That fate had power upon a Spartan soul:
My mind on its own centre stands unmoved,
And stable, as the fabric of the world,
Propt on itself; still I am Cleomenes.
I fought the battle bravely, which I lost;
And lost it, but to Macedonians,
The successors of those who conquered Asia.
'Twas for a cause too, such a cause I fought;
Unbounded empire hung upon my sword:
Greece, like a lovely heifer, stood in view,