PHILOPE'MFA. the most illustrious patriot and general who figures in the later his tory of Greece, belonged to one of the best families of Arcadia, and was b. at Megalopo lis about 252 B.C. At an early age he lost his father, and was brought up by a wealthy citizen, named Cleander, who took care that he should receive an excellent education. His earliest experiences of war were confined to the border raids of the Arcadians into Laconia; but in 222 B.C„ he was one of the defenders of Megalopolis against Cleomenes, king of Sparta. Next, year, when the Macedonian king Anligonus marched to the assis tance of the Aehteans, Philopmmen joined him at the head of 1000 horse, and contrib uted materially to the terrible defeat which the Spartan king received at Sellasia. As tranquility was now for a short time restored to Greece, Philopcemen went abroad to perfect himself in the art of war, and served in Crete with such distinction, that on his return to the Peloponnesus, in 210, he was appointed general of the Achaian horse, and at once proceeded to discipline his men in a vigorous and masterly style. In the expe dition against Elis (209) he slew the Elean leader. Dernophantus, with his own hand. In 208 he was raised to the highest military dignity then possible in Greece. being elected strakeps or commander-in-chief of the Archaean league, and in this capacity signalized by the great improvements which he effected in the drill, discipline, and armor of the Achwan soldiery. It seemed as if the ancient heroism of the land were reviving. Thu battle of Manteneia, which took place in the course of the same year, and in which the Spartans were again utterly routed—their general and king, Machanidas, falling by the sword of Philopcemen himsclf—raised him to the pinnacle of fame, and at the .Netnean festival which followed he was proclaimed liberator of Greece. His exalted honors did not in the slightest degree the integrity of his character. So great was hit influence over his quarrelsome countrymen, that the Macedonian monarch, Philip, began to fear that Greece would regain its independence, and tried to have him secretly assas sinated; but the infamous treachery was discovered in time, and its only effect was to endear Philopcemen still more to the Achseans. Another of his determined enemies was
Nabis, successor of Machanidas in the "tyranny" of Sparta, but in 201 he inflicted on the latter a severe Clefeat at Skotetas on the borders of Laconia. During the next few years lie was absent in Crete, partly, it would seem, for political reasons, but returned to the Peloponnesus in 194 to find matters in a serious condition. A new and dreaded power—the Romans—had appeared, and overthrown both Philip and Nabis, and Philo prnmen foreboded future mischief to all Greece from these ambitious warriors. On the departnre of the consul Flamininus, Nabis recommenced hostilities against the Achwans; Philopoemen was)once more appointed strategns (192); and in a pitched battle nearly annihilated the troops of Nabis, who himself was shortly afterward killed by the iEto Pans. He now exerted all his power to head the divisions among the Aehreans, and to prevent them from affording the Romans a pretext for taking away their independence. In 188. lie took a fierce revenge on Sparta for having put a number of his friends to death. and was in consequence strongly censured by the Roman senate, and by Q. Creel tins Metellus, who was sent out as a commissioner to Greece in 185. Two years later Philopremen (now an old man of 70) was elected strategus for the eighth time. When lying ill of a fever at Argos, news was brought to him that the Messenians had broken their connection with the league; Philopcemen instantly rose from his sick-bed, hastened at the head of some cavalry to quell the revolt, hut was overpowered by numbers, and fell into the hands of Deinocrstes, the leader of the Messenians, who two nights after,, sent him a cup of poison, which Philopeemen drank off and died. The remains of hero were brought in solemn procession to his native city—the Listorian Polybius carry-' lug the urn—and statues were c•ected to his memory by his grateful and repentant coun trymen .