§15.66.1Ἐπαμεινώνδας δὲ φύσει μεγαλεπίβολος ὢν καὶ δόξης ὀρεγόμενος αἰωνίου, συνεβούλευε τοῖς τε Ἀρκάσι καὶ τοῖς ἄλλοις συμμάχοις οἰκίσαι τὴν Μεσσήνην, πολλὰ μὲν ἔτη γεγενημένην ἀνάστατον ὑπὸ Λακεδαιμονίων, τόπον δʼ εὔθετον ἔχουσαν κατὰ τῆς Σπάρτης.
Epaminondas, being by nature high-principled and desiring eternal glory, advised both the Arcadians and the other allies to found Messene, which had been for many years laid waste by the Lacedaemonians, and possessed a favorable situation against Sparta.
συγκατατιθεμένων δὲ πάντων ἀνεζήτησε τοὺς ἀπολελειμμένους τῶν Μεσσηνίων, καὶ τῶν ἄλλων τοὺς βουλομένους καταλέξας εἰς τὴν πολιτείαν ἀνέκτισε τὴν Μεσσήνην, πολλοὺς ποιήσας αὐτῆς οἰκήτορας.
And when all agreed, he sought out the surviving Messenians, and having enrolled into the citizenship those of the others who wished, he rebuilt Messene, making many people its inhabitants.
τούτοις δὲ κατακληρουχήσας τὴν χώραν καὶ ἀνοικοδομήσας ἀνέσωσε πόλιν ἐπίσημον Ἑλληνίδα, καὶ μεγάλης ἀποδοχῆς ἔτυχε παρὰ πᾶσιν ἀνθρώποις.
Having allotted the land to them and rebuilt it, he restored a distinguished Greek city, and met with great approval among all men.
§15.66.2οὐκ ἀνοίκειον δʼ εἶναι νομίζω, πολλάκις τῆς Μεσσήνης ἁλούσης καὶ κατασκαφείσης, τὰ περὶ αὐτὴν ἀπʼ ἀρχῆς ὡς ἐν κεφαλαίοις παραδραμεῖν.
I think it not inappropriate, since Messene has been captured and razed many times, to run through its history from the beginning in summary.
τὸ μὲν οὖν παλαιὸν οἱ ἀπὸ Νηλέως καὶ Νέστορος κατέσχον αὐτὴν μέχρι τῶν Τρωικῶν χρόνων, μετὰ δὲ ταῦθʼ ὁ Ἀγαμέμνονος Ὀρέστης καὶ οἱ ἀπὸ τούτου μέχρι τῆς καθόδου τῶν Ἡρακλειδῶν, ἀπὸ δὲ ταύτης Κρεσφόντης ἔλαχε τὴν Μεσσηνίαν μερίδα, καὶ οἱ ἀπὸ τούτου μέχρι τινὸς ἐβασίλευσαν αὐτῆς· ὕστερον δὲ τῶν ἀπὸ Κρεσφόντου τὴν βασιλείαν ἀποβαλόντων Λακεδαιμόνιοι κύριοι κατέστησαν αὐτῆς.
In ancient times, indeed, the descendants of Neleus and Nestor held it until the period of the Trojan War, and after this, Orestes, son of Agamemnon, and his descendants until the return of the Heracleidae; and from this time, Cresphontes obtained the Messenian portion, and his descendants ruled over it for a certain time; but later, when the descendants of Cresphontes lost the kingship, the Lacedaemonians became masters of it.
§15.66.3μετὰ δὲ ταῦτα Τηλέκλου τοῦ βασιλέως τῶν Λακεδαιμονίων ἀποθανόντος ἐν ἀγῶνι κατεπολεμήθησαν ὑπὸ Λακεδαιμονίων οἱ Μεσσήνιοι.
After this, Teleclus, the king of the Lacedaemonians, having died in a conflict, the Messenians were subdued in war by the Lacedaemonians.
τοῦτον δὲ τὸν πόλεμον εἰκοσαετῆ φασι γενέσθαι, κατομοσαμένων τῶν Λακεδαιμονίων μὴ ἀνακάμψειν εἰς τὴν Σπάρτην, ἐὰν μὴ Μεσσήνην ἕλωσιν.
This war, they say, lasted twenty years, the Lacedaemonians having sworn not to return to Sparta unless they should capture Messene.
τότε δὲ συνέβη τοὺς παρθενίας ὀνομασθέντας γεννηθῆναι καὶ κτίσαι τὴν τῶν Ταραντίνων πόλιν.
At that time it happened that those called Partheniae were born and founded the city of the Tarentines.
ὕστερον δὲ δουλευόντων Μεσσηνίων τοῖς Λακεδαιμονίοις, Ἀριστομένης ἔπεισε τοὺς Μεσσηνίους ἀποστῆναι τῶν Σπαρτιατῶν, καὶ πολλὰ κακὰ διειργάσατο τοὺς Σπαρτιάτας, ὅτε καὶ Τυρταῖος ὁ ποιητὴς ὑπὸ Ἀθηναίων ἡγεμὼν ἐδόθη τοῖς Σπαρτιάταις.
Later, when the Messenians were enslaved to the Lacedaemonians, Aristomenes persuaded the Messenians to revolt from the Spartans, and inflicted many evils upon the Spartans, at which time also Tyrtaeus the poet was given by the Athenians to the Spartans as a leader.
§15.66.4ἔνιοι δὲ τὸν Ἀριστομένη γεγονέναι φασὶ κατὰ τὸν εἰκοσαετῆ πόλεμον.
But some say that Aristomenes lived during the twenty years' war.
ὁ δʼ ὕστατος ἐγένετο πόλεμος αὐτοῖς σεισμοῦ μεγάλου γενομένου· καὶ τῆς μὲν Σπάρτης ὅλης σχεδὸν συγχυθείσης, ἀνδρῶν δʼ ἐρήμου γενομένης, οἱ Μεσσηνίων περιλειφθέντες ᾤκισαν τὴν Ἰθώμην μετὰ τῶν συναποστάντων Εἱλώτων, ἀναστάτου γεγενημένης τῆς Μεσσήνης πολλοὺς χρόνους.
And their final war occurred when a great earthquake took place; and when nearly the whole of Sparta was destroyed and left destitute of men, the surviving Messenians settled Ithome together with the Helots who revolted with them, Messene having been desolate for many years.
§15.66.5ἀτυχήσαντες δʼ ἐν πᾶσι τοῖς πολέμοις, τὸ τελευταῖον ἀνάστατοι γενόμενοι κατῴκησαν ἐν Ναυπάκτῳ, δόντων αὐτοῖς Ἀθηναίων οἰκητήριον τήνδε τὴν πόλιν.
Having been unfortunate in all their wars, they were finally driven from their homes and settled in Naupactus, the Athenians having given them this city as a dwelling-place.
καὶ τινὲς μὲν αὐτῶν εἰς Κεφαλληνίαν ἐξέπεσον, τινὲς δʼ ἐν Σικελίᾳ Μεσσήνην τὴν ἀπʼ ἐκείνων ὀνομασθεῖσαν κατῴκησαν.
And some of them fled to Cephallenia, while others settled in Sicily at Messene, which was named after them.
§15.66.6τὸ δὲ τελευταῖον κατὰ τοὺς ὑποκειμένους καιροὺς Θηβαῖοι, πείσαντος αὐτοὺς Ἐπαμεινώνδου καὶ πανταχόθεν συναγαγόντος τοὺς Μεσσηνίους, ᾤκισαν τὴν Μεσσήνην καὶ τὴν ἀρχαίαν αὐτοῖς χώραν ἀποκατέστησαν.
And finally, during the period under consideration, the Thebans, Epaminondas having persuaded them and having gathered the Messenians from all sides, founded Messene and restored their ancient land to them.
περὶ μὲν οὖν τὴν Μεσσήνην τοσαύτας καὶ τηλικαύτας συνέβη γενέσθαι μεταβολάς.
So many and such great changes, then, befell Messene.