§17.1ἐπελθούσης δὲ νυκτὸς καὶ τῶν στρατηγῶν ἀγόντων ἐπὶ τὴν ἀποδεδειγμένην στρατοπεδείαν οὐ πάνυ πρόθυμον ἦν ἕπεσθαι καὶ συμμένειν τὸ πλῆθος, ἀλλʼ ὡς ἀνέστησαν ἐκ τῶν πρώτων ἐρυμάτων ἐφέροντο πρὸς τὴν πόλιν τῶν Πλαταιέων οἱ πολλοί, καὶ θόρυβος ἦν ἐκεῖ διασκιδναμένων καὶ κατασκηνούντων ἀτάκτως.
When night came on and the generals were leading the forces to the designated camp, the multitude was not at all eager to follow and remain together; but as soon as they moved from their first entrenchments, the majority hurried toward the city of Plataea, and there was confusion as they dispersed and pitched their tents in disorder.
Λακεδαιμονίοις δὲ συνέβαινεν ἄκουσι μόνοις ἀπολείπεσθαι τῶν ἄλλων·
Thus it happened that the Lacedaemonians, against their will, were left alone behind the others.
§17.2Ἀμομφάρετος γάρ, ἀνὴρ θυμοειδὴς καὶ φιλοκίνδυνος, ἔκπαλαι πρὸς τὴν μάχην σπαργῶν καὶ βαρυνόμενος τὰς πολλὰς ἀναβολὰς καὶ μελλήσεις, τότε δὴ παντάπασι τὴν μετανάστασιν φυγὴν ἀποκαλῶν καὶ ἀπόδρασιν, οὐκ ἔφη λείψειν τὴν τάξιν, ἀλλʼ αὐτόθι μένων μετὰ τῶν ἑαυτοῦ λοχιτῶν ὑποστήσεσθαι Μαρδόνιον.
For Amompharetus, a man of fierce spirit and fond of danger, who had long been eager for battle and felt oppressed by the many delays and hesitations, then indeed, branding the relocation as an absolute flight and escape, declared that he would not abandon his post, but would remain there with his own company and withstand Mardonius.
§17.3ὡς δὲ Παυσανίας ἐπελθὼν ἔλεγε ταῦτα πράττειν ἐψηφισμένα καὶ δεδογμένα τοῖς Ἕλλησιν, ἀράμενος ταῖν χεροῖν πέτρον μέγαν ὁ Ἀμομφάρετος καὶ καταβαλὼν πρὸ τῶν ποδῶν τοῦ Παυσανίου ταύτην ἔφη ψῆφον αὐτὸς περὶ τῆς μάχης τίθεσθαι, τὰ δὲ τῶν ἄλλων δειλὰ βουλεύματα καὶ δόγματα χαίρειν ἐᾶν.
When Pausanias came up and told him that these measures had been voted and decided upon by the Greeks, Amompharetus lifted a great stone with both hands and, throwing it down before Pausanias' feet, said that this was the vote he himself cast for battle, and bid them let the cowardly counsels and decrees of the others go to ruin.
ἀπορούμενος δὲ Παυσανίας τῷ παρόντι πρὸς μὲν τοὺς Ἀθηναίους ἔπεμψεν ἀπιόντας ἤδη, περιμεῖναι δεόμενος καὶ κοινῇ βαδίζειν, αὐτὸς δὲ τὴν ἄλλην δύναμιν ἦγε πρὸς τὰς Πλαταιὰς ὡς ἀναστήσων τὸν Ἀμομφάρετον.
Pausanias, at a loss in the face of the present situation, sent a messenger to the Athenians, who were already departing, begging them to wait and march in company; and he himself led the rest of his forces toward Plataea, expecting that this would make Amompharetus move.
§17.4ἐν τούτῳ δὲ κατελάμβανεν ἡμέρα, καὶ Μαρδόνιος (οὐ γὰρ ἔλαθον τὴν στρατοπεδείαν ἐκλελοιπότες οἱ Ἕλληνες) ἔχων συντεταγμένην τὴν δύναμιν ἐπεφέρετο τοῖς Λακεδαιμονίοις βοῇ πολλῇ καὶ πατάγῳ τῶν βαρβάρων, ὡς οὐ μάχης ἐσομένης, ἀλλὰ φεύγοντας ἀναρπασομένων τοὺς Ἕλληνας.
Meanwhile, day broke, and Mardonius, for the Greeks had not escaped notice in abandoning their camp, advanced with his army drawn up in order against the Lacedaemonians, with great shouting and noise from the barbarians, as if there would be no battle, but they were about to sweep off the Greeks in their flight.
ὃ μικρᾶς ῥοπῆς ἐδέησε γενέσθαι.
And this very nearly came to pass.
§17.5κατιδὼν γὰρ τὸ γινόμενον ὁ Παυσανίας ἔσχετο μὲν τῆς πορείας καὶ τὴν ἐπὶ μάχῃ τάξιν ἐκέλευσε λαμβάνειν ἕκαστον, ἔλαθε δʼ αὐτόν, εἴθʼ ὑπὸ τῆς πρὸς τὸν Ἀμομφάρετον ὀργῆς εἴτε τῷ τάχει θορυβηθέντα τῶν πολεμίων, σύνθημα μὴ δοῦναι τοῖς Ἕλλησιν.
For Pausanias, seeing what was happening, stopped his march and ordered everyone to take their battle positions; but, either from anger at Amompharetus or because he was thrown into confusion by the speed of the enemy, he unaccountably failed to give the watchword to the Greeks.
ὅθεν οὔτʼ εὐθὺς οὔτʼ ἀθρόοι, κατʼ ὀλίγους δὲ καὶ σποράδην, ἤδη τῆς μάχης ἐν χερσὶν οὔσης, προσεβοήθουν.
Consequently, they did not come to support either immediately or in a body, but only in small numbers and scattered, when the battle was already close at hand.
§17.6ὡς δὲ θυόμενος οὐκ ἐκαλλιέρει, προσέταξε τοῖς Λακεδαιμονίοις τὰς ἀσπίδας πρὸ τῶν ποδῶν θεμένους ἀτρέμα καθέζεσθαι καὶ προσέχειν αὐτῷ, μηδένα τῶν πολεμίων ἀμυνομένους, αὐτὸς δὲ πάλιν ἐσφαγιάζετο.
But when his sacrifices did not produce favorable omens, he commanded the Lacedaemonians to lay down their shields at their feet, to sit quietly and wait for his word, without defending themselves against any of the enemy, while he himself sacrificed again.
καὶ προσέπιπτον οἱ ἱππεῖς· ἤδη δὲ καὶ βέλος ἐξικνεῖτο καί τις ἐπέπληκτο τῶν Σπαρτιατῶν.
Meanwhile, the enemy's cavalry charged; and already their missiles were reaching them, and one of the Spartans was struck.
§17.7ἐν τούτῳ δὲ καὶ Καλλικράτης, ὃν ἰδέᾳ τε κάλλιστον Ἑλλήνων καὶ σώματι μέγιστον ἐν ἐκείνῳ τῷ στρατῷ γενέσθαι λέγουσι, τοξευθεὶς καὶ θνήσκων οὐκ ἔφη τὸν θάνατον ὀδύρεσθαι, καὶ γὰρ ἐλθεῖν οἴκοθεν ὑπὲρ τῆς Ἑλλάδος ἀποθανούμενος, ἀλλʼ ὅτι θνήσκει τῇ χειρὶ μὴ χρησάμενος.
At this juncture, Callicrates also, who is said to have been the handsomest of the Greeks in appearance and the largest in stature in that army, being shot with an arrow and dying, said that he did not lament his death, for he had come from home prepared to die for Greece, but that he died without having used his hand.
ἦν οὖν τὸ μὲν πάθος δεινόν, ἡ δʼ ἐγκράτεια θαυμαστὴ τῶν ἀνδρῶν. οὐ γὰρ ἠμύνοντο τοὺς πολεμίους ἐπιβαίνοντας, ἀλλὰ τὸν παρὰ τοῦ θεοῦ καὶ τοῦ στρατηγοῦ καιρὸν ἀναμένοντες ἠνείχοντο βαλλόμενοι καὶ πίπτοντες ἐν ταῖς τάξεσιν.
Truly, then, their suffering was terrible, but the self-control of the men was wonderful; for they did not defend themselves against the enemy who were pressing upon them, but, waiting for the proper moment from the god and their general, they endured being struck and falling in their ranks.
§17.8ἔνιοι δέ φασι τῷ Παυσανίᾳ μικρὸν ἔξω τῆς παρατάξεως θύοντι καὶ κατευχομένῳ τῶν Λυδῶν τινας ἄφνω προσπεσόντας ἁρπάζειν καὶ διαρρίπτειν τὰ περὶ τὴν θυσίαν, τὸν δὲ Παυσανίαν καὶ τοὺς περὶ αὐτὸν οὐκ ἔχοντας ὅπλα ῥάβδοις καὶ μάστιξι παίειν·
Some, however, say that while Pausanias was sacrificing and praying a little outside the line of battle, some Lydians suddenly fell upon him and began to plunder and scatter the sacrificial offerings; and that Pausanias and his companions, having no weapons, struck them with wands and whips.
διὸ καὶ νῦν ἐκείνης τῆς ἐπιδρομῆς μιμήματα τὰς περὶ τὸν βωμὸν ἐν Σπάρτῃ πληγὰς τῶν ἐφήβων καὶ τὴν μετὰ ταῦτα τῶν Λυδῶν πομπὴν συντελεῖσθαι.
For this reason, they say, even to this day, in imitation of that onslaught, the whipping of the youths around the altar at Sparta and the procession of Lydians that follows it are still celebrated.