§2.9καὶ μέντοι οὐκ ἐψεύσθη.
And indeed he was not disappointed.
διηγήσομαι δὲ καὶ τὴν μάχην· καὶ γὰρ ἐγένετο οἵαπερ οὐκ ἄλλη τῶν ἐφʼ ἡμῶν.
I will also describe the battle; for it proved to be like no other of those in our time.
συνῇσαν μὲν γὰρ εἰς τὸ κατὰ Κορώνειαν πεδίον οἱ μὲν σὺν Ἀγησιλάῳ ἀπὸ τοῦ Κηφισοῦ, οἱ δὲ σὺν τοῖς Θηβαίοις ἀπὸ τοῦ Ἑλικῶνος.
For they met in the plain about Coroneia, those with Agesilaus from the Cephisus, and those with the Thebans from Helicon.
ἑώρων δὲ τάς τε φάλαγγας ἀλλήλων μάλα ἰσοπάλους, σχεδὸν δὲ καὶ οἱ ἱππεῖς ἦσαν ἑκατέρων ἰσοπληθεῖς.
And they saw each other's phalanxes to be very well-matched, and the cavalry of both sides was also nearly equal in number.
εἶχε δὲ Ἀγησίλαος μὲν τὸ δεξιὸν τοῦ μεθʼ ἑαυτοῦ, Ὀρχομένιοι δὲ ἔσχατοι ἦσαν αὐτῷ τοῦ εὐωνύμου.
Agesilaus held the right wing of the force with him, while the Orchomenians were on his extreme left.
οἱ δʼ αὖ Θηβαῖοι αὐτοὶ μὲν δεξιοὶ ἦσαν, Ἀργεῖοι δʼ αὐτοῖς τὸ εὐώνυμον εἶχον. §2.10συνιόντων δὲ τέως μὲν σιγὴ πολλὴ ἦν ἀπʼ ἀμφοτέρων· ἡνίκα δὲ ἀπεῖχον ἀλλήλων ὅσον στάδιον, ἀλαλάξαντες οἱ Θηβαῖοι δρόμῳ ὁμόσε ἐφέροντο.
On the other side, the Thebans themselves were on the right, and the Argives held the left wing for them. As they were coming together, for a time there was deep silence on both sides; but when they were about a stade apart, the Thebans raised the battle-cry and charged at a run.
ὡς δὲ τριῶν ἔτι πλέθρων ἐν μέσῳ ὄντων ἀντεξέδραμον ἀπὸ τῆς Ἀγησιλάου φάλαγγος ὧν Ἡριππίδας ἐξενάγει §2.11(ἦσαν δʼ οὗτοι τῶν τε ἐξ οἴκου αὐτῷ συστρατευσαμένων καὶ τῶν Κυρείων τινές), καὶ Ἴωνες δὲ καὶ Αἰολεῖς καὶ Ἑλλησπόντιοι ἐχόμενοι.
When there were still three plethra of distance between them, those whom Herippidas commanded dashed out from the phalanx of Agesilaus to meet them. (These consisted of some of those who had campaigned with him from home and some of Cyreans), and the Ionians, Aeolians, and Hellespontians who were next to them.
καὶ πάντες οὗτοι τῶν συνεκδραμόντων τε ἐγένοντο καὶ εἰς δόρυ ἀφικόμενοι ἐτρέψαντο τὸ καθʼ ἑαυτούς.
All these joined in the charge, and coming to close quarters, they routed the enemy in front of them.
Ἀργεῖοι μέντοι οὐκ ἐδέξαντο τοὺς ἀμφʼ Ἀγησίλαον, ἀλλʼ ἔφυγον ἐπὶ τὸν Ἑλικῶνα.
The Argives, however, did not await the attack of those around Agesilaus, but fled to Helicon.
κἀνταῦθα οἱ μέν τινες τῶν ξένων ἐστεφάνουν ἤδη τὸν Ἀγησίλαον, ἀγγέλλει δέ τις αὐτῷ ὅτι Θηβαῖοι τοὺς Ὀρχομενίους διακόψαντες ἐν τοῖς σκευοφόροις εἰσί.
And there, while some of the allies were already crowning Agesilaus, someone reported to him that the Thebans had cut through the Orchomenians and were among the baggage train.
καὶ ὁ μὲν εὐθὺς ἐξελίξας τὴν φάλαγγα ἦγεν ἐπʼ αὐτούς· οἱ δʼ αὖ Θηβαῖοι ὡς εἶδον τοὺς συμμάχους πρὸς τῷ Ἑλικῶνι πεφευγότας, διαπεσεῖν βουλόμενοι πρὸς τοὺς ἑαυτῶν ἐχώρουν ἐρρωμένως. §2.12ἐνταῦθα δὴ Ἀγησίλαον ἀνδρεῖον μὲν ἔξεστιν εἰπεῖν ἀναμφιλόγως, οὐ μέντοι εἵλετό γε τὰ ἀσφαλέστατα·
He immediately wheeled his phalanx and led them against them; on the other side, the Thebans, when they saw that their allies had fled to Helicon, wishing to break through and join their own people, advanced with great vigor. At this point indeed, one may call Agesilaus courageous without dispute, yet he certainly did not choose the safest course.
ἐξὸν γὰρ αὐτῷ παρέντι τοὺς διαπίπτοντας ἑπομένῳ χειροῦσθαι τοὺς ὄπισθεν οὐκ ἐποίησε τοῦτο, ἀλλʼ ἀντιμέτωπος συνέρραξε τοῖς Θηβαίοις.
For when it was possible for him to let those who were breaking through pass by and then subdue them from behind as he followed, he did not do this, but clashed head-on with the Thebans.
καὶ συμβαλόντες τὰς ἀσπίδας ἐωθοῦντο, ἐμάχοντο, ἀπέκτεινον, ἀπέθνῃσκον.
Clashing their shields together, they pushed, fought, killed, and died.
καὶ κραυγὴ μὲν οὐδεμία παρῆν, οὐ μὴν οὐδὲ σιγή, φωνὴ δέ τις ἦν τοιαύτη οἵαν ὀργή τε καὶ μάχη παράσχοιτʼ ἄν.
And there was no shouting, nor yet silence, but a kind of sound such as anger and battle might produce.
τέλος δὲ τῶν Θηβαίων οἱ μὲν διαπίπτουσι πρὸς τὸν Ἑλικῶνα, πολλοὶ δʼ ἀποχωροῦντες ἀπέθανον. §2.13ἐπειδὴ δὲ ἡ μὲν νίκη σὺν Ἀγησιλάῳ ἐγένετο, τετρωμένος δʼ αὐτὸς προσηνέχθη πρὸς τὴν φάλαγγα, προσελάσαντές τινες τῶν ἱππέων λέγουσιν αὐτῷ ὅτι τῶν πολεμίων ὀγδοήκοντα σὺν τοῖς ὅπλοις ὑπὸ τῷ ναῷ εἰσι, καὶ ἠρώτων τί χρὴ ποιεῖν.
Finally, some of the Thebans broke through to Helicon, but many died as they retreated. When the victory rested with Agesilaus, and he himself, being wounded, was carried back to the phalanx, some of the cavalry rode up and told him that eighty of the enemy with their arms were under the temple, and they asked what they ought to do.
ὁ δὲ καίπερ πολλὰ τραύματα ἔχων πάντοσε καὶ παντοίοις ὅπλοις ὅμως οὐκ ἐπελάθετο τοῦ θείου, ἀλλʼ ἐᾶν τε ἀπιέναι ὅποι βούλοιντο ἐκέλευε καὶ ἀδικεῖν οὐκ εἴα, καὶ προπέμψαι ἐπέταξε τοὺς ἀμφʼ αὐτὸν ἱππεῖς ἔστε ἐν τῷ ἀσφαλεῖ ἐγένοντο. §2.14ἐπεί γε μὴν ἔληξεν ἡ μάχη, παρῆν δὴ θεάσασθαι ἔνθα συνέπεσον ἀλλήλοις τὴν μὲν γῆν αἵματι πεφυρμένην, νεκροὺς δὲ κειμένους φιλίους καὶ πολεμίους μετʼ ἀλλήλων, ἀσπίδας δὲ διατεθρυμμένας, δόρατα συντεθραυσμένα, ἐγχειρίδια γυμνὰ κολεῶν, τὰ μὲν χαμαί, τὰ δʼ ἐν σώματι, τὰ δʼ ἔτι μετὰ χεῖρας. §2.15τότε μὲν οὖν (καὶ γὰρ ἦν ἤδη ὀψέ) συνελκύσαντες τοὺς τῶν πολεμίων νεκροὺς εἴσω φάλαγγος ἐδειπνοποιήσαντο καὶ ἐκοιμήθησαν·
He, although having many wounds all over his body from all kinds of weapons, nevertheless did not forget the deity, but ordered them to allow them to go wherever they wished, and did not permit any wrong to be done to them, and commanded the cavalry around him to escort them until they were in safety. When indeed the battle was over, one could see at the place where they had clashed with one another, the ground covered with blood, corpses lying of friend and foe mingled with each other, shields shattered, spears broken, daggers bare of their sheaths, some on the ground, some in bodies, and some still in hands. Then indeed (for it was already late), they dragged the corpses of the enemy within their phalanx, took their dinner, and slept.
πρῲ δὲ Γῦλιν τὸν πολέμαρχον παρατάξαι τε ἐκέλευσε τὸ στράτευμα καὶ τρόπαιον ἵστασθαι καὶ στεφανοῦσθαι πάντας τῷ θεῷ καὶ τοὺς αὐλητὰς πάντας αὐλεῖν.
Early in the morning, he ordered Gylis the polemarch to draw up the army and set up a trophy, and all to wear crowns for the deity, and all the flute-players to play their flutes.