The historian Theophrastus informs us
that the mother of Agesilaus was a very small woman, and that the
Ephors had fined Archidamus, on that special ground, for marrying her.
"She will not bring forth kings to rule us," said they, "but
kinglets."
III. During the reign of Agis, Alkibiades arrived in Lacedaemon as an
exile, having made his escape from the army in Sicily, and, after a
short sojourn, was universally believed to be carrying on an intrigue
with the king's wife, Timaea, insomuch that Agis refused to recognize
her child as his own, but declared that Alkibiades was its father. The
historian Douris tells us that Timaea was not altogether displeased at
this imputation, and that when nursing the child among her attendants
she was wont to call it Alkibiades instead of Leotychides. The same
authority states that Alkibiades himself declared that he seduced
Timaea, not out of wantonness, but with the ambitious design of
placing his own family upon the throne of Sparta. In consequence of
this, Alkibiades, fearing the wrath of Agis, left Sparta, and the
child was always viewed with suspicion by Agis, and never treated as
his own son, until in his last illness the boy by tears and entreaties
prevailed upon him to bear public witness to his legitimacy. But after
the death of Agis, Lysander, the conqueror of Athens, who was the most
important man in Sparta, began to urge the claims of Agesilaus to the
throne, on the ground that Leotychides was a bastard, and therefore
excluded from the succession.
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