iaTa ^/Iwrfo, rb opaarr)' piov Kal cvverbv avrov Kal inrb %pr][j.aTuv uTradEf la%vpue Efti/uelro, riJ <5e Trpuu Kal pa-del Kal (jtdav&piJTru irapa raf irohiTiKue dt,a(popa^ efifieveiv ov 6vva.fj.evof, SC dpyr/v KOI ^ihoveiKiav, [liiTCkov edoKei aTpaTiuriKtjf ?/ irohiTi/er^ apeTr/f oiKElof slvai. To the like purpose, Pausanias, viii, 49, 2; Plutarch, Pelopidas, c. 25 ; Cornel. Nepos, Epamin. c. 3 patiens admirandam in modum." 3 Plutarch, Agesilaus, c. 32. T i2 TOV iieyahoTrpayfiovof uv&puirov ! 4 Plutarch, De Gen. Socr. p. 576 E. 'ETra^etvwvdaf de, Boiuruv diruvTu* fu Kenuo'evff&ai irpbf apsryv a^Luv diafyepeiv, aiipTivf EGTI K