By alternately retreating and advancing he led them on
until he had enticed them into a place between two deep canals. Here
he at once formed his troops on a front equal to the space between the
canals, and charged the enemy, who were unable to use their numbers to
outflank and surround him. After a short resistance they fled. Many
were slain, and the rest completely dispersed.
XL. This victory secured the throne of Egypt for Nektanebis. He now
showed great esteem for Agesilaus, and begged him to remain in Egypt
during the winter. Agesilaus, however, was anxious to return home and
assist in the war which was going on there, as he knew that Sparta was
in great want of money, and was paying a force of mercenary troops.
Nektanebis escorted him out of the country with great honour, giving
him many presents, and the sum of two hundred and thirty talents of
silver to be used in meeting the expenses of the war. As it was
winter, and stormy weather, Agesilaus did not venture to cross the
open sea, but coasted along the shores of Libya, as far as a desert
spot known as the Harbour of Menelaus, where he died, in the
eighty-fourth year of his age, and having been king of Sparta for
forty-one years, during thirty of which he was the greatest and most
powerful man in Greece, having been looked upon as all but the king of
the whole country, up to the time of the battle of Leuktra.
It was the Spartan custom, in the case of citizens who died in foreign
countries, to pay them the last rites wherever they might be, but to
take home the remains of their kings.
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