§15.44.1οὐκ ἀνοίκειον δʼ ἐστὶ τὰ περὶ τῆς Ἰφικράτους ἀρετῆς ἱστορούμενα παραθεῖναι.
It is not irrelevant to set down the stories recorded concerning the excellence of Iphicrates.
οὗτος γὰρ παραδέδοται στρατηγικήν τε ἀγχίνοιαν ἐσχηκέναι καὶ πρὸς πᾶσαν ἐπίνοιαν ἀγαθὴν φύσει κεχρῆσθαι διαφόρῳ.
For he is reported to have possessed strategic sagacity and to have employed a naturally outstanding capacity for every good invention.
προσλαβόμενον οὖν αὐτὸν τὴν ἐν τῷ Περσικῷ πολέμῳ πολυχρόνιον ἐμπειρίαν τῶν στρατιωτικῶν ἔργων, ἐπινοήσασθαι πολλὰ τῶν εἰς τὸν πόλεμον χρησίμων, καὶ μάλιστα περὶ τὸν καθοπλισμὸν φιλοτιμηθῆναι. §15.44.2τῶν γὰρ Ἑλλήνων μεγάλαις ἀσπίσι χρωμένων καὶ διὰ τοῦτο δυσκινήτων ὄντων, συνεῖλε τὰς ἀσπίδας καὶ κατεσκεύασε πέλτας συμμέτρους, ἀμφοτέρων εὖ στοχασάμενος, τοῦ τε σκέπειν ἱκανῶς τὰ σώματα καὶ τοῦ δύνασθαι τοὺς χρωμένους ταῖς πέλταις διὰ τὴν κουφότητα παντελῶς εὐκινήτους ὑπάρχειν. §15.44.3διὰ δὲ τῆς πείρας τῆς εὐχρηστίας ἀποδοχῆς τυγχανούσης, οἱ πρότερον ἀπὸ τῶν ἀσπίδων ὁπλῖται καλούμενοι τότε ἀπὸ τῆς πέλτης πελτασταὶ μετωνομάσθησαν.
Therefore, since he had acquired long-term experience of military operations in the Persian War, he invented many things useful for war, and showed especially great ambition regarding their equipment. For while the Greeks were using large shields and were for this reason slow to move, he reduced the shields and manufactured moderate-sized light shields, aiming well at both objects: to cover the bodies sufficiently and to enable those who used the light shields to be completely agile on account of their lightness. Since the utility of this met with approval through actual experience, those who were previously called hoplites from their shields were then renamed peltasts from the light shield.
ἐπὶ δὲ τοῦ δόρατος καὶ τοῦ ξίφους εἰς τοὐναντίον τὴν μετάθεσιν ἐποιήσατο· ηὔξησε γὰρ τὰ μὲν δόρατα ἡμιολίῳ μεγέθει, τὰ δὲ ξίφη σχεδὸν διπλάσια κατεσκεύασεν.
In the case of the spear and the sword, however, he made the opposite change; for he increased the spears by half as much again in length, and made the swords almost twice as long.
τὴν δὲ δοκιμασίαν ἡ χρεία διαβεβαιοῦσα τὴν ἐπίνοιαν τοῦ στρατηγοῦ τῷ τῆς πείρας ἐπιτεύγματι δόξης ἠξίωσεν. §15.44.4τάς τε ὑποδέσεις τοῖς στρατιώταις εὐλύτους καὶ κούφας ἐποίησε, τὰς μέχρι τοῦ νῦν ἰφικρατίδας ἀπʼ ἐκείνου καλουμένας.
And since actual use confirmed the trial of them, it deemed the general's invention worthy of glory through the success of the experience. He also made the footwear for the soldiers easy to unfasten and light, which are called Iphicratids after him to this day.
πολλὰ δὲ καὶ ἄλλα τῶν χρησίμων εἰς τὰς στρατείας κατέδειξε, περὶ ὧν μακρὸν ἂν εἴη γράφειν.
He introduced many other useful things for military campaigns, about which it would be long to write.
ἡ μὲν οὖν ἐπʼ Αἴγυπτον στρατεία τῶν Περσῶν, μεγάλης τυχοῦσα παρασκευῆς, παρʼ ἐλπίδας ἄπρακτον ἔσχε τὸ τέλος.
Thus the Persian expedition against Egypt, although it had met with great preparation, had a fruitless end, contrary to expectations.