Of Archidamus the Son of Agesilaus.
Archidamus the son of Agesilaus, when Philip after the
battle at Chaeronea sent him a haughty letter, returned
[p. 405]
this answer, If you measure your shadow, you will find it
no greater than before the victory. And being asked how
much land the Spartans possessed, he said, As much as
their spears reach. Periander, a physician, being well
skilled in his profession and of good credit, but writing
very bad poems, he said to him, Why, Periander, instead
of a good physician are you eager to be called a bad poet
In the war with Philip, when some advised him to fight at
some distance from his own country, he replied, Let us not
mind that, but whether we shall fight bravely and beat our
enemies. To some who commended him for routing the
Arcadians he said, It had been better if we had been too
hard for them in policy rather than in strength. When he
invaded Arcadia, understanding that the Eleans were ready
to oppose him, he wrote thus: Archidamus to the Eleans;
It is good to be quiet. The allies in the Peloponnesian
war consulting what treasure would be sufficient to carry
on the war, and desiring to set the tax, he said, War cannot
be put on a certain allowance. As soon as ever he saw a
dart shot out of an engine brought from Sicily, he cried
out, Good God! true valor is gone for ever. When the
Greeks refused to obey him orto stand to those conditions
which he had made with Antigonus and Craterus the
Macedonians, but would be free, alleging that the
Spartans would prove more rigorous lords than the Macedonians, he said: A sheep always uses the same voice,
but a man various and many, till he hath perfected his
designs.
