§4.66.1τοῦ δ’ αὐτοῦ θέρους Μεγαρῆς οἱ ἐν τῇ πόλει πιεζόμενοι ὑπό τε Ἀθηναίων τῷ πολέμῳ, αἰεὶ κατὰ ἔτος ἕκαστον δὶς ἐσβαλλόντων πανστρατιᾷ ἐς τὴν χώραν, καὶ ὑπὸ τῶν σφετέρων φυγάδων τῶν ἐκ Πηγῶν, οἳ στασιασάντων ἐκπεσόντες ὑπὸ τοῦ πλήθους χαλεποὶ ἦσαν λῃστεύοντες, ἐποιοῦντο λόγους ἐν ἀλλήλοις ὡς χρὴ δεξαμένους τοὺς φεύγοντας μὴ ἀμφοτέρωθεν τὴν πόλιν φθείρειν.
During the same summer, the Megarians in the city, being hard pressed both by the war with the Athenians, who always twice in every year invaded their territory with their entire army, and by their own exiles in Pegae, who, having been expelled by the populace when a sedition broke out, were troublesome by carrying on a predatory warfare, began to hold discussions among themselves, saying that they ought to receive back the exiles and not destroy the city from both sides.
§4.66.2οἱ δὲ φίλοι τῶν ἔξω τὸν θροῦν αἰσθόμενοι φανερῶς μᾶλλον ἢ πρότερον καὶ αὐτοὶ ἠξίουν τούτου τοῦ λόγου ἔχεσθαι.
And the friends of the exiles outside, perceiving this murmur, themselves also, more openly than before, demanded that they should hold to this proposal.
§4.66.3γνόντες δὲ οἱ τοῦ δήμου προστάται οὐ δυνατὸν τὸν δῆμον ἐσόμενον ὑπὸ τῶν κακῶν μετὰ σφῶν καρτερεῖν, ποιοῦνται λόγους δείσαντες πρὸς τοὺς τῶν Ἀθηναίων στρατηγούς, Ἱπποκράτη τε τὸν Ἀρίφρονος καὶ Δημοσθένη τὸν Ἀλκισθένους, βουλόμενοι ἐνδοῦναι τὴν πόλιν καὶ νομίζοντες ἐλάσσω σφίσι τὸν κίνδυνον ἢ τοὺς ἐκπεσόντας ὑπὸ σφῶν κατελθεῖν.
But the leaders of the popular party, realizing that the commons would not be able to hold out with them under their sufferings, in their fear opened negotiations with the generals of the Athenians, Hippocrates the son of Ariphron and Demosthenes the son of Alcisthenes, wishing to betray the city and thinking that the danger for themselves would be less than if the exiles who had been expelled by them should return.
ξυνέβησάν τε πρῶτα μὲν τὰ μακρὰ τείχη ἑλεῖν Ἀθηναίους (ἦν δὲ σταδίων μάλιστα ὀκτὼ ἀπὸ τῆς πόλεως ἐπὶ τὴν Νίσαιαν τὸν λιμένα αὐτῶν), ὅπως μὴ ἐπιβοηθήσωσιν ἐκ τῆς Νισαίας οἱ Πελοποννήσιοι, ἐν ᾗ αὐτοὶ μόνοι ἐφρούρουν βεβαιότητος ἕνεκα τῶν Μεγάρων, ἔπειτα δὲ καὶ τὴν ἄνω πόλιν πειρᾶσθαι ἐνδοῦναι· ῥᾷον δ’ ἤδη ἔμελλον προσχωρήσειν τούτου γεγενημένου.
And they agreed, first, that the Athenians should capture the long walls (now these were about eight stades in length from the city to Nisaea, their harbour), in order that the Peloponnesians might not bring help from Nisaea, where they alone were keeping guard for the security of Megara; and secondly, that they should also try to betray the upper city; for the people in it would be likely to surrender more easily once this had been done.