§14.62.1μετὰ δὲ ταῦτα Διονύσιος μὲν καταπεπληγμένος τοὺς Καρχηδονίους, ἀπέστειλε πρεσβευτὴν πρός τε τοὺς κατʼ Ἰταλίαν Ἕλληνας καὶ πρὸς Λακεδαιμονίους, ἔτι δὲ Κορινθίους, Πολύξενον τὸν κηδεστήν, δεόμενος βοηθεῖν καὶ μὴ περιιδεῖν τὰς ἐν Σικελίᾳ πόλεις τῶν Ἑλλήνων ἄρδην ἀναιρουμένας.
After this, Dionysius, being terrified by the Carchedonians, sent his brother-in-law Polyxenus as an ambassador to the Greeks in Italy, to the Lacedaemonians, and also to the Corinthians, begging them to help and not to stand by and see the Greek cities in Sicily utterly destroyed.
ἔπεμψε δὲ καὶ ξενολόγους εἰς Πελοπόννησον μετὰ πολλῶν χρημάτων, ἐντειλάμενος ὡς πλείστους ἀθροίζειν στρατιώτας, μὴ φειδομένους τῶν μισθῶν.
He also sent recruiting officers to the Peloponnese with a large sum of money, commanding them to enlist as many soldiers as possible without sparing any expense for wages.
§14.62.2Ἰμίλκων δὲ τοῖς ἀπὸ τῶν πολεμίων σκύλοις κοσμήσας τὰς ναῦς κατέπλευσεν εἰς τὸν μέγαν λιμένα τῶν Συρακοσίων, καὶ πολλὴν τοῖς ἐν τῇ πόλει κατάπληξιν ἐπέστησεν.
Himilcon, having adorned his ships with the spoils taken from the enemy, sailed into the Great Harbor of the Syracusans, and struck those in the city with great terror.
διακόσιαι μὲν γὰρ καὶ πεντήκοντα μακραὶ ναῦς εἰσέπλεον ἐν τάξει τὰς εἰρεσίας ποιούμεναι καὶ τοῖς ἐκ τοῦ πολέμου λαφύροις πολυτελῶς κεκοσμημέναι, μετὰ δὲ ταῦτα αἱ φορτηγοὶ ναῦς εἰσθεόμεναι μὲν ὑπὲρ τρισχιλίας, φέρουσαι δὲ πλείους τῶν πεντακοσίων, αἱ δὲ πᾶσαι σχεδὸν δισχίλιαι.
For two hundred and fifty warships sailed in, rowing in order and sumptuously adorned with the spoils of the war, and after them the merchant vessels came streaming in, numbering over three thousand, and carrying more than five hundred, the whole fleet being nearly two thousand.
διὸ καὶ συνέβαινε τὸν λιμένα τῶν Συρακοσίων, καίπερ ὄντα μέγαν, ἐμπεφράχθαι μὲν τοῖς σκάφεσι, συγκαλύπτεσθαι δὲ σχεδὸν ἅπαντα τοῖς ἱστίοις.
Therefore, it happened that the harbor of the Syracusans, although it was large, was blocked by the vessels, and almost entirely covered by their sails.
§14.62.3τούτων δὲ καθορμισθεισῶν εὐθὺς καὶ τὸ πεζὸν στρατόπεδον ἐκ θατέρου μέρους ἀντιπαρῆγε, συνεστηκός, ὡς μέν τινες ἀνέγραψαν, ἐκ τριάκοντα μυριάδων πεζῶν, ἱππέων δὲ τρισχιλίων.
As soon as these had anchored, the infantry army also advanced along the opposite side, consisting, as some have recorded, of three hundred thousand foot soldiers and three thousand cavalry.
ὁ μὲν οὖν στρατηγὸς τῶν δυνάμεων Ἰμίλκων κατεσκήνωσεν ἐν τῷ τοῦ Διὸς νεῴ, τὸ δὲ λοιπὸν πλῆθος ἐν τῷ παρακειμένῳ τόπῳ κατεστρατοπέδευσεν, ἀπέχον τῆς πόλεως σταδίους δώδεκα.
The general of the forces, Himilcon, pitched his tent in the temple of Zeus, while the rest of the multitude encamped in the adjacent area, at a distance of twelve stades from the city.
§14.62.4μετὰ δὲ ταῦτα Ἰμίλκων ἐξήγαγε τὴν στρατιὰν ἅπασαν, καὶ πρὸ τῶν τειχῶν ἐξέταξε τὴν δύναμιν, εἰς μάχην προκαλούμενος τοὺς Συρακοσίους.
After this, Himilcon led out his entire army and drew up his force before the walls, challenging the Syracusans to battle.
ἐπέπλευσε δὲ καὶ τοῖς λιμέσιν ἑκατὸν ναυσὶ ταῖς ἀρίσταις, ὅπως καταπλήξηται τοὺς κατὰ τὴν πόλιν καὶ συναναγκάσῃ συγχωρεῖν ἥττους εἶναι καὶ κατὰ θάλατταν.
He also sailed against the harbors with one hundred of his best ships, in order to terrify those in the city and to force them to admit that they were inferior even at sea.
§14.62.5οὐδενὸς δʼ ἐπεξιέναι τολμῶντος τότε μὲν ἀπῆγε τὴν δύναμιν εἰς τὴν στρατοπεδείαν, μετὰ δὲ ταῦτʼ ἐφʼ ἡμέρας τριάκοντα τὴν χώραν ἐπῄει δενδροτομῶν καὶ πᾶσαν φθείρων, ὅπως ἅμα μὲν τοὺς στρατιώτας πληρώσῃ παντοίας ὠφελείας, ἅμα δὲ τοὺς ἐντὸς τῶν τειχῶν εἰς ἀθυμίαν καταστήσῃ.
But since no one dared to come out against him, for the time being he led his force back to the camp; after this, however, for thirty days he overran the country, cutting down trees and devastating it all, so that he might at the same time satisfy his soldiers with all kinds of booty, and reduce those inside the walls to despondency.