Agesilaus

Some time afterwards, finding that the Argives were enjoying the fruits of their land, that they had appropriated Corinth and were finding the war a pleasant occupation, he made an expedition against them. He first laid waste all their territory, then crossed to Corinth by the pass[*](The MSS. of Xen. Hell. 4.4.19 give κατὰ Τεγέαν in the corresponding passage; this is corrected to κατὰ Τενέαν by way of Tenea, which is probably the right reading here.) and captured the walls leading to Lechaeum. Having thus unbarred the gates of Peloponnese, he returned home for the festival of Hyacinthus[*](Celebrated annually at Amyclae, early in the summer.) and joined in singing the paean in honour of the god,[*](Apollo, who had accidentally killed Hyacinthus.) taking the place assigned to him by the choirmaster.

After a time, discovering that the Corinthians were keeping all their cattle safe in Peiraeum, and sowing and reaping the crops throughout that district, and — what he thought most serious — that the Boeotians were finding this route convenient for sending support to the Corinthians, with Creusis as their base, he marched against Peiraeum. Seeing that it was strongly guarded, he moved his camp after the morning meal to a position before the capital, as though the city was about to surrender.

But becoming aware that supports had been hurriedly poured into the city during the night from Peiraeum, he turned about at daybreak and captured Peiraeum, finding it undefended, and everything in it, along with the fortresses that stood there, fell into his hands. Having done this, he returned home.

After these events, the Achaeans, who were zealous advocates of the alliance, begged him to join them in an expedition against Acarnania---.[*](Something seems to be lost here, probably a passage that ended with the words συστρατεύει αὐτοῖς εἰς Ἀκαρνανίαν.) And when the Acarnanians attacked him in a mountain pass he seized the heights above their heads with his light infantry,[*](The words τοῖς ψιλοῖς are probably a correction by X.; he says the heights were taken by the heavy infantry in Xen. Hell. 4.6.11.) fought an engagement and, after inflicting severe losses on them, set up a trophy; nor did he cease until he had induced the Acarnanians, Aetolians and Argives to enter into friendship with the Achaeans and alliance with himself.

[*](Peace of Antalcidas.)[*](387 B.C.)When the enemy sent embassies desiring peace, Agesilaus opposed the peace until he forced Corinth and Thebes to restore to their homes the citizens who had been exiled on account of their sympathy[*](381 B.C.) with the Lacedaemonians. And again later, having led an expedition in person against Phleius, he also restored the Phleiasian exiles who had suffered in the same cause. Possibly some may censure these actions on other grounds, but at least it is obvious that they were prompted by a spirit of true comradeship.