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Alexander the King. When urged by his friends to attack the enemy by night,

he said: 'It is not kingly to steal the victory.' And seeing a certain namesake of his being a coward, he said: 'Young man, either change your name, or your ways.'

748 When urged by his friends to have children, he said: 'Do not be anxious; for I am leaving you children, the victories from my struggles.'

When the same man was going to war, Aristotle said: 'Wait for the fullness of age, and then wage war.' But he said, 'I am afraid that in waiting for the fullness of age, I will lose the daring of youth.'

A Laconian, being reproached by someone because, though being lame, he was going out to war, 'What of it?' he said; 'there is no need for men who run, but for men who stand and fight.'

Leonides. Leonidas the Lacedaemonian, having few soldiers, was marching out to the battle against

the Persians. When someone said that he was marching out with altogether few men, he said: 'But with willing men.'

A Laconian, being weak in body, went forth to battle; and when some people said to him, 'Where are you going in such a state?' he said: 'To die for my country.'

Of Musonius. Seize the opportunity to die well when it is possible. 15Ε_048 lest in a

short while you are present to die, but no longer have the chance to die well. From the Chreiae of Dio. A Laconian woman, whose son was lame in battle

and was distressed at this, said: 'Do not be grieved, child; for with every step you will be reminded of your own virtue.'

From the collection of Nicolaus. The Celts who border the Ocean consider it shameful

to flee a falling wall or house; and when a flood tide from the outer sea approaches, they meet it with weapons and stand their ground until they are overwhelmed, so that they might not seem, by fleeing, to fear death.

Of Coriscus. Coriscus, being a very old man, when he recovered from a severe illness,

said: 'Begone, how unpleasantly have I returned, having already advanced on the road which all must travel.'

Of Pyrrhus. When Pyrrhus campaigned against the Lacedaemonians, and was making many

threats, Cercyllidas, one of the elders, standing up in the Assembly, said: 'If it is a God who threatens, let us not fear; for we do no wrong; but if it is a man, let him know that he threatens men.'

From the Histories of Plutarch. Darius, the king of the Persians, with

three hundred thousand men encamped at (749) Marathon. And the Athenians sent a thousand against them, giving them as generals, Polyzelus, Callimachus, Cynaegeirus, and Miltiades. When the battle was joined, Polyzelus, seeing a vision beyond human, lost his sight, and though being blind, he killed forty-eight. And Callimachus, pierced with many spears, stood dead; and Cynaegeirus, while holding a Persian ship that was being launched, had his hand cut off; whence also it is said that the following was written about them by Panteleius:

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Ἀλέξανδρ. ὁ βασιλεύς. Οὗτος παρακαλούμενος ὑπό τῶν φίλων νυκτός

ἐπιθέσθαι τοῖς πολεμίοις, εἶπεν· Οὐ βασιλικόν ἐστι κλέπτειν τήν νίκην. Θεασάμενος δέ τινα ὁμώνυμον αὐτοῦ δειλόν ὄντα, ἔφη· Νεανίσκε, ἤ τό ὄνομα ἄλλαξον, ἤ τόν τρόπον.

748 Παρακαλούμενος δέ ὑπό τῶν φίλων τεκνοποιῆσαι, ἔφη· Μή ἀγωνιᾶτε· καταλείπω γάρ ὑμῖν τέκνα, τάς ἐκ τῶν ἀγώνων νίκας.

Τοῦ αὐτοῦ ἐνιόντος ἐπί τόν πόλεμος, Ἀριστοτέλης ἔφη· Περίμεινον τό τέλειον τῆς ἡλικίας, καί τότε πολέμει. Ὁ δέ, Φοβοῦμαι, εἶπε, μή περιμένων τό τέλειον τῆς ἡλικίας, τήν τῆς νεότητος τόλμαν ἀπολέσω.

Λάκων ὀνειδιζόμενος ὑπό τινος, ὅτι χωλός ὤν ἔξεισιν ἐπί τόν πόλεμον, Τί τοῦτο; ἔφη· οὐ φευγόντων ἐστί χρεία, ἀλλά μενόντων καί ἀγωνιζομένων.

Λαονίδης . Λεονίδας ὁ Λακεδαιμόνιος, ὀλίγους ἔχων στρατιώτας, εἰς τήν πρός

τούς Πέρσας μάχην ἐξεπορεύετο. Εἰπόντος δέ τινος, ὅτι μετ᾿ ὀλίγων παντελῶς ἐκπορεύεται, εἶπεν· Ἀλλά μετά βουλομένων.

Λάκων ἀσθενεως τό σῶμα διακείμενος ἐπί παράταξιν προῆγε· λεγόντων δέ τινων αὐτῷ, Ποῦ τοιοῦτος ὤν πορεύῃ; ἔφη· Ὑπέρ τῆς πατρίδους ἀποθανεῖν.

Μουσωνίου. Ἅρπαξε τό καλῶς ἀποθνήσκειν ὅτε ἔξεστι. 15Ε_048 μή μετά

μικρόν τό μέν ἀποθνήσκειν σοι παρῇ, τό δέ καλῶς μηκέτι ἕξῃς. Ἐκ τῶν ∆ίωνος Χρειῶν. Λάκεινα γυνή, τοῦ υἱοῦ αὐτῆς ἐν παρατάξει

χωλεύοντος, καί δυσφοροῦντος ἐπί τούτῳ, Μή λυποῦ τέκνον, εἶπε· καθ᾿ ἕκαστον γάρ βῆμα τῆς ἰδίας ἀρετῆς ὑπομνησθήσῃ.

Ἐκ τῆς Νικολάου συναγωγῆς. Κέλτοι οἱ τῷ Ὠκεανῷ γειτνιῶντες, αἰσχρόν

ἡγοῦνται τοῖχον καταπίπτοντα ἤ οἰκίαν φεύγειν· πλημμυρίδος δέ ἐκ τῆς ἔξω θαλάττης ἐπερχομένης, μεθ᾿ ὅπλων ἀπαντῶντες ὑπομένουσιν, ἕως κατακλύζωνται, ἵνα μή δοκῶσι φεύγοντες τόν θάνατον φοβεῖσθαι.

Κορίσκου. Κορίσκος εὖ μάλα γέρων ὤν, ὡς ἀπό τινος χαλεπῆς ἀῤῥωστίας

ἀνέῤῥωσεν, Ἄπαγε, ἔφη, ὡς ἀηδῶς ἀνέστροφα, ἤδη τῆς ὁδοῦ προκεκοφώς, ἥν δεῖ πάντως πορευθῆναι.

Πύῤῥου. Πύῤῥου ἐπιστρατεύσαντος τοῖς Λακεδομονίοις, καί πολλά

ἀπειλοῦντος, Κερκυλλίδας εἷς τῶν γερόντων ἀναστάς ἐν τῇ Ἐκκλησίᾳ, εἶπεν· Εἰ μέν Θεός ἐστιν ὁ ἀπειλῶν, μή φοβώμεθα· οὐδέν γάρ ἀδικοῦμεν· εἰ δ᾿ ἄνθρωπος, γνώτω ἀνδράσιν ἀπειλῶν.

Ἐκ τοῦ Πλουτάρχου Ἱστοριῶν. ∆αρεῖος ὁ τῶν Περσῶν βασιλεύς, μετά

τριάκοντα μυριάδων ἐν (749) Μαραθῶνι ἐστρατοπευδεύσατο. Ἀθηναῖοι δέ χιλίους ἔπεμψαν ἐπ᾿ αὐτούς, στρατηγούς αὐτοῖς δόντες, Πολύζηλον, Καλλίμαχον, Κυναίγειρον καί Μιλτιάδην. Συμβληθείσης δέ τῆς παρατάξεως, Πολύζηλος μέν ὑπέρ ἄνθρωπον φαντασίαν θεασάμενος, τήν ὅρασιν ἀπέβαλεν, καί τυφλός ὤν, ἀνεῖλε τεσσαράκοντα καί ὀκτώ. Καλλίμαχος δέ πολλοῖς πεπαρμένος δόρασι, καί νεκρός ἐστάθη· Κυναίγειρος δέ Περσικάς ἀγομένην ναῦν, κατέχων, ἐχειροκοπήθη· ὅθεν καί εἰς αὐτούς ὑπό Παντελείου τοιάδε γεγράφθαι λέγεται·