342 HISTORICAL TALES.

that Philopemen was near at hand, slipped hastily
out of the city by the opposite gates, glad to get
away in safety. He escaped, but Messenia was re-
covered. The martial spirit of Philopemen next
took him to Crete, where fighting was to be had to
his taste. Yet he left his native city of Megalopolis
so pressed by the enemy that its people were forced
to sow grain in their very streets. However, he.
came back at length, met Nabis in the field, rescued
the army from a dangerous situation, and put the
enemy to flight. Soon after he made peace with
Sparta, and achieved a remarkable triumph in in-
ducing that great and famous city to join the
Achean League. In truth, the nobles of Sparta,
glad to have so important an ally, sent Philopwmen
a valuable present. But such was his reputation for
honor that for a time no man could be found who
dared offer it to him; and when at length the offer
was made he went to Sparta himself, and advised
its nobles, if they wanted any one to bribe, to let it
not be good men, but those ill citizens whose sedi-
tious voices needed to be silenced.

In the end Sparta was destined to suffer at the
hands of its incorruptible ally, it having revolted
from the League. Philopemen marched into La-
conia, led his army unopposed to Sparta, and took
possession of that famous seat of Mars, within which
no hostile foot had hitherto been set. He razed its
walls to the ground, put to death those who had
stirred the city to rebellion, and took away a great
part of its territory, which he gave to Megalopolis,
Those who had been made citizens of Sparta by