§14.1ἐπὶ τούτοις δὲ θαυμασθείς καὶ λαμπρὸς παρὰ τῶν ἐκεῖ πράξεων ἀνακομισθεὶς εἰς Πελοπόννησον εὗρε τὸν μὲν Φίλιππον ὑπὸ τοῦ Τίτου καταπεπολεμημένον, τὸν δὲ Νάβιν ὑπὸ τῶν Ἀχαιῶν καὶ τῶν Ῥωμαίων πολεμούμενον.
Having been admired for these things and returned to the Peloponnese, illustrious from his achievements there, he found Philip on the one hand subdued by Titus, and Nabis on the other hand warred against by the Achaeans and Romans.
ἐφʼ ὃν εὐθὺς αἱρεθεὶς ἄρχων καὶ ναυμαχίᾳ παραβαλόμενος τὸ τοῦ Ἐπαμεινώνδου παθεῖν ἔδοξε, ποχὺ τῆς περὶ αὐτὸν ἀρετῆς καὶ δόξης ἐν τῇ θαλάσσῃ κάκιον ἀγωνισάμενος.
Having been immediately chosen as leader against Nabis and ventured on a sea-fight, he seemed to suffer the fate of Epaminondas, having fought on the sea much worse than his usual virtue and reputation.
§14.2πλὴν Ἐπαμεινώνδαν μὲν ἔνιοι λέγουσιν ὀκνοῦντα γεῦσαι τῶν κατὰ θάλασσαν ὠφελειῶν τοὺς πολίτας, ὅπως αὐτῷ μὴ λάθωσιν ἀντὶ μονίμων ὁπλιτῶν, κατὰ Πλάτωνα, ναῦται γενόμενοι καὶ διαφθαρέντες, ἄπρακτον ἐκ τῆς Ἀσίας καὶ τῶν νήσων ἀπελθεῖν ἑκουσίως·
However, some say that Epaminondas, hesitating to let the citizens taste the benefits of the sea, lest, before they knew it, they should become sailors and be corrupted instead of remaining steadfast hoplites—according to Plato —withdrew voluntarily from Asia and the islands without having accomplished anything.
§14.3Φιλοποίμην δὲ τὴν ἐν τοῖς πεζοῖς ἐπιστήμην καὶ διὰ θαλάττης ἀρκέσειν αὐτῷ πρὸς τὸ καλῶς ἀγωνίσασθαι πεπεισμένος, ἔγνω τὴν ἄσκησιν ἡλίκον μέρος ἐστὶ τῆς ἀρετῆς καὶ πόσην ἐπὶ πάντα τοῖς ἐθισθεῖσι δύναμιν προστίθησιν.
But Philopoemen, convinced that his knowledge of infantry warfare would suffice for him to fight well also at sea, learned how great a part of virtue training is, and how much power it adds in all things to those who have become accustomed to it.
οὐ γὰρ μόνον ἐν τῇ ναυμαχίᾳ διὰ τὴν ἀπειρίαν ἔλαττον ἔσχεν, ἀλλὰ καὶ ναῦν τινα, παλαιὰν μέν, ἔνδοξον δέ, διʼ ἐτῶν τεσσαράκοντα κατασπάσας ἐπλήρωσεν, ὥστε μὴ στεγούσης κινδυνεῦσαι τοὺς πλέοντας.
For not only did he get the worst of it in the sea-fight because of his inexperience, but he also dragged down and manned a certain ship, old though famous, after forty years of disuse, so that, since it leaked water, those sailing on it were in danger.
§14.4πρὸς ταῦτα γινώσκων καταφρονοῦντας αὐτοῦ τοὺς πολεμίους ὡς παντάπασι πεφευγότος ἐκ τῆς θαλάττης, καὶ πολιορκοῦντας ὑπερηφάνως τὸ Γύθιον, εὐθὺς ἐπέπλευσεν αὐτοῖς οὐ προσδοκῶσιν, ἀλλʼ ἐκλελυμένοις διὰ τὴν νίκην.
In response to this, knowing that the enemy despised him as one who had completely fled from the sea, and were arrogantly besieging Gythium, he immediately sailed against them when they were not expecting him, but were relaxed because of their victory.
καὶ νυκτὸς ἐκβιβάσας τοὺς στρατιώτας καὶ προσαγαγών, πῦρ ἐνῆκε ταῖς σκηναῖς καὶ τὸ στρατόπεδον κατέκαυσε καὶ πολλοὺς διέφθειρεν.
And having landed his soldiers by night and led them forward, he set fire to the tents, burned down the camp, and destroyed many.
§14.5ὀλίγαις δʼ ὕστερον ἡμέραις καθʼ ὁδὸν ἐν δυσχωρίαις τισὶν ἄφνω τοῦ Νάβιδος ἐπιφανέντος αὐτῷ καὶ φοβήσαντος τοὺς Ἀχαιούς ἀνέλπιστον ἡγουμένους τὴν σωτηρίαν ἐκ τόπων χαλεπῶν καὶ γεγονότων ὑποχειρίων τοῖς πολεμίοις, ὀλίγον χρόνον ἐπιστὰς καὶ περιλαβὼν ὄψει τὴν τοῦ χωρίου φύσιν ἐπέδειξε τὴν τακτικὴν τῶν ἄκρων τῆς πολεμικῆς τέχνην οὖσαν οὕτω μικρὰ κινήσας τὴν ἑαυτοῦ φάλαγγα καὶ πρὸς τὰ παρόντα μεθαρμόσας ἀθορύβως καὶ ῥᾳδίως διεκρούσατο τὴν ἀπορίαν, καὶ προσβαλὼν τοῖς πολεμίοις τροπὴν ἰσχυρὰν ἐποίησεν.
A few days later, when Nabis suddenly appeared before him on the road in certain difficult passes and terrified the Achaeans, who thought safety was hopeless from such difficult positions which had fallen into the hands of the enemy, having halted for a short time and taken in the nature of the terrain with his eye, he showed that tactics is the highest of the military arts; for having thus slightly moved his phalanx and adapted it to the present circumstances quietly and easily, he overcame the difficulty, and having fallen upon the enemy, he put them to a severe rout.
§14.6ἐπεὶ δὲ οὐ πρὸς τὴν πόλιν ἑώρα φεύγοντας, ἀλλὰ τῆς χώρας ἄλλον ἄλλῃ διασπειρόμενον ὑλώδης δὲ καὶ περίβουνος ἦν πᾶσα καὶ δύσιππος ὑπὸ ῥείθρων καὶ φαράγγων, τὴν μὲν δίωξιν ἐπέσχε καὶ κατεστρατοπέδευσεν ἔτι φωτὸς ὄντος· τεκμαιρόμενος δὲ τοὺς πολεμίους ἐκ τῆς φυγῆς καθʼ ἕνα καὶ δύο πρὸς τὴν πόλιν ὑπάξειν σκοταίους, ἐλλοχίζει τοῖς περὶ τὸ ἄστυ ῥείθροις καὶ λόφοις πολλοὺς ἔχοντας ἐγχειρίδια τῶν Ἀχαιῶν.
And when he saw them fleeing not toward the city, but scattering here and there through the countryside—and since the whole region was wooded, hilly, and impassable for cavalry due to torrents and ravines—on the one hand he stopped the pursuit and encamped while it was still light; and on the other hand, guessing that the enemy from their flight would steal back toward the city one by one or two by two under cover of darkness, he placed in ambush along the torrents and hills around the city many of the Achaeans carrying daggers.
§14.7ἐνταῦθα πλείστους ἀποθανεῖν συνέβη τῶν τοῦ Νάβιδος· ἅτε γὰρ οὐκ ἀθρόαν ποιούμενοι τὴν ἀναχώρησιν, ἀλλʼ ὡς ἑκάστοις αἱ φυγαὶ συνετύγχανον, ὥσπερ ὄρνιθες ἡλίσκοντο περὶ τὴν πόλιν εἰς τὰς τῶν πολεμίων χεῖρας καταίροντες.
Here it happened that very many of Nabis's men died; for since they did not make their retreat in a body, but according as escape fell to each individual, they were caught like birds around the city, landing right into the hands of the enemy.