§14.68.1καίτοι γε εἴ τις βούλεται τἀκριβὲς ζητεῖν, εὑρήσει Διονύσιον οὐχ ἧττον τοῦ πολέμου τὴν εἰρήνην εὐλαβούμενον.
And yet, if anyone wishes to seek the exact truth, he will find that Dionysius guards against peace no less than war.
νῦν μὲν γὰρ διὰ τὸν ἀπὸ τῶν πολεμίων φόβον νομίζει τοὺς Συρακοσίους μηθὲν ἐπιχειρήσειν κατʼ αὐτοῦ πρᾶξαι, καταπονηθέντων δὲ τῶν Καρχηδονίων ἀντιλήψεσθαι τῆς ἐλευθερίας, τῶν μὲν ὅπλων κυριεύοντας, διὰ δὲ τὰς πράξεις πεφρονηματισμένους.
For now, because of the fear inspired by the enemy, he thinks that the Syracusans will attempt nothing against him, but that if the Carthaginians are defeated, they will reclaim their freedom, since they are masters of their weapons and have become high-spirited because of their deeds.
§14.68.2διὰ τοῦτο γάρ, οἶμαι, κατὰ μὲν τὸν πρῶτον πόλεμον προδοὺς Γέλαν καὶ Καμάριναν ταύτας ἀοικήτους ἐποίησεν, ἐν δὲ ταῖς συνθήκαις ἐκδότους τὰς πλείστας, Ἑλληνίδας πόλεις συνέθετο.
For this reason, I believe, during the first war he betrayed Gela and Camarina and made them uninhabited, and in the treaty he agreed to deliver up most of the Greek cities.
§14.68.3μετὰ δὲ ταῦτʼ ἐν εἰρήνῃ Νάξον καὶ Κατάνην παρασπονδῶν ἐξανδραποδισάμενος ἣν μὲν κατέσκαψεν, ἣν δὲ τοῖς ἐξ Ἰταλίας Καμπανοῖς οἰκητήριον ἔδωκεν.
After this, in a time of peace, violating the treaty, he enslaved Naxos and Catane, and razed the former to the ground, while he gave the latter to the Campanians from Italy as a dwelling place.
§14.68.4ἐπειδὴ δὲ ἐκείνων ἀπολομένων οἱ περιλειφθέντες πολλάκις ἐπεβάλοντο καταλῦσαι τὴν τυραννίδα, πάλιν τοῖς Καρχηδονίοις πόλεμον κατήγγειλεν· οὐ γὰρ οὕτως εὐλαβεῖτο λῦσαι τὰς συνθήκας παρὰ τοὺς ὅρκους, ὡς ἐφοβεῖτο τὰ περιλελειμμένα συστήματα τῶν Σικελιωτῶν.
But when, after those cities were destroyed, the survivors frequently attempted to overthrow the tyranny, he again declared war on the Carthaginians; for he was not so much on his guard against breaking the treaty contrary to his oaths, as he was afraid of the surviving gatherings of the Siceliots.
καὶ δὴ φαίνεται διὰ παντὸς ἐπηγρυπνηκὼς τῇ τούτων ἀπωλείᾳ.
And indeed, he appears to have been constantly vigilant for the destruction of these people.
§14.68.5καὶ πρῶτον μὲν περὶ Πάνορμον δυνάμενος παρατάξασθαι τοῖς πολεμίοις, ἀποβαινόντων ἐκ τῶν νεῶν καὶ τὰ σώματα κακῶς ἐχόντων διὰ τὸν σάλον, οὐκ ἠβουλήθη· μετὰ δὲ ταῦτα τὴν Μεσσήνην ἐπίκαιρον καὶ τηλικαύτην πόλιν ἀβοήθητον περιιδὼν εἴασε κατασκαφῆναι, ὅπως μὴ μόνον ὡς πλεῖστοι διαφθείρωνται τῶν Σικελιωτῶν, ἀλλὰ καὶ Καρχηδόνιοι τὰς ἐξ Ἰταλίας βοηθείας καὶ τοὺς ἐκ Πελοποννήσου στόλους ἐμφράξωσιν.
First, near Panormus, though he was able to draw up his forces against the enemy when they were disembarking from their ships and were in a bad state of body due to the tossing of the sea, he did not wish to do so; after this, looking on while Messene, a well-situated and so great a city, was left without aid, he allowed it to be razed, so that not only as many of the Siceliots as possible might perish, but also that the Carthaginians might block the reinforcements from Italy and the fleets from the Peloponnese.
§14.68.6τὸ δὲ τελευταῖον ἐν τῷ Καταναίων αἰγιαλῷ διηγωνίσατο, παρεὶς πρὸς τῇ πόλει τὴν μάχην συστήσασθαι πρὸς τὸ τοὺς ἐλαττουμένους καταφεύγειν εἰς τοὺς οἰκείους λιμένας.
Finally, he fought the battle on the shore of Catane, having passed over the chance to arrange the battle near the city so that those who were getting the worst of it might flee into their own harbors.
μετὰ δὲ τὴν ναυμαχίαν, μεγάλων πνευμάτων ἐπιγενομένων καὶ τῶν Καρχηδονίων ἀναγκασθέντων νεωλκῆσαι τὸν στόλον, καιρὸν εἶχε τοῦ νικᾶν κάλλιστον·
But after the sea-fight, when great winds arose and the Carthaginians were forced to beach their fleet, he had the finest opportunity for victory.
§14.68.7τὸ μὲν γὰρ πεζὸν στράτευμα τῶν πολεμίων οὔπω κατηντηκὸς ἦν, τὸ δὲ μέγεθος τοῦ χειμῶνος ἐπὶ τὸν αἰγιαλὸν αὐτοῖς τὰς ναῦς ἐξέβραττεν.
For the land army of the enemy had not yet arrived, and the violence of the storm was casting their ships up on the shore.
τότε συνεπιθεμένων ἡμῶν πεζῇ πάντων ἠναγκάσθησαν ἂν ἀποβαίνοντες ἁλίσκεσθαι ῥᾳδίως ἢ πρὸς τὰ κύματα βιαζόμενοι τὸν αἰγιαλὸν πληρῶσαι ναυαγίων.
If at that time we had all made a joint attack by land, they would have been forced either to be easily captured as they landed, or, struggling against the waves, to fill the shore with shipwrecks.