as, and drew up
his troops along the farther bank to dispute the passage, encouraged to
do so by the different nature of the ford, and the steepness of the
hills on either hand. Now a strange rivalry and contest arose among
Timoleon's captains, which delayed their onset. No one chose to let any
one else lead the way against the enemy, but each man wished to be
first; so that their crossing was conducted in a disorderly fashion,
each man trying to push by and outstrip the rest. Hereupon Timoleon,
wishing to choose the leaders by lot, took a ring from each. These he
threw into his own cloak, mixed them up, and showed the first which he
drew out, which happened to be engraved with the figure of a trophy of
victory. When the young men saw this they raised a shout of joy, and
would not wait for the rest to be drawn, but each man, as fast as he
could, rode through the river and set upon the enemy. Their assault was
irresistible; the enemy fled, all of them throwing away their shields,
and with the loss of a hundred men.

XXXII. Soon after this, while Timoleon was campaigning in the Leontine
country, he took Hiketes alive, with his son Eupolemus, and Euthymus,
the commander of his cavalry. The soldiers seized and bound them, and
led them into Timoleon's presence. Hiketes and his son were put to death
as despots and traitors; nor did Euthymus meet with compassion, though
he was a man of renown in athletic contest, and of great personal
bravery, because of a scoffing speech of which he was accused against
the Corinthians. The story goes that he was addressing the people of
Leontini on the subject of the Corinthian invasion, and told them that
there was nothing to be alarmed at if

"Corinthian ladies have come out from home."[A]

Thus it is that most people seem to suffer more from hard words than
hard deeds, and are more excited by insult than by actual hurt. What we
do to our enemies in war is done of necessity, but the evil we say of
them seems to spring from an excess of spite.

[Footnote A: A line in the Medea of Euripides. The point of the joke
depends on the punctuation, but cannot be kept in translation.]

XXXIII. On Timoleon's return the Syracusans brought the family and
daughters of Hiketes before the public assembly for trial, and condemned
them to death. And this, methinks, is the most heartless of Timoleon's
actions, that for want of a word from him these poor creatures should
have perished. He seems not to