Alexander : a history of the origin and growth of the art of war from ...

SPARTAN HORSE. 79rewards, and retained the severity of their punishments, suchas death and loss of honor ; while some criminals were cladand treated like slaves, and had half their head and beardshaven ; and burial was refused to cowards. After the Peloponnesianwar, discipline declined and the state was oftenforced to resort to largesses to encourage the troops to thoseexertions they had been in the habit of yielding as of course.The citizens still formed the body of the hoplites. Eachof the five classes put on foot one or more mores or regimentsof five hundred to one thousand men. Each hoplite had oneor more psiloi under his control and often several helots orservants. The Laconians, freedmen and sometimes the helotsserved as light troops. These became more and more numerous.At Platsea they outnumbered the citizens seven toone.The cavalry remained poor. Citizens disqualified fromservice in the heavy foot entered the cavalry, which was usedmostly for scouts and patrols. Agesilaus somewhat increasedits numbers and efficiency. One mora or ile from Scirus andvicinity, where horses were abundant, was of markedly bettercharacter, and was not infrequently used inbattle, where itmore than once decided the day. And there was a body ofthree hundred hippeis selected by the ephors, who were acavalry corps d' elite. The horse now rode in four ranks, agreat improvement over the former eight.The Spartan foot stood in from eight to twelve ranks. Themanoeuvres were performed in cadenced step to the sound offifes, and though very simjsle, were excellently devised.Butby neglecting the arts and sciences, the Spartans remainedstationary, and did nothing toward improving the art of warin a theoretical sense. They could not look beyond courageand the details of tactics. They still employed the manoeuvresenumerated in a former chapter.But the wedge, pincers,