§15.53.1ὁ δὲ Κλεόμβροτος πυθόμενος τοὺς πολεμίους προκατειληφέναι τὰς παρόδους, τὸ μὲν ταύτῃ ποιεῖσθαι τὴν διέξοδον ἀπέγνω, πορευθεὶς δὲ διὰ τῆς Φωκίδος, καὶ διεξελθὼν τὴν παραθαλαττίαν ὁδὸν χαλεπὴν οὖσαν, ἐνέβαλεν εἰς τὴν Βοιωτίαν ἀκινδύνως· ἐν παρόδῳ δέ τινα τῶν πολισματίων χειρωσάμενος δέκα τριήρων ἐγκρατὴς ἐγένετο.
But Cleombrotus, learning that the enemy had already preoccupied the passes, abandoned the plan of making his passage this way, and marching through Phocis and traversing the coastal road, which was difficult, he invaded Boeotia without danger; and on his way, having subdued some of the small towns, he got possession of ten triremes.
§15.53.2μετὰ δὲ ταῦτα καταντήσας εἰς τὰ καλούμενα Λεῦκτρα κατεστρατοπέδευσε καὶ τοὺς στρατιώτας ἐκ τῆς ὁδοιπορίας ἀνελάμβανεν.
After this, having arrived at the place called Leuctra, he encamped and let his soldiers recover from the march.
οἱ δὲ Βοιωτοὶ προάγοντες ἐπὶ τοὺς πολεμίους, ὡς ἤγγισαν αὐτοῖς καὶ λόφους τινὰς ὑπερβαλόντες ἄφνω κατενόησαν τοὺς Λακεδαιμονίους ἐπέχοντας ἅπαν τὸ Λευκτρικὸν πεδίον, κατεπλάγησαν ἰδόντες τὸ μέγεθος τῆς δυνάμεως.
But the Boeotians, marching forward against the enemy, when they drew near to them and, having crossed some hills, suddenly perceived the Lacedaemonians occupying the entire Leuctrian plain, were struck with fear upon seeing the size of the force.
§15.53.3συνεδρευσάντων δὲ τῶν βοιωταρχῶν καὶ βουλευομένων, πότερον χρὴ μένειν καὶ πρὸς πολλαπλασίονα δύναμιν διαγωνίζεσθαι ἢ τὴν ἀναχώρησιν ποιησάμενοι ἐν τόποις ὑπερδεξίοις συστήσονται τὴν μάχην, ἔτυχον αἱ γνῶμαι τῶν ἡγεμόνων ἴσαι γενόμεναι.
When the boeotarchs met in council and deliberated whether they should remain and fight against a force many times their own, or make a retreat and join battle in higher and more advantageous positions, the opinions of the leaders happened to be equally divided.
ἓξ γὰρ ὄντων βοιωταρχῶν τρεῖς μὲν ᾤοντο δεῖν ἀπάγειν τὴν δύναμιν, τρεῖς δὲ μένειν καὶ διαγωνίζεσθαι, ἐν οἷς ἦν καὶ ὁ Ἐπαμεινώνδας συνεξαριθμούμενος.
For of the six boeotarchs, three thought that they ought to lead the army back, and three that they should remain and fight, among whom Epaminondas was also counted.
ἀπορίας δʼ οὔσης μεγάλης καὶ δυσκρίτου τῶν βοιωταρχῶν ἕβδομος ἧκεν, ὃν πείσας Ἐπαμεινώνδας ὁμόψηφον ἑαυτῷ γενέσθαι προετέρησε τῇ γνώμῃ.
Since there was great and difficult perplexity among the boeotarchs, a seventh arrived, whom Epaminondas persuaded to vote with him, and thus carried the opinion.
ὁ μὲν οὖν ὑπὲρ τῶν ὅλων ἀγὼν τοῦτον τὸν τρόπον ἐκυρώθη.
In this manner, then, the decision for the battle for the whole issue was ratified.
§15.53.4ὁ δʼ Ἐπαμεινώνδας ὁρῶν τοὺς στρατιώτας δεισιδαιμονοῦντας ἐπὶ τοῖς γεγονόσι σημείοις, ἐφιλοτιμεῖτο διὰ τῆς ἰδίας ἐπινοίας καὶ στρατηγίας μεταθεῖναι τὰς τοῦ πλήθους εὐλαβείας.
But Epaminondas, seeing that the soldiers were superstitious because of the omens that had occurred, was eager to dispel the apprehensions of the multitude through his own ingenuity and generalship.
διόπερ τινῶν προσφάτως παραγεγονότων ἐκ Θηβῶν ἔπεισεν εἰπεῖν, ὅτι τὰ κατὰ τὸν νεὼν τοῦ Ἡρακλέους ὅπλα παραδόξως ἀφανῆ γέγονε καὶ λόγος ἐν ταῖς Θήβαις διαδέδοται ὡς τῶν ἡρώων τῶν ἀρχαίων ἀνειληφότων αὐτὰ καὶ βοηθεῖν τοῖς Βοιωτοῖς ἀπεληλυθότων.
Therefore, persuading some who had recently arrived from Thebes, he had them say that the arms in the temple of Heracles had mysteriously disappeared, and that a rumor was spread in Thebes that the ancient heroes had taken them up and gone out to help the Boeotians.
ἄλλον δὲ κατέστησεν ὡς ἀπὸ Τροφωνίου προσφάτως ἀναβεβηκότα καὶ λέγοντα, διότι προστέταχεν ὁ θεὸς αὐτοῖς, ὅταν ἐν Λεύκτροις νικήσωσιν, ἀγῶνα τιθέναι Διὶ βασιλεῖ στεφανίτην· ἀφʼ οὗ δὴ Βοιωτοὶ ταύτην ποιοῦσι τὴν πανήγυριν ἐν Λεβαδείᾳ.
And he set up another man as if he had recently ascended from the oracle of Trophonius, saying that the god had commanded them, when they conquered at Leuctra, to establish a contest with crowns for Zeus the King; from which indeed the Boeotians still hold this festival in Lebadeia.