§15.65.1οἱ δὲ Λακεδαιμόνιοι, πεντακόσια ἔτη τὴν Λακωνικὴν τετηρηκότες ἀπόρθητον, τότε θεωροῦντες δῃουμένην ὑπὸ τῶν πολεμίων οὐκ ἐκαρτέρουν, ἀλλὰ τοῖς θυμοῖς προπίπτοντες ἐξεπήδων ἐκ τῆς πόλεως· κωλυόμενοι δʼ ὑπὸ τῶν πρεσβυτέρων προϊέναι μακρότερον ἀπὸ τῆς πατρίδος, μή τις ἐπίθηται, ἐπείσθησαν τὴν ἡσυχίαν ἄγειν καὶ τῇ πόλει παρέχεσθαι τὴν ἀσφάλειαν.
The Lacedaemonians, who had kept Laconia unravaged for five hundred years, seeing it then being plundered by the enemy, could not bear it, but, giving way to their anger, rushed out of the city; but being prevented by the elders from advancing too far from their homeland, lest someone attack the city, they were persuaded to keep quiet and provide security for the city.
§15.65.2τῶν δὲ περὶ τὸν Ἐπαμεινώνδαν διὰ τοῦ Ταϋγέτου καταβαινόντων ἐπὶ τὸν Εὐρώταν, καὶ διαβαινόντων τὸν ποταμὸν σφοδρὸν ὄντα τῷ ῥεύματι κατὰ τὴν χειμερινὴν ὥραν, ὁρῶντες οἱ Λακεδαιμόνιοι τεταραγμένην τὴν δύναμιν τῶν ἐναντίων διὰ τὴν χαλεπότητα τῆς διαβάσεως, καιρὸν ἔλαβον εὔθετον πρὸς τὴν ἐπίθεσιν, καὶ τὰς μὲν γυναῖκας καὶ παῖδας, ἔτι δὲ καὶ τοὺς γεγηρακότας, ἀπέλιπον ἐν τῇ πόλει φυλάττοντας τὴν Σπάρτην, αὐτοὶ δὲ πανδημεὶ συντάξαντες τοὺς νέους ἐξεχύθησαν ἐπὶ τοὺς πολεμίους, καὶ προσπεσόντες ἄφνω τοῖς διαβαίνουσι πολὺν ἐποιοῦντο φόνον.
When Epaminondas and his men were descending through Taygetus to the Eurotas, and crossing the river, which was swift in its current because of the winter season, the Lacedaemonians, seeing the force of their opponents thrown into confusion because of the difficulty of the crossing, found a favorable opportunity for attack; and they left the women, children, and also the aged in the city to guard Sparta, while they themselves, drawing up the young men in full force, poured out against the enemy, and falling suddenly upon those who were crossing, wrought great slaughter.
§15.65.3ἀμυνομένων δὲ τῶν Βοιωτῶν καὶ τῶν Ἀρκάδων, καὶ τῷ πλήθει κυκλούντων τοὺς ἐναντίους, οἱ Σπαρτιᾶται πολλοὺς ἀνῃρηκότες ἐπανῆλθον εἰς τὴν πόλιν, φανερῶς ἐνδεδειγμένοι τὰς ἰδίας ἀνδραγαθίας.
But when the Boeotians and Arcadians defended themselves and began to encircle their opponents with their numbers, the Spartans, having slain many, returned to the city, having clearly demonstrated their own valor.
§15.65.4μετὰ δὲ ταῦτα τῶν περὶ τὸν Ἐπαμεινώνδαν πάσῃ τῇ δυνάμει καταπληκτικῶς προσβαλλόντων τῇ πόλει, οἱ μὲν Σπαρτιᾶται συνεργὸν ἔχοντες τὴν τῶν τόπων ὀχυρότητα, πολλοὺς μὲν ἀπέκτειναν τῶν προπετῶς βιαζομένων, τέλος δʼ οἱ πολιορκοῦντες πᾶσαν εἰσενεγκάμενοι σπουδὴν τὸ μὲν πρῶτον ἀπείκαζον βίᾳ χειρώσασθαι τὴν Σπάρτην· ἐπεὶ δὲ τῶν βιαζομένων οἱ μὲν ἀπέθνησκον, οἱ δʼ ἐτραυματίζοντο, ἀνεκαλέσαντο τῇ σάλπιγγι τοὺς στρατιώτας οἱ περὶ τὸν Ἐπαμεινώνδαν, αὐτοὶ δὲ προσελθόντες τῇ πόλει προεκαλοῦντο τοὺς Σπαρτιάτας εἰς παράταξιν, ἢ ξυνομολογεῖσθαι προσέταττον ἥττους εἶναι τῶν πολεμίων.
After this, when Epaminondas and his men attacked the city formidably with their entire force, the Spartans, having the strength of the terrain as their ally, slew many of those who were impetuously forcing their way; and finally, the besiegers, applying all their efforts, at first expected to master Sparta by force, but when, of those who were forcing their way, some were killed and others wounded, Epaminondas and his men recalled the soldiers by trumpet, and they themselves, approaching the city, challenged the Spartans to a pitched battle, or ordered them to confess that they were inferior to their enemies.
§15.65.5ἀποκριναμένων δὲ τῶν Σπαρτιατῶν, ὅτι καιρὸν λαβόντες εὔθετον διαγωνιοῦνται περὶ τῶν ὅλων, ἀπηλλάγησαν ἀπὸ τῆς πόλεως. πᾶσαν δὲ τὴν Λακωνικὴν δῃώσαντες, καὶ λαφύρων ἀναρίθμητον πλῆθος ἀθροίσαντες, ἀπεχώρησαν εἰς τὴν Ἀρκαδίαν.
When the Spartans replied that they would fight a decisive battle for their all when they found a favorable opportunity, they departed from the city; and having plundered all Laconia, and having gathered a countless amount of booty, they withdrew to Arcadia.
§15.65.6μετὰ δὲ ταῦτʼ Ἀθηναῖοι μέν, ὑστερηκότες τῶν καιρῶν, ἐπανῆλθον εἰς τὴν Ἀττικὴν οὐδὲν πράξαντες μνήμης ἄξιον, τοῖς δὲ Λακεδαιμονίοις παρὰτῶν συμμάχων ἧκον βοηθήσοντες στρατιῶται τετρακισχίλιοι.
After this, the Athenians, having missed their opportunity, returned to Attica, having accomplished nothing worthy of mention, while for the Lacedaemonians there arrived four thousand soldiers from their allies to help them.
πρὸς δὲ τούτοις προσθέντες τοὺς Εἵλωτας ἠλευθερωμένους προσφάτως χιλίους καὶ τῶν Βοιωτῶν φυγάδων διακοσίους, ἔτι δʼ ἐκ τῶν σύνεγγυς πόλεων οὐκ ὀλίγους μεταπεμψάμενοι, κατεσκεύαζον δύναμιν ἀντίπαλον τοῖς πολεμίοις. ταύτην δʼ ἀθρόαν συνέχοντες καὶ γυμνάζοντες αἰεὶ μᾶλλον ἐθάρρουν καὶ παρεσκευάζοντο πρὸς τὸν ὑπὲρ τῶν ὅλων ἀγῶνα.
Adding to these one thousand Helots who had recently been freed and two hundred Boeotian exiles, and further, having summoned not a few from the neighboring cities, they organized a force equal to that of the enemy; and keeping this force together in one body and training it, they grew increasingly confident and prepared themselves for the struggle for their all.