t
morning. Leaving Orchomenus at the first streak of dawn, he passed
Mantinea still under cover of darkness. The spectacle of the Mantineans
rejoicing at their misfortune would have been too severe an ordeal for
his soldiers.

But Iphicrates had not yet reached the summit of his good fortune.
Success followed upon success. Lacedaemonian garrisons had been placed
in Sidus and Crommyon by Praxitas when he took these fortresses, and
again in Oenoe, when Peiraeum was taken quite lately by Agesilaus. One
and all of these now fell into the hands of Iphicrates. Lechaeum still
held out, garrisoned as it was by the Lacedaemonians and their allies;
while the Corinthian exiles, unable since (24) the disaster of the mora
any longer to pass freely by land from Sicyon, had the sea passage still
open to them, and using Lechaeum as their base, (25) kept up a game of
mutual annoyance with the party in the capital.

(24) Lit. "owing to."

(25) The illustrative incidents narrated in chapter iv. 17 may belong
to this period.

VI

B.C. 390-389. (1) At a later date the Achaeans, being in possession of
Calydon, a town from old times belonging to Aetolia, and having further
incorporated the Calydonians as citizens, (2) were under the necessity
of garrisoning their new possession. The reason was, that the
Arcarnanians were threatening the place with an army, and were aided
by contingents from Athens and Boeotia, who were anxious to help their
allies. (3) Under the strain of this combined attack the Achaeans
despatched ambassadors to Lacedaemon, who on arrival complained of the
unfair conduct of Lacedaemon towards themselves. "We, sirs," they said,
"are ever ready to serve in your armies, in obedience to whatever orders
you choose to issue; we follow you whithersoever you think fit to lead;
but when it comes to our being beleaguered by the Acarnanians, with
their allies the Athenians and Boeotians, you show not the slightest
concern. Understand, then, that if things go on thus we cannot hold out;
but either we must give up all part in the war in Peloponnesus and cross
over in full force to engage the Arcarnanians, or we must make peace
with them on whatever terms we can." This language was a tacit threat
that if they failed to obtain the assistance they felt entitled to from
Lacedaemon they would quit the alliance.

(1) According to others (who suppose that the Isthmia and the events
recorded in chapter v. 1-19 above belon