οὐ πολλῷ δὲ ὕστερον τὸν ἀγῶνα ἔθηκαν τῶν Ἰσθμίων οἱ ἐπὶ λακωνισμῷ φεύγοντες Κορίνθιοι. οἱ δὲ ἐν τῇ πόλει τότε μὲν τῷ Ἀγησιλάου δείματι ἡσύχαζον· ἀναζεύξαντος δὲ ἐς τὴν Σπάρτην, οὕτω καὶ αὐτοὶ μετὰ Ἀργείων τὰ Ἴσθμια ἄγουσιν. ἀφίκετο δὲ καὶ αὖθις ἐπὶ Κόρινθον στρατιᾷ· καὶ—ἐπῄει γὰρ Ὑακίνθια—ἀφίησι τοὺς Ἀμυκλαιεῖς οἴκαδε ἀπελθόντας τὰ καθεστηκότα τῷ τε Ἀπόλλωνι καὶ Ὑακίνθῳ δρᾶσαι. ταύτην τὴν μοῖραν ἐπιθέμενοι καθʼ ὁδὸν Ἀθηναῖοι καὶ Ἰφικράτης διέφθειραν·
Ἀγησίλαος δὲ καὶ ἐς Αἰτωλίαν ἐπικουρήσων ἀφίκετο Αἰτωλοῖς ὑπὸ Ἀκαρνάνων πολέμῳ πιεζομένοις, καὶ Ἀκαρνᾶνας ἠνάγκασε καταλύσασθαι τὸν πόλεμον οὐ πολὺ ἀποδέοντας Καλυδῶνα καὶ τὰ ἄλλα Αἰτωλῶν πολίσματα ᾑρηκέναι. χρόνῳ δὲ ὕστερον ἔπλευσε καὶ ἐς Αἴγυπτον, ἀφεστηκότων ἀπὸ βασιλέως τῶν Αἰγυπτίων βοηθήσων· καὶ ἔστιν Ἀγησιλάῳ πολλά τε εἰργασμένα καὶ μνήμης ἄξια ἐν Αἰγύπτῳ. καὶ—ἦν γὰρ δὴ ἤδη γέρων—τὸν μὲν κατὰ τὴν πορείαν ἐπέλαβεν ἡ μοῖρα· Λακεδαιμόνιοι δέ, ὡς ἐκομίσθη σφίσιν ὁ νεκρός, θάπτουσιν αὐτὸν βασιλέων τιμήσαντες μάλιστα.
Ἀρχιδάμου δὲ τοῦ Ἀγησιλάου βασιλεύοντος κατέλαβον τὸ ἱερὸν Φωκεῖς τὸ ἐν Δελφοῖς. Θηβαίοις μὲν δὴ πολεμεῖν τοῖς Φωκεῦσιν ἀφίκετο μὲν καὶ ἰδίᾳ συμμαχικὰ ἐπὶ χρήμασιν, ἀπὸ δὲ κοινοῦ λόγου Λακεδαιμόνιοί τε καὶ Ἀθηναῖοί σφισιν ἤμυνον, οἱ μὲν ἀρχαίαν δή τινα ἐκ τῶν Φωκέων μνημονεύοντες εὐεργεσίαν, Λακεδαιμόνιοι δὲ προφάσει μὲν καὶ οὗτοι φιλίας, κατὰ ἔχθος δὲ ἐμοὶ δοκεῖν τὸ Θηβαίων. Θεόπομπος δὲ ὁ Δαμασιστράτου τόν τε Ἀρχίδαμον μετασχεῖν τῶν χρημάτων αὐτὸν καὶ ἔτι Δεινίχαν τὴν Ἀρχιδάμου γυναῖκα παρὰ τῶν δυναστευόντων ἐν Φωκεῦσιν ἔφη λαμβάνουσαν δωρεὰν ἑτοιμότερον ποιεῖν σφισιν ἐς τὴν συμμαχίαν Ἀρχίδαμον.
τὸ μὲν δὴ χρήματα ἱερὰ δέξασθαι καὶ ἀνδράσιν ἀμῦναι μαντείων πορθήσασι τὸ ἐπιφανέστατον οὐκ ἐς ἔπαινον τίθεμαι, τοσοῦτον δέ οἱ πρόσεστιν ἐς ἔπαινον· Δελφῶν γὰρ τούς τε ἡβῶντας ἀποκτεῖναι καὶ γυναῖκας καὶ τέκνα ἐξανδραποδίσασθαι, καταβαλεῖν δὲ καὶ αὐτὴν ἐς ἔδαφος τὴν πόλιν ἐτόλμων οἱ Φωκεῖς· ταῦτα οὖν μὴ παθεῖν ὑπὸ τῶν Φωκέων αὐτοὺς παρῃτήσατο Ἀρχίδαμος.
διέβη δὲ καὶ ἐς Ἰταλίαν ὕστερον Ταραντίνοις βαρβάρων πόλεμον συνδιοίσων σφίσιν ὁμόρων· καὶ ἀπέθανέ τε αὐτόθι ὑπὸ τῶν βαρβάρων καὶ αὐτοῦ τὸν νεκρὸν ἁμαρτεῖν τάφου τὸ μήνιμα ἐγένετο ἐμποδὼν τὸ ἐκ τοῦ Ἀπόλλωνος. τοῦ δὲ Ἀρχιδάμου τούτου τὸν μὲν πρεσβύτερον παῖδα Ἆγιν κατέλαβεν ἀποθανεῖν Μακεδόσιν ἐναντία καὶ Ἀντιπάτρῳ μαχεσάμενον, Εὐδαμίδας δὲ ὁ νεώτερος Λακεδαιμονίοις ἐβασίλευσεν ἄγουσιν εἰρήνην. τὰ δὲ ἐς Ἆγιν τὸν Εὐδαμίδου καὶ ἐς Εὐρυδαμίδαν τὸν Ἄγιδος ὡς ἔσχεν, ἤδη μοι καὶ τάδε ἡ Σικυωνία συγγραφὴ διεξῄει.
ἰοῦσι δὲ ἀπὸ τῶν Ἑρμῶν ἐστιν ὁ τόπος οὗτος ἅπας δρυῶν πλήρης· τὸ δὲ ὄνομα τῷ χωρίῳ Σκοτίταν οὐ τὸ συνεχὲς τῶν δένδρων ἐποίησεν, ἀλλὰ Ζεὺς ἐπίκλησιν ἔσχε Σκοτίτας, καὶ ἔστιν ἐν ἀριστερᾷ τῆς ὁδοῦ δέκα μάλιστά που στάδια ἐκτραπομένοις ἱερὸν Σκοτίτα Διός. ἐπανελθόντων δὲ ἐντεῦθεν προελθοῦσιν ὀλίγον καὶ τραπεῖσιν αὖθις ἐς ἀριστερὰν ἄγαλμά ἐστιν Ἡρακλέους καὶ τρόπαιον· ἀναστῆσαι δὲ ἐλέγετο Ἡρακλῆς ἀποκτείνας Ἱπποκόωντα καὶ τοὺς παῖδας.
τρίτη δὲ ἐκ τῆς ὁδοῦ τῆς εὐθείας ἐκβολὴ κατὰ τὰ δεξιὰ ἐς Καρύας ἄγει καὶ ἐς τὸ ἱερὸν τῆς Ἀρτέμιδος. τὸ γὰρ χωρίον Ἀρτέμιδος καὶ Νυμφῶν ἐστιν αἱ Κάρυαι καὶ ἄγαλμα ἕστηκεν Ἀρτέμιδος ἐν ὑπαίθρῳ Καρυάτιδος· χοροὺς δὲ ἐνταῦθα αἱ Λακεδαιμονίων παρθένοι κατὰ ἔτος ἱστᾶσι καὶ ἐπιχώριος αὐταῖς καθέστηκεν ὄρχησις. ἀναστρέψαντι δὲ καὶ κατὰ τὴν λεωφόρον ἰόντι ἐρείπια Σελλασίας ἐστί· ταύτην, καθὰ καὶ πρότερον ἔγραψα, ἠνδραποδίσαντο Ἀχαιοὶ Λακεδαιμονίους καὶ τὸν βασιλέα Κλεομένην τὸν Λεωνίδου μάχῃ νικήσαντες.
ἐν δὲ Θόρνακι—ἐς γὰρ τοῦτον ἀφίξῃ προϊών—ἄγαλμά ἐστι Πυθαέως Ἀπόλλωνος κατὰ τὰ αὐτὰ τῷ ἐν Ἀμύκλαις πεποιημένον· τὸ δὲ σχῆμα ὁποῖόν ἐστιν, ἐπʼ ἐκείνῳ γράψω. Λακεδαιμονίοις γὰρ ἐπιφανέστερά ἐστι τὰ ἐς τὸν Ἀμυκλαῖον, ὥστε καὶ τὸν χρυσόν, ὃν Κροῖσος ὁ Λυδὸς τῷ Ἀπόλλωνι ἔπεμψε τῷ Πυθαεῖ, τούτῳ ἐς κόσμον τοῦ ἐν Ἀμύκλαις κατεχρήσαντο ἀγάλματος.
Not long afterwards the Corinthian exiles, who had been banished for siding with Sparta, celebrated the Isthmian games. Cowed by the presence of Agesilaus, Corinth submitted in silence. But no sooner had Agesilaus broken up his camp and taken the road for Sparta than the Corinthians and Argives together celebrated the Isthmian games afresh. Once more Agesilaus marched against Corinth at the head of an army. But the festival of Hyacinth now drawing near, he gave the Amyclaean battalion leave to go home and celebrate the customary rites of Apollo and Hyacinth. That battalion was attacked on the march by the Athenians under Iphicrates and cut to pieces.
Agesilaus also went to Aetolia to succour the Aetolians who were hard bestead by the Acarnanians. He forced the Acarnanians to conclude a peace, though they were near taking Calydon and all the other cities of Aetolia.
Afterwards he sailed to Egypt to aid the Egyptians in their revolt from the King of Persia. In Egypt he signalised himself by many memorable deeds. But he was now grown old, and death overtook him on the journey. The body was brought home, and laid in the grave with more splendid marks of honour than had ever dignified the funeral of a Spartan king.
In the reign of Archidamus, son of Agesilaus, the Phocians seized the sanctuary at Delphi. This involved them in war with Thebes. The prospect of pay drew mercenaries to the Phocian standards ; and both Sparta and Athens publicly espoused the same cause. The Athenians professed to recollect some service, God knows what, which the Phocians had done them in days of old. The Spartans also made a pretext of friendship for Phocis ; but they were really animated, I believe, by hatred of Thebes. Theopompus, son of Damasistratus, says that King Archidamus himself had a finger in the sacred pie, and that his zeal for the Phocian alliance was whetted by his wife Dinicha, who had been bribed by the Phocian leaders. Now, to be a resetter of sacred moneys, and to back up men who have rifled the seat of the most famous oracle in the world, is not what I should call meritorious. Still it is to his credit that when the reckless Phocians would have put the men of Delphi to the sword, sold the women and children into slavery, and razed the city to the ground, Archidamus, by his intercession, saved the Delphians from this dreadful doom.
Afterwards he crossed to Italy to fight for the Tarentines in a border war with barbarians. Here he met his death at the hands of the barbarians, and the wrath of Apollo prevented his corpse from receiving burial.
His elder son Agis fell fighting Antipater and the Macedonians; but his younger son, Eudamidas, sat on the throne of Lacedaemon, and his reign was peaceful. Of Agis, the son of Eudamidas, and Eurydamidas, the son of Agis, I have spoken in the section on Sicyon.
On the way from the images of Hermes the whole countryside is clothed with oak-woods. The name of the place, however, Scotitas (‘dark’), is not derived from the thickness of the woods, but from Zeus Scotitas, whose sanctuary we reach by turning out of the road to the left for a distance of just about ten furlongs. Returning thence, and going on a little, and then again turning to the left, we come to an image of Hercules and a trophy : it was said to have been erected by Hercules after he had slain Hippocoon and his sons. A third cross-road leads on the right to Caryae, and to the sanctuary of Artemis; for Caryae is sacred to Artemis and the nymphs, and an image of Artemis Caryatis stands here under the open sky. Here every year the Lacedaemonian maidens dance in troops their national dance. 9. Returning and going along the highway you come to the ruins of Sellasia. The inhabitants, as I mentioned before, were carried away into slavery by the Achaeans after the battle in which they defeated the Lacedaemonians and their king Cleomenes, son of Leonidas. 10. Going on you will come to Thornax, where there is an image of Pythaean Apollo, just like the one at Amyclae: I shall describe its form in speaking of the latter. For the Lacedaemonians think more of the Amyclaean one; and so when Croesus the Lydian sent an offering of gold to the Pythaean Apollo they employed it to adorn the image at Amyclae.
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