§14.1μετὰ ταῦτα Μαρδόνιος, ᾧ πλεῖστον ἐδόκει διαφέρειν, τῶν Ἑλλήνων ἀπεπειρᾶτο, τὴν ἵππον ἀθρόαν αὐτοῖς ἐφεὶς καθεζομένοις ὑπὸ τὸν πρόποδα τοῦ Κιθαιρῶνος ἐν χωρίοις ὀχυροῖς καὶ πετρώδεσι πλὴν Μεγαρέων.
After this, Mardonius, with that which he thought excelled most, made trial of the Greeks, sending his cavalry in a body against them as they were posted at the foot of Cithaeron in strong and rocky places, except for the Megarians.
οὗτοι δὲ τρισχίλιοι τὸ πλῆθος ὄντες ἐν τοῖς ἐπιπέδοις μᾶλλον ἐστρατοπεδεύοντο.
These, being three thousand in number, were encamped rather in the level ground.
διὸ καὶ κακῶς ἔπασχον ὑπὸ τῆς ἵππου ῥυείσης ἐπʼ αὐτοὺς καὶ προσβολὰς ἐχούσης πανταχόθεν.
Consequently, they suffered severely from the cavalry which poured upon them and made attacks from all sides.
§14.2ἔπεμπον οὖν ἄγγελον κατὰ τάχος πρὸς Παυσανίαν βοηθεῖν κελεύοντες, ὡς οὐ δυνάμενοι καθʼ αὑτοὺς ὑποστῆναι τὸ τῶν βαρβάρων πλῆθος.
They therefore sent a messenger in haste to Pausanias, bidding him come to their aid, since they could not by themselves withstand the multitude of the barbarians.
ταῦτα Παυσανίας ἀκούων, ἤδη δὲ καὶ καθορῶν ἀποκεκρυμμένον ἀκοντισμάτων καὶ τοξευμάτων πλήθει τὸ στρατόπεδον τῶν Μεγαρέων καὶ συνεσταλμένους αὐτοὺς εἰς ὀλίγον, αὐτὸς μὲν ἀμήχανος ἦν πρὸς ἱππότας ἀμύνειν ὁπλιτικῇ φάλαγγι καὶ βαρείᾳ τῇ Σπαρτιατῶν, §14.3τοῖς δʼ ἄλλοις στρατηγοῖς καὶ λοχαγοῖς τῶν Ἑλλήνων περὶ αὐτὸν οὖσι προὔθετο ζῆλον ἀρετῆς καὶ φιλοτιμίας, εἰ δή τινες ἑκόντες ἀναδέξαιντο προαγωνίσασθαι καὶ βοηθῆσαι τοῖς Μεγαρεῦσι.
On hearing this, and indeed already seeing the camp of the Megarians covered by a multitude of javelins and arrows and themselves hemmed into a small space, Pausanias was at a loss how to defend against horsemen with the heavy and slow Spartan phalanx of hoplites; but to the other generals and captains of the Greeks who were about him, he proposed a rivalry in valor and ambition, to see if any would voluntarily undertake to fight in front and succor the Megarians.
τῶν δʼ ἄλλων ὀκνούντων Ἀριστείδης ἀναδεξάμενος ὑπὲρ τῶν Ἀθηναίων τὸ ἔργον ἀποστέλλει τὸν προθυμότατον τῶν λοχαγῶν Ὀλυμπιόδωρον, ἔχοντα τοὺς ὑπʼ αὐτῷ τεταγμένους λογάδας τριακοσίους καὶ τοξότας ἀναμεμιγμένους σὺν αὐτοῖς.
When the others hesitated, Aristeides, undertaking the task on behalf of the Athenians, dispatched Olympiodorus, the most zealous of the captains, having under his command three hundred chosen men and archers mingled with them.
§14.4τούτων δὲ ὀξέως διασκευασαμένων καὶ προσφερομένων δρόμῳ, Μασίστιος ὁ τῶν βαρβάρων ἵππαρχος, ἀνὴρ ἀλκῇ τε θαυμαστὸς μεγέθει τε καὶ κάλλει σώματος περιττός, ὡς κατεῖδεν, ἐναντίον ἐπιστρέψας τὸν ἵππον εἰς αὐτοὺς ἤλαυνε.
These having quickly equipped themselves and advancing at a run, Masistius, the commander of the barbarian cavalry, a man of wonderful prowess and of extraordinary stature and beauty of body, as soon as he saw them, turned his horse and rode against them.
τῶν δʼ ἀνασχομένων καὶ συμβαλόντων ἦν ἀγὼν καρτερός, ὡς πεῖραν ἐν τούτῳ τοῦ παντὸς λαμβανόντων.
When they withstood him and closed in, there was a fierce struggle, as if they were making trial of the whole issue in this conflict.
§14.5ἐπεὶ δὲ τοξευθεὶς ὁ ἵππος τὸν Μασίστιον ἀπέρριψε καὶ πεσὼν ὑπὸ βάρους τῶν ὅπλων αὐτός τε δυσκίνητος ἦν ἀναφέρειν καὶ τοῖς Ἀθηναίοις ἐπικειμένοις καὶ παίουσι δυσμεταχείριστος, οὐ μόνον στέρνα καὶ κεφαλήν, ἀλλὰ καὶ τὰ γυῖα χρυσῷ καὶ χαλκῷ καὶ σιδήρῳ καταπεφραγμένος, τοῦτον μὲν ᾗ τὸ κράνος ὑπέφαινε τὸν ὀφθαλμὸν ἀκοντίου στύρακι παίων τις ἀνεῖλεν, οἱ δʼ ἄλλοι Πέρσαι προέμενοι τὸν νεκρὸν ἔφευγον.
But when his horse was shot with an arrow and threw Masistius, and he, having fallen under the weight of his armor, was both difficult to raise himself and hard for the attacking and striking Athenians to deal with—being protected not only on his breast and head, but also on his limbs with gold, bronze, and iron—someone killed him by striking him with the spike of a javelin where his helmet showed his eye; and the other Persians abandoned the corpse and fled.
§14.6ἐγνώσθη δὲ τοῦ κατορθώματος τὸ μέγεθος τοῖς Ἕλλησιν οὐκ ἀπὸ τῶν νεκρῶν τοῦ πλήθους, ὀλίγοι γὰρ οἱ πεσόντες ἦσαν, ἀλλὰ τῷ πένθει τῶν βαρβάρων.
The greatness of the success was made known to the Greeks not by the number of the dead, for those who fell were few, but by the mourning of the barbarians.
καὶ γὰρ ἑαυτοὺς ἔκειραν ἐπὶ τῷ Μασιστίῳ καὶ ἵππους καὶ ἡμιόνους, οἰμωγῆς τε καὶ κλαυθμοῦ τὸ πεδίον ἐνεπίμπλασαν, ὡς ἄνδρα πολὺ πρῶτον ἀρετῇ καὶ δυνάμει μετά γε Μαρδόνιον αὐτὸν ἀποβαλόντες.
For they shaved themselves for Masistius, and their horses and mules, and filled the plain with wailing and lamentation, as having lost a man by far the first in valor and power next to Mardonius himself.