Plutarch's lives for boys and girls : being selected lives freely retold . aminondas, however,sought not how one might get the better of the other,but how they might best help one another in theservice of the state. Some are of opinion that the extraordinary friend-ship between the two men had its origin in a campaignin which they fought. They served together in aTheban force which had been sent to help the Spartans,mth whom the Thebans were, as yet, in alliance. Ina battle which took place during this campaign, thewing in which the Thebans were stationed gave wayand was broken. Thereupon Pelo
Plutarch's lives for boys and girls : being selected lives freely retold . aminondas, however,sought not how one might get the better of the other,but how they might best help one another in theservice of the state. Some are of opinion that the extraordinary friend-ship between the two men had its origin in a campaignin which they fought. They served together in aTheban force which had been sent to help the Spartans,mth whom the Thebans were, as yet, in alliance. Ina battle which took place during this campaign, thewing in which the Thebans were stationed gave wayand was broken. Thereupon Pelopidas and Epami-nondas locked their shields together and drove backthe enemies who attacked them. But, at last, Pelopidas,bleeding from seven great wounds, sank exhaustedupon a heap of friends and enemies who lay ^ dead to-gether. Epaminondas believed his friend to be dead,but nevertheless stood forward to defend his bodyand his arms, being determined to die himself ratherthan allow the armour of Pelopidas to be taken asspoil by the enemy. As he fought with many foes at. EPAMINONDAS DEFENDING PELOPIDAS. PELOPIDAS 49 once, he was in extreme danger, and was wounded inthe breast with a spear and in the arm with a just when it seemed that he must be overpoweredby numbers, help came unexpectedly from the otherwing of the army, and both the friends were, at the lastmoment, rescued from the enemy. After these events the Spartans for some time madean outward show of treating the Thebans as friends andallies. In reality, however, they were suspicious ofthe spirit and the power of Thebes. Moreover, theyhated the party to which Pelopidas belonged, becauseit favoured government by the people. Now there were in Thebes certain rich men whowere also opposed to popular government, and soughtto get the rule of the city into their own hands. Thesemen proposed to a Spartan general, who came withtroops to Thebes as an ally, that he should seize thecitadel of the town and drive out the le
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