§4Φῶκος Βοιώτιος μὲν ἦν τῷ γένει, ἦν γὰρ ἐκ Γλίσαντος, πατὴρ δὲ Καλλιρρόης κάλλει τε καὶ σωφροσύνῃ διαφερούσης.
Phocus was Boeotian by race, for he was from Glisas, and the father of Callirhoe, who excelled in beauty and moderation.
ταύτην ἐμνηστεύοντο νεανίαι τριάκοντα εὐδοκιμώτατοι ἐν Βοιωτίᾳ·
Thirty of the most esteemed young men in Boeotia courted her.
ὁ δὲ Φῶκος ἄλλας ἐξ ἄλλων ἀναβολὰς τῶν γάμων ἐποιεῖτο, φοβούμενος μὴ βιασθείη, τέλος δὲ λιπαρούντων ἐκείνων, ἠξίου ἐπὶ τῷ Πυθίῳ ποιήσασθαι τὴν αἵρεσιν.
But Phocus made one postponement of the marriage after another, fearing that she might be violated, and finally when they became importunate, he demanded that they should make their choice at the Pythium.
οἱ δὲ πρὸς τὸν λόγον ἐχαλέπηναν καὶ ὁρμήσαντες ἀπέκτειναν τὸν Φῶκον ἐν δὲ τῷ θορύβῳ ἡ κόρη φυγοῦσα ἵετο διὰ τῆς χώρας· ἐδίωκον δʼ αὐτὴν οἱ νεανίαι.
But they were angry at his words and, rushing upon him, slew Phocus. And in the tumult the maiden, fleeing, rushed through the country; and the young men pursued her.
ἡ δʼ ἐντυχοῦσα γεωργοῖς ἅλω συντιθεῖσι σωτηρίας ἔτυχε παρʼ αὐτῶν· ἀπέκρυψαν γὰρ αὐτὴν οἱ γεωργοὶ ἐν τῷ σίτῳ καὶ οὕτω παρῇξαν μὲν οἱ διώκοντες·
But she, falling in with farmers who were constructing a threshing floor, obtained safety from them; for the farmers hid her in the corn, and thus those pursuing her passed by.
ἡ δὲ διασωθεῖσα ἐφύλαξε τὴν τῶν Παμβοιωτίων ἑορτήν, καὶ τότε εἰς Κορώνειαν ἐλθοῦσα ἱκέτις καθέζεται ἐπὶ τῷ βωμῷ τῆς Ἰτωνίας Ἀθηνᾶς καὶ τῶν μνηστήρων τὴν παρανομίαν διηγεῖτο, τό τε ἑκάστου ὄνομα καὶ τὴν πατρίδα σημαίνουσα.
Having been saved, she waited for the Pamboeotian festival, and then, going to Coroneia, she sat as a suppliant at the altar of Itonian Athena and related the lawlessness of the suitors, making known the name and homeland of each.
ἠλέουν οὖν οἱ Βοιωτοὶ τὴν παῖδα καὶ τοῖς νεανίαις ἠγανάκτουν οἱ δὲ ταῦτα πυθόμενοι εἰς Ὀρχομενὸν καταφεύγουσιν.
Therefore the Boeotians pitied the girl and were angry at the young men; and they, having learned these things, fled to Orchomenus.
οὐ δεξαμένων δʼ αὐτοὺς τῶν Ὀρχομενίων πρὸς Ἱππότας εἰσώρμησαν κώμη δʼ ἦν παρὰ τῷ Ἑλικῶνι κειμένη μεταξὺ Θίσβης καὶ Κορωνείας· οἱ δʼ ὑποδέχονται αὐτούς.
But since the Orchomenians did not receive them, they rushed to Hippotae; this was a village situated near Helicon, between Thisbe and Coroneia; and they received them.
εἶτα πέμπουσι Θηβαῖοι ἐξαιτοῦντες τοὺς Φώκου φονεῖς· τῶν δʼ οὐ διδόντων, ἐστράτευσαν μὲν μετὰ τῶν ἄλλων Βοιωτῶν, στρατηγοῦντος Φοίδου, ὃς τότε τὴν ἀρχὴν τῶν Θηβαίων διεῖπε·
Then the Thebans sent demanding the murderers of Phocus; but since they would not give them up, they campaigned with the other Boeotians, under the generalship of Phoidus, who at that time held the government of the Thebans.
πολιορκήσαντες δὲ τὴν κώμην ὀχυρὰν οὖσαν, δίψει δὲ τῶν ἔνδον κρατηθέντων, τοὺς μὲν φονεῖς ληφθέντας κατέλευσαν, τοὺς δʼ ἐν τῇ κώμῃ ἐξηνδραποδίσαντο κατασκάψαντες δὲ τὰ τείχη καὶ τὰς οἰκίας διένειμαν τὴν χώραν Θισβεῦσι τε καὶ Κορωνεῦσι.
Having besieged the village, which was strong, and when those within were overcome by thirst, they stoned to death the murderers whom they had captured, and enslaved those in the village; and having razed the walls and the houses, they distributed the territory to the Thisbeans and the Coroneians.
φασὶ δὲ νυκτός, πρὸ τῆς ἁλώσεως τῶν Ἱπποτῶν, φωνὴν ἐκ τοῦ Ἑλικῶνος πολλάκις ἀκουσθῆναι λέγοντός τινος
πάρειμι· τοὺς δὲ μνηστῆρας τοὺς τριάκοντα τόδε τὸ φώνημα γνωρίζειν, ὅτι Φώκου εἴη.
And they say that at night, before the capture of Hippotae, a voice from Helicon was often heard, of someone saying: "I am here"; and the thirty suitors recognized this voice, that it was that of Phocus.
ᾗ δʼ ἡμέρᾳ κατελεύσθησαν, τὸ ἐν Γλίσαντι μνῆμα τοῦ γέροντος κρόκῳ φασὶ ῥεῦσαι Φοίδῳ δέ, τῷ Θηβαίων ἄρχοντι καὶ στρατηγῷ, ἐκ τῆς μάχης ἐπανιόντι ἀγγελθῆναι θυγατέρα γεγενημένην, ἣν αἰσιούμενον προσαγορεῦσαι Νικοστράτην.
And on the day they were stoned to death, they say that the tomb of the old man in Glisas flowed with saffron. And to Phoidus, the ruler and general of the Thebans, as he was returning from the battle, it was announced that a daughter had been born to him, whom taking as a good omen he named Nicostrata.
§5Ἄλκιππος τὸ μὲν γένος Λακεδαιμόνιος ἦν· γήμας δὲ Δαμοκρίταν πατὴρ θυγατέρων γίνεται δύο·
Alcippus was Lacedaemonian by race; having married Damocrita, he became the father of two daughters.
συμβουλεύων τε τῇ πόλει κράτιστα τε καὶ πράττων ὅτου δέοιντο Λακεδαιμόνιοι, ἐφθονήθη ὑπὸ τῶν ἀντιπολιτευομένων, οἳ τοὺς ἐφόρους ψευδέσι λόγοις παραγαγόντες, ὡς τοῦ Ἀλκίππου βουλομένου τοὺς νόμους καταλῦσαι, φυγῇ περιέβαλον τὸν ἄνδρα.
Advising the city in the best manner, and doing whatever the Lacedaemonians needed, he was envied by his political opponents, who, having misled the ephors with false words, as if Alcippus wished to subvert the laws, condemned the man to exile.
καὶ ὁ μὲν ὑπεξῆλθε τῆς Σπάρτης, Δαμοκρίταν δὲ τὴν γυναῖκα μετὰ τῶν θυγατέρων βουλομένην ἕπεσθαι τἀνδρὶ ἐκώλυον, ἀλλὰ καὶ τὴν οὐσίαν αὐτοῦ ἐδήμευσαν, ἵνα μὴ εὐπορῶσι προικὸς αἱ παρθένοι.
And he departed from Sparta, and they prevented Damocrita his wife, who wished to follow her husband with her daughters, and also confiscated his property, so that the maidens might not be well off for a dowry.
ἐπεὶ δὲ καὶ ὣς ἐμνηστεύοντό τινες τὰς παῖδας διὰ τὴν τοῦ πατρὸς ἀρετήν, ἐκώλυσαν οἱ ἐχθροὶ διὰ ψηφίσματος μνηστεύεσθαί τινας τὰς κόρας, λέγοντες ὡς ἡ μήτηρ αὐτῶν Δαμοκρίτα πολλάκις εὔξατο τὰς θυγατέρας ταχέως γεννῆσαι παῖδας τιμωροὺς τῷ πατρὶ γενησομένους.
But when even so some courted the girls because of their father's virtue, his enemies prevented by a decree anyone from courting the maidens, saying that their mother Damocrita had often prayed that her daughters might quickly bear children who would become avengers of their father.
πανταχόθεν δʼ ἡ Δαμοκρίτα περιελαυνομένη ἐτήρησέ τινα πάνδημον ἑορτήν, ἐν ᾗ γυναῖκες; ἅμα παρθένοις καὶ οἰκείοις καὶ νηπίοις ἑώρταζον, αἱ δὲ τῶν ἐν τέλει καθʼ ἑαυτὰς ἐν ἀνδρῶνι μεγάλῳ διεπαννύχιζον ξίφος τε ὑποζωσαμένη καὶ τὰς κόρας λαβοῦσα νυκτὸς ἦλθεν εἰς τὸ ἱερὸν καιρὸν παραφυλάξασα, ἐν ᾧ πᾶσαι τὸ μυστήριον ἐπετέλουν ἐν τῷ ἀνδρῶνι καὶ κεκλεισμένων τῶν εἰσόδων, ξύλα ταῖς θύραις πολλὰ προσνήσασα ταῦτα δʼ ἦν εἰς τὴν τῆς ἑορτῆς θυσίαν ὑπʼ ἐκείνων παρεσκευασμένα, πῦρ ἐνῆκε.
Being driven about on all sides, Damocrita watched for a certain public festival, in which women, together with maidens, both relatives and infants, celebrated; and the wives of the officials by themselves spent the night in a great men's hall. Having girded herself with a sword and taken her daughters, she went by night into the temple, having watched for the opportunity in which all were performing the mystery in the men's hall and the entrances were closed. Having piled up many logs against the doors—these had been prepared by them for the sacrifice of the festival— she set fire to them.
συνθεόντων δὲ τῶν ἀνδρῶν ἐπὶ τὴν βοήθειαν, ἡ Δαμοκρίτα τὰς θυγατέρας ἀπέσφαξε καὶ ἐπʼ ἐκείναις ἑαυτήν.
When the men ran together to help, Damocrita slaughtered her daughters and herself upon them.
οὐκ ἔχοντες δʼ οἱ Λακεδαιμόνιοι, ὅπη τὸν θυμὸν ἀπερείσωνται, ἐκτὸς ὅρων ἔρριψαν τῆς τε Δαμοκρίτας καὶ τῶν θυγατέρων τὰ σώματα.
Since the Lacedaemonians did not know where to turn their anger, they cast the bodies of both Damocrita and her daughters outside the borders.
ἐφʼ ᾧ μηνίσαντος τοῦ θεοῦ τὸν μέγαν ἱστοροῦσι Λακεδαιμονίοις σεισμὸν ἐπιγενέσθαι.
At this, because the god was wroth, they record that a great earthquake came upon the Lacedaemonians.