§2.1διαβὰς δὲ τὸν Ἑλλήσποντον ἐπορεύετο διὰ τῶν αὐτῶν ἐθνῶν ὧνπερ ὁ Πέρσης τῷ παμπληθεῖ στόλῳ· καὶ ἣν ἐνιαυσίαν ὁδὸν ὁ βάρβαρος ἐποιήσατο, ταύτην μεῖον ἢ ἐν μηνὶ καθήνυσεν ὁ Ἀγησίλαος.
Having crossed the Hellespont, he marched through the very same nations through which the Persian had gone with his immense armament; and the journey which the barbarian had made in a year, Agesilaus completed in less than a month.
οὐ γὰρ ὡς ὑστερήσειε τῆς πατρίδος προεθυμεῖτο.
For he was eager not to be too late for his fatherland.
§2.2ἐπεὶ δὲ ἐξαμείψας Μακεδονίαν εἰς Θετταλίαν ἀφίκετο, Λαρισαῖοι μὲν καὶ Κραννώνιοι καὶ Σκοτουσαῖοι καὶ Φαρσάλιοι σύμμαχοι ὄντες Βοιωτοῖς, καὶ πάντες δὲ Θετταλοὶ πλὴν ὅσοι αὐτῶν φυγάδες τότε ὄντες ἐτύγχανον, ἐκακούργουν αὐτὸν ἐφεπόμενοι.
When he had passed through Macedonia and arrived in Thessaly, the Larisaeans, Crannonians, Scotussaeans, and Pharsalians, who were allies of the Boeotians, and indeed all the Thessalians except those who happened to be exiles at that time, harassed him by hanging on his rear.
ὁ δὲ τέως μὲν ἦγεν ἐν πλαισίῳ τὸ στράτευμα, τοὺς ἡμίσεις μὲν ἔμπροσθεν, τοὺς ἡμίσεις δὲ ἐπʼ οὐρᾷ ἔχων τῶν ἱππέων· ἐπεὶ δʼ ἐκώλυον τῆς πορείας αὐτὸν οἱ Θετταλοὶ ἐπιτιθέμενοι τοῖς ὄπισθεν, παραπέμπει ἐπʼ οὐρὰν καὶ τὸ ἀπὸ τοῦ προηγουμένου στρατεύματος ἱππικὸν πλὴν τῶν περὶ ἑαυτόν.
For a time indeed he led his army in a hollow square, having half of his cavalry in front and half at the rear; but when the Thessalians, by attacking those in the rear, hindered his march, he sent to the rear the cavalry also from the vanguard, except those about his own person.
§2.3ὡς δὲ παρετάξαντο ἀλλήλοις, οἱ μὲν Θετταλοί, νομίσαντες οὐκ ἐν καλῷ εἶναι πρὸς τοὺς ὁπλίτας ἱππομαχεῖν, στρέψαντες βάδην ἀπεχώρουν· οἱ δὲ μάλα σωφρόνως ἐφείποντο.
When they were drawn up against each other, the Thessalians, thinking it not good to fight a cavalry battle against heavy infantry, turned and retreated at a walk; and the others followed very prudently.
γνοὺς δὲ ὁ Ἀγησίλαος ἃ ἑκάτεροι ἡμάρτανον παραπέμπει τοὺς ἀμφʼ αὑτὸν μάλʼ εὐρώστους ἱππέας, καὶ κελεύει τοῖς τε ἄλλοις παραγγέλλειν καὶ αὐτοὺς διώκειν κατὰ κράτος καὶ μηκέτι δοῦναι αὐτοῖς ἀναστροφήν.
But Agesilaus, perceiving the mistakes that both sides were making, sent the strongest of the cavalry around himself, and ordered them to pass the word to the others and themselves to pursue with all their might, and no longer to give the enemy an opportunity to turn back.
οἱ δὲ Θετταλοὶ ὡς εἶδον παρὰ δόξαν ἐλαύνοντας, οἱ μὲν αὐτῶν οὐδʼ ἀνέστρεψαν, οἱ δὲ καὶ ἀναστρέφειν πειρώμενοι πλαγίους ἔχοντες τοὺς ἵππους ἡλίσκοντο.
And when the Thessalians saw them charging contrary to expectation, some of them did not even turn back, while others, attempting to turn, were captured with their horses flank-to-flank.
§2.4Πολύχαρμος μέντοι ὁ Φαρσάλιος ἱππαρχῶν ἀνέστρεψέ τε καὶ μαχόμενος σὺν τοῖς ἀμφʼ αὑτὸν ἀποθνῄσκει.
Polycharmus, however, the Pharsalian cavalry commander, turned back and died fighting along with those around him.
ὡς δὲ τοῦτο ἐγένετο, φυγὴ γίγνεται ἐξαισία· ὥσθʼ οἱ μὲν ἀπέθνῃσκον αὐτῶν, οἱ δὲ καὶ ζῶντες ἡλίσκοντο.
When this happened, an extraordinary flight ensued; so that some of them died, and others were captured alive.
ἔστησαν δʼ οὖν οὐ πρόσθεν πρὶν ἢ ἐπὶ τῷ ὄρει τῷ Ναρθακίῳ ἐγένοντο.
At all events, they did not stop until they reached Mount Narthacium.
§2.5καὶ τότε μὲν δὴ ὁ Ἀγησίλαος τρόπαιόν τε ἐστήσατο μεταξὺ Πραντὸς καὶ Ναρθακίου· καὶ αὐτοῦ κατέμεινε, μάλα ἡδόμενος τῷ ἔργῳ, ὅτι τοὺς μέγιστον φρονοῦντας ἐφʼ ἱππικῇ ἐνενικήκει σὺν ᾧ αὐτὸς ἐμηχανήσατο ἱππικῷ.
And then indeed Agesilaus set up a trophy between Pras and Narthacium; and he remained there, greatly delighted with the achievement, because he had defeated those who prided themselves most on their cavalry with the very cavalry which he himself had organized.
τῇ δʼ ὑστεραίᾳ ὑπερβάλλων τὰ Ἀχαϊκὰ τῆς Φθίας ὄρη τὴν λοιπὴν πᾶσαν διὰ φιλίας ἐπορεύθη εἰς τὰ Βοιωτῶν ὅρια.
On the next day, crossing the Achaean mountains of Phthia, he marched all the rest of the way through friendly territory until he reached the borders of the Boeotians.
§2.6ἐνταῦθα δὴ ἀντιτεταγμένους εὑρὼν Θηβαίους, Ἀθηναίους, Ἀργείους, Κορινθίους, Αἰνιᾶνας, Εὐβοέας καὶ Λοκροὺς ἀμφοτέρους, οὐδὲν ἐμέλλησεν, ἀλλʼ ἐκ τοῦ φανεροῦ ἀντιπαρέταττε, Λακεδαιμονίων μὲν ἔχων μόραν καὶ ἥμισυ, τῶν δʼ αὐτόθεν συμμάχων Φωκέας καὶ Ὀρχομενίους μόνους, τό τʼ ἄλλο στράτευμα ὅπερ ἠγάγετο αὐτός.
There, finding the Thebans, Athenians, Argives, Corinthians, Aenianians, Euboeans, and both the Locrians drawn up against him, he did not hesitate at all, but openly drew up his army against them, having one and a half morae of Lacedaemonians, and of the allies from those parts only the Phocians and Orchomenians, and the rest of the army which he himself had brought.
§2.7καὶ οὐ τοῦτο λέξων ἔρχομαι, ὡς πολὺ μὲν ἐλάττους πολὺ δὲ χείρονας ἔχων ὅμως συνέβαλεν·
And I am not going to say this: that he engaged in battle although he had far fewer and far inferior forces.
εἰ γὰρ ταῦτα λέγοιμι, Ἀγησίλαόν τʼ ἄν μοι δοκῶ ἄφρονα ἀποφαίνειν καὶ ἐμαυτὸν μωρόν, εἰ ἐπαινοίην τὸν περὶ τῶν μεγίστων εἰκῇ κινδυνεύοντα· ἀλλὰ μᾶλλον τάδʼ αὐτοῦ ἄγαμαι, ὅτι πλῆθός τε οὐδὲν μεῖον ἢ τὸ τῶν πολεμίων παρεσκευάσατο, ὥπλισέν τε οὕτως ὡς ἅπαντα μὲν χαλκόν, ἅπαντα δὲ φοινικᾶ φαίνεσθαι·
For if I should say this, I think I should make Agesilaus appear foolish and myself silly, if I were to praise one who ran risks at random concerning the greatest matters; but rather I admire this in him: that he prepared a force in no way smaller than that of the enemy, and armed them in such a way that everything appeared as bronze, and everything as purple.
§2.8ἐπεμελήθη δʼ ὅπως οἱ στρατιῶται τοὺς πόνους δυνήσοιντο ὑποφέρειν· ἐνέπλησε δὲ καὶ φρονήματος τὰς ψυχὰς αὐτῶν, ὡς ἱκανοὶ εἶεν πρὸς οὕστινας δέοι μάχεσθαι· ἔτι δὲ φιλονικίαν ἐνέβαλε πρὸς ἀλλήλους τοῖς μετʼ αὐτοῦ ὅπως ἕκαστοι αὐτῶν ἄριστοι φαίνοιντο.
And he took care that the soldiers should be able to endure the hardships; and he filled their souls with pride, so that they might be sufficient against whomever they had to fight; and further, he instilled rivalry among those with him, so that each of them might appear the best.
ἐλπίδων γε μὴν πάντας ἐνέπλησεν ὡς πᾶσι πολλὰ κἀγαθὰ ἔσοιτο, εἰ ἄνδρες ἀγαθοὶ γίγνοιντο, νομίζων ἐκ τῶν τοιούτων ἀνθρώπους προθυμότατα τοῖς πολεμίοις μάχεσθαι.
Moreover, he filled all with hope that many good things would be in store for them all if they proved to be brave men, believing that from such influences men fight their enemies most zealously.