§2.1ἢν δὲ δή σοι ταῦτα πάντα ἐξησκημένοι ὦσιν οἱ ἱππεῖς, δεῖ δήπου καὶ τάξιν τινὰ ἐπίστασθαι αὐτοὺς ἐξ ἧς καλλίστας μὲν θεοῖς πομπὰς πέμψουσι, κάλλιστα δὲ ἱππάσονται, ἄριστα δὲ μαχοῦνται, ἢν δέῃ, ῥᾷστα δὲ καὶ ἀταρακτότατα ὁδοὺς πορεύσονται καὶ διαβάσεις περάσουσιν.
If indeed your horsemen are thoroughly trained in all these things, they must surely also understand a certain formation from which they will conduct the most beautiful processions for the gods, ride most beautifully, fight best if necessary, and march along roads and cross passes most easily and with the least confusion.
ᾗ τοίνυν χρώμενοι τάξει δοκοῦσιν ἄν μοι ταῦτα κάλλιστα διαπράττεσθαι, ταύτην νῦν ἤδη πειράσομαι δηλοῦν.
Therefore, the formation which they would use to best accomplish these things, this I will now try to explain.
§2.2οὐκοῦν ὑπὸ μὲν τῆς πόλεως ὑπάρχουσι διῃρημέναι φυλαὶ δέκα.
Now, ten tribes are already provided as divided by the city.
τούτων δʼ ἐγώ φημι χρῆναι πρῶτον μὲν δεκαδάρχους σὺν τῇ τῶν φυλάρχων ἑκάστου γνώμῃ καταστῆσαι ἐκ τῶν ἀκμαζόντων τε καὶ φιλοτιμοτάτων καλόν τι ποιεῖν καὶ ἀκούειν· καὶ τούτους μὲν πρωτοστάτας δεῖ εἶναι.
Of these, I say that one must first appoint decarchs, with the approval of each of the phylarchs, from those who are in their prime and most eager to perform and be spoken of for honorable deeds; and these must be the front-rank men.
§2.3μετὰ δὲ τούτους ἴσους χρὴ τούτοις ἀριθμὸν ἐκ τῶν πρεσβυτάτων τε καὶ φρονιμωτάτων ἑλέσθαι οἵτινες τελευταῖοι τῶν δεκάδων ἔσονται.
And after these, one should choose an equal number to these from the oldest and most prudent, who will be the rear-rank men of the tens.
εἰ γὰρ δεῖ καὶ ἀπεικάσαι, οὕτω καὶ σίδηρος μάλιστα διατέμνει σίδηρον, ὅταν τό τε ἡγούμενον τοῦ τομέως ἐρρωμένον ᾖ καὶ τὸ ἐπελαυνόμενον ἱκανόν.
For if one must make a comparison, it is in this way too that iron cuts iron best, when both the leading edge of the cutting tool is strong and the part that is driven behind it is sufficient.
§2.4τούς γε μὴν ἐν μέσῳ τῶν πρώτων καὶ τῶν τελευταίων, εἰ οἱ δεκάδαρχοι ἐπιστάτας ἕλοιντο καὶ οἱ ἄλλοι ἐφέλοιντο, οὕτως εἰκὸς ἑκάστῳ πιστότατον τὸν ἐπιστάτην εἶναι.
As for those in the middle of the first and the last, if the decarchs should choose their followers and the others in turn choose theirs, in this way it is likely that for each man, the follower will be most trustworthy.
§2.5τὸν μέντοι ἀφηγούμενον ἐκ παντὸς τρόπου δεῖ ἱκανὸν ἄνδρα καθιστάναι.
However, the one who brings up the rear must by all means be appointed as an able man.
ἀγαθὸς γὰρ ὤν, εἴτε ποτὲ δέοι ἐπὶ πολεμίους ἐλαύνειν, ἐγκελεύων ῥώμην ἂν ἐμβάλλοι τοῖς ἔμπροσθεν, εἴτʼ αὖ καὶ ἀποχωρεῖν καιρὸς συμβαίνοι, φρονίμως ἀφηγούμενος μᾶλλον ἄν, ὡς τὸ εἰκός, σῴζοι τοὺς φυλέτας.
For if he is good, if ever it should be necessary to charge the enemy, by urging them on he would infuse strength into those in front; or if again a time to retreat should occur, by leading them away prudently he would, in all likelihood, save his tribesmen.
§2.6οἱ μέντοι δεκάδαρχοι ἄρτιοι ὄντες πλείω ἴσα μέρη παρέχοιεν ἂν διαιρεῖν ἢ εἰ περιττοὶ εἶεν.
Indeed, if the decarchs are an even number, they would provide more equal parts to divide than if they were odd.
αὕτη δέ μοι ἡ τάξις ἀρέσκει διὰ τάδε, ὅτι πρῶτον μὲν οἱ πρωτοστάται πάντες ἄρχοντες γίγνονται· οἱ δʼ αὐτοὶ ἄνδρες ὅταν ἄρχωσι, μᾶλλόν πως οἴονται ἑαυτοῖς προσήκειν καλόν τι ποιεῖν ἢ ὅταν ἰδιῶται ὦσιν· ἔπειτα δὲ καὶ ὅταν πρακτέον τι ᾖ, τὸ παραγγέλλειν μὴ ἰδιώταις ἀλλʼ ἄρχουσι πολὺ ἁνυτικώτερον.
And this formation pleases me for the following reasons: first, because the front-rank men all become officers; and when these same men are officers, they somehow think it more appropriate for themselves to perform some noble deed than when they are private citizens; and second, because whenever something must be done, passing orders not to private citizens but to officers is far more effective.
§2.7τεταγμένων γε μὴν οὕτω χρή, ὥσπερ καὶ τοῖς φυλάρχοις προαγορεύεται ἡ χώρα ὑπὸ τοῦ ἱππάρχου ἐν ᾗ ἑκάστῳ ἐλατέον, οὕτω καὶ τοῖς δεκαδάρχοις παρηγγέλθαι ὑπὸ τῶν φυλάρχων ὅπῃ πορευτέον ἑκάστῳ.
Once they are thus drawn up, just as the place where each must ride is proclaimed to the phylarchs by the hipparch, so also orders must be given to the decarchs by the phylarchs as to where each must march.
οὕτω γὰρ προειρημένων πολὺ εὐτακτοτέρως ἂν ἔχοι ἢ εἰ ὥσπερ ἐκ θεάτρου ὡς ἂν τύχωσιν ἀπιόντες λυποῦσιν ἀλλήλους.
For when these things have been announced beforehand, they would keep order far better than if, like people leaving a theater, they get in each other's way as chance directs.
§2.8καὶ μάχεσθαι δὲ μᾶλλον ἐθέλουσιν οἵ τε πρῶτοι, ἤν τι ἐκ τοῦ πρόσθεν προσπίπτῃ, ὅταν εἰδῶσιν ὅτι αὕτη ἡ χώρα αὐτῶν, καὶ οἱ τελευταῖοι, ἤν τι ὄπισθεν ἐπιφαίνηται, ἐπιστάμενοι ὅτι αἰσχρὸν λιπεῖν τὴν τάξιν.
And both the front-rank men are more willing to fight, if any danger falls upon them from the front, when they know that this is their post, and the rear-rank men, if anything appears from behind, knowing that it is shameful to abandon their rank.
§2.9ἄτακτοι δʼ ὄντες ἀλλήλους μὲν ταράττουσι καὶ ἐν στεναῖς ὁδοῖς καὶ ἐν διαβάσεσι, τοῖς δὲ πολεμίοις οὐδεὶς ἑκὼν ἑαυτὸν τάττει μάχεσθαι.
But when they are in disorder, they throw one another into confusion both in narrow roads and in crossings, and no one willingly ranges himself to fight against the enemy in such a state.
καὶ ταῦτα μὲν δὴ πάντα ὑπάρχειν δεῖ ἐκπεπονημένα πᾶσι τοῖς ἱππεῦσιν, εἰ μέλλουσιν ἀπροφάσιστοι ἔσεσθαι συνεργοὶ τῷ ἡγουμένῳ.
And indeed all these things must be established as thoroughly practiced by all the horsemen, if they are to be unexcused helpers to their leader.