202 PELOPIDAS.

They died, but not as lavish of their blood, Or thinking death itself was simply good ; Their wishes neither were to live nor die, But to do both alike commendably. An endeavor to avoid death is not blamable, if we do not basely desire to live ; nor a willingness to die good and virtuous, if it proceeds from a contempt of life. And therefore Homer always takes care to bring his bravest and most daring heroes well aiTQed into battle ; and the Greek lawgivers punished those that threw away their shields, but not him- that lost his sword or spear ; intimat- ing that self-defence is more a man's business than offence. This is especially true of a governor of a city, or a gene- ral ; for if, as Iphicrates divides it out, the light-armed are the hands; the horse the feet; the infantry the breast ; and the general the head ; he, when he puts him- self upon danger, not only ventiires his own person, but all those whose safety depends on his ; and so on the con- trarj^ Callicratidas, therefore, though otherwise a great man, was wrong in his answer to the augur who advised him, the sacrifice being unlucky, to be careful of his life ; " Sparta," said he, ^ will not miss one man." It was true, Callicratidas, when simply serving in any engagement either at sea or land, was but a single person, but as gen- eral, he united in his life the lives of aU, and could hardly be called one, when his death involved the ruin of so many. The saying of old Antigonus was better, who, when he was to fight at Andros, and one told him, " The enemy's ships are more than ours ; " replied, '• For how many then wilt thou reckon me?" intimating that a brave and experienced commander is to be highly valued, one of the first duties of whose office indeed it is to save him on whose safety depends that of others. And there- fore I applaud Timotheus, who, when Chares showed the wounds he had received, and his shield pierced by a dart,