Page:History of Greece Vol X.djvu/371

DEATH OF EPAMINONDAS, 349 peace with thrf enemy/" He ordered the spear-head to be with- drawn, when the efflux of blood speedily terminated his life. Of the three questions here ascribed to the dying chief, the third is the gravest and most significant. The death of these two other citizens, the only men in the camp whom Epaminondas could trust, shows how aggravated and irreparable was the The- ban loss, not indeed as to number, but as to quality. Not merely Epaminondas himself, but the only two men qualified in some measure to replace him, perished in the same field ; and Pelopi- das had fallen in the preceding year. Such accumulation of indi- vidual losses must be borne in mind when we come to note the total suspension of Theban glory and dignity, after this dearly bought victory. It affords emphatic evidence of the extreme forwardness with which their leaders exposed themselves, as well as of the gallant resistance which they experienced. The death of Epaminondas spread rejoicing in the Lacedaemo- nian camp proportioned to the sorrow of the Theban. To more than one warrior was assigned the honor of having struck the blow. The Mantineans gave it to their citizen Machaerion ; the Athenians, to Gryllus son of Xenophon ; the Spartans, to their countryman Antikrates. 1 At Sparta, distinguished honor was shown, even in the days of Plutarch, to the posterity of Anti- krates, who was believed to have rescued the city from her most formidable enemy. Such tokens afford precious testimony, from witnesses beyond all suspicion, to the memory of Epaminondas. How the news of his death was received at Thebes, we have no positive account. But there can be no doubt that the sorrow, nondas had been carried off, in great pain, and with his hand on his wound from whence he had looked with anxiety on the continuing battle (Pau- san. viii, 11, 4). 1 Plutarch, Agesilaus, c. 35 ; Pausanias, i, 3, 3 ; viii, 9, 2-5 ; viii. 11, 4 ; ix, 15, 3. The reports however which Pausanias gives, and the name of Machae- rion which he heard both at Mantinea and at Sparta, are confused, and are hardly to be reconciled with the story of Plutarch. Moreover, it would seem that the subsequent Athenians did not clearly distinguish between the first battle fought by the Athenian cavalry, imme- diately after their arrival at Mantinea, when they rescued that town from being surprised by the Thebans and Thessalians and the general action wnich followed a few days afterwards wherein Epaminondas was slain.