Euripidas Deserts the Eleans
Now it happened that, just as the Macedonian advanced
note
guard came to the top of the hill, near a place
called Apelaurus, about ten stades before you
come to Stymphalus, the advanced guard of
the Eleans converged upon it also. Understanding from his previous information what
had happened, Euripidas took some horsemen
with him and avoided the danger by flight, making his way
across country to Psophis. The rest of the Eleans being thus
deserted by their leader, and panic-struck at what had
happened, remained stationary on the road, not knowing what
to do, or which way to turn. For at first their officers
imagined that the troops they saw were some Achaeans come
out to resist them. What favoured this mistake more than
anything else were the brass shields of the hoplites: for they
imagined that they were Megalopolitans, because the soldiers
of that town had borne shields of that sort at the battle of
Sellasia against Cleomenes, King Antigonus having furnished
them for the occasion. Under this idea, they retired in good
order to some rising ground, by no means despairing of getting
off safely: but as soon as the Macedonians had advanced close
up to them, grasping the true state of the case, they threw
down their shields and fled. About twelve hundred of them
were taken prisoners; but the rest perished utterly, some at
the hands of the Macedonians, and others by falling down
precipices: and finally not more than a hundred altogether
escaped. Having despatched the spoils and the prisoners to
Corinth, Philip continued his expedition. But a great impression was made upon the Peloponnesians: for they had not
heard of the king's arrival until they heard of his victory.
