he ran to each point where the Spartans seemed likely to give way, and everywhere with a few followers resisted a multitude of the enemy.  I think, however, that Isidas, the son of Phoebidas, must have been most admired both by his own countrymen and even by the enemy.  He was remarkably tall and handsome, and was just of the age when boyhood merges into manhood.  Naked, without either clothes or armour, having just been anointing himself at home, he rushed out of his house, with a sword in one hand and a spear in the other, ran through the front ranks, and plunged among the enemy, striking down all who opposed him.  He received not a single wound, either because the gods admired his bravery and protected him, or else because he appeared to his foes to be something more than man.  After this exploit we are told that the Ephors crowned him for his bravery, and fined him a thousand drachmas for having fought without his shield.

XXXV.  A few days afterwards was fought the battle of Mantinea, where, just as Epameinondas was carrying all before him and urging his troops to pursue, Antikrates the Lacedaemonium met him and wounded him, according to Dioskorides with a spear, while the Lacedaemonians to this day call the descendants of Antikrates Machairones, that is, children of the sword, as though he struck him with a sword.  Indeed, they regarded Antikrates with such a love and admiration, because of the terror which Epameinondas had struck into their hearts while he was alive, that they decreed especial honours and presents to be bestowed upon him, and granted to his descendants an immunity from taxes and public burdens which is enjoyed at the present day by Kallikrates, one of the descendants of Antikrates.

After this battle and the death of Epameinondas the Greek states made peace between one another.  When, however, all the other states were swearing to observe the peace, Agesilaus objected to the Messenians, men, he said, without a city, swearing any such oath.  The rest, however, raised no objections to the oath of the Messenians, and the Lacedaemonians upon this refused to take any part in the proceedings, so that they alone remained at war, because they hoped to recover the territory of Messenia.  Agesilaus was thought an obstinate and headlong man, and insatiable of war, because he took such pains to undermine the general peace, and to keep Sparta at war at a time when he was in such distress for money to carry it on, that he was obliged to borrow from his personal friends and to get up subscriptions among the citizens, and when he had much better have allowed the state some repose and watched for a suitable opportunity to regain the country; instead of which, although he had lost so great an empire by sea and land, he yet insisted on continuing his frantic and fruitless efforts to reconquer the paltry territory of Messenia.