§16.1Σερτώριος δέ, τῶν ἐντὸς Ἴβηρος αὐτῷ ποταμοῦ πάντων ὁμοῦ τι προστιθεμένων, πλήθει μὲν ἦν μέγας· ἐπέρρεον γὰρ ἀεὶ καὶ συνεφέροντο πανταχόθεν πρὸς αὑτόν·
Sertorius, as almost all the peoples within the Ebro River added themselves to him, became great in numbers; for they kept flowing in and gathering to him from all sides.
ἀταξίᾳ δὲ βαρβαρικῇ καὶ θρασύτητι ταραττόμενος ἐπιχειρεῖν τοῖς πολεμίοις βοώντων καὶ τὴν τριβὴν δυσανασχετούντων ἐπειρᾶτο παραμυθεῖσθαι διὰ λόγων.
However, troubled by their barbarian disorder and boldness, as they cried out to attack the enemy and were impatient of delay, he tried to pacify them with words.
§16.2ὡς δὲ ἑώρα χαλεπαίνοντας καὶ βιαζομένους ἀκαίρως, προήκατο καὶ περιεῖδε συμπλεκομένους τοῖς πολεμίοις ἐν οἷς οὐ παντελῶς συντριβέντας, ἀλλὰ πληγὰς λαβόντας ἤλπιζε πρὸς τὰ λοιπὰ κατηκόους μᾶλλον ἕξειν.
But when he saw that they were angry and pressing on inopportunely, he let them go and allowed them to engage with the enemy, hoping that by being not completely destroyed but receiving blows in the engagement, they would be more obedient for the future.
ὧν δὲ εἴκαζε γενομένων, ἐπιβοηθήσας ἀνέλαβέ τε φεύγοντας αὐτοὺς καὶ κατέστησεν ἀσφαλῶς εἰς τὸ στρατόπεδον.
When this happened as he conjectured, he went to their aid, rescued them as they fled, and brought them back safely to the camp.
§16.3βουλόμενος δὲ καὶ τὴν ἀθυμίαν ἀφελεῖν, μεθʼ ἡμέρας ὀλίγας πάνδημον ἐκκλησίαν ἀθροίσας ἵππους εἰσήγαγε δύο, τὸν μὲν ἀσθενῆ τελέως καὶ πρεσβύτερον ἤδη, τὸν δὲ ἕτερον εὐμεγέθη μὲν αὐτὸν καὶ ἰσχυρόν, θαυμαστὴν δὲ πυκνότητι καὶ κάλλει τριχῶν οὐρὰν ἔχοντα, παρειστήκει δὲ τῷ μὲν ἀσθενεῖ μέγας ἀνὴρ καὶ ῥωμαλέος, τῷ δὲ ἰσχυρῷ μικρὸς ἕτερος καὶ τὴν ὄψιν εὐκαταφρόνητος, σημείου δὲ δοθέντος αὐτοῖς ὁ μὲν ἰσχυρὸς ἀμφοτέραις ταῖς χερσὶ τοῦ ἵππου τὴν κέρκον ὡς ἀπορρήξων εἷλκε βίᾳ πρὸς αὑτόν, ὁ δὲ ἀσθενὴς τοῦ ἰσχυροῦ κατὰ μίαν τῶν τριχῶν ἐξέτιλλεν.
And wishing also to remove their despondency, a few days later he gathered a general assembly and brought in two horses: one completely weak and already old, and the other large and strong, having a tail wonderful for its thickness and beauty of hair. Beside the weak horse stood a tall and robust man, and beside the strong one another man, small and contemptible in appearance. When the signal was given to them, the strong man pulled the horse's tail with both hands toward himself with force, as if to tear it off, while the weak man plucked out the hairs of the strong horse one by one.
§16.4ἐπεὶ δὲ ὁ μὲν οὐκ ὀλίγα πράγματα μάτην ἑαυτῷ καὶ πολὺν γέλωτα τοῖς θεωμένοις παρασχὼν ἀπεῖπεν, ὁ δὲ ἀσθενὴς ἀκαρεὶ καὶ σὺν οὐδενὶ πόνῳ ψιλὴν τριχῶν ἀπέδειξε τὴν οὐράν, ἀναστὰς ὁ Σερτώριος,
ὁρᾶτε,
εἶπεν,
ἄνδρες σύμμαχοι, τὴν ἐπιμονὴν ἀνυσιμωτέραν τῆς βίας οὖσαν, καὶ πολλὰ τῶν ἁθρόως ἀλήπτων ἐνδιδόντα τῷ κατὰ μικρόν.
And when the one, having given himself no small trouble in vain and provided much laughter to the spectators, gave up, while the weak man in a moment and with no labor showed the tail bare of hair, Sertorius stood up and said: "You see, fellow allies, that perseverance is more effective than violence, and that many things which are invincible when taken together yield to little by little.
§16.5ἄμαχον γὰρ τὸ ἐνδελεχές, ᾧ πᾶσαν ἐπιὼν ὁ χρόνος αἱρεῖ καὶ κατεργάζεται δύναμιν, εὐμενὴς ὢν σύμμαχος τοῖς δεχομένοις λογισμῷ τὸν καιρὸν αὐτοῦ, τοῖς δὲ ἀκαίρως ἐπειγομένοις πολεμιώτατος. τοιαῦτα μὲν ὁ Σερτώριος ἑκάστοτε πλέκων παραμύθια τοῖς βαρβάροις διεπαιδαγώγει τὸν καιρόν.
For persistence is irresistible, by which time, as it advances, captures and subdues every power, being a friendly ally to those who receive its opportunity with reason, but a most hostile enemy to those who press on inopportunely." By weaving such consolations each time for the barbarians, Sertorius managed the situation.