with the election of new kings; wherein their diligence was so nice, and so regardful of their ancient laws, as touching the choosing of the one king, that we may justly wonder how they grew so careless in making choice of the other. In the one of their royal families they found Agesipolis the son of Agesipolis, the son of king Cleombrotus; and him they admitted to reign over them as heir apparent to his grandfather. This Agesipolis was a young boy, standing in need of a guardian, and had an uncle, his father's brother, that was fit for the government. Yet because the law required that the son, how young soever, should have his father's whole right and title; the Lacedæmonians, though standing in need of a man, were so punctual in observation of the law, that they made this child their king, and appointed his uncle Cleomenes to be his protector. But in the other branch of the royal family, though there was no want of heirs, yet would not the people trouble themselves about any of them, to examine the goodness of his claim, but made election of one Lycurgus, who, having no manner of title to the kingdom, bestowed upon each of the ephori a talent, and thereby made himself be saluted king of Sparta, and a gentleman of the race of Hercules. This Lycurgus, to gratify his partisans, and to approve his worth by action, invaded the country of the Argives, which lay open and unguarded, as in a time of peace. There he did great spoil, and won divers towns, whereof two he retained, and annexed unto the state of Lacedæmon. After such open hostility, the Lacedæmonians declared themselves on the tolian side; and proclaimed war against the Achæans.

Thus the beginnings of the war fell out much otherwise than the Achæans and their confederates had expected when they first made preparation. Philip was not ready; the Epirots gave uncertain answer; the Messenians would not stir; all the burden must lie upon themselves and the poor Acarnanians, whom the Etolians, by favour of the Eleans, could invade at pleasure, as they were like to do; and by help of the Lacedæmonians could assail on all parts at once. It was not long ere the Etolians, passing over

the bay of Corinth, surprised the town of Ægira; which if they could have held, they should thereby grievously have molested the Achæans; for that it stood in the midway between Ægium and Sicyon, two of their principal cities, and gave open way into the heart of all their country. But as Ægira was taken by surprise, so was it presently lost again, through greediness of spoil; whilst they that should have made it their first care to assure the place unto themselves, by occupying the citadel and other pieces of strength, fell heedlessly to ransack private houses, and thereby gave the citizens leave to make head, by whom they were driven with great slaughter back unto their fleet. About the same time, another Ætolian army landing among the Eleans, fell upon the western coast of Achaia, wasting all the territory of the Dymæans and other people that were first beginners of the Achæan confederacy. The Dymæans and their neighbours made head against these invaders; but were so well beaten, that the enemy grew bolder with them than before. They sent for help unto their pretor, and to all the towns of their society, in vain. For the Achæans having lately been much weakened by Cleomenes, were now able to do little of themselves: neither could they get any strength of mercenaries; forasmuch as at the end of Cleomenes's war, they had covetously withheld part of their due from those that served them therein. So through this disability of the Achæans, and insufficiency of their pretor, the Dymæans, with others, were driven to withhold their contribution heretofore made for the public service, and to convert the money to their own defence. Lycurgus also with his Lacedæmonians began to win upon the Arcadians, that were confederate with Philip and the Achæans.

Philip came to the borders of the Etolians, whilst their army was thus employed afar off in Peloponnesus. The Epirots joined all their forces with him; and by such their willing readiness, drew him to the siege of a frontier piece, which they desired to get into their own hands; for that, by commodity thereof, they hoped shortly to make them

selves masters of Ambracia. There he spent forty days ere he could end the business, which tended only to the benefit of the Epirots. Had he entered into the heart of Ætolia at his first coming, it was thought that he might have made an end of the war. But it happens oft, that the violence of great armies is broken upon small towns or forts; and not seldom, that the importunity of associates, to have their own desires fulfilled, converts the preparations of great kings to those uses for which they never were intended; thereby hindering the prosecution of their main designs. Thus was our king Henry the Eighth led aside, and quite out of his way, by Maximilian the emperor, to the siege of Tournay ; at such time as the French king Lewis the Twelfth, hearing that the strong city of Terwin was lost, and that of his cavalry, wherein rested his chief confidence, two thousand were beaten by the earl of Essex with seven hundred English, was thinking to withdraw himself into Brittany, in fear that Henry would have come to Paris.

The stay that Philip made at Ambracus did wondrously embolden the Etolians; in such sort, as their pretor Scopas adventured to lead all their forces out of the country; and therewith not only to overrun Thessaly, but to make impression into Macedon. He ran as far as to Dium, a city of Macedon upon the Ægean sea; which, being forsaken by the inhabitants at his coming, he took and razed to the ground. He spared neither temple, nor any other of the goodly buildings therein, but overturned all; and among the rest, he threw down the statues that were there erected of the Macedonian kings. For this he was highly honoured by his countrymen at his return; forasmuch as hereby they thought their nation to be grown terrible, not only (as before) unto Peloponnesus, but even to Macedon itself. But this their pride was soon abated, and they rewarded shortly at home in their own country for their pains taken at Dium. Philip having despatched his work at Ambracus, made a strong invasion upon Ætolia. He took Phoetiæ, Metropolis, Eniadæ, Pæanium, Elæus, and divers other towns and castles of theirs; of which he burnt some and fortified

others. He also beat the Etolians in sundry skirmishes, and wasted all the country over, without receiving any harm. This done, while he was about to make a cut over the straits into Peloponnesus, and to do the like spoil in the country of the Eleans, whereto he was vehemently solicited by the Achæan ambassadors; news came out of Macedon, that the Dardanians were ready with a great army to fall upon the country. These Dardanians were a barbarous people, divided by mount Hæmus from the northern part of Macedon; and were accustomed to seek booty in that wealthy kingdom, when they found their own times. Having therefore intelligence that Philip was about to make a journey into Peloponnesus, they purposed in his absence, which they thought would be long, to get what they could for themselves in his country, as had been their manner upon the like advantages. This made the king to dismiss the Achæan ambassadors, (whom he should have accompanied home with his army,) and to bid them have patience until another year. So he took his way home; and as he was passing out of Acarnania into Epirus, there came to him Demetrius Pharius with no more than one ship, that was newly chased out of his kingdom by the Romans. This Demetrius had lately shewed himself a friend to Antigonus Doson in the wars of Cleomenes; and returning in his last voyage from the Cyclades, was ready, at their first request, to take part with Philip's captains. These, or the like considerations, made him welcome unto the Macedonian king, whose counsellor he was ever after. The Dardanians hearing of the king's return, brake up their army, and gave over for the present their invasion of Macedon, towards which they were already on their way.

All that summer following the king rested at Larissa in Thessaly, whilst his people gathered in their harvest. But the Etolians rested not. They avenged themselves upon the Epirots; whom for the harms by them and Philip done in Etolia, they requited with all extremities of war, among which, the most notable was the ruin of the famous temple of Dodona. When winter grew on, and all thought of

war until another year was laid aside, Philip stole a journey into Peloponnesus with five thousand foot and about four hundred horse. As soon as he was within Corinth, he commanded the gates to be shut, that no word might be carried forth of his arrival. He sent privily for old Aratus to come thither unto him; with whom he took order, when, and in what places, he would have the Achæan soldiers ready to meet him. The enemies were then abroad in the country, with somewhat more than two thousand foot and an hundred horse, little thinking to meet with such opposition. Indeed they had little cause to fear, since the Achæans themselves were not aware that the king was in their land with his Macedonians, until they heard that these two thousand Eleans, Ætolians, and their fellows, were by him surprised, and all made prisoners or slain. By this exploit which he did at his first coming, Philip got very much reputation; as likewise he purchased both reputation and love by divers actions immediately following. He won Psophis, an exceeding strong town in the borders of Arcadia, which the Eleans and Ætolians then held. He won it by assault at his first coming; wherein it much availed him, that the enemy, not believing that he would undertake such a piece of work at such an unseasonable time of the year, was careless of providing even such store of weapons, as might have served to defend it. The town was preserved by the king from sack, and given to the Achæans, of his own mere motion, before they requested it. Thence went he to Lasion, which yielded for very fear, hearing how easily he had taken Psophis. This town also he gave to the Achæans. The like liberality he used towards others, that had ancient title unto places by him recovered. Then fell he upon the country of Elis, where was much wealth to be gotten; for that the people were addicted to husbandry, and lived abroad int villages, even such as were of the wealthier sort among them. So he came to the city of Olympia, where having done sacrifice to Jupiter, feasted his captains, and refreshed his army three days, he proceeded on to the spoil of those that had taken pleasure to share with the