Anabasis

But you rendered judgment yourselves that I was justified in striking those men; for you stood by, with swords, not ballots, in your hands, and it was within your power to come to their aid if you chose; but, by Zeus, you would neither give those people aid nor would you join with me in striking such as violated discipline.

Consequently you gave the bad among them freedom to act wantonly by thus letting them alone.For I think, if you care to look into the matter, you will find it is the very same men who were then most cowardly that are now most wanton.

At any rate, Boiscus the boxer, of Thessaly, then fought hard to escape carrying his shield, on the plea that he was tired, but now, as I hear, he has already stripped off the clothes of many Cotyorites.

If you are wise, therefore, you will do to this fellow the opposite of what people do to dogs; for dogs that are savage are tied up by day and let loose by night, but this fellow, if you are wise, you will tie up by night and let loose by day.

But really, he continued, I am surprised that if ever I incurred the ill-will of any one among you, you remember that and are not silent about it, while if I protected any one from the cold, or warded off an enemy from him, or helped to provide something for him when he was sick or in want, these acts, on the other hand, are not remembered by anybody; nor, again, if I praised a man for a deed well done, or honoured according to my ability a man who was brave, do you remember any of these things.

Yet surely it is more honourable and fair, more righteous and gracious to remember good deeds than evil.Then people began getting up and recalling past incidents, and in the end all was pleasant.

After this, while they delayed at Cotyora, some of the men lived by purchasing from the market[*](cp. Xen. Anab. 5.5.24 ff.) and others by pillaging the territory of Paphlagonia. The Paphlagonians, however, were extremely clever in kidnapping the stragglers, and at night time they tried to inflict harm upon such of the Greeks as were quartered at some distance from the rest; consequently they and the Greeks were in a very hostile mood toward one another.

Then Corylas,[*](cp. Xen. Anab. 5.5.12 and note.) who chanced at the time to be ruler of Paphlagonia, sent ambassadors to the Greeks, with horses and fine raiment, bearing word that Corylas was ready to do the Greeks no wrong and to suffer no wrong at their hands.

The generals replied that they would take counsel with the army on this matter, but meanwhile they received the ambassadors as their guests at dinner, inviting in also such of the other men in the army as seemed to them best entitled to an invitation.

By sacrificing some of the cattle they had captured and also other animals they provided an adequate feast, and they dined reclining upon couches and drank from cups made of horn which they found in the country.

After they had made libations and sung the paean, two Thracians rose up first and began a dance in full armour to the music of a flute, leaping high and lightly and using their sabres; finally, one struck the other, as everybody thought, and the second man fell, in a rather skilful way.

And the Paphlagonians set up a cry. Then the first man despoiled the other of his arms and marched out singing the Sitalcas,[*](A Thracian war-song, apparently composed in honour of an early king named Sitalcas.) while other Thracians carried off the fallen dancer, as though he were dead; in fact, he had not been hurt at all.

After this some Aenianians and Magnesians arose and danced under arms the so-called carpaea.[*](A dance known to us from this passage only.)