He made war continually upon the Thebans, and when he was wounded in the battle, 1 they say that Antalcidas exclaimed, ‘This is a fine reward which you are receiving from the Thebans for giving them lessons in fighting when they had no desire to fight, and no knowledge even of fighting !’ For, as a fact, they say that the Thebans at that time were more warlike than they had ever been before, owing to the many campaigns of the Spartans against them. 2 It was for this reason that Lycurgus of old, in his so-called ' Decrees,' forbade campaigning frequently against the same peoples, so that these should not learn to make war. 3 [p. 279]
Plutarch. Moralia. with an English Translation by. Frank Cole Babbitt. Cambridge, MA. Harvard University Press. London. William Heinemann Ltd. 1931. 3.
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