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writing   everything   that   he   must   do;   is   not   a   whit   more   possible   than   to 

know the future as a whole。'2' But of all hints and suggestions the most 

important   to   my   mind   is   this:   whatever   you   determine   to   be   right;   with 

diligence endeavour to perform。 For be it tillage of the soil; or trading; or 

seafaring; or the art of ruling; without pains applied to bring the matter to 

perfection;   the   best   theories   in   the   world;   the   most   correct   conclusions; 

will be fruitless。 

     '1' {pros   to paratugkhanon}; lit。 〃to   meet emergencies。〃   Cf。 Thuc。  i。 

122:   〃For   war;   least   of   all   things;   conforms   to   prescribed   rules;          it 

strikes out a path for itself when the moment comes〃 (Jowett)。 

     '2'   Or;   〃is   about   as   feasible   as   to   foretell   each   contingency   hid   in 

the womb of futurity。〃 

     One   thing   I   am   prepared   to   insist   on:   it   is   clear   to   myself   that   by 

Heaven's help our total cavalry force might be much more quickly raised 

to the full quota of a thousand troopers;'3' and with far less friction to the 

mass of citizens; by the enrolment of two hundred foreign cavalry。 Their 

acquisition will be doubly helpful; as intensifying the loyalty of the entire 

force and as kindling a mutual ambition to excel in manly virtue。 

     '3' See Schneid。 ad loc。; Boeckh; 〃P。 E。 A。〃 pp。 263; 264; Herod。 vi。 

112; Thuc。 vi。 31; Aristoph。 〃Knights;〃 223; Aeschin。 〃De F。 L。〃                           334… 

337。 See for this reform; Martin; op。 cit。 343; 368。 

     I can state on my own knowledge that the Lacedaemonian cavalry only 

began to be famous'4' with the introduction of foreign troopers; and in the 

other     states  of   Hellas    everywhere       the  foreign    brigades     stand    in  high 

esteem;   as   I   perceive。   Need;   in   fact;   contributes   greatly   to   enthusiasm。 

Towards the necessary cost of the horses I hold that an ample fund will be 

provided;'5' partly out of the pockets   of those   who are only  too glad to 

escape      cavalry    service    (in   other   words;     those    on   whom      the   service 

devolves prefer to pay a sum of money down and be quit of the duty);'6' 

and from wealthy men who are physically incompetent; and I do not see 

why orphans possessed of large estates should not contribute。'7' Another 

belief I hold is that amongst our resident aliens'8' there are some who will 



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show a laudable ambition if incorporated with the cavalry。 I argue from the 

fact; apparent to myself; that amongst this class persons are to be found 

most zealously disposed to carry out the part assigned to them; in every 

other branch of honourable service which the citizens may choose to share 

with them。 Again; it strikes me that if you seek for an energetic infantry to 

support your cavalry; you will find it in a corps composed of individuals 

whose   hatred   to   the   foe   is   naturally   intense。'9'   But   the   success   of   the 

above      suggestions     will   depend     doubtless     on   the   consenting     will   of 

Heaven。'10' 

     '4'   〃Entered   on   an   era   of   prestige   with   the   incorporation   of;〃   after 

Leuctra; 371 B。C。; when the force was at its worst。 See 〃Hell。〃                       VI。 iv。 

10。 

     '5'   Or;   〃money     will   be  forthcoming      for   them。〃   Cf。   Lys。   〃Against 

Philon;〃 xxxi。 15; Martin; op。 cit。 319。 

     '6'    Cf。   〃Hell。〃   III。  iv。  15;   〃Ages。〃     i。  23。  Courier     brackets    this 

sentence '{oti 。 。 。 ippeuein}' as a gloss; Martin; p。 323;                  emends。 

     '7' As to the legal exemption of orphans Schneid。 cf。 Dem。 〃Symm。〃 

182。 15; Lys。 〃Against Diogeit。〃 24。 

     '8' Lit。 〃metoecs。〃 See 〃Revenues;〃 ii。 

     '9'   Lit。  〃men     the  most    antagonistic     to  the   enemy。〃    Is  the   author 

thinking of Boeotian emigres? Cf。 〃Hell。〃 VI。 iii。 1; 5; Diod。 xv。                         46。 

6。 

     '10'   Lit。   〃with   the   consenting   will   of   the   gods   these   things   all   may 

come to pass。〃 

     And   now   if   the   repetition   of   the   phrase   throughout   this   treatise   〃act 

with God;〃   surprises any  one; he may  take   my word   for   it that   with the 

daily     or   hourly    occurrence      of   perils   which     must    betide    him;    his 

wonderment will diminish; as also with the clearer recognition of the fact 

that in time of war the antagonists are full of designs against each other; 

but the precise issue of these plots and counterplots is rarely known。 To 

what   counsellor;   then;   can   a   man   apply  for   advice   in   his   extremity  save 

only to the gods; who know all things and forewarn whomsoever they will 

by victims or by omens; by voice or vision? Is it not rational to suppose 

that they will prefer to help in their need; not those who only seek them in 



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time of momentary stress and trouble; but those rather who in the halcyon 

days of their prosperity make a practice of rendering to Heaven the service 

of heart and soul? 



     End    of  The    Project   Gutenberg     Etext   of  The    Cavalry    General    by 

Xenophon 



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