§13.91.1Ἰμίλκας δὲ ὀκτὼ μῆνας πολιορκήσας τὴν πόλιν, καὶ μικρὸν πρὸ τῆς χειμερινῆς τροπῆς κυριεύσας αὐτῆς, οὐκ εὐθὺς κατέσκαψεν, ὅπως αἱ δυνάμεις ἐν ταῖς οἰκίαις παραχειμάσωσιν.
And Imilkas, having besieged the city for eight months and having captured it a little before the winter solstice, did not immediately destroy it, in order that his forces might winter in the houses.
τῆς δὲ περὶ τὸν Ἀκράγαντα συμφορᾶς διαγγελθείσης, τοσοῦτος τὴν νῆσον κατέσχε φόβος, ὥστε τῶν Σικελιωτῶν τοὺς μὲν εἰς Συρακούσας μεθίστασθαι, τοὺς δὲ εἰς τὴν Ἰταλίαν τέκνα καὶ γυναῖκας καὶ τὴν ἄλλην κτῆσιν ἀποσκευάζεσθαι.
When the disaster concerning Agrigentum was reported, so great a fear seized the island that some of the Siceliots relocated to Syracuse, while others evacuated their children, wives, and rest of their property to Italy.
§13.91.2οἱ δὲ διαφυγόντες τὴν αἰχμαλωσίαν Ἀκραγαντῖνοι παραγενηθέντες εἰς Συρακούσας κατηγόρουν τῶν στρατηγῶν, φάσκοντες διὰ τὴν ἐκείνων προδοσίαν ἀπολωλέναι τὴν πατρίδα.
And the Agrigentines who had escaped captivity, having arrived in Syracuse, accused the generals, claiming that their homeland had perished because of the treachery of those men.
συνέβαινε δὲ καὶ ὑπὸ τῶν ἄλλων Σικελιωτῶν ἐπιτιμήσεως τυγχάνειν τοὺς Συρακοσίους, ὅτι τοιούτους προστάτας αἱροῦνται, διʼ οὓς ἀπολέσθαι κινδυνεύει πᾶσα Σικελία.
And it also happened that the Syracusans met with censure by the other Siceliots, because they chose such leaders, through whom all Sicily was in danger of perishing.
§13.91.3οὐ μὴν ἀλλὰ συναχθείσης ἐκκλησίας ἐν Συρακούσαις, καὶ μεγάλων φόβων ἐπικρεμαμένων, οὐθεὶς ἐτόλμα περὶ τοῦ πολέμου συμβουλεύειν.
Nevertheless, when an assembly was gathered in Syracuse, and great fears were hanging over them, no one dared to give counsel concerning the war.
ἀπορουμένων δὲ πάντων παρελθὼν Διονύσιος ὁ Ἑρμοκράτους τῶν μὲν στρατηγῶν κατηγόρησεν ὡς προδιδόντων τὰ πράγματα τοῖς Καρχηδονίοις, τὰ δὲ πλήθη παρώξυνε πρὸς τὴν αὐτῶν τιμωρίαν, παρακαλῶν μὴ περιμεῖναι τὸν κατὰ τοὺς νόμους λῆρον, ἀλλʼ ἐκ χειρὸς ἐπιθεῖναι τὴν δίκην.
While everyone was at a loss, Dionysius, the son of Hermocrates, came forward and accused the generals of betraying the state to the Carthaginians, and he incited the multitudes to punish them, urging them not to wait for the nonsense according to the laws, but to inflict punishment immediately.
§13.91.4τῶν δʼ ἀρχόντων ζημιούντων τὸν Διονύσιον κατὰ τοὺς νόμους ὡς θορυβοῦντα, Φίλιστος ὁ τὰς ἱστορίας ὕστερον συγγράψας, οὐσίαν ἔχων μεγάλην, ἐξέτισε τὰ πρόστιμα, καὶ τῷ Διονυσίῳ παρεκελεύετο λέγειν ὅσα προῄρητο.
When the magistrates fined Dionysius according to the laws for causing a disturbance, Philistus, who later wrote the history, possessing great wealth, paid the fines and urged Dionysius to say whatever he had resolved to say.
καὶ προσεπειπόντος ὅτι καθʼ ὅλην τὴν ἡμέραν, ἂν ζημιοῦν θέλωσιν, ἐκτίσει τἀργύριον ὑπὲρ αὐτοῦ, τὸ λοιπὸν θαρρήσας ἀνέσειε τὰ πλήθη, καὶ τὴν ἐκκλησίαν συνταράττων διέβαλλε τοὺς στρατηγούς, ὅτι χρήμασι πεισθέντες ἐγκατέλιπον τὴν τῶν Ἀκραγαντίνων σωτηρίαν.
And when he added that for the whole day, if they wished to fine him, he would pay the money on his behalf, Dionysius, having taken courage for the rest of the time, incited the multitudes, and throwing the assembly into confusion, slandered the generals, saying that they, persuaded by money, had abandoned the safety of the Agrigentines.
συγκατηγόρησε δὲ καὶ τῶν ἄλλων τῶν ἐπισημοτάτων πολιτῶν, συνιστὰς αὐτοὺς οἰκείους ὄντας ὀλιγαρχίας.
He also jointly accused the other most prominent citizens, representing them as being adherents of oligarchy.
§13.91.5διόπερ συνεβούλευεν αἱρεῖσθαι στρατηγοὺς μὴ τοὺς δυνατωτάτους, ἀλλὰ τοὺς εὐνουστάτους καὶ δημοτικοὺς μᾶλλον· ἐκείνους μὲν γὰρ δεσποτικῶς ἄρχοντας τῶν πολιτῶν καταφρονεῖν τῶν πολλῶν, καὶ τὰς τῆς πατρίδος συμφορὰς ἰδίας ἡγεῖσθαι προσόδους, τοὺς δὲ ταπεινοτέρους οὐδὲν πράξειν τῶν τοιούτων, δεδιότας τὴν περὶ αὑτοὺς ἀσθένειαν.
For this reason, he advised them to choose as generals not the most powerful men, but rather those who were most well-disposed and democratic; for the former, ruling the citizens in a despotic manner, despised the majority and considered the disasters of the homeland as their private revenues, while the humbler men would do nothing of the sort, fearing their own weakness.