§3ἀνὴρ πένης Σκέδασος τοὔνομα κατῴκει Λεῦκτρα· ἔστι δὲ κώμιον τῆς τῶν Θεσπιέων χώρας.
A poor man named Scedasus by name dwelt in Leuctra; this is a small village of the territory of the Thespians.
τούτῳ θυγατέρες γίνονται δύο· ἐκαλοῦντο δʼ Ἱππὼ καὶ Μιλητία, ἤ, ὥς τινες, Θεανὼ καὶ Εὐξίππη.
To him two daughters were born; they were called Hippo and Miletia, or, as some say, Theano and Euxippe.
ἦν δὲ χρηστὸς ὁ Σκέδασος καὶ τοῖς ξένοις ἐπιτήδειος, καίπερ οὐ πολλὰ κεκτημένος.
Scedasus was a good man and hospitable to strangers, although he possessed not many things.
ἀφικομένους οὖν πρὸς αὐτὸν δύο Σπαρτιάτας; νεανίας ὑπεδέξατο προθύμως· οἱ δὲ τῶν παρθένων ἡττώμενοι διεκωλύοντο πρὸς τὴν τόλμαν ὑπὸ τῆς τοῦ Σκεδάσου χρηστότητος.
Having received two Spartan youths who came to him, he welcomed them eagerly; but they, captivated by the maidens, were prevented from their daring deed by the goodness of Scedasus.
τῇ δʼ ὑστεραίᾳ Πυθώδε ἀπῄεσαν αὕτη γὰρ αὐτοῖς προὔκειτο ἡ ὁδός· καὶ τῷ θεῷ χρησάμενοι περὶ ὧν ἐδέοντο, πάλιν ἐπανῄεσαν οἴκαδε, καὶ χωροῦντες διὰ τῆς Βοιωτίας ἐπέστησαν πάλιν τῇ τοῦ Σκεδάσου οἰκίᾳ;
On the following day they departed for Pytho, for this was the road lying before them; and having consulted the god about the things they needed, they returned again homeward, and as they went through Boeotia, they stopped again at the house of Scedasus.
ὁ δʼ ἐτύγχανεν οὐκ ἐπιδημῶν τοῖς Λεύκτροις, ἀλλʼ αἱ θυγατέρες αὐτοῦ ὑπὸ τῆς συνήθους ἀγωγῆς τοὺς ξένους ὑπεδέξαντο.
He happened not to be at home in Leuctra, but his daughters, according to their customary upbringing, welcomed the strangers.
οἱ δὲ καταλαβόντες ἐρήμους; τὰς κόρας βιάζονται ὁρῶντες δʼ αὐτὰς καθʼ ὑπερβολὴν τῇ ὕβρει χαλεπαινούσας ἀπέκτειναν, καὶ ἐμβαλόντες ἔς τι φρέαρ ἀπηλλάγησαν.
But they, finding the girls alone, outraged them; and seeing them exceedingly angry at the insult, they killed them, and having cast them into a certain well, departed.
ἐπανελθὼν δʼ ὁ Σκέδασος τὰς μὲν κόρας οὐχ ἑώρα, πάντα δὲ τὰ καταλειφθέντα εὑρίσκει σῷα καὶ τῷ πράγματι ἠπόρει, ἕως τῆς κυνὸς κνυζωμένης καὶ πολλάκις μὲν προστρεχούσης πρὸς αὐτὸν ἀπὸ δʼ αὐτοῦ εἰς τὸ φρέαρ ἐπανιούσης, εἴκασεν ὅπερ ἦν, καὶ τῶν θυγατέρων τὰ νεκρὰ οὕτως ἀνιμήσατο.
Scedasus, having returned, did not see the girls, but found all the things left behind safe, and was at a loss at the matter, until the dog whimpering and running often to him, and then returning from him to the well, he guessed what it was, and thus drew up the dead bodies of his daughters.
πυθόμενος δὲ παρὰ τῶν γειτόνων, ὅτι ἴδοιεν τῇ χθὲς ἡμέρᾳ τοὺς καὶ πρῴην καταχθέντας ἐπʼ αὐτοὺς Λακεδαιμονίους εἰσιόντας, συνεβάλετο τὴν πρᾶξιν ἐκείνων, ὅτι καὶ πρῴην συνεχῶς ἐπῄνουν τὰς κόρας, μακαρίζοντες τοὺς γαμήσοντας.
Having learned from the neighbors that they had seen on the previous day the Lacedaemonians who had also lodged with them the other day entering, he concluded that it was their deed, because the other day also they had continually praised the girls, calling those who would marry them blessed.
ἀπῄει εἰς Λακεδαίμονα, τοῖς ἐφόροις ἐντευξόμενος· γενόμενος δʼ ἐν τῇ Ἀργολικῇ, νυκτὸς καταλαμβανούσης, εἰς πανδοκεῖόν τι κατήχθη κατὰ τὸ αὐτὸ δὲ καὶ πρεσβύτης τις ἕτερος τὸ γένος ἐξ Ὠρεοῦ·
He departed for Lacedaemon to meet with the ephors; and having arrived in the Argolid when night was coming on, he lodged at a certain inn.
πόλεως τῆς Ἑστιαιάτιδος·
By the same way, another old man, by race from Oreus, a city of Hestiaeotis, also lodged there.
οὗ στενάξαντος καὶ κατὰ Λακεδαιμονίων ἀρὰς ποιουμένου ἀκούσας ὁ Σκέδασος ἐπυνθάνετο τί κακὸν ὑπὸ Λακεδαιμονίων πεπονθὼς εἴη.
When this man groaned and uttered curses against the Lacedaemonians, Scedasus heard him and inquired what evil he had suffered at the hands of the Lacedaemonians.
ὁ δὲ διηγεῖτο, ὡς ὑπήκοος μέν ἐστι τῆς Σπάρτης, πεμφθεὶς δʼ εἰς Ὠρεὸν Ἀριστόδημος ἁρμοστὴς παρὰ Λακεδαιμονίων ὠμότητα καὶ παρανομίαν ἐπιδείξαιτο πολλήν. ἐρασθεὶς γάρ
ἔφη
τοῦ ἐμοῦ παιδός, ἐπειδὴ πείθειν ἀδύνατος ἦν, ἐπεχείρει βιάσασθαι καὶ ἀπάγειν αὐτὸν τῆς παλαίστρας· κωλύοντος δὲ τοῦ παιδοτρίβου καὶ νεανίσκων πολλῶν ἐκβοηθούντων, παραχρῆμα ὁ Ἀριστόδημος ἀπεχώρησε·
And he related that, though he was a subject of Sparta, Aristodemus, who had been sent as harmost to Oreus by the Lacedaemonians, had displayed great cruelty and lawlessness. “For having fallen in love,” he said, “with my son, when he could not persuade him, he attempted to use force and drag him away from the wrestling school; but when the trainer prevented him and many young men ran to help, Aristodemus immediately departed.
τῇ δʼ ὑστεραίᾳ πληρώσας τριήρη συνήρπασε τὸ μειράκιον, καὶ ἐξ Ὠρεοῦ διαπλεύσας εἰς τὴν περαίαν ἐπεχείρει ὑβρίσαι, οὐ συγχωροῦντα δʼ αὐτὸν ἀπέσφαξεν.
On the following day, having filled a trireme, he carried off the youth, and having sailed from Oreus to the opposite coast, he attempted to outrage him, and when he did not submit, he slaughtered him.
ἐπανελθὼν δʼ εἰς τὴν Ὠρεὸν εὐωχεῖτο.
And having returned to Oreus, he feasted.
ἐγὼ δʼ
ἔφη
τὸ πραχθὲν πυθόμενος καὶ τὸ σῶμα κηδεύσας παρεγενόμην εἰς τὴν Σπάρτην καὶ τοῖς ἐφόροις ἐνετύγχανον· οἱ δὲ λόγον οὐκ ἐποιοῦντο
Σκέδασος δὲ ταῦτα ἀκούων ἀθύμως διέκειτο, ὑπολαμβάνων ὅτι οὐδʼ αὐτοῦ λόγον τινὰ ποιήσονται οἱ Σπαρτιᾶται ἐν μέρει τε τὴν οἰκείαν διηγήσατο συμφορὰν τῷ ξένῳ·
And I,” he said, “having learned what had been done and having buried the body, came to Sparta and met with the ephors; but they paid no attention.” Scedasus, hearing these things, was disheartened, supposing that the Spartans would pay no attention to him either, and in turn related his own misfortune to the stranger.
ὁ δὲ παρεκάλει αὐτὸν μηδʼ ἐντυχεῖν τοῖς ἐφόροις, ἀλλʼ ὑποστρέψαντα εἰς τὴν Βοιωτίαν κτίσαι τῶν θυγατέρων τὸν τάφον.
And he exhorted him not even to meet with the ephors, but having returned to Boeotia, to build the tomb of his daughters.
οὐκ ἐπείθετο δʼ ὅμως ὁ Σκέδασος, ἀλλʼ εἰς τὴν Σπάρτην ἀφικόμενος; τοῖς ἐφόροις ἐντυγχάνει ὧν μηδὲν προσεχόντων, ἐπὶ τοὺς βασιλέας ἵεται καὶ ἀπὸ τούτων ἑκάστῳ τῶν δημοτῶν προσιὼν ὠδύρετο.
Nevertheless, Scedasus was not persuaded, but having come to Sparta, he met with the ephors, who paid no attention; he then rushed to the kings, and coming from them to each of the citizens, he wailed.
μηδὲν δὲ πλέον ἀνύων ἔθει διὰ μέσης τῆς πόλεως, ἀνατείνων πρὸς ἣλιον τὼ χεῖρε, αὖθις δὲ τὴν γῆν τύπτων ἀνεκαλεῖτο τὰς Ἐρινύας καὶ τέλος αὑτὸν τοῦ ζῆν μετέστησεν.
But accomplishing nothing more, he ran through the middle of the city, stretching out his hands to the sun, and again striking the earth, he called upon the Erinyes, and at last took his own life.
ὑστέρῳ γε μὴν χρόνῳ δίκας ἔδοσαν οἱ Λακεδαιμόνιοι ἐπειδὴ γὰρ τῶν Ἑλλήνων ἁπάντων ἦρχον καὶ τὰς πόλεις φρουραῖς κατειλήφεσαν, Ἐπαμεινώνδας ὁ Θηβαῖος πρῶτον μὲν τὴν παρʼ αὑτῷ φρουρὰν ἀπέσφαξε Λακεδαιμονίων τῶν δʼ ἐπὶ τούτῳ πόλεμον ἐξενεγκάντων, ἀπήντων οἱ Θηβαῖοι ἐπὶ τὰ Λεῦκτρα, αἰσιούμενοι τὸ χωρίον, ὅτι καὶ πρότερον ἐνταῦθα ἠλευθερώθησαν, ὅτε Ἀμφιτρύων ὑπὸ Σθενέλου φυγὰς ἐλαθεὶς εἰς τὴν Θηβαίων ἀφίκετο πόλιν καὶ Χαλκιδεῦσιν ὑποφόρους λαβὼν ἔπαυσε τὸν δασμόν, Χαλκώδοντα τὸν βασιλέα τῶν Εὐβοέων ἀποκτείνας.
Yet in later times, the Lacedaemonians paid the penalty; for when they ruled over all the Greeks and had occupied the cities with garrisons, Epaminondas the Theban first slaughtered the garrison of Lacedaemonians that was in his city, and when they brought war upon this, the Thebans met them at Leuctra, taking the place as a good omen, because they had been freed there also before, when Amphitryon, driven out as an exile by Sthenelus, came to the city of the Thebans, and having taken those who were tributary to the Chalcidians, stopped the tribute, having killed Chalcodon, the king of the Euboeans.
συνέβη δὲ Λακεδαιμονίων ἧτταν παντελῆ γενέσθαι περὶ αὐτὸ τὸ μνῆμα τῶν Σκεδάσου θυγατέρων.
And it happened that a complete defeat of the Lacedaemonians took place around the very tomb of the daughters of Scedasus.
φασὶ δὲ πρὸ τῆς μάχης Πελοπίδᾳ, ἑνὶ τῶν στρατηγῶν τοῦ θηβαϊκοῦ στρατεύματος, ἐπὶ σημείοις τισὶν οὐ καλοῖς κρινομένοις θορυβουμένῳ Σκέδασον ἐπιστῆναι κατὰ τοὺς ὕπνους, θαρρεῖν κελεύοντα· παραγίνεσθαι γὰρ εἰς Λεῦκτρα Λακεδαιμονίους, αὐτῷ τε καὶ ταῖς θυγατράσι δώσοντας δίκας·
And they say that before the battle, Pelopidas, one of the generals of the Theban army, who was troubled by certain signs judged to be unfavorable, was stood over by Scedasus in his sleep, bidding him be of good courage; for he said that the Lacedaemonians were coming to Leuctra to pay the penalty to him and his daughters.
πρὸ μιᾶς δʼ ἡμέρας ἢ συμβαλεῖν τοῖς Λακεδαιμονίοις, πῶλον ἐκέλευεν ἵππου λευκὸν ἕτοιμον παρὰ τῷ τάφῳ τῶν παρθένων σφαγιάσασθαι.
And on the day before they should join battle with the Lacedaemonians, he ordered him to sacrifice a ready white young colt of a horse beside the tomb of the maidens.
τὸν δὲ Πελοπίδαν, ἔτι τῶν Λακεδαιμονίων στρατευομένων ἐν Τεγέᾳ, εἰς Λεῦκτρα πέμψαι τοὺς ἐξετάσοντας περὶ τοῦ τάφου τούτου, καὶ πυθόμενον παρὰ τῶν ἐγχωρίων θαρροῦντα τὴν στρατιὰν ἐξαγαγεῖν καὶ νικῆσαι.
And Pelopidas, while the Lacedaemonians were still campaigning in Tegea, sent men to Leuctra to inquire about this tomb, and having learned about it from the locals, he led out the army with confidence and won.