§16.23.1ἐπʼ ἄρχοντος δʼ Ἀθήνησι Καλλιστράτου Ῥωμαῖοι κατέστησαν ὑπάτους Μάρκον Φάβιον καὶ Γάιον Πλώτιον.
When Callistratus was archon in Athens, the Romans elected Marcus Fabius and Gaius Plotius as consuls.
ἐπὶ δὲ τούτων ὁ κληθεὶς ἱερὸς πόλεμος συνέστη καὶ διέμεινεν ἔτη ἐννέα.
During their term of office, the war called the Sacred War broke out and lasted for nine years.
Φιλόμηλος γὰρ ὁ Φωκεύς, ἀνὴρ θράσει καὶ παρανομίᾳ διαφέρων, κατελάβετο μὲν τὸ ἐν Δελφοῖς ἱερόν, ἐξέκαυσε δὲ τὸν ἱερὸν πόλεμον διὰ τοιαύτας τινὰς αἰτίας.
For Philomelus the Phocian, a man outstanding in daring and lawlessness, seized the temple in Delphi and kindled the Sacred War for reasons such as the following.
§16.23.2Λακεδαιμονίων πρὸς Βοιωτοὺς διαπολεμησάντων τὸν Λευκτρικὸν πόλεμον καὶ καταπολεμηθέντων οἱ μὲν Θηβαῖοι διὰ τὴν κατάληψιν τῆς Καδμείας δίκας μεγάλας ἐπαγαγόντες τοῖς Λακεδαιμονίοις ἐν Ἀμφικτύοσι κατεδίκασαν αὐτοὺς πολλοῖς χρήμασιν,
When the Lacedaemonians had fought the Leuctrian War against the Boeotians and had been defeated, the Thebans, bringing heavy charges against the Lacedaemonians in the Amphictyonic Council because of their seizure of the Cadmeia, had them condemned to a large fine.
§16.23.3οἱ δὲ Φωκεῖς ἐπεργασάμενοι πολλὴν τῆς ἱερᾶς χώρας τῆς ὀνομαζομένης Κιρραίας δίκας ὑπέσχον ἐν Ἀμφικτύοσι καὶ πολλοῖς ταλάντοις κατεκρίθησαν.
And the Phocians, having cultivated a large part of the sacred territory called Cirrhaean, were brought to trial in the Amphictyonic Council and condemned to many talents.
οὐκ ἐκτινόντων δʼ αὐτῶν τὰ ὀφλήματα οἱ μὲν ἱερομνήμονες ἐν Ἀμφικτύοσι κατηγόρουν τῶν Φωκέων καὶ τὸ συνέδριον ἠξίουν, ἐὰν μὴ τὰ χρήματα τῷ θεῷ ἀποδῶσιν οἱ Φωκεῖς, καθιερῶσαι τὴν χώραν τῶν ἀποστερούντων τὸν θεόν·
Since they did not pay the fines, the hieromnemons in the Amphictyonic Council accused the Phocians and demanded that the council, if the Phocians did not return the money to the god, should consecrate the territory of those who were defrauding the god.
ὁμοίως δʼ ἔφασαν δεῖν καὶ τοὺς ἄλλους τοὺς καταδικασθέντας ἐκτίνειν τὰ ὀφλήματα, ἐν οἷς ὑπῆρχον καὶ Λακεδαιμόνιοι· ἐὰν δὲ μὴ ὑπακούωσι, κοινῇ ὑπὸ τῶν Ἑλλήνων μισοπονηρίας ἀξιοῦσθαι.
Likewise, they said that the others who had been condemned, among whom were also the Lacedaemonians, must pay their fines; and if they did not obey, they should be deemed by the Greeks in common as objects of public hatred.
§16.23.4τῶν δʼ Ἑλλήνων συνεπικυρούντων τὰ δόγματα τῶν Ἀμφικτυόνων καὶ τῆς τῶν Φωκέων χώρας μελλούσης καθιεροῦσθαι ὁ Φιλόμηλος, μέγιστον ἔχων ἐν τοῖς Φωκεῦσιν ἀξίωμα, διελέχθη τοῖς ὁμοεθνέσι, διδάσκων ὡς ἐκτῖσαι μὲν οὐ δύνανται τὰ χρήματα διὰ τὸ μέγεθος τῆς καταδίκης, περιορᾶν δὲ καθιερουμένην τὴν χώραν οὐ μόνον ἄνανδρον ὑπάρχειν, ἀλλὰ καὶ κίνδυνον ἐπιφέρειν τῇ τῶν ἁπάντων τοῦ βίου ἀνατροπῇ.
When the Greeks were ratifying the decrees of the Amphictyons and the land of the Phocians was about to be consecrated, Philomelus, who held the highest reputation among the Phocians, addressed his compatriots, showing that they were unable to pay the money because of the magnitude of the fine, and that to allow their land to be consecrated was not only unmanly but also brought danger of the overthrow of their entire livelihood.
§16.23.5ἐπειρᾶτο δὲ καὶ τὰς κρίσεις τῶν Ἀμφικτυόνων ἀδίκους δεικνύναι κατὰ τὸ δυνατόν· μικρᾶς γὰρ παντελῶς χώρας κατεργασθείσης μεγίστας ζημίας τεθεῖσθαι.
He also tried to show as far as possible that the decisions of the Amphictyons were unjust, on the ground that a very small territory had been cultivated but the greatest penalties had been imposed.
συνεβούλευεν οὖν ταύτας ἀκύρους ποιῆσαι καὶ μεγάλας ἀφορμὰς ἔχειν ἀπεφαίνετο τοὺς Φωκεῖς κατὰ τῶν Ἀμφικτυόνων· τὸ γὰρ παλαιὸν τοῦ μαντείου τὴν ἐξουσίαν καὶ προστασίαν ἐσχηκέναι τούτους.
He therefore advised them to make these decisions void, and declared that the Phocians had strong grounds for action against the Amphictyons, since in ancient times they had possessed the authority and administration of the oracle.
καὶ μάρτυρα τὸν ἀρχαιότατον καὶ μέγιστον τῶν ποιητῶν Ὅμηρον παρείχετο λέγοντα
"
αὐτὰρ Φωκείων Σχεδίος καὶ Ἐπίστροφος ἦρχον,
οἳ Κυπάρισσον ἔχον Πυθῶνά τε πετρήεσσαν. "
And he produced as witness the oldest and greatest of the poets, Homer, who says: "But Schedius and Epistrophus led the Phocians, who held Cyparissus and rocky Pytho.
§16.23.6διόπερ ἔφη δεῖν ἀμφισβητεῖν περὶ τῆς τοῦ μαντείου προστασίας ὡς οὔσης πατρίου τοῖς Φωκεῦσιν.
"Therefore, he said that they ought to dispute the administration of the oracle, as being ancestral to the Phocians.
ἐπηγγέλλετο δὲ κατορθώσειν τὴν ἐπιβολήν, ἐὰν αὐτὸν αὐτοκράτορα καταστήσωσι στρατηγὸν τῆς ὅλης ἐπιβολῆς καὶ κύριον.
And he promised that he would succeed in the enterprise if they would appoint him general with absolute power over the entire undertaking and in control of it.