Passage 4.8.6
Λακεδαιμόνιοι δὲ προτροπῇ μὲν ἐς ἀλλήλους τῇ δεήσει οὐκ ἐχρῶντο καὶ ἐς τὰ παράδοξα τῶν τολμημάτων οὐ κατὰ ταὐτὰ ἑτοίμως τοῖς Μεσσηνίοις εἶχον· ἅτε δὲ εὐθὺς ἐκ παίδων τὰ πολεμικὰ ἐπιστάμενοι, βαθυτέρᾳ τε τῇ φάλαγγι ἐχρῶντο καὶ τοὺς Μεσσηνίους ἤλπιζον οὔτε χρόνον τὸν ἴσον καρτερήσειν ἀντιτεταγμένους οὔτε πρὸς τὸν ἐν τοῖς ὅπλοις κάματον ἢ τὰ τραύματα ἀνθέξειν.
The Lacedaemonians did not require urgent exhortations among themselves, nor did they equal the Messenians in readiness for undertaking extraordinary deeds. Yet, being trained in warfare from childhood, they employed a deeper phalanx formation, and expected that the Messenians would neither endure long holding their ground against them nor withstand the fatigue or wounds sustained in combat.