§12.56.1περὶ δὲ τοὺς αὐτοὺς χρόνους Λακεδαιμόνιοι τὰς Πλαταιὰς πολιορκοῦντες περιετείχισαν τὴν πόλιν καὶ στρατιώταις πολλοῖς παρεφύλαττον.
About the same time, the Lacedaemonians, who were besieging Plataea, built a wall around the city and guarded it with many soldiers.
χρονιζούσης δὲ τῆς πολιορκίας καὶ τῶν Ἀθηναίων μηδεμίαν ἐξαποστελλόντων βοήθειαν, οἱ πολιορκούμενοι σιτοδείᾳ τε συνείχοντο καὶ τῶν πολιτῶν ἐν ταῖς προσβολαῖς πολλοὺς ἀπεβεβλήκεσαν.
Since the siege was dragging on and the Athenians dispatched no assistance, the besieged were hard pressed by famine and had lost many of their citizens in the assaults.
§12.56.2ἀπορουμένων δʼ αὐτῶν καὶ βουλευομένων περὶ τῆς σωτηρίας, τοῖς μὲν πολλοῖς ἐδόκει τὴν ἡσυχίαν ἄγειν, τοῖς δʼ ἄλλοις ὡς διακοσίοις οὖσιν ἔδοξε νυκτὸς βιάσασθαι τοὺς φύλακας καὶ διεκπεσεῖν εἰς τὰς Ἀθήνας.
While they were at a loss and deliberating about their safety, it seemed best to the majority to remain quiet, but to the others, who were about two hundred, it was decided to force their way through the guards by night and escape to Athens.
§12.56.3τηρήσαντες οὖν ἀσέληνον νύκτα τοὺς μὲν ἄλλους ἔπεισαν εἰς θάτερα μέρη προσβάλλειν τῷ περιτειχίσματι, αὐτοὶ δʼ ἑτοιμασάμενοι κλίμακας, καὶ τῶν πολεμίων παραβοηθούντων ἐν τοῖς ἀπεστραμμένοις μέρεσι τῶν τειχῶν, αὐτοὶ διὰ τῶν κλιμάκων ἔτυχον ἀναβάντες ἐπὶ τὸ τεῖχος, καὶ τοὺς φύλακας ἀποκτείναντες διέφυγον εἰς τὰς Ἀθήνας.
Therefore, having waited for a moonless night, they persuaded the others to attack the surrounding wall at the other parts; and having prepared ladders themselves, while the enemy was rushing to help at the opposite parts of the walls, they succeeded in climbing up the wall by means of the ladders, and having killed the guards, escaped to Athens.
§12.56.4τῇ δʼ ὑστεραίᾳ Λακεδαιμόνιοι μὲν παροξυνθέντες ἐπὶ τῷ δρασμῷ τῶν ἀπεληλυθότων ἐκ τῆς πόλεως, προσέβαλον τῇ πόλει τῶν Πλαταιέων καὶ πᾶσαν εἰσεφέροντο σπουδὴν βίᾳ χειρώσασθαι τοὺς πολιορκουμένους·
On the following day, the Lacedaemonians, incensed by the escape of those who had departed from the city, assaulted the city of the Plataeans and put forth every effort to subdue the besieged by force.
οἱ δὲ Πλαταιεῖς καταπλαγέντες καὶ διαπρεσβευσάμενοι παρέδωκαν ἑαυτούς τε καὶ τὴν πόλιν τοῖς πολεμίοις.
The Plataeans, terrified and having sent envoys to treat, surrendered themselves and their city to the enemy.
§12.56.5οἱ δʼ ἡγεμόνες τῶν Λακεδαιμονίων καθʼ ἕνα τῶν Πλαταιέων προσκαλούμενοι ἐπηρώτων τί ἀγαθὸν πεποίηκε τοῖς Λακεδαιμονίοις, ἑκάστου δὲ ὁμολογοῦντος μηδὲν εὐηργετηκέναι, πάλιν ἐπηρώτων εἴ τι κακὸν ἔδρασαν τοὺς Σπαρτιάτας· οὐδενὸς δʼ ἀντιλέγοντος, πάντων κατέγνωσαν θάνατον.
The leaders of the Lacedaemonians, calling the Plataeans one by one, asked what good they had done for the Lacedaemonians; and when each confessed that they had done no service, they asked again if they had done any harm to the Spartans; and since no one could deny it, they condemned all to death.
§12.56.6διὸ καὶ τοὺς ἐγκαταλειφθέντας ἅπαντας ἀνεῖλον καὶ κατασκάψαντες ἐμίσθωσαν τὴν χώραν αὐτῶν.
Therefore, they put to death all who had been left behind, and having razed the city, they leased out their land.
Πλαταιεῖς μὲν οὖν τὴν πρὸς Ἀθηναίους συμμαχίαν βεβαιοτάτην τηρήσαντες ἀδίκως ταῖς μεγίσταις συμφοραῖς περιέπεσον.
Thus the Plataeans, though they had kept their alliance with the Athenians most faithful, unjustly fell into the greatest misfortunes.