§4.68.1ἔπειτα δὲ καὶ τῶν Ἀθηναίων ἤδη ὁ αἰεὶ ἐντὸς γιγνόμενος ἐχώρει ἐπὶ τὸ τεῖχος.
Then, those of the Athenians who successively made their way inside proceeded immediately to the wall.
§4.68.2καὶ οἱ Πελοποννήσιοι φρουροὶ τὸ μὲν πρῶτον ἀντίσχοντες ἠμύνοντο ὀλίγοι, καὶ ἀπέθανόν τινες αὐτῶν, οἱ δὲ πλείους ἐς φυγὴν κατέστησαν, φοβηθέντες ἐν νυκτί τε πολεμίων προσπεπτωκότων καὶ τῶν προδιδόντων Μεγαρέων ἀντιμαχομένων, νομίσαντες τοὺς ἅπαντας σφᾶς Μεγαρέας προδεδωκέναι.
And the Peloponnesian guards at first resisted and defended themselves, though they were few, and some of them were killed; but the majority fled, being terrified both because enemies had fallen upon them in the night and because the treacherous Megarians were fighting against them, and believing that the Megarians as a body had betrayed them.
§4.68.3ξυνέπεσε γὰρ καὶ τὸν τῶν Ἀθηναίων κήρυκα ἀφ’ ἑαυτοῦ γνώμης κηρύξαι τὸν βουλόμενον ἰέναι Μεγαρέων μετὰ Ἀθηναίων θησόμενον τὰ ὅπλα.
For it also happened that the Athenian herald on his own initiative proclaimed that any of the Megarians who wished should go and ground their arms with the Athenians.
οἱ δ’ ὡς ἤκουσαν, οὐκέτι ἀνέμενον, ἀλλὰ τῷ ὄντι νομίσαντες κοινῇ πολεμεῖσθαι κατέφυγον ἐς τὴν Νίσαιαν.
And when they heard this, they no longer stood their ground, but, believing that they were in truth being made war upon by all in common, they fled for refuge to Nisaea.
§4.68.4ἅμα δὲ ἕῳ ἑαλωκότων ἤδη τῶν τειχῶν καὶ τῶν ἐν τῇ πόλει Μεγαρέων θορυβουμένων οἱ πρὸς τοὺς Ἀθηναίους πράξαντες καὶ ἄλλο μετ’ αὐτῶν πλῆθος, ὃ ξυνῄδει, ἔφασαν χρῆναι ἀνοίγειν τὰς πύλας καὶ ἐπεξιέναι ἐς μάχην.
At dawn, the walls having already been captured and the Megarians in the city being in an uproar, those who had negotiated with the Athenians, and another multitude with them who were privy to the plot, urged that they ought to open the gates and go out to battle.
§4.68.5ξυνέκειτο δὲ αὐτοῖς τῶν πυλῶν ἀνοιχθεισῶν ἐσπίπτειν τοὺς Ἀθηναίους, αὐτοὶ δὲ διάδηλοι ἔμελλον ἔσεσθαι (λίπα γὰρ ἀλείψεσθαι), ὅπως μὴ ἀδικῶνται.
It had been agreed between them that when the gates were opened the Athenians should rush in, and they themselves were to be distinguished (for they were to anoint themselves with oil) so that they might receive no harm.
ἀσφάλεια δὲ αὐτοῖς μᾶλλον ἐγίγνετο τῆς ἀνοίξεως· καὶ γὰρ οἱ ἀπὸ τῆς Ἐλευσῖνος κατὰ τὸ ξυγκείμενον τετρακισχίλιοι ὁπλῖται τῶν Ἀθηναίων καὶ ἱππῆς ἑξακόσιοι [οἱ] τὴν νύκτα πορευόμενοι παρῆσαν.
And the opening of the gates was rendered all the safer for them because the Athenian forces—four thousand hoplites and six hundred cavalry, who had marched during the night from Eleusis according to the agreement—were already present.
§4.68.6ἀληλιμμένων δὲ αὐτῶν καὶ ὄντων ἤδη περὶ τὰς πύλας καταγορεύει τις ξυνειδὼς τοῖς ἑτέροις τὸ ἐπιβούλευμα.
But when they had anointed themselves and were already about the gates, one of their accomplices who was in the secret betrayed the plot to the other party.
καὶ οἳ ξυστραφέντες ἁθρόοι ἦλθον καὶ οὐκ ἔφασαν χρῆναι οὔτε ἐπεξιέναι (οὐδὲ γὰρ πρότερόν πω τοῦτο ἰσχύοντες μᾶλλον τολμῆσαι) οὔτε ἐς κίνδυνον φανερὸν τὴν πόλιν καταγαγεῖν· εἴ τε μὴ πείσεταί τις, αὐτοῦ τὴν μάχην ἔσεσθαι.
Whereupon they banded together and came in a body, declaring that they ought not to go out (for not even before, when they were stronger, had they ever ventured on this) nor to bring the city into manifest danger; and they added that if anyone disobeyed, the battle would have to be fought on the spot.
ἐδήλουν δὲ οὐδὲν ὅτι ἴσασι τὰ πρασσόμενα, ἀλλὰ ὡς τὰ βέλτιστα βουλεύοντες ἰσχυρίζοντο, καὶ ἅμα περὶ τὰς πύλας παρέμενον φυλάσσοντες, ὥστε οὐκ ἐγένετο τοῖς ἐπιβουλεύουσι πρᾶξαι ὃ ἔμελλον.
They gave no sign that they knew what was being done, but insisted that they were advising what was best, and at the same time they remained on guard about the gates, so that it was impossible for the conspirators to carry out what they had intended.