§15.71.1ἐπʼ ἄρχοντος δʼ Ἀθήνησι Ναυσιγένους ἐν Ῥώμῃ χιλίαρχοι κατεστάθησαν ἀντὶ τῶν ὑπάτων τέτταρες, Λεύκιος Παπίριος, Λεύκιος Μενήνιος, Σερούιος Κορνήλιος, Σερούιος Σολπίκιος, παρὰ δὲ Ἠλείοις Ὀλυμπιὰς ἤχθη τρίτη πρὸς ταῖς ἑκατόν, καθʼ ἣν ἐνίκα στάδιον Πυθόστρατος Ἀθηναῖος.
When Nausigenes was archon in Athens, and in Rome four military tribunes with consular power were appointed instead of the consuls, namely Lucius Papirius, Lucius Menenius, Servius Cornelius, and Servius Sulpicius, and among the Eleians the one hundred and third Olympiad was celebrated, in which Pythostratus the Athenian won the stadium race.
ἐπὶ δὲ τούτων Πτολεμαῖος ὁ Ἀλωρίτης ὁ Ἀμύντου υἱὸς ἐδολοφόνησεν Ἀλέξανδρον τὸν ἀδελφόν, καὶ ἐβασίλευσε τῆς Μακεδονίας ἔτη τρία.
During their term of office, Ptolemy of Alorus, the son of Amyntas, assassinated his brother Alexander, and ruled over Macedonia for three years.
§15.71.2κατὰ δὲ τὴν Βοιωτίαν Πελοπίδας ἐφάμιλλος ὢν τῷ Ἐπαμεινώνδᾳ τῇ κατὰ πόλεμον δόξῃ, καὶ θεωρῶν ἐκεῖνον τὰ περὶ τὴν Πελοπόννησον συμφερόντως κατεσκευακότα τοῖς Βοιωτοῖς, ἔσπευδε τὰ ἐκτὸς Πελοποννήσου διʼ αὑτοῦ προσάγεσθαι τοῖς Θηβαίοις.
In Boeotia, Pelopidas, who rivaled Epaminondas in military glory, and saw that the latter had arranged the affairs of the Peloponnese to the advantage of the Boeotians, was eager to bring the regions outside the Peloponnese into alliance with the Thebans by his own efforts.
παραλαβὼν δὲ Ἰσμηνίαν, ἄνδρα φίλον μὲν ἑαυτοῦ, θαυμαζόμενον δʼ ἐπʼ ἀρετῇ, παρῆλθεν εἰς Θετταλίαν.
Having taken with him Ismenias, his friend who was admired for his virtue, he went into Thessaly.
καταντήσας δὲ πρὸς Ἀλέξανδρον τὸν Φερῶν τύραννον, ἀλόγως συνελήφθη μετὰ Ἰσμηνίου καὶ εἰς φυλακὴν παρεδόθη.
But when he arrived at the court of Alexander, the tyrant of Pherae, he was pointlessly arrested along with Ismenias and thrown into prison.
§15.71.3Θηβαίων δʼ ἐπὶ τοῖς πραχθεῖσι παροξυνθέντων, καὶ ταχέως εἰς τὴν Θετταλίαν ἐκπεμψάντων ὁπλίτας μὲν ὀκτακισχιλίους, ἱππεῖς δʼ ἑξακοσίους, φοβηθεὶς Ἀλέξανδρος ἐξέπεμψε πρεσβευτὰς εἰς τὰς Ἀθήνας περὶ συμμαχίας.
Since the Thebans were provoked by these actions and quickly dispatched eight thousand hoplites and six hundred cavalry to Thessaly, Alexander, becoming frightened, sent ambassadors to Athens to seek an alliance.
ᾧ παραχρῆμα ὁ δῆμος ἐξέπεμψε ναῦς μὲν τριάκοντα, στρατιώτας δὲ χιλίους, ὧν ἦν στρατηγὸς Αὐτοκλῆς.
The Athenian assembly immediately dispatched thirty ships and a thousand soldiers to him, under the command of Autocles.
§15.71.4ἐν ὅσῳ δʼ οὗτος περιέπλει τὴν Εὔβοιαν, Θηβαῖοι κατήντησαν εἰς Θετταλίαν.
While the latter was circumnavigating Euboea, the Thebans arrived in Thessaly.
τοῦ δʼ Ἀλεξάνδρου πεζὴν δύναμιν ἠθροικότος καὶ ἱππεῖς πολλαπλασίους ἔχοντος τῶν Βοιωτῶν, τὸ μὲν πρῶτον οἱ Βοιωτοὶ διὰ μάχης ἔκρινον λῦσαι τὸν πόλεμον, συνεργοὺς ἔχοντες τοὺς Θετταλούς·
Since Alexander had gathered a land force and possessed many times more cavalry than the Boeotians, the Boeotians at first decided to settle the war by battle, having the Thessalians as allies.
ὡς δʼ οὗτοι μὲν αὐτοὺς ἐγκατέλιπον, Ἀθηναῖοι δὲ καί τινες ἄλλοι σύμμαχοι παρεγένοντο τῷ Ἀλεξάνδρῳ, τὰ δὲ σῖτα καὶ ποτὰ καὶ τἄλλα πάντα ἐπέλειπε τοῖς Βοιωτοῖς, ἔγνωσαν οἱ βοιωτάρχαι τὴν εἰς οἶκον ἐπάνοδον ποιεῖσθαι.
But when the latter abandoned them, and the Athenians and certain other allies joined Alexander, and food, drink, and everything else began to fail the Boeotians, the boeotarchs decided to make their return home.
§15.71.5ἀναζευξάντων δʼ αὐτῶν, καὶ τῆς πορείας οὔσης διὰ χώρας πεδιάδος, Ἀλέξανδρος ἐπηκολούθει πολλοῖς ἱππεῦσι καὶ τοῖς ἐπὶ τῆς οὐραγίας ἐπέθετο.
When they decamped, and since their march was through flat country, Alexander pursued them with many cavalry and attacked their rearguard.
τῶν δὲ Βοιωτῶν οἱ μὲν κατακοντιζόμενοι συνεχῶς ἀπέθνησκον, οἱ δὲ τραύμασι περιέπιπτον, τέλος δʼ οὔτε μένειν οὔτε προάγειν ἐώμενοι εἰς πολλὴν ἀμηχανίαν ἐνέπιπτον, ἅτε δὴ καὶ τῶν ἐπιτηδείων σπανιζόντων.
Of the Boeotians, some were continuously struck by javelins and died, while others were wounded, and finally, being permitted neither to halt nor to advance, they fell into great distress, especially as provisions also were failing them.
§15.71.6ἤδη δʼ αὐτῶν τὴν σωτηρίαν ἀπογινωσκόντων, Ἐπαμεινώνδας ἰδιωτεύων κατʼ ἐκεῖνον τὸν χρόνον ὑπὸ τῶν στρατιωτῶν κατεστάθη στρατηγός.
When they were already despairing of their safety, Epaminondas, who was at that time a private citizen, was appointed general by the soldiers.
εὐθὺς δὲ διαλέξας τούς τε ψιλοὺς καὶ τοὺς ἱππεῖς, τούτους μὲν αὐτὸς ἀνέλαβε, καὶ ταχθεὶς ἐπὶ τῆς οὐραγίας διὰ τούτων ἀνέστελλε τοὺς ἐπακολουθοῦντας πολεμίους καὶ πολλὴν ἀσφάλειαν παρείχετο τοῖς προηγουμένοις ὁπλίταις, ποιούμενος δὲ μάχας ἐξ ὑποστροφῆς καὶ τάξει φιλοτέχνῳ χρώμενος διέσωσε τὸ στρατόπεδον.
Immediately selecting the light-armed troops and the cavalry, he took command of them himself, and being stationed in the rearguard, by means of them he held off the pursuing enemy and provided great safety to the hoplites marching ahead. Making stands to fight on his retreat and using a skillfully arranged formation, he brought the army through safely.
§15.71.7αἰεὶ δὲ μᾶλλον διὰ τῶν κατορθωμάτων αὔξων τὴν ἰδίαν εὐδοξίαν μεγάλης ἀποδοχῆς ἐτύγχανε παρά τε τοῖς πολίταις καὶ τοῖς συμμάχοις.
Constantly increasing his own glory through these successes, he met with great approval from both his fellow citizens and the allies.
οἱ δὲ Θηβαῖοι τοὺς τότε βοιωταρχήσαντας καταδικάσαντες, πολλοῖς χρήμασιν ἐζημίωσαν.
The Thebans, however, condemned those who had been boeotarchs at that time, and punished them with heavy fines.