§12.1παρὰ δὲ τὰς μάχας καὶ τοὺς κινδύνους, ὥσπερ οἱ πῶλοι τοὺς συνήθεις ἐπιβάτας ποθοῦντες, ἐὰν ἄλλον φέρωσι, πτύρονται καὶ ξενοπαθοῦσιν, οὕτως ἡ δύναμις τῶν Ἀχαιῶν ἑτέρου στρατηγοῦντος ἠθύμει καὶ πρὸς ἐκεῖνον ἐπάπταινε καὶ μόνον ὀφθέντος εὐθὺς ὀρθὴ καὶ δραστήριος ἦν διὰ τὸ θαρρεῖν, ἅτε δὴ καὶ τοὺς ἐναντίους αἰσθανόμενοι πρὸς ἕνα τοῦτον τῶν στρατηγῶν ἀντιβλέπειν οὐ δυναμένους, ἀλλὰ καὶ τὴν δόξαν αὐτοῦ καὶ τοὔνομα δεδοικότας, ὡς ἦν φανερὸν ἐξ ὧν ἔπρασσον.
In times of battle and danger, just as colts, longing for their accustomed riders, are frightened and restive if they carry another, so the force of the Achaeans became dispirited when another was general, and kept looking toward him, and the moment he was seen, it was immediately upright and active on account of its confidence, inasmuch as they perceived that even their opponents were unable to look this one of the generals in the face, but feared both his reputation and his name, as was evident from what they did.
§12.2Φίλιππος μὲν γὰρ ὁ τῶν Μακεδόνων βασιλεύς οἰόμενος, ἂν ἐκποδὼν ὁ Φιλοποίμην γένηται, πάλιν ὑποπτήξειν αὐτῷ τοὺς Ἀχαιούς, ἔπεμψεν εἰς Ἄργος κρύφα τοὺς ἀναιρήσοντας αὐτόν ἐπιγνωσθείσης δὲ τῆς ἐπιβουλῆς παντάπασιν ἐξεμισήθη καὶ διεβλήθη πρὸς τοὺς Ἕλληνας.
For Philip, the king of the Macedonians, thinking that if Philopoemen were out of the way, the Achaeans would again submit to him, secretly sent to Argos those who were to assassinate him; but when the plot was discovered, he was utterly detested and brought into ill repute among the Greeks.
§12.3Βοιωτοὶ δὲ πολιορκοῦντες Μέγαρα καὶ λήψεσθαι ταχέως ἐλπίζοντες, ἐξαίφνης λόγου προσπεσόντος αὐτοῖς, ὃς οὐκ ἦν ἀληθής, Φιλοποίμενα βοηθοῦντα τοῖς πολιορκουμένοις ἐγγὺς εἶναι, τὰς κλίμακας ἀφέντες ἤδη προσερηρεισμένας τοῖς τείχεσιν ᾤχοντο φεύγοντες.
And the Boeotians, who were besieging Megara and hoping to capture it quickly, when suddenly a rumor reached them—which was not true—that Philopoemen was near to aid the besieged, left their scaling-ladders already placed against the walls and fled away.
§12.4Νάβιδος δὲ τοῦ μετὰ Μαχανίδαν τυραννοῦντος Λακεδαιμονίων Μεσσήνην ἄφνω καταλαβόντος, ἐτύγχανε μὲν ἰδιώτης ὢν τότε ὁ Φιλοποίμην καὶ δυνάμεως οὐδεμιᾶς κύριος, ἐπεὶ δὲ τὸν στρατηγοῦντα τῶν Ἀχαιῶν Λύσιππον οὐκ ἔπειθε βοηθεῖν τοῖς Μεσσηνίοις, ἀπολωλέναι κομιδῇ φάσκοντα τὴν πόλιν ἔνδον γεγονότων τῶν πολεμίων, αὐτὸς ἐβοήθει τοὺς ἑαυτοῦ πολίτας ἀναλαβών οὔτε νόμον οὔτε χειροτονίαν περιμείναντας, ἀλλʼ ὡς διὰ παντὸς ἄρχοντι τῷ κρείττονι κατὰ φύσιν ἑπομένους.
When Nabis, who ruled as tyrant over the Lacedaemonians after Machanidas, suddenly seized Messene, Philopoemen happened to be a private citizen at that time and in control of no force, but since he could not persuade Lysippus, who was serving as general of the Achaeans, to help the Messenians, because Lysippus said that the city was utterly lost now that the enemy were inside, he himself went to help, taking with him his own fellow citizens, who waited for neither law nor election, but followed him as their natural leader in all things because of his superiority.
§12.5ἤδη δʼ αὐτοῦ πλησίον ὄντος ἀκούσας ὁ Νάβις οὐχ ὑπέστη, καίπερ ἐν τῇ πόλει στρατοπεδεύων, ἀλλʼ ὑπεκδὺς διὰ πυλῶν ἑτέρων κατὰ τάχος ἀπήγαγε τὴν δύναμιν, εὐτυχίᾳ χρήσεσθαι δοκῶν εἰ διαφύγοι· καὶ διέφυγε, Μεσσήνη δʼ ἠλευθέρωτο.
And when Nabis heard that he was already near, he did not withstand him, although he was encamped in the city, but slipping out through other gates, he quickly led his force away, thinking he would be fortunate if he should escape; and he did escape, and Messene was liberated.