§15.58.1ἡ δʼ οὖν στάσις ἐγένετο διὰ τοιαύτας αἰτίας.
Now the civil strife arose from the following causes.
τῆς πόλεως τῶν Ἀργείων δημοκρατουμένης καί τινων δημαγωγῶν παροξυνόντων τὸ πλῆθος κατὰ τῶν ταῖς ἐξουσίαις καὶ δόξαις ὑπερεχόντων, οἱ διαβαλλόμενοι συστάντες ἔγνωσαν καταλῦσαι τὸν δῆμον.
Since the city of the Argives was under a democracy, and certain demagogues were inciting the multitude against those who excelled in power and reputation, those who were being slandered banded together and resolved to overthrow the democracy.
§15.58.2βασανισθέντων δέ τινων ἐκ τῶν συνεργεῖν δοκούντων, οἱ μὲν ἄλλοι φοβηθέντες τὴν ἐκ τῶν βασάνων τιμωρίαν ἑαυτοὺς ἐκ τοῦ ζῆν μετέστησαν, ἑνὸς δʼ ἐν ταῖς βασάνοις ὁμολογήσαντος καὶ πίστιν λαβόντος, ὁ μὲν μηνυτὴς τριάκοντα τῶν ἐπιφανεστάτων κατηγόρησεν, ὁ δὲ δῆμος οὐκ ἐλέγξας ἀκριβῶς ἅπαντας τοὺς διαβληθέντας ἀπέκτεινε καὶ τὰς οὐσίας αὐτῶν ἐδήμευσεν.
When some of those who were suspected of being accomplices were put to the torture, the others, fearing the punishment resulting from torture, took their own lives, while one man confessed under torture and received a pledge of safety. This informer accused thirty of the most prominent citizens, and the commons, without examining all the accused strictly, put them to death and confiscated their estates.
§15.58.3πολλῶν δὲ καὶ ἄλλων ἐν ὑποψίαις ὄντων, καὶ τῶν δημαγωγῶν ψευδέσι διαβολαῖς συνηγορούντων, ἐπὶ τοσοῦτον ἐξηγριώθη τὸ πλῆθος, ὥστε πάντων τῶν κατηγορουμένων, ὄντων πολλῶν καὶ μεγαλοπλούτων, καταγνῶναι θάνατον.
As many others also fell under suspicion, and the demagogues supported the false slanders, the multitude was driven to such a pitch of fury that they condemned to death all the accused, who were numerous and extremely wealthy.
ἀναιρεθέντων δὲ τῶν δυνατῶν ἀνδρῶν πλειόνων ἢ χιλίων καὶ διακοσίων, καὶ τῶν δημαγωγῶν αὐτῶν ὁ δῆμος οὐκ ἐφείσατο.
When more than twelve hundred of the influential men had been put to death, the commons did not spare even the demagogues themselves.
§15.58.4διὰ γὰρ τὸ μέγεθος τῆς συμφορᾶς οἱ μὲν δημαγωγοὶ φοβηθέντες μή τι παράλογον αὐτοῖς ἀπαντήσῃ, τῆς κατηγορίας ἀπέστησαν, οἱ δʼ ὄχλοι δόξαντες ὑπʼ αὐτῶν ἐγκαταλελεῖφθαι, καὶ διὰ τοῦτο παροξυνθέντες, ἅπαντας τοὺς δημαγωγοὺς ἀπέκτειναν.
For because of the magnitude of the disaster, the demagogues, fearing lest some unexpected thing should happen to them, desisted from their accusations; but the mobs, thinking that they had been abandoned by them, and incited by this, killed all the demagogues.
οὗτοι μὲν οὖν, ὡσπερεί τινος νεμεσήσαντος δαιμονίου, τῆς ἁρμοζούσης τιμωρίας ἔτυχον, ὁ δὲ δῆμος παυσάμενος τῆς λύττης εἰς τὴν προϋπάρχουσαν ἔννοιαν ἀποκατέστη.
These men, therefore, as though some divinity had wreaked vengeance, met with the fitting punishment, while the commons, having ceased from their madness, returned to their prior state of sanity.