Aratus   

appearing in Argos, and being said to go privately about watching
Aratus, he came early in the morning into the market-place, showing
himself openly and conversing with his friends; then he anointed himself
in the exercise ground, and, taking with him thence some of the young
men that used to drink and spend their time with him, he went home;
and presently after several of his servants were seen about the market-place,
one carrying garlands, another buying flambeaux, and a third speaking
to the women that used to sing and play at banquets, all of which
things the spies observing were deceived, and said, laughing to one
another. "Certainly nothing can be more timorous than a tyrant, if
Nicocles, being master of so great a city and so numerous a force,
stands in fear of a youth that spends what he has to subsist upon
in his banishment in pleasures and day-debauches;" and, being thus
imposed upon, they returned home.
But Aratus, departing immediately after his morning meal, and coming
to his soldiers at Polygnotus's tower, led them to Nemea; where he
disclosed to most of them, for the first time, his true design, making
them large promises and fair speeches, and marched towards the city,
giving for the word Apollo victorious, proportioning his march to
the motion of the moon, so as to have the benefit of her light upon
the way, and to be in the garden, which was close to the wall, just
as she was setting. Here Caphisias to him, who had not secured the
dogs, which had run away before he could catch them, but had only
made sure of the gardener. Upon which most of the company being out
of heart and desiring to retreat, Aratus encouraged them to go on,
promising to retire in case the dogs were too troublesome; at the
same time sending forward those that carried the ladders, conducted
by Ecdelus and Mnasitheus, he followed them himself leisurely, the
dogs already barking very loud and following the steps of Ecdelus
and his companion. However, they got to the wall, and reared the ladders
with safety. But as the foremost men were mounting them, the captain
of the watch that was to be relieved by the morning guard passed on
his way with the bell; and there were many lights, and a noise of
people coming up. Hearing which, they clapt themselves close to the
ladders, and so were unobserved; but as the other watch also was coming
up to meet this, they were in extreme danger of being discovered.
But when this also went by without observing them, immediately Mnasitheus
and Ecdelus got upon the wall, and, possessing themselves of the approaches
inside and out, sent away Technon to Aratus, desiring him to make
all the haste he could.
Now there was no great distance from the garden to the wall and to
the tower in which latter a large hound was kept. The hound did not
hear their steps of himself, whether that he were naturally drowsy,
or over-wearied the day before, but, the gardener's curs awaking him,
he first began to growl and grumble in response, and then as they
passed by to bark out aloud. And the barking was now so great, that
the sentinel opposite shouted out to the dog's keeper to know why
the dog kept such a barking, and whether anything was the matter;
who answered, that it was nothing but only that his dog had been set
barking by the lights of the watch and the noise of the bell. This
reply much encouraged Aratus's soldiers, who thought the dog's keeper
was privy to their design, and wished to conceal what was passing,
and that many others in the city were of the conspiracy. But when
they came to scale the wall, the attempt then appeared both to require
time and to be full of danger, for the ladders shook and tottered
extremely unless they mounted them leisurely and one by one, and time
pressed, for the cocks began to crow, and the country people that
used to bring things to the market would be coming to the town directly.
Therefore Aratus made haste to get up himself, forty only of the company
being already upon the wall and, staying but for a few more of those
that were below, he made straight to the tyrant's house and the general's
office, where the mercenary soldiers passed the night, and, coming
suddenly upon them, and taking them prisoners without killing any
one of them, he immediately sent to all his friends in their houses