y ceased. However some Nemesis overtook him, as it
does a too successful athlete just at the termination of his course.
It is said that when some persons in society were praising a man who
was thought to be a good general, Philopoemen said, "How can you think
that man worth consideration, who was taken by his enemy alive."

A few days after this Deinokrates of Messene, a personal enemy of
Philopoemen, and one who was generally disliked because of his wicked
and licentious life, caused Messene to revolt from the Achaean league,
and was announced to be marching upon a village named Kolonis.
Philopoemen was at this time lying ill with a fever in the city of
Argos, but on hearing this he proceeded at once to Megalopolis, a
distance of four hundred furlongs, in one day. From that city he set
out straightway with a body of cavalry, composed of the noblest
citizens, but mostly very young men, who were proud to serve as
volunteers under Philopoemen. They rode into the Messenian territory,
met Deinokrates near the hill of Evander, and put him to flight.
However as the Messenian frontier patrol of five hundred men suddenly
came up, the defeated body rallied again, and Philopoemen, fearing to
be surrounded, and wishing to be careful of the lives of his men,
retired into mountainous ground, himself protecting the rear, making
frequent charges, and drawing the whole attack of the enemy upon
himself. They did not dare to encounter him personally, but clamoured
and wheeled about at a distance. In his eagerness to save each one of
his young soldiers he ventured forward so often, to cover their
retreat, that at last he found himself alone in the midst of his
enemies. None of them dared to meet him, but pelted him with stones
and darts from a distance, so that he was with difficulty able to
guide his horse over the rocky and precipitous ground, and fatigued
the animal greatly.

His age was no hindrance to him, because of his habit of constant
exercise, but unluckily he was weak from his sickness, and wearied by
his long journey, so as to feel faint. His horse at length stumbling
threw him to the ground. He fell heavily on his head, and lay
speechless for some time, so that his enemies thought that he was
dead, and began to turn over his body and strip it. But when he raised
his head and opened his eyes they fell upon him in a body, tied his
hands behind his back, and led him away, jeering much at a man who
never even dreamed that he co