§15.42.1ὁ δὲ τῶν Αἰγυπτίων βασιλεὺς Νεκτάνεβις ἐπυνθάνετο μὲν τὸ μέγεθος τῶν Περσικῶν δυνάμεων, ἐθάρρει δὲ μάλιστα μὲν τῇ τῆς χώρας ὀχυρότητι, δυσπροσίτου παντελῶς οὔσης τῆς Αἰγύπτου, ἔπειτα καὶ τῷ πεφράχθαι καλῶς πάσας εἰσβολὰς τάς τε ἀπὸ γῆς καὶ τὰς ἀπὸ θαλάττης. §15.42.2ἑπτὰ στόμασι γὰρ τοῦ Νείλου τὰς εἰς τὸ Αἰγύπτιον πέλαγος ἐκβολὰς ποιουμένου, καθʼ ἕκαστον τῶν στομάτων πόλις κατεσκεύαστο πύργους μεγάλους ἔχουσα καθʼ ἑκάτερον τοῦ ῥείθρου καὶ ξυλίνην γέφυραν τοῦ εἴσπλου κυριεύουσαν.
Nectanebis, the king of the Egyptians, was informed of the size of the Persian forces, but he was particularly confident because of the strength of the country, Egypt being altogether difficult to access, and furthermore because all the approaches, both by land and by sea, had been well fortified. For since the Nile empties into the Egyptian Sea through seven mouths, at each of the mouths a city had been established, having great towers on each side of the stream and a wooden bridge controlling the entrance.
μάλιστα δὲ τὸ Πηλουσιακὸν στόμα κατεσκεύασε διὰ τὸ κεῖσθαι μὲν αὐτὸ πρῶτον πρὸς τοὺς ἀπὸ Συρίας πορευομένους καὶ δοκεῖν διὰ τούτου μάλιστʼ ἂν ποιεῖσθαι τὴν ἔφοδον τοὺς πολεμίους. §15.42.3τοῦτο γὰρ ἀπετάφρευσε, καὶ διετείχισε τοὺς εἴσπλους κατὰ τοὺς εὐκαιροτάτους τόπους, καὶ τῶν προσόδων τὰς μὲν κατὰ γῆν πορευτὰς ἐποίησε λιμνάζειν, τὰς δὲ πλωτὰς χώμασιν ἐνέφραττεν.
He fortified the Pelusiac mouth most of all, because it lay first for those marching from Syria and it seemed that the enemy would make their assault chiefly through this. For he ditched this and walled off the entrances at the most strategic places, and of the approaches he turned those passable by land into marshes, and blocked those navigable by water with dikes.
διόπερ οὐκ ἦν ῥᾳδίως οὔτε ταῖς ναυσὶν εἰσπλέειν οὔτε τοῖς ἱππεῦσι προσπελάσαι οὔτε τοῖς πεζοῖς προσελθεῖν. §15.42.4οἱ δὲ περὶ τὸν Φαρνάβαζον στρατηγοί, καταλαβόντες τὸ Πηλουσιακὸν στόμα θαυμαστῶς ὠχυρωμένον καὶ στρατιωτῶν πλήθει φυλαττόμενον, τὸ μὲν διὰ τούτου βιάζεσθαι παντελῶς ἀπεδοκίμασαν, διʼ ἑτέρου δὲ στόματος ἔγνωσαν ποιεῖσθαι τὸν εἴσπλουν.
Therefore, it was not easy either for ships to sail in, or for cavalry to approach, or for infantry to advance. The generals under Pharnabazus, finding the Pelusiac mouth wonderfully fortified and guarded by a multitude of soldiers, completely rejected the idea of forcing their way through this, and decided to make their entrance through another mouth.
διὸ πλεύσαντες πελάγιοι πρὸς τὸ μὴ καθορᾶσθαι τὰς ναῦς ὑπὸ τῶν πολεμίων, κατέπλευσαν πρὸς τὸ στόμα τὸ καλούμενον Μενδήσιον, ἔχον ἠιόνα παρήκουσαν ἐφʼ ἱκανὸν τόπον.
Therefore, sailing in the open sea so that their ships might not be seen by the enemy, they sailed down to the mouth called Mendesian, which had a beach extending for a sufficient distance.
εἰς ταύτην ἀποβάντες μετὰ στρατιωτῶν τρισχιλίων ὅ τε Φαρνάβαζος καὶ ὁ Ἰφικράτης προῆγον ἐπὶ τὸ τετειχισμένον ἐπὶ τοῦ στόματος πολισμάτιον. §15.42.5ἐκβοηθησάντων δὲ τῶν Αἰγυπτίων ἱππεῦσί τε καὶ πεζοῖς τρισχιλίοις, γενομένης τε μάχης ἰσχυρᾶς καὶ τοῖς Πέρσαις πολλῶν ἐκ τῶν νεῶν προσγεγενημένων, κυκλωθέντες οἱ Αἰγύπτιοι, πολλοὶ μὲν ἀπέθανον, οὐκ ὀλίγοι δʼ ἐζωγρήθησαν· οἱ δὲ περιλειφθέντες εἰς τὴν πόλιν συνεδιώχθησαν.
Disembarking on this with three thousand soldiers, both Pharnabazus and Iphicrates advanced against the small walled town built at the mouth. When the Egyptians came out to help with three thousand cavalry and infantry, and a fierce battle took place, and many reinforcements joined the Persians from the ships, the Egyptians, being surrounded, died in large numbers, and not a few were taken alive; the survivors were chased together into the city.
οἱ δὲ περὶ τὸν Ἰφικράτην συνεισπεσόντες τοῖς φρουροῦσιν ἐντὸς τῶν τειχῶν, καὶ κρατήσαντες τοῦ φρουρίου, τοῦτο μὲν κατέσκαψαν, τοὺς δʼ ἐνοικοῦντας ἐξηνδραποδίσαντο.
Those under Iphicrates rushed inside the walls along with the defenders, and having mastered the stronghold, they razed it to the ground and enslaved its inhabitants.