dered the Molossian
cavalry to charge them. He was the first to ride among the
Lacedaemonians, and terribly avenged his son by cutting them down.
Pyrrhus in battle was always a terrific figure, whom none dared to
resist, but on this occasion he surpassed himself in courage and fury.
At length he rode up to Eualkus, who avoided his charge, and aimed a
blow at him with his sword which just missed Pyrrhus's bridle hand,
but cut through his reins. Pyrrhus ran him through with his spear at
the same moment, but fell from his horse, and, fighting henceforth on
foot, slew all the chosen band commanded by Eualkus. This was a severe
loss to Sparta, incurred as it was unnecessarily, after the war was
really over, from the desire of their generals to distinguish
themselves.

XXXI. Pyrrhus celebrated his son's obsequies with splendid games.[50]
His grief was partly satiated by the revenge which he had taken upon
the enemy, and he now marched towards Argos. Hearing that Antigonus
was encamped upon one of the heights near the city, he himself pitched
his camp at Nauplia. On the next day he sent a herald to Antigonus
with an insulting message, challenging him to come down upon the level
ground and fight. Antigonus answered that he should fight only when he
chose, but that if Pyrrhus was weary of his life, he could find many
other ways to die. Ambassadors from Argos also came to each of them,
begging them to withdraw their forces, and allow the city to remain
independent and friendly to both, Antigonus accepted this offer, and
handed over his son to the Argives as a hostage, while Pyrrhus agreed
to retire, but, as he gave no pledge, was viewed with greater
suspicion than before. A strange portent also happened to Pyrrhus, for
the heads of the oxen which had been sacrificed, when lying apart from
their bodies, were observed to put out their tongues and lap their own
gore; and in the city the priestess of Apollo Lykius rushed about in
frenzy, crying out that she saw the whole city full of slaughtered
corpses, and an eagle coming to the fight and then disappearing.

XXXII. During the following night, which was very dark, Pyrrhus
marched his troops up to the walls, found the gate called Diamperes
opened to him by Aristeas, and was able to march his Gaulish troops
into the city and seize the market-place unobserved: but the elephants
could not pass through the gate until their towers were taken off
their backs. The removal of these towers,