254 HISTORY OF GREECE. men ; chiefly, as we are told, men of peculiarly wicked anil reck less character, since no pious Greek would enlist in such a ser- vice. With these he attacked the Lokrians, who were however now assisted by the Thebans from one side, and by the Thessali- ans with their circumjacent allies from the other. Philomelus gained successive advantages against both of them, and conceived increased hopes from a reinforcement of 1500 Achaeans who came to him from Peloponnesus. The war assumed a peculiarly fero- cious character ; for the Thebans, 1 confident in their superior force and chance of success, even though the Delphian treasure was employed against them, began by putting to death all their pris- oners, as sacrilegious men standing condemned by the Amphikty- onic assembly. This so exasperated the troops of Philomelus, that they constrained him to retaliate upon the Boeotian prisoners. For some time such rigorous inflictions were continued on both sides, until at length the Thebans felt compelled to desist, and Philome- lus followed their example. The war lasted a while with indeci- sive results, the Thebans and their allies being greatly superior in number. But presently Philomelus incautiously exposed himself to attack in an unfavorable position, near the town of Neon, amidst embarrassing woods and rocks. He was here defeated with severe loss, and his army dispersed ; himself receiving several wounds, and fighting with desperate bravery, until farther resist- ance became impossible. He then tried to escape, but found him- self driven to the brink of a precipice, where he could only avoid the tortures of captivity by leaping down and perishing. The remnant of his vanquished army was rallied at some distance by Onomarchus. 2 The Thebans and their allies, instead of pressing the important victory recently gained over Philomelus, seem to have supposed that the Phokians would now disperse or submit of their own ac- cord, and accordingly returned home. Their remissness gave time 1 Isokrates, Orat. v. (ad Philippum) a. GO. TfXeurwiref 6s Trpdf <!><JKZC Tro/U/zov t^rjveyKav (the Thebans), wf TUV re noheuv kv o/uyy xpovu Kpartj- covref t ror> re TOTTOV unavra rbv nepie^ovTa naraa^oovTef, ruv re xpr;pu,- TUV rdiv iv Ae/lo>0f irspiyevqaofievoi ratj iic TUV itiiuv damivatf.
- Diodor. xvi. 31; 1'ausan. x. 2, 1. The dates and duration of these events
are only known to us in a 'oose and superficial manner from the narrative o." Diodorus.
