§17μέγα δʼ αὐτοῖς συνεβάλετο εἰς τὸ προθύμως ὑπὲρ τῆς Ἑλλάδος ἀγωνίσασθαι τὸ ἐν τῇ Βοιωτίᾳ τὴν μάχην τὴν προτέραν γενέσθαι.
And that the earlier battle took place in Boeotia contributed greatly to their fighting eagerly for Greece.
ἑώρων γὰρ τὴν μὲν πόλιν τῶν Θηβαίων οἰκτρῶς ἠφανισμένην ἐξ ἀνθρώπων, τὴν δὲ ἀκρόπολιν αὐτῆς φρουρουμένην ὑπὸ τῶν Μακεδόνων, τὰ δὲ σώματα τῶν ἐνοικούντων ἐξηνδραποδισμένα, τὴν δὲ χώραν ἄλλους διανεμομένους, ὥστε πρὸ ὀφθαλμῶν ὁρώμενα αὐτοῖς τὰ δεινὰ ἄοκνον παρεῖχε τόλμαν εἰς τὸ κινδυνεύειν προχείρως. §18ἀλλὰ μὴν τήν γε περὶ Πύλας καὶ Λαμίαν μάχην γενομένην οὐχ ἧττον αὐτοῖς ἔνδοξον γενέσθαι συμβέβηκεν ἧς ἐν Βοιωτοῖς ἠγωνίσαντο, οὐ μόνον τῷ μαχομένους νικᾶν Ἀντίπατρον καὶ τοὺς ςυμμάχους, ἀλλὰ καὶ τῷ τόπῳ τῷ ἐνταυθοῖ γεγενῆσθαι τὴν μάχην.
For they saw the city of the Thebans pitifully vanished from among men, its acropolis garrisoned by the Macedonians, the bodies of its inhabitants enslaved, and others dividing up its territory, so that the terrible sights visible before their eyes provided them with unhesitating courage to risk danger readily. Moreover, it has resulted that the battle which took place around Pylae and Lamia became no less glorious for them than the one they fought in Boeotia, not only because they defeated Antipater and his allies in battle, but also because the battle took place in this very location.
ἀφικνούμενοι γὰρ οἱ Ἕλληνες ἅπαντες δὶς τοῦ ἐνιαυτοῦ εἰς τὴν Πυλαίαν, θεωροὶ γενήσονται τῶν ἔργων τῶν πεπραγμένων αὐτοῖς· ἅμα γὰρ εἰς τὸν τόπον ἁθροισθήσονται καὶ τῆς τούτων ἀρετῆς μνησθήσονται. §19οὐδένες γὰρ πώποτε τῶν γεγονότων οὔτε περὶ καλλιόνων οὔτε πρὸς ἰσχυροτέρους οὔτε μετʼ ἐλαττόνων ἠγωνίσαντο, τὴν ἀρετὴν ἰσχὺν καὶ τὴν ἀνδρείαν πλῆθος, ἀλλʼ οὐ τὸν πολὺν ἀριθμὸν τῶν σωμάτων εἶναι κρίνοντες.
For all the Greeks, coming twice a year to the Pylaia, will become witnesses of the deeds accomplished by them; for they will gather in the place at the same time and remember the virtue of these men. For no men of past times ever fought either for fairer causes, or against more powerful enemies, or with fewer numbers, judging that virtue is strength and courage is multitude, and not the great number of bodies.
καὶ τὴν μὲν ἐλευθερίαν εἰς τὸ κοινὸν πᾶσιν κατέθεσαν, τὴν δʼ εὐδοξίαν τὴν ἀπὸ τῶν πράξεων ἴδιον στέφανον τῇ πατρίδι περιέθηκαν. §20ἄξιον τοίνυν συλλογίσασθαι καὶ τί ἂν συμβῆναι νομίζομεν μὴ κατὰ τρόπον τούτων ἀγωνισαμένων.
And while they deposited freedom for the common use of all, they placed the glory arising from their deeds as a unique crown upon their country. It is therefore worthwhile to consider also what we think would have happened if these men had not fought in this manner.
ἆρʼ οὐκ ἂν ἑνὸς μὲν δεσπότου τὴν οἰκουμένην ὑπήκοον ἅπασαν εἶναι, νόμῳ δὲ τῷ τούτου τρόπῳ ἐξ ἀνάγκης χρῆσθαι τὴν Ἑλλάδα;
Would not the whole inhabited world be subject to one master, and Greece of necessity use his whim as law?
συνελόντα δʼ εἰπεῖν, τὴν Μακεδόνων ὑπερηφανίαν καὶ μὴ τὴν τοῦ δικαίου δύναμιν ἰσχύειν παρʼ ἑκάστοις, ὥστε μήτε γυναικῶν μήτε παρθένων μήτε παίδων ὕβρεις ἀνεκλείπτους ἑκάστοις καθεστάναι. §21φανερὸν δʼ ἐξ ὧν ἀναγκαζόμεθα καὶ νῦν ἔτι· θυσίας μὲν ἀνθρώποις γιγνομένας ἐφορᾶν, ἀγάλματα δὲ καὶ βωμοὺς καὶ ναοὺς τοῖς μὲν θεοῖς ἀμελῶς, τοῖς δὲ ἀνθρώποις ἐπιμελῶς συντελούμενα, καὶ τοὺς τούτων οἰκέτας ὥσπερ ἥρωας τιμᾶν ἡμᾶς ἀναγκαζομένους. §22ὅπου δὲ τὰ πρὸς τοὺς θεοὺς ὅσια διὰ τὴν Μακεδόνων τόλμαν ἀνῄρηται, τί τὰ πρὸς τοὺς ἀνθρώπους χρὴ νομίζειν;
To speak briefly, would not the arrogance of the Macedonians, and not the power of justice, prevail in each place, so that ceaseless insults to wives, maidens, and children would be established for everyone? This is clear from the things we are even now still forced to endure: to look upon sacrifices being made to men, and statues, altars, and temples carefully completed for men, but neglected for the gods, and ourselves being forced to honor their servants as if they were heroes. And where sacred duties toward the gods have been abolished through the boldness of the Macedonians, what must we think of duties toward men?
ἆρʼ οὐκ ἂν παντελῶς καταλελύσθαι;
Would they not have been utterly dissolved?
ὥστε ὅσῳ δεινότερα τὰ προςδοκώμενʼ ἂν γενέσθαι κρίνομεν, τοσούτῳ μειζόνων ἐπαίνων τοὺς τετελευτηκότας ἀξίους χρὴ νομίζειν. §23οὐδεμία γὰρ στρατεία τὴν τῶν στρατευομένων ἀρετὴν ἐνεφάνισεν μᾶλλον τῆς νῦν γεγενημένης, ἐν ᾗ γε παρατάττεσθαι μὲν ὁσημέραι ἀναγκαῖον ἦν, πλείους δὲ μάχας ἠγωνίσθαι διὰ μιᾶς στρατείας ἢ τοὺς ἄλλους πάντας πληγὰς λαμβάνειν ἐν τῷ παρεληλυθότι χρόνῳ, χειμώνων δʼ ὑπερβολὰς καὶ τῶν καθʼ ἡμέραν ἀναγκαίων ἐνδείας τοςαύτας καὶ τηλικαύτας οὕτως ἐγκρατῶς ὑπομεμενηκέναι, ὥςτε καὶ τῷ λόγῳ χαλεπὸν εἶναι φράσαι. §24τὸν δὴ τοιαύτας καρτερίας ἀόκνως ὑπομεῖναι τοὺς πολίτας προτρεψάμενον Λεωσθένη, καὶ τοὺς τῷ τοιούτῳ στρατηγῷ προθύμως συναγωνιστὰς σφᾶς αὐτοὺς παρασχόντας, ἆρʼ οὐ διὰ τὴν τῆς ἀρετῆς ἀπόδειξιν εὐτυχεῖς μᾶλλον ἢ διὰ τὴν τοῦ ζῆν ἀπόλειψιν ἀτυχεῖς νομιστέον;
Therefore, the more terrible we judge the things that were expected to happen, by so much greater praises must we think the deceased are worthy of. For no campaign has revealed the virtue of those serving more than the one now occurred, in which it was necessary to be drawn up in battle array every day, and to have fought more battles in a single campaign than all others received wounds in the past time, and to have endured extremes of winter and such great and numerous privations of daily necessities so self-controlledly, that it is difficult even to describe in words. Must we not therefore consider Leosthenes, who unhesitatingly encouraged the citizens to endure such hardships, and those who eagerly offered themselves as fellow-combatants to such a general, to be fortunate because of the demonstration of their virtue, rather than unfortunate because of the leaving of life?
οἵτινες θνητοῦ σώματος ἀθάνατον δόξαν ἐκτήσαντο, καὶ διὰ τὴν ἰδίαν ἀρετὴν τὴν κοινὴν ἐλευθερίαν τοῖς Ἕλλησιν ἐβεβαίωσαν.
They who acquired immortal glory from a mortal body, and through their own virtue secured the common freedom for the Greeks.