Defeat of the Lacedaemonians
Meanwhile the Achaean general was doing all he could
to rally the mercenaries, addressing the officers by name, and
urging them to stand; but when he saw that they were hopelessly beaten, he did not run away in a panic nor give up the
battle in despair, but, withdrawing under cover of his phalanx,
waited until the enemy had passed him in their pursuit, and left
the ground on which the fighting had taken place empty, and
then immediately gave the word to the front companies of the
phalanx to wheel to the left, and advance at the double, without
breaking their ranks. He thus swiftly occupied the ground
abandoned by his mercenaries, and at once cut off the pursuers
from returning, and got on higher ground than the enemy's
right wing. He exhorted the men to keep up their courage,
and remain where they were, until he gave the word for a
general advance; and he ordered Polybius of
Megalopolis1 to
collect such of the Illyrians and body armour men and mercenaries as remained behind and had not taken part in the
flight, and form a reserve on the flank of the phalanx, to keep
a look-out against the return of the pursuers.
Thereupon the Lacedaemonians, excited by the
victory gained by the light-armed contingent,
without waiting for the word of command, brought their sarissae
to the charge and rushed upon the enemy. But when in the
course of their advance they reached the edge of the dyke,
being unable at that point to change their purpose and retreat
when at such close quarters with the enemy, and partly because
they did not consider the dyke a serious obstacle, as the slope
down to it was very gradual, and it was entirely without water
or underwood growing in it, they continued their advance
through it without stopping to think.
