in the prime of life, showing a modest
respect for their general, combined with a martial bearing due to
their many brave feats of arms. Just as they came into the theatre
Pylades the musician began to recite the 'Persians' of Timotheus

"He wrought for Greece a noble work of freedom"

in a loud voice and with suitable solemnity. At this, all the
spectators turned their eyes upon Philopoemen and broke into joyous
applause, remembering the ancient glories of Greece, and feeling such
confidence in him as almost to recover the ancient spirit of their
nation.

XII. But just as horses like their accustomed rider, and if another
mounts them are scared and unmanageable, so the power of the Achaeans
become feeble under any other general than Philopoemen. When they saw
him, the whole army rejoiced, and were filled with cheerful
confidence, well knowing that he was the only one of their generals
before whom the enemy always fled, terrified by his name, as, indeed,
appeared by their acts. For Philip king of Macedon, thinking that if
Philopoemen were put out of the way, the Achaeans would become subject
to himself as they were before, sent men privately to Argos to
assassinate him: but his plot was disclosed, and he became an object
of universal hatred to the Greeks. The Boeotians too, when they were
besieging Megara and were expecting shortly to take it, retreated in
such hot haste that they actually left their scaling ladders planted
against the walls, in consequence of a rumour, which proved a false
one, that Philopoemen was coming to raise the siege and was close at
hand. When Nabis, who became despot over the Lacedaemonians after
Machanidas, by a sudden attack captured the town of Messene,
Philopoemen was not holding any office, but was a mere private citizen.
He could not prevail upon Lysippus, who was commander-in-chief of the
Achaeans, to go to assist the Messenians, because the latter said that
the city must be lost if the enemy were inside the walls. Hereupon
Philopoemen went himself to the rescue with the men of his own city,
who did not delay for any formal vote to empower him to do so, but
followed him because he was born to command. When Nabis heard of his
approach he would not await his coming, but although he was in
possession of the city he marched out by the opposite gate with all
speed, thinking that he would be fortunate if he reached home safe, as
indeed he did. Thus was Messene delivered.

XIII. All