very
people who originally drove us into exile, and shut their gates upon
Lacedaemon; the confiscators of our property one day, the ruthless
opponents of its restoration the next. Who else but they have now
brought it about that we should be fined for appearing at Lacedaemon?
and for what purpose but to deter any one else for the future from
venturing to expose the proceedings at Phlius?" Thus far the appellants.
And in good sooth the conduct of the men of Phlius did seem to savour of
insolence; so much so that the ephors called out the ban against them.

B.C. 380. Nor was Agesilaus otherwise than well satisfied with
this decision, not only on the ground of old relations of friendly
hospitality between his father Archidamus and the party of Podanemus,
who were numbered among the restored exiles at this time, but because
personally he was bound by similar ties himself towards the adherents
of Procles, son of Hipponicus. The border sacrifices proving favourable,
the march commenced at once. As he advanced, embassy after embassy met
him, and would fain by presents of money avert invasion. But the king
answered that the purpose of his march was not to commit wrongdoing, but
to protect the victims of injustice. Then the petitioners offered to do
anything, only they begged him to forgo invasion. Again he replied--How
could he trust to their words when they had lied to him already? He
must have the warrant of acts, not promises. And being asked, "What act
(would satisfy him)?" he answered once more, saying, "The same which
you performed aforetime, and suffered no wrong at our hands"--in other
words, the surrender of the acropolis. (8) But to this they could not
bring themselves. Whereupon he invaded the territory of Phlius, and
promptly drawing lines of circumvallation, commenced the siege. Many of
the Lacedaemonians objected, for the sake of a mere handful of wretched
people, so to embroil themselves with a state of over five thousand men.
(9) For, indeed, to leave no doubt on this score, the men of Phlius met
regularly in assembly in full view of those outside. But Agesilaus was
not to be beaten by this move. Whenever any of the townsmen came out,
drawn by friendship or kinship with the exiles, in every case the king's
instructions were to place the public messes (10) at the service of
the visitors, and, if they were willing to go through the course of
gymnastic training, to give them enough to procure necessaries. All
memb