Ἀρχιδάμου δὲ ὡς ἐτελεύτα καταλιπόντος παῖδας Ἆγίς τε πρεσβύτερος ἦν ἡλικίᾳ καὶ παρέλαβεν ἀντὶ Ἀγησιλάου τὴν ἀρχήν. ἐγένετο δὲ Ἀρχιδάμῳ καὶ θυγάτηρ, ὄνομα μὲν Κυνίσκα, φιλοτιμότατα δὲ ἐς τὸν ἀγῶνα ἔσχε τὸν Ὀλυμπικόν καὶ πρώτη τε ἱπποτρόφησε γυναικῶν καὶ νίκην ἀνείλετο Ὀλυμπικὴν πρώτη. Κυνίσκας δὲ ὕστερον γυναιξὶ καὶ ἄλλαις καὶ μάλιστα ταῖς ἐκ Λακεδαίμονος γεγόνασιν Ὀλυμπικαὶ νῖκαι, ὧν ἐπιφανεστέρα ἐς τὰς νίκας οὐδεμία ἐστὶν αὐτῆς.
δοκοῦσι δὲ οἱ Σπαρτιᾶταί μοι ποίησιν καὶ ἔπαινον τὸν ἀπʼ αὐτῆς ἥκιστα ἀνθρώπων θαυμάσαι· ὅτι γὰρ μὴ τῇ Κυνίσκᾳ τὸ ἐπίγραμμα ἐποίησεν ὅστις δή, καὶ ἔτι πρότερον Παυσανίᾳ τὸ ἐπὶ τῷ τρίποδι Σιμωνίδης τῷ ἀνατεθέντι ἐς Δελφούς, ἄλλο γε παρὰ ἀνδρὸς ποιητοῦ Λακεδαιμονίων τοῖς βασιλεῦσιν οὐδέν ἐστιν ἐς μνήμην.
ἐπὶ δὲ Ἄγιδος τοῦ Ἀρχιδάμου βασιλεύοντος Λακεδαιμονίοις ἄλλα τε ἐγένετο ἐς Ἠλείους ἐγκλήματα καὶ τοῦ ἀγῶνος τοῦ Ὀλυμπικοῦ καὶ ἱεροῦ τοῦ Ὀλυμπίασιν ὑπʼ αὐτῶν εἰργόμενοι μάλιστα ἤχθοντο. ἀποστέλλουσιν οὖν κήρυκα ἐπίταγμα φέροντα Ἠλείοις Λεπρεάτας τε αὐτονόμους ἀφιέναι καὶ ὅσοι τῶν περιοίκων ἄλλοι σφίσιν ἦσαν ὑπήκοοι. ἀποκριναμένων δὲ Ἠλείων ὡς ἐπειδὰν τὰς περιοικίδας τῆς Σπάρτης πόλεις ἴδωσιν ἐλευθέρας, οὐδὲ αὐτοὶ μελλήσουσιν ἔτι ἀφιέναι τὰς ἑαυτῶν, οὕτω Λακεδαιμόνιοι καὶ ὁ βασιλεὺς Ἆγις ἐσβάλλουσιν ἐς τὴν Ἠλείαν.
τότε μὲν δὴ τοῦ θεοῦ σείσαντος ὀπίσω τὸ στράτευμα ἀπεχώρησεν ἄχρι Ὀλυμπίας καὶ τοῦ Ἀλφειοῦ προελθόντες· τῷ δὲ ἐφεξῆς ἔτει τήν τε χώραν ἐδῄωσεν ὁ Ἆγις καὶ ἤλασε τῆς λείας τὴν πολλήν. Ξενίας δὲ ἀνὴρ Ἠλεῖος Ἄγιδί τε ἰδίᾳ ξένος καὶ Λακεδαιμονίων τοῦ κοινοῦ πρόξενος ἐπανέστη τῷ δήμῳ σὺν τοῖς τὰ χρήματα ἔχουσι· πρὶν δὲ Ἆγιν καὶ τὸν στρατὸν ἀφῖχθαί σφισιν ἀμύνοντας, Θρασυδαῖος προεστηκὼς τότε τοῦ Ἠλείων δήμου μάχῃ Ξενίαν καὶ τοὺς σὺν αὐτῷ κρατήσας ἐξέβαλεν ἐκ τῆς πόλεως.
Ἆγις δὲ ὡς ἀπήγαγεν ὀπίσω τὴν στρατιάν, Λυσίστρατον Σπαρτιάτην καὶ μοῖράν τε τῆς δυνάμεως καὶ Ἠλείων καταλείπει τοὺς φυγάδας, κακουργεῖν σφᾶς ὁμοῦ Λεπρεάταις τὴν χώραν. τρίτῳ δὲ ἔτει τοῦ πολέμου Λακεδαιμόνιοι μὲν καὶ Ἆγις παρεσκευάζοντο ὡς ἐς τὴν Ἠλείαν καὶ τότε ἐσβαλοῦντες· οἱ δὲ Ἠλεῖοι καὶ Θρασυδαῖος—κεκακωμένοι γὰρ ἐς τὸ ἔσχατον ἦσαν— συγχωροῦσι μήτε τῶν περιοίκων ἔτι ἄρχειν καὶ τοῦ ἄστεως κατερεῖψαι τὸ τεῖχος, Λακεδαιμονίους τε ἐν Ὀλυμπίᾳ καὶ θύειν τῷ θεῷ καὶ τὸν ἀγῶνα ἐξεῖναί σφισιν ἀγωνίζεσθαι.
ἐνέβαλλε δὲ καὶ ἐς τὴν Ἀττικὴν συνεχῶς ὁ Ἆγις στρατιᾷ καὶ ἐπετείχισε φρούριον Ἀθηναίοις τὸ ἐν Δεκελείᾳ· καταλυθέντος δὲ ἐν Αἰγὸς ποταμοῖς τοῦ Ἀθηναίων ναυτικοῦ Λύσανδρος ὁ Ἀριστοκρίτου καὶ Ἆγις ὅρκους μὲν θεῶν ὑπερέβησαν, οὓς ὤμοσαν Ἀθηναίοις ἐν κοινῷ Λακεδαιμόνιοι, κατὰ σφᾶς δὲ αὐτοὶ καὶ οὐ μετὰ Σπαρτιατῶν τοῦ κοινοῦ τὸ βούλευμα ἐς τοὺς συμμάχους ἐξήνεγκαν ἐκκόψαι προρρίζους τὰς Ἀθήνας.
τὰ μὲν οὖν ἐς πόλεμον μάλιστα ἐπίσημα τοιαῦτα ὑπῆρχε τῷ Ἄγιδι· προπέτειαν δὲ τὴν Ἀρίστωνος ἐς Δημάρατον καὶ Ἆγις ἐς τὸν παῖδα ἔσχε Λεωτυχίδην, καί οἱ κατά τινα οὐκ ἀγαθὸν δαίμονα ἐσῆλθεν ἐς ἐπήκοον τῶν ἐφόρων εἰπεῖν ὡς οὐχ αὑτοῦ νομίζοι Λεωτυχίδην. ἐπέλαβε μέντοι καὶ Ἆγιν μετάνοια ὕστερον, καὶ—ἔφερον γὰρ τηνικαῦτα οἴκαδε ἐξ Ἀρκαδίας αὐτὸν νοσοῦντα—ὡς ἐγίνετο ἐν Ἡραίᾳ, καὶ τὸ πλῆθος μάρτυρας ἐποιεῖτο ἦ μὴν Λεωτυχίδην ἑαυτοῦ παῖδα ἡγεῖσθαι καί σφισι σὺν ἱκεσίᾳ τε καὶ δακρύοις ἐπέσκηπτε πρὸς Λακεδαιμονίους ταῦτα ἀπαγγέλλειν.
μετὰ δὲ Ἆγιν ἀποθανόντα ἀπήλαυνεν Ἀγησίλαος τῆς βασιλείας Λεωτυχίδην, ἐς μνήμην ἄγων Λακεδαιμονίοις τὰ ὑπὸ Ἄγιδός ποτε λεχθέντα ἐς τὸν Λεωτυχίδην. ἀφίκοντο δὲ καὶ οἱ ἐξ Ἡραίας Ἀρκάδες καὶ ἦσαν τῷ Λεωτυχίδῃ μάρτυρες ὁπόσα Ἄγιδος τελευτῶντος ἤκουσαν.
τῷ δὲ Ἀγησιλάῳ καὶ Λεωτυχίδῃ παρέσχεν ἐς πλέον τὸ μάντευμα ἀντιλογίαν τὸ ἐκ Δελφῶν, γεγονὸς μὲν ἐκεῖ, ἔχον δὲ οὕτω· φράζεο δή, Σπάρτη, καίπερ μεγάλαυχος ἐοῦσα, / μὴ σέθεν ἀρτίποδος βλάστῃ χωλὴ βασιλεία. / δηρὸν γὰρ μόχθοι σε κατασχήσουσιν ἄελπτοι / φθερσιβρότου τʼ ἐπὶ κῦμα κυκωόμενον πολέμοιο. /
τότε οὖν Λεωτυχίδης μὲν ἐς Ἀγησίλαον ταῦτα ἔφασκεν εἰρῆσθαι, τὸν γὰρ δὴ ἕτερον τῶν ποδῶν ἐπεπήρωτο ὁ Ἀγησίλαος· Ἀγησίλαος δὲ ἐς Λεωτυχίδην αὐτὰ ἔτρεπεν οὐ γνήσιον ὄντα Ἄγιδος. Λακεδαιμόνιοι δέ, καίπερ ἐπὶ σφίσιν ὄν, οὐκ ἐπανήγαγον τὸ ἀμφισβήτημα ἐς Δελφούς· αἴτιος δʼ ἐμοὶ δοκεῖν Λύσανδρος ἐγένετο ὁ Ἀριστοκρίτου Ἀγησιλάῳ συσπεύδων ἐξ ἅπαντος τὴν βασιλείαν γενέσθαι.
Archidamus at his death left two sons. Agis was the elder, and succeeded to the throne rather than Agesilaus. Archidamus had also a daughter, Cynisca, who was passionately fond of the Olympic games, and was the first woman who bred horses and won an Olympic victory. After Cynisca other women, chiefly Lacedaemonian, have won Olympic victories, but none of them was more famous for her victories than she. It seems to me that in all the wide world there is no people so dead to poetry and poetic fame as the Spartans. For, bating the epigram that somebody concocted upon Cynisca, and another which Simonides wrote for Pausanias to be graved on the votive tripod at Delphi, there is never a poet that sang the praises of the kings of Lacedaemon.
In the reign of Agis, son of Archidamus, the Lacedaemonians had various grudges against the Eleans: in particular they were very sore at being debarred from the Olympic games and from the sanctuary at Olympia. So they sent a herald to the Eleans, commanding them to set free Lepreum and all their other vassal states. The Eleans replied that whenever they saw the vassal states of Sparta free they would have no hesitation in liberating theirs. So the Lacedaemonians, under King Agis, invaded Elis. The army had advanced as far as Olympia and the Alpheus when a shock of earthquake induced it to retire. But next year Agis ravaged the country and carried off much booty. Hereupon a certain man of Elis called Xenias put himself at the head of the wealthy classes, and revolted against the democracy. He was a private friend of Agis and a public friend of the Lacedaemonian state. But before Agis could bring up an army to his aid, the popular leader Thrasydaeus defeated and expelled Xenias and his faction from the city. Agis led back his army, leaving, however, behind him a corps under Lysistratus a Spartan, which was to co-operate with the Elean exiles and the people of Lepreum in harrying the land of Elis. In the third year of the war the Lacedaemonians under Agis were preparing to invade Elis once more. But the exhausted Eleans, with Thrasydaeus at their head, now consented to resign the suzerainty of their vassal states, to dismantle the walls of their city, and to suffer the Lacedaemonians to offer sacrifice to the god in Olympia and to compete in the Olympic games.
Agis used also perpetually to invade Attica, and he built the fort at Decelea as a standing menace to Athens. But when the naval power of Athens was shattered at Aegospotami, Agis and Lysander, the son of Aristocritus, in defiance of the faith which Sparta had publicly plighted to Athens, proposed to the allies, of their own motion, and without the sanction of the Spartan state, that Athens should be destroyed root and branch. Such were the feats of arms that most redounded to the honour of Agis.
The indiscretion of which Aristo had been guilty in reference to his son Demaratus was repeated by Agis in reference to his son Leotychides ; for some devil put it into his head to say in the hearing of the ephors that he did not think Leotychides was his own son. However, like Aristo, he afterwards repented, and when they were carrying him home from Arcadia on a bed of sickness, and he was come to Heraea, he took the people of the town to witness that he believed Leotychides to be his very son, and with prayers and tears he charged them to convey this message to the Lacedaemonians. 5. When he was gone, Agesilaus endeavoured to exclude Leotychides from the succession by reminding the Lacedaemonians of what Agis had once said about him. But the Arcadians came from Heraea and witnessed in favour of Leotychides all that they had heard from the dying lips of Agis. The dispute between Agesilaus and Leotychides was further embroiled by the Delphic oracle, which ran thus :— Proud Sparta! beware Lest from thee, the sound-footed, should grow a lame reign. Too long shall toils unlooked-for hold thee down, And baleful billows of tumultuous war. 10. Leotychides would have it that this was a poetical allusion to Agesilaus, who halted on one foot; but Agesilaus applied it to his rival’s bastardy. The Lacedaemonians might, if they chose, have referred the issue to Delphi. That they did not do so was due, I suspect, to the intrigues of Lysander, the son of Aristocratus, who left no stone unturned to secure the crown for Agesilaus.
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