Recognizing Machanidas by his purple cloak and the trappings of his horse, Philopoemen left Alexidamus with orders to guard the passage carefully and spare none of the mercenaries, as they were the men who had always maintained the power of the Spartan tyrants.
Taking with him Polyaenus of <a class="linkToPlace" target="_blank" href="/place?placename=Cyparissa&groupId=517&placeId=977">Cyparissa</a> and Simias, who acted at the time as his aides-de-camp, he followed the tyrant and those with him — there were two who had joined him, Arexidamus and one of the mercenaries — along the opposite side of the ditch.
When Machanidas, on reaching a place where the ditch was easily passable, set spurs to his horse and forced it across, Philopoemen turned to meet him. Giving him a mortal wound with his spear and adding yet another thrust with the lower end of it, he slew the tyrant hand to hand.
Arexidamus suffered the same fate at the hands of the two officers who rode with Philopoemen, and after the death of the two the third man, despairing of crossing, sought safety in flight.
When both had fallen Simias and his companion stripped the bodies and taking the armour and the head of the tyrant hastened back to the pursuers,
eager to show to their men those proofs of the death of the enemy\'s commander, so that believing the evidence of their eyes they might with increased confidence and fearlessness continue the pursuit of the enemy as far as <a class="linkToPlace" target="_blank" href="/place?placename=Tegea&groupId=1011&placeId=1780">Tegea</a>.
And the sight did as a fact much contribute to the spirit of the soldiers; for it was chiefly owing to this that they captured <a class="linkToPlace" target="_blank" href="/place?placename=Tegea&groupId=1011&placeId=1780">Tegea</a> by storm, and a few days after were encamped on the banks of the Eurotas, already in undisputed command of the country.
For many years they had been unable to repulse the enemy from their own land, and now they themselves fearlessly pillaged <a class="linkToPlace" target="_blank" href="/place?placename=Laconia&groupId=662&placeId=1211">Laconia</a>,
having suffered little loss in the battle, but having not only slain as many as four thousand Lacedaemonians but captured a still greater number and made themselves masters of all the baggage and arms.
Walbank Commentary