man, conducting the war chiefly by subtilty and stratagem, using honourable means when it was his interest to do so, at other times acting simply on the rules of expediency, and not holding truth to be in itself superior to falsehood, but measuring the value of the one and the other by the profit which was to be obtained from them.  He indeed laughed at those who said that the race of Herakles ought not to make wars by stratagem, saying, “Where the lion’s skin will not protect us, we must sew the fox’s skin to it.”

VIII.  All this is borne out by what he is said to have done at Miletus.  Here his friends and connections, to whom he had promised that he would put down the democratic constitution and drive their enemies out of the city, changed their minds, and made up their quarrel with their political opponents.  At this reconciliation Lysander publicly expressed great satisfaction and even seemed anxious to promote a good understanding, but in private he railed at them and urged them to attack the popular party.  But as soon as he heard of an outbreak having taken place, he at once marched into the city, addressed the insurgents roughly, and sent them away in custody, harshly treated, as if he meant to inflict some signal punishment upon them, while he bade those of the popular faction take courage, and not to expect any ill-treatment while he was present.  By this artifice he prevailed upon the chief men of the democratic party not to leave the city, but to remain and perish in it; as indeed they did, for every one who trusted to his word was put to death.  Moreover, Androkleides relates a story which shows Lysander’s extreme laxity with regard to oaths.  He is said to have remarked, that “We cheat boys with dice, and men with oaths!” In this he imitated Polykrates, the despot of Samos—­an unworthy model for a Spartan general.  Nor was it like a Spartan to treat the gods as badly as he treated his enemies, or even worse—­for the man who overreaches his enemy by breaking his oath admits that he fears his enemy, but despises his god.

IX.  Cyrus now sent for Lysander to Sardis, and gave him a supply of money, with promise of more.  Nay, he was so zealous to show his attachment to Lysander that he declared, if his father would not furnish him with funds, that he would expend all his own property, and if other resources failed, that he would break up the gold and silver throne on which he was sitting.  Finally, when he went away to Media to see his father, he empowered Lysander to receive the tribute from the subject cities, and placed the whole of his government in his hands.  He embraced Lysander, begged him not to fight the Athenians by sea until he returned from court, promised that he would return with many ships from Phoenicia and Cilicia, and so departed.