§8.128.1ἐξελὼν δὲ ταύτην ὁ Ἀρτάβαζος τῇ Ποτιδαίῃ ἐντεταμένως προσεῖχε· προσέχοντι δέ οἱ προθύμως συντίθεται προδοσίην Τιμόξεινος ὁ τῶν Σκιωναίων στρατηγός, ὅντινα μὲν τρόπον ἀρχήν, ἔγωγε οὐκ ἔχω εἰπεῖν (οὐ γὰρ ὦν λέγεται), τέλος μέντοι τοιάδε ἐγίνετο·
Having taken this city, Artabazus applied himself intently to Potidaea; and as he was zealously applying himself, Timoxenus, the general of the Scionaeans, made a compact with him for treason.
ὅκως βυβλίον γράψειε ἢ Τιμόξεινος ἐθέλων παρὰ Ἀρτάβαζον πέμψαι ἢ Ἀρτάβαζος παρὰ Τιμόξεινον, τοξεύματος παρὰ τὰς γλυφίδας περιειλίξαντες καὶ πτερώσαντες τὸ βυβλίον ἐτόξευον ἐς συγκείμενον χωρίον.
In what way it first began, I for my part cannot say (for it is not reported), but in the end it happened in this way: whenever either Timoxenus, wishing to send to Artabazus, or Artabazus to Timoxenus, wrote a letter, they would wrap the letter around the notches of an arrow, and having winged it, they shot it to an agreed place.
§8.128.2ἐπάιστος δὲ ἐγένετο ὁ Τιμόξεινος προδιδοὺς τὴν Ποτίδαιαν· τοξεύων γὰρ ὁ Ἀρτάβαζος ἐς τὸ συγκείμενον, ἁμαρτὼν τοῦ χωρίου τούτου βάλλει ἀνδρὸς Ποτιδαιήτεω τὸν ὦμον, τὸν δὲ βληθέντα περιέδραμε ὅμιλος, οἷα φιλέει γίνεσθαι ἐν πολέμῳ, οἳ αὐτίκα τὸ τόξευμα λαβόντες ὡς ἔμαθον τὸ βυβλίον, ἔφερον ἐπὶ τοὺς στρατηγούς· παρῆν δὲ καὶ τῶν ἄλλων Παλληναίων συμμαχίν.
But Timoxenus was detected betraying Potidaea; for when Artabazus shot to the agreed place, he missed this spot and struck the shoulder of a Potidaean man. A crowd ran around the wounded man, as is wont to happen in war, who immediately, having taken the arrow, when they noticed the letter, carried it to the generals; and there was also present an allied force of the other Pallenaeans.
§8.128.3τοῖσι δὲ στρατηγοῖσι ἐπιλεξαμένοισι τὸ βυβλίον καὶ μαθοῦσι τὸν αἴτιον τῆς προδοσίης ἔδοξε μὴ καταπλῆξαι Τιμόξεινον προδοσίῃ τῆς Σκιωναίων πόλιος εἵνεκα, μὴ νομιζοίατο εἶναι Σκιωναῖοι ἐς τὸν μετέπειτα χρόνον αἰεὶ προδόται.
When the generals had read the letter and learned the author of the treason, they resolved not to brand Timoxenus with the charge of treason, for the sake of the city of the Scionaeans, lest the Scionaeans should be considered for all future time to be traitors.