arnished his glory by taking service under
the Egyptian Tachos. It was thought unworthy of a man who had proved
himself the bravest and best soldier in Greece, and who had filled all
the inhabited world with his fame, to hire himself out to a barbarian
rebel, and make a profit of his great name and military reputation,
just like any vulgar captain of mercenaries. If, when more than eighty
years old, and almost crippled by honourable wounds, he had again
placed himself at the head of a glorious crusade against the Persian
on behalf of the liberties of Greece, all men would have admired his
spirit, but even then would not entirely have approved of the
undertaking; for to make an action noble, time and place must be
fitting, since it is this alone that decides whether an action be good
or bad. Agesilaus, however, cared nothing for his reputation, and
considered that no service undertaken for the good of his country
would be dishonourable or unworthy of him, but thought it much more
unworthy and dishonourable to sit uselessly waiting for death at home.
He raised a body of mercenary troops with the money furnished by
Tachos, and set sail, accompanied, as in his former expedition, by
thirty Spartan counsellors.

When he landed in Egypt, the chief generals and ministers of King
Tachos at once came to pay their court to him. The other Egyptians
also eagerly crowded to see Agesilaus, of whom they had heard so much.
When, however, they saw only a little deformed old man, in mean
attire, sitting on the grass, they began to ridicule him, and
contemptuously to allude to the proverb of the mountain in labour,
which brought forth a mouse. They were even more astonished when, of
the presents offered to him, he accepted flour, calves, and geese, but
refused to receive dried fruits, pastry, and perfumes. When greatly
pressed to accept of these things, he ordered them to be given to the
helots. Yet we are told by Theophrastes that he was much pleased with
the flowering papyrus, of which garlands are made, because of its neat
and clean appearance, and he begged for and received some of this
plant from the king when he left Egypt.

XXXVII. When he joined Tachos, who was engaged in preparing his forces
for a campaign, he was disappointed in not receiving the chief
command, but being merely appointed to lead the mercenary troops,
while Chabrias the Athenian was in command of the fleet, Tachos
himself acting as commander-in-chief. This was t