§16.11.1τῆς δὲ πόλεως πάσης μετημφιεσμένης ἀντὶ τῆς δουλείας τὴν ἐλευθερίαν καὶ τὸ σκυθρωπὸν τῆς τυραννίδος εἰς πανηγυρικὴν ἱλαρότητα τῆς τύχης ἀγούσης πᾶσα οἰκία θυσιῶν καὶ χαρᾶς ἔγεμε, τῶν ἰδιωτῶν ἐπὶ ταῖς ἰδίαις ἑστίαις θυμιώντων καὶ περὶ μὲν τῶν παρόντων ἀγαθῶν εὐχαριστούντων τοῖς θεοῖς, περὶ δὲ τῶν μελλόντων εὐχὰς ἀγαθὰς ποιουμένων.
While the whole city had exchanged slavery for freedom, and fortune was guiding the gloom of the tyranny into festive joy, every house was full of sacrifices and gladness, with private citizens burning incense at their own hearths, giving thanks to the gods for their present blessings and making good prayers for the future.
ἐγένετο δὲ καὶ τῶν γυναικῶν ἐπὶ ταῖς ἀνελπίστοις εὐημερίαις ὀλολυγμὸς πολὺς καὶ καθʼ ἅπασαν τὴν πόλιν συνδρομαί.
There arose also a great shouting of the women at the unexpected good fortune, and gatherings throughout the whole city.
§16.11.2οὐδεὶς δʼ ἦν ἐλεύθερος, οὐ δοῦλος, οὐ ξένος, ὃς οὐκ ἔσπευδεν ἰδεῖν τὸν Δίωνα καὶ τὴν ἀρετὴν τοῦ ἀνδρὸς πάντες ἀπεδέχοντο μειζόνως ἢ κατʼ ἄνθρωπον.
And there was no one, whether free citizen, slave, or foreigner, who did not hasten to see Dion, and all praised the virtue of the man more than is humanly possible.
καὶ τοῦτʼ εὐλόγως ἔπασχον διὰ τὸ μέγεθος καὶ παράδοξον τῆς μεταβολῆς· πεντηκονταετοῦς γὰρ δουλείας πεπειραμένοι καὶ τῆς ἐλευθερίας διὰ τὸν χρόνον ἐπιλελησμένοι διʼ ἑνὸς ἀνδρὸς ἀρετὴν ἀπελύθησαν τῆς συμφορᾶς.
Indeed, they felt this reasonably because of the magnitude and unexpectedness of the change; for having experienced fifty years of slavery and having forgotten freedom due to the length of time, they had been released from their misfortune through the virtue of one man.
§16.11.3Διονύσιος δὲ κατὰ τούτους τοὺς καιροὺς αὐτὸς μὲν ἔτυχε διατρίβων περὶ Καυλωνίαν τῆς Ἰταλίας, Φίλιστον δὲ τὸν στρατηγὸν περὶ τὸν Ἀδρίαν ὄντα μετεπέμψατο μετὰ τῆς ναυτικῆς δυνάμεως καὶ προσέταξε πλεῖν εἰς τὰς Συρακούσσας.
At this time, Dionysius himself happened to be staying near Caulonia in Italy, but he sent for his general Philistus, who was near the Adriatic, with the naval force, and ordered him to sail to Syracuse.
ἀμφοτέρων δʼ εἰς τὸν αὐτὸν τόπον ἐλθεῖν σπευδόντων ὁ μὲν Διονύσιος ἧκεν εἰς τὰς Συρακούσσας ἡμέραις ὕστερον ἑπτὰ τῆς Δίωνος καθόδου.
As both of them hastened to reach the same place, Dionysius arrived at Syracuse seven days after the return of Dion.
§16.11.4εὐθὺς οὖν καταστρατηγῆσαι βουλόμενος τοὺς Συρακοσίους περὶ διαλύσεως ἐπρεσβεύετο καὶ πολλὰς ἐμφάσεις ἐδίδου παραδώσειν τὴν τυραννίδα τῷ δήμῳ καὶ τῆς δημοκρατίας ἀλλάξεσθαι τιμὰς ἀξιολόγους· ἠξίου τε πρέσβεις ἀποστεῖλαι πρὸς αὐτόν, μεθʼ ὧν συνεδρεύσας καταλύσηται τὸν πόλεμον.
Immediately, therefore, wishing to outgeneral the Syracusans, he sent envoys concerning a settlement and held out many prospects that he would surrender the tyranny to the people and receive significant honors in exchange for democracy; and he requested them to send envoys to him, in council with whom he might bring the war to an end.
§16.11.5οἱ μὲν οὖν Συρακόσιοι μετεωρισθέντες ταῖς ἐλπίσιν ἐξαπέστειλαν πρέσβεις τοὺς ἀξιολογωτάτους τῶν ἀνδρῶν· ὁ δὲ Διονύσιος τούτοις μὲν φυλακὴν περιστήσας ἀνεβάλετο τὴν ἔντευξιν, αὐτὸς δʼ ὁρῶν τοὺς Συρακοσίους διὰ τὴν ἐλπίδα τῆς εἰρήνης τά τε περὶ τὰς φυλακὰς ῥᾳθύμως ἔχοντας καὶ τὰ πρὸς μάχην ἀπαρασκεύους ἄφνω τὰς πύλας τῆς κατὰ τὴν Νῆσον ἀκροπόλεως ἀνοίξας ἐξεχύθη συντεταγμένῃ τῇ δυνάμει.
The Syracusans, then, elated by these hopes, sent as envoys the most distinguished of their men; but Dionysius, having placed a guard around them, postponed the meeting, and seeing that the Syracusans, because of their hope of peace, were negligent about their guards and unprepared for battle, he suddenly opened the gates of the citadel on the Island and poured out with his forces drawn up in battle array.