A source-book of ancient history - The Search For Mecca

On Trial for Life 261
freed from danger by this defence, nobody thought Epaminondas
would make any reply, because it was supposed
he would have nothing to say. But he stood forth on the
trial, denied nothing of what his adversaries laid to his
charge, and admitted the truth of all
that his colleagues
had stated; nor did he refuse to submit to the penalty of
the law; but he requested of his
countrymen one favor,
namely, that they would write the following in
their judicial
record of the sentence passed upon him: "Epaminondas
was punished by the Thebans with death, because he
obliged them to overthrow the Lacedemonians at Leuctra,
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whom, before he was general, none of the Boeotians durst
look upon in the field, and because he not only by one
battle rescued Thebes from destruction, but also secured
liberty for all Greece, and brought the power of both
people to such a condition that the Thebans attacked
Sparta, and the Lacedemonians were content if they could
save their lives; nor did he cease to prosecute the war till
after settling Messene, he shut up Sparta with a close
siege." When he had said this, there burst forth a laugh
from all present, with much merriment, and no one of the
judges ventured to pass sentence upon him. Thus he
came off from this trial for life with the greatest glory.
Ancient
1
World, 260 {.
II.
The Battle of Mantinea
Far more wonderful to my mind was the pitch of per-
High spirit
fection to which he had brought his army. There was no soldiers of
labor which his troops would shrink from, either by night
or by day; there was no danger they would flinch from;
das.^°°°'
and with the scantiest provisions, their discipline never Xenophon,
Eellenica,
failed them. vii. 5.
And so, when he gave his last orders to them to prepare
for impending battle, they obeyed with alacrity. He gave