§15.33.1οἱ δὲ συνόντες τῷ Ἀγησιλάῳ Σπαρτιᾶται σύμβουλοι καὶ οἱ τὰς ἡγεμονίας ἔχοντες ἐθαύμαζον, πῶς δραστικὸς εἶναι δοκῶν Ἀγησίλαος καὶ μείζονα καὶ δυναμικωτέραν ἔχων τὴν δύναμιν οὐ διηγωνίσατο πρὸς τοὺς πολεμίους.
The Spartan advisers accompanying Agesilaus and those holding commands wondered how Agesilaus, though seeming to be active and having a larger and more powerful force, did not fight to a finish against the enemy.
πρὸς οὓς ὁ Ἀγησίλαος ἀπεκρίθη, νῦν μὲν ἀκινδύνως τοὺς Λακεδαιμονίους νενικηκέναι· πορθουμένῃ γὰρ τῇ χώρᾳ μὴ τετολμηκέναι τοὺς Βοιωτοὺς βοηθῆσαι· εἰ δʼ αὐτῶν τῶν πολεμίων παρακεχωρηκότων τῆς νίκης ἐβιάσατο τοὺς πολεμίους ὑπομένειν τὸ δεινόν, ἴσως ἂν διὰ τὸ παράλογον τῆς τύχης δύναιντο καὶ πταῖσαι κατὰ τὸν κίνδυνον οἱ Λακεδαιμόνιοι.
To them Agesilaus replied that now the Lacedaemonians had won without danger; for while their territory was being plundered, the Boeotians had not dared to come to its aid; but if, when the enemy themselves had yielded the victory, he had forced the enemy to withstand the danger, perhaps by the unpredictability of fortune the Lacedaemonians might even have met with disaster in the danger.
§15.33.2τότε μὲν οὖν διὰ τῆς ἀποκρίσεως ταύτης ἔδοξε μετρίως κατεστοχάσθαι τὸ δυνάμενον ἀποβῆναι, ὕστερον δὲ διὰ τῶν ἀποτελεσμάτων ἔδοξεν οὐκ ἀνθρωπίνην ἀπόφασιν, ἀλλὰ θεῖόν τινα χρησμὸν εἰρηκέναι.
At that time, then, through this answer he seemed to have estimated reasonably what was capable of turning out, but later through the results he seemed to have spoken not a human pronouncement, but some divine oracle.
οἱ γὰρ Λακεδαιμόνιοι μετὰ πολλῆς δυνάμεως στρατεύσαντες ἐπὶ Θηβαίους, καὶ συναναγκάσαντες αὐτοὺς ὑπὲρ τῆς ἐλευθερίας ἀγωνίσασθαι, μεγάλῃ συμφορᾷ περιέπεσον.
For the Lacedaemonians, having campaigned with a large force against the Thebans, and having compelled them to fight for their freedom, fell into a great disaster.
§15.33.3τὸ μὲν γὰρ πρῶτον ἐν Λεύκτροις ἡττηθέντες πολλοὺς ἀπώλεσαν τῶν πολιτῶν, ἐν οἷς καὶ ὁ βασιλεὺς αὐτῶν Κλεόμβροτος ἔπεσε· μετὰ δὲ ταῦτα περὶ Μαντίνειαν πολεμήσαντες τοῖς ὅλοις ἐσφάλησαν καὶ τὴν ἡγεμονίαν ἀνελπίστως ἀπέβαλον.
For first, being defeated at Leuctra, they lost many of their citizens, among whom also their king Cleombrotus fell; and after this, having fought around Mantinea, they were utterly ruined and unexpectedly lost the hegemony.
ἀγαθὴ γὰρ ἡ τύχη τοὺς μέγα φρονοῦντας παραδόξως σφῆλαι καὶ διδάξαι μηδὲν ἄγαν κατελπίζειν.
For fortune is good at tripping up those who think highly of themselves in an unexpected way and teaching them to expect nothing in excess.
ὁ γοῦν Ἀγησίλαος ἐχεφρόνως ἀρκεσθεὶς τῷ πρώτῳ προτερήματι, τὴν δύναμιν ἀσινῆ διεφύλαξεν.
Agesilaus, at any rate, wisely satisfied with the first advantage, preserved his force unharmed.
§15.33.4μετὰ δὲ ταῦτα ὁ μὲν Ἀγησίλαος μετὰ τῆς δυνάμεως ἐπανῆλθεν εἰς τὴν Πελοπόννησον, οἱ δὲ Θηβαῖοι διὰ τὴν Χαβρίου στρατηγίαν σωθέντες ἐθαύμασαν τἀνδρὸς τὴν ἐν τῷ στρατηγήματι ἀγχίνοιαν.
After this, Agesilaus returned with his force to the Peloponnese, while the Thebans, having been saved through the generalship of Chabrias, marveled at the man's quickness of mind in the stratagem.
ὁ δὲ Χαβρίας, πολλῶν καὶ καλῶν αὐτῷ πεπραγμένων κατὰ πόλεμον, ἐπὶ τούτῳ μάλιστα ἐσεμνύνετο τῷ στρατηγήματι, καὶ τὰς εἰκόνας τὰς ὑπὸ τοῦ δήμου δοθείσας αὐτῷ καθίστανεν ἐχούσας τοῦτο τὸ σχῆμα.
And Chabrias, although many fine deeds had been performed by him in war, was especially proud of this stratagem, and set up the statues given to him by the people having this posture.
§15.33.5οἱ δὲ Θηβαῖοι μετὰ τὴν ἀπαλλαγὴν τὴν Ἀγησιλάου στρατεύσαντες ἐπὶ Θεσπιὰς τὴν μὲν προφυλακήν, οὖσαν ἀνδρῶν διακοσίων, ἀνεῖλον, τῇ δὲ πόλει προσβολὰς συνεχεῖς ποιούμενοι, καὶ μηδὲν ἀξιόλογον πράξαντες, ἀπῆγον τὴν δύναμιν εἰς τὰς Θήβας.
The Thebans, after the departure of Agesilaus, campaigned against Thespiae and destroyed the advanced guard, which consisted of two hundred men, but making continuous assaults on the city and achieving nothing worthy of mention, they led their force back to Thebes.
§15.33.6Φοιβίδας δὲ ὁ Λακεδαιμόνιος, ἔχων ἀξιόλογον φρουρὰν ἐν ταῖς Θεσπιαῖς, ἐκχυθεὶς ἐκ τῆς πόλεως καὶ προπετῶς τοῖς ἀποχωροῦσι Θηβαίοις ἐπιθέμενος, τῶν μὲν στρατιωτῶν ἀπέβαλε πλείους τῶν πεντακοσίων, αὐτὸς δὲ λαμπρῶς ἀγωνισάμενος καὶ πολλοῖς ἐναντίοις τραύμασι περιπεσὼν ἡρωικῶς κατέστρεψε τὸν βίον.
But Phoebidas the Lacedaemonian, having a noteworthy garrison in Thespiae, sallying out of the city and rashly attacking the retreating Thebans, lost more than five hundred of his soldiers, and himself, having fought brilliantly and having received many frontal wounds, heroically ended his life.