XI.  It is said that when the Greeks were assembled at the Nemean Games, Philopoemen, who had been elected commander-in-chief for the second time, and not long before had won his victory at Mantinea, being at leisure during the festival displayed his phalanx to the Greeks, with the troops drawn up in their serried array, and manoeuvring with quickness and precision.  Afterwards, while the musicians were contending for the prize in the theatre he entered it accompanied by his young soldiers in their military cloaks and purple uniform, all of them strong men in the prime of life, showing a modest respect for their general, combined with a martial bearing due to their many brave feats of arms.  Just as they came into the theatre Pylades the musician began to recite the ‘Persians’ of Timotheus

     “He wrought for Greece a noble work of freedom”

in a loud voice and with suitable solemnity.  At this, all the spectators turned their eyes upon Philopoemen and broke into joyous applause, remembering the ancient glories of Greece, and feeling such confidence in him as almost to recover the ancient spirit of their nation.

XII.  But just as horses like their accustomed rider, and if another mounts them are scared and unmanageable, so the power of the Achaeans become feeble under any other general than Philopoemen.  When they saw him, the whole army rejoiced, and were filled with cheerful confidence, well knowing that he was the only one of their generals before whom the enemy always fled, terrified by his name, as, indeed, appeared by their acts.  For Philip king of Macedon, thinking that if Philopoemen were put out of the way, the Achaeans would become subject to himself as they were before, sent men privately to Argos to assassinate him:  but his plot was disclosed, and he became an object of universal hatred to the Greeks.  The Boeotians too, when they were besieging Megara and were expecting shortly to take it, retreated in such hot haste that they actually left their scaling ladders planted against the walls, in consequence of a rumour, which proved a false one, that Philopoemen was coming to raise the siege and was close at hand.  When Nabis, who became despot over the Lacedaemonians after Machanidas, by a sudden attack captured the town of Messene, Philopoemen was not holding any office, but was a mere private citizen.  He could not prevail upon Lysippus, who was commander-in-chief of the Achaeans, to go to assist the Messenians, because the latter said that the city must be lost if the enemy were inside the walls.  Hereupon Philopoemen went himself to the rescue with the men of his own city, who did not delay for any formal vote to empower him to do so, but followed him because he was born to command.  When Nabis heard of his approach he would not await his coming, but although he was in possession of the city he marched out by the opposite gate with all speed, thinking that he would be fortunate if he reached home safe, as indeed he did.  Thus was Messene delivered.