idow Agiatis, with her
babe, was carried to the house of Leonidas. The reform of Agis had
lasted only three years, and he was but twenty-two, when his plans were
thus cruelly cut short.

Leonidas was thus left to reign alone, the first time such a thing had
happened in Sparta. As poor Agiatis was a rich heiress, he kept her in
his house, and married her to his son Cleomenes, a mere boy, much younger
than herself. She was the fairest and wisest woman in Greece; and though
she always was cold, grave, and stern towards the wicked old king, she
loved his wife, and was gentle towards the young boy, who was blameless
of his father's sin, and gave her all his heart for his whole life. He
cared for nothing so much as to hear from her of Agis, his brave,
self-denying ways, and noble plans; and thus did they live, after the
untimely death of Agis, strengthened by the study of the Stoic
philosophy, which taught that virtue was the highest good, and that no
suffering, not even death, was to be shunned in pursuit of her.

When Leonidas died, in 236, Cleomenes became the only king, but he was so
young that Aratus and the Achaians thought it a good time for extending
the power of their league at the expense of Sparta; so, though no war was
going on, Aratus sent a troop by night to seize Tegea and Orchomenus,
cities in alliance with Sparta. But his designs were found out in time
for Cleomenes to strengthen the garrisons in both places, and march
himself to a place called the Athenaeum, which guarded one of the passes
into Laconia.

This made the attempt fail, and Cleomenes wrote to ask the cause of the
night march of the Achaians. Aratus answered that it was to hinder the
fortification of the Athenaeum.

"What was the use, then, of torches and scaling-ladders?" asked
Cleomenes.

Aratus laughed, and asked a Spartan who was in exile what kind of youth
this young king was; and the Spartan made reply, "If you have any designs
against Sparta, you had better begin them before the game chicken's spurs
are grown."

It was a great pity that these two free states in Laconia and Achaia were
only wasting their strength against each other, instead of joining
against Macedon.

[Picture: Greek figures]

CHAP. XXXVI. CLEOMENES AND THE FALL OF SPARTA. B.C. 236-222.

[Picture: Decorative chapter heading]

Aratus cared more for Achaia than for Greece, and soon was again at war
with S