§6.46.1αἱ δ’ ἐκ τῆς Ἐγέστης τρεῖς νῆες αἱ πρόπλοι παραγίγνονται τοῖς Ἀθηναίοις ἐς τὸ Ῥήγιον, ἀγγέλλουσαι ὅτι τἆλλα μὲν οὐκ ἔστι χρήματα ἃ ὑπέσχοντο, τριάκοντα δὲ τάλαντα μόνα φαίνεται.
The three advanced ships from Egesta arrived at Rhegium to the Athenians, reporting that the other funds they had promised did not exist, and only thirty talents were to be seen.
§6.46.2καὶ οἱ στρατηγοὶ εὐθὺς ἐν ἀθυμίᾳ ἦσαν, ὅτι αὐτοῖς τοῦτό τε πρῶτον ἀντεκεκρούκει καὶ οἱ Ῥηγῖνοι οὐκ ἐθελήσαντες ξυστρατεύειν, οὓς πρῶτον ἤρξαντο πείθειν καὶ εἰκὸς ἦν μάλιστα, Λεοντίνων τε ξυγγενεῖς ὄντας καὶ σφίσιν αἰεὶ ἐπιτηδείους.
And the generals were immediately in despair, because this was their first setback, and also because the Rhegians had refused to join the expedition—those whom they had first begun to persuade and who, being kinsmen of the Leontines and always friendly to the Athenians, were most likely to have done so.
καὶ τῷ μὲν Νικίᾳ προσδεχομένῳ ἦν τὰ παρὰ τῶν Ἐγεσταίων, τοῖν δὲ ἑτέροιν καὶ ἀλογώτερα.
To Nicias, the news from the Egestaeans was expected, but to the other two it was even more surprising.
§6.46.3οἱ δὲ Ἐγεσταῖοι τοιόνδε τι ἐξετεχνήσαντο τότε ὅτε οἱ πρῶτοι πρέσβεις τῶν Ἀθηναίων ἦλθον αὐτοῖς ἐς τὴν κατασκοπὴν τῶν χρημάτων.
The Egestaeans had devised the following trick at the time when the first Athenian envoys came to them to inspect their wealth.
ἔς τε τὸ ἐν Ἔρυκι ἱερὸν τῆς Ἀφροδίτης ἀγαγόντες αὐτοὺς ἐπέδειξαν τὰ ἀναθήματα, φιάλας τε καὶ οἰνοχόας καὶ θυμιατήρια καὶ ἄλλην κατασκευὴν οὐκ ὀλίγην, ἃ ὄντα ἀργυρᾶ πολλῷ πλείω τὴν ὄψιν ἀπ’ ὀλίγης δυνάμεως χρημάτων παρείχετο·
Leading them to the temple of Aphrodite at Eryx, they showed them the offerings—vessels, wine-pitchers, censers, and no small amount of other tableware—which, being of silver, presented an appearance far exceeding their actual small value.
καὶ ἰδίᾳ ξενίσεις ποιούμενοι τῶν τριηριτῶν τά τε ἐξ αὐτῆς Ἐγέστης ἐκπώματα καὶ χρυσᾶ καὶ ἀργυρᾶ ξυλλέξαντες καὶ τὰ ἐκ τῶν ἐγγὺς πόλεων καὶ Φοινικικῶν καὶ Ἑλληνίδων αἰτησάμενοι ἐσέφερον ἐς τὰς ἑστιάσεις ὡς οἰκεῖα ἕκαστοι.
And in making private entertainments for the crews of the triremes, they collected the gold and silver drinking cups from Egesta itself, and borrowed others from the neighboring Phoenician and Greek cities, and brought them into the banquets as if they were each their own.
§6.46.4καὶ πάντων ὡς ἐπὶ τὸ πολὺ τοῖς αὐτοῖς χρωμένων καὶ πανταχοῦ πολλῶν φαινομένων μεγάλην τὴν ἔκπληξιν τοῖς ἐκ τῶν τριήρων Ἀθηναίοις παρεῖχε, καὶ ἀφικόμενοι ἐς τὰς Ἀθήνας διεθρόησαν ὡς χρήματα πολλὰ ἴδοιεν.
Since almost all of them used the same vessels, and many appeared everywhere, it caused great amazement to the Athenians from the triremes, and when they returned to Athens, they spread the word that they had seen a vast amount of money.
§6.46.5καὶ οἱ μὲν αὐτοί τε ἀπατηθέντες καὶ τοὺς ἄλλους τότε πείσαντες, ἐπειδὴ διῆλθεν ὁ λόγος ὅτι οὐκ εἴη ἐν τῇ Ἐγέστῃ τὰ χρήματα, πολλὴν τὴν αἰτίαν εἶχον ὑπὸ τῶν στρατιωτῶν· οἱ δὲ στρατηγοὶ πρὸς τὰ παρόντα ἐβουλεύοντο.
Those who had both been deceived themselves and had then persuaded others were, when the report spread that there was no money in Egesta, held in great blame by the soldiers; meanwhile, the generals took counsel in view of the present situation.