Agesilaus   

Tisaphernes and his army, he suddenly turns back, and falls upon Phrygia,
takes many of their cities, and carries away great booty, showing
his allies that to break a solemn league was a downright contempt
of the gods, but the circumvention of an enemy in war was not only
just but glorious, a gratification at once and an advantage.
Being weak in horse, and discouraged by ill-omens in the sacrifices,
he retired to Ephesus, and there raised cavalry. He obliged the rich
men, that were not inclined to serve in person, to find each of them
a horseman armed and mounted, and there being many who preferred doing
this, the army was quickly reinforced by a body, not of unwilling
recruits for the infantry, but of brave and numerous horsemen. For
those that were not good at fighting themselves hired such as were
more military in their inclinations, and such as loved not horse-service
substituted in their places such as did. Agamemnon's example had been
a good one, when he took the present of an excellent mare to dismiss
a rich coward from the army.
When by Agesilaus's order the prisoners he had taken in Phrygia were
exposed to sale, they were first stripped of their garments and then
sold naked. The clothes found many customers to buy them, but the
bodies being, from the want of all exposure and exercise, white and
tender-skinned, were derided and scorned as unserviceable, Agesilaus,
who stood by at the auction, told his Greeks, "These are the men against
whom ye fight, and these the things you will gain by it."
The season of the year being come, he boldly gave out that he would
invade Lydia; and this plain dealing of his was now mistaken for a
stratagem by Tisaphernes, who by not believing Agesilaus, having been
already deceived by him, overreached himself. He expected that he
should have made choice of Caria, as a rough country, not fit for
horse, in which he deemed Agesilaus to be weak, and directed his own
marches accordingly. But when he found him to be as good as his word,
and to have entered into the country of Sardis, he made great haste
after him, and by great marches of his horse, overtaking the loose
stragglers who were pillaging the country, he cut them off. Agesilaus
meanwhile, considering that the horse had outridden the foot, but
that he himself had the whole body of his own army entire, made haste
to engage them. He mingled his light-armed foot, carrying targets,
with the horse, commanding them to advance at full speed and begin
the battle, whilst he brought up the heavier-armed men in the rear.
The success was answerable to the design; the barbarians were put
to the rout, the Grecians pursued hard, took their camp, and put many
of them to the sword. The consequence of this victory was very great;
for they had not only the liberty of foraging the Persian country,
and plundering at pleasure, but also saw Tisaphernes pay dearly for
all the cruelty he had showed the Greeks, to whom he was a professed
enemy. For the King of Persia sent Tithraustes, who took off his head,
and presently dealt with Agesilaus about his return into Greece, sending
to him ambassadors to that purpose with commission to offer him great
sums of money. Agesilaus's answer was that the making of peace belonged
to the Lacedaemonians, not to him; as for wealth, he had rather see
it in his soldiers' hands than his own; that the Grecians thought
it not honourable to enrich themselves with the bribes of their enemies,
but with their spoils only. Yet, that he might gratify Tithraustes
for the justice he had done upon Tisaphernes, the common enemy of
the Greeks, he removed his quarters into Phrygia, accepting thirty
talents for his expenses. Whilst he was upon his march, he received
a staff from the government at Sparta, appointing him admiral as well
as general. This was an honour which was never done to any but Agesilaus,
who being now undoubtedly the greatest and most illustrious man of
his time, still, as Theopompus had said, gave himself more occasion
of glory in his own virtue and merit than was given him in this authority
and power. Yet he committed a fault in preferring Pisander to the
command of the navy, when there were others at hand both older and
more experienced; in this not so much consulting the public good as
the gratification of his kindred, and especially his wife, whose brother