History of The Peloponnesian War - Book V   

power to lead an army out of the city.
At this juncture arrived word from their friends in Tegea that,
unless they speedily appeared, Tegea would go over from them to the
Argives and their allies, if it had not gone over already. Upon this
news a force marched out from Lacedaemon, of the Spartans and Helots
and all their people, and that instantly and upon a scale never before
witnessed. Advancing to Orestheum in Maenalia, they directed the
Arcadians in their league to follow close after them to Tegea, and,
going on themselves as far as Orestheum, from thence sent back the
sixth part of the Spartans, consisting of the oldest and youngest men,
to guard their homes, and with the rest of their army arrived at
Tegea; where their Arcadian allies soon after joined them. Meanwhile
they sent to Corinth, to the Boeotians, the Phocians, and Locrians,
with orders to come up as quickly as possible to Mantinea. These had
but short notice; and it was not easy except all together, and after
waiting for each other, to pass through the enemy's country, which lay
right across and blocked up the line of communication. Nevertheless
they made what haste they could. Meanwhile the Lacedaemonians with the
Arcadian allies that had joined them, entered the territory of
Mantinea, and encamping near the temple of Heracles began to plunder
the country.
Here they were seen by the Argives and their allies, who immediately
took up a strong and difficult position, and formed in order of
battle. The Lacedaemonians at once advanced against them, and came
on within a stone's throw or javelin's cast, when one of the older
men, seeing the enemy's position to be a strong one, hallooed to
Agis that he was minded to cure one evil with another; meaning that he
wished to make amends for his retreat, which had been so much
blamed, from Argos, by his present untimely precipitation. Meanwhile
Agis, whether in consequence of this halloo or of some sudden new idea
of his own, quickly led back his army without engaging, and entering
the Tegean territory, began to turn off into that of Mantinea the
water about which the Mantineans and Tegeans are always fighting, on
account of the extensive damage it does to whichever of the two
countries it falls into. His object in this was to make the Argives
and their allies come down from the hill, to resist the diversion of
the water, as they would be sure to do when they knew of it, and
thus to fight the battle in the plain. He accordingly stayed that
day where he was, engaged in turning off the water. The Argives and
their allies were at first amazed at the sudden retreat of the enemy
after advancing so near, and did not know what to make of it; but when
he had gone away and disappeared, without their having stirred to
pursue him, they began anew to find fault with their generals, who had
not only let the Lacedaemonians get off before, when they were so
happily intercepted before Argos, but who now again allowed them to
run away, without any one pursuing them, and to escape at their
leisure while the Argive army was leisurely betrayed.
The generals, half-stunned for the moment, afterwards led them
down from the hill, and went forward and encamped in the plain, with
the intention of attacking the enemy.
The next day the Argives and their allies formed in the order in
which they meant to fight, if they chanced to encounter the enemy; and
the Lacedaemonians returning from the water to their old encampment by
the temple of Heracles, suddenly saw their adversaries close in
front of them, all in complete order, and advanced from the hill. A
shock like that of the present moment the Lacedaemonians do not ever
remember to have experienced: there was scant time for preparation, as
they instantly and hastily fell into their ranks, Agis, their king,
directing everything, agreeably to the law. For when a king is in
the field all commands proceed from him: he gives the word to the
Polemarchs; they to the Lochages; these to the Pentecostyes; these
again to the Enomotarchs, and these last to the Enomoties. In short
all orders required pass in the same way and quickly reach the troops;
as almost the whole Lacedaemonian army, save for a small part,