he first vexatious
circumstance which occurred to Agesilaus; and soon he began to feel
great annoyance at the vainglorious swaggering tone of the Egyptian
king, which nevertheless he was obliged to endure throughout the whole
of a naval expedition which they undertook against the Phoenicians,
during which he suppressed his feelings of disgust as well as he could
until at last he had an opportunity of showing them. Nektanebis, the
cousin of Tachos, and the commander of a large portion of his force,
revolted, and caused himself to be proclaimed King of Egypt. He at
once sent to Agesilaus begging for his assistance, and he also made
the same proposals to Chabrias, offering them great rewards if they
would join him.

Tachos, hearing of this, also began to supplicate them to stand by
him, and Chabrias besought Agesilaus to remain in the service of
Tachos, and to act as his friend. To this, however, Agesilaus
answered, "You, Chabrias, have come here on your own responsibility,
and are able to act as you please. I was given by Sparta to the
Egyptians as their general. It would not become me, therefore, to make
war against those whom I was sent to aid, unless my country orders me
to do so." After expressing himself thus, he sent messengers to
Sparta, with instructions to depreciate Tachos, and to praise
Nektanebis. Both these princes also sent embassies to the
Lacedaemonians, the one begging for aid as their old friend and ally,
the other making large promises of future good-will towards them.
After hearing both sides, the Spartans publicly answered the
Egyptians, that Agesilaus would decide between them, and they sent
him a private despatch, bidding him to do what was best for Sparta.
Hereupon Agesilaus and the mercenaries left Tachos, and joined
Nektanebis, making the interests of his country the pretext for his
extraordinary conduct, which we can hardly call anything better than
treachery. However, the Lacedaemonians regard that course as the most
honourable which is the most advantageous to their country, and know
nothing of right or wrong, but only how to make Sparta great.

XXXVIII. Tachos, deserted by the mercenaries, now fled for his life;
but another claimant of the throne arose in the district of Mendes,
and made war against Nektanebis with an army of one hundred thousand
men. Nektanebis, in his talk with Agesilaus, spoke very confidently
about this force, saying that they were indeed very numerous, but a
mere mixe