§16.76.1συνεβάλλετο δὲ τοῖς πολιορκουμένοις ἡ φύσις τῆς πόλεως πολλὰ πρὸς τὴν ὑπὲρ τῶν ὅλων νίκην.
For the besieged, the natural layout of the city contributed greatly toward ultimate victory.
ἡ γὰρ Πέρινθος κεῖται μὲν παρὰ θάλατταν ἐπί τινος αὐχένος ὑψηλοῦ χερρονήσου σταδιαῖον ἐχούσης τὸν αὐχένα, τὰς δʼ οἰκίας ἔχει πεπυκνωμένας καὶ τοῖς ὕψεσι διαφερούσας.
For Perinthus lies by the sea, upon a high isthmus of a peninsula which has an isthmus one stade in width, and moreover has its houses closely packed together and outstanding in their heights.
§16.76.2αὗται δὲ ταῖς οἰκοδομαῖς αἰεὶ κατὰ τὴν εἰς τὸν λόφον ἀνάβασιν ἀλλήλων ὑπερέχουσι καὶ τὸ σχῆμα τῆς ὅλης πόλεως θεατροειδὲς ἀποτελοῦσι.
And these, in their construction, always tower above one another along the ascent to the hill and complete the shape of the whole city like an amphitheater.
διόπερ τῶν τειχῶν συνεχῶς καταβαλλομένων οὐδὲν ἠλαττοῦντο· διοικοδομοῦντες γὰρ τοὺς στενωποὺς ταῖς αἰεὶ κατωτάταις οἰκίαις ὥσπερ ὀχυροῖς τισι τείχεσιν ἐχρῶντο.
Therefore, even though the walls were continuously being thrown down, they were in no way at a disadvantage; for by walling up the narrow alleys, they used the houses that were always lowest down as if they were some strong walls.
§16.76.3διόπερ ὁ Φίλιππος μετὰ πολλῶν πόνων καὶ κινδύνων τοῦ τείχους κρατήσας ἰσχυρότερον εὕρισκε τὸ τεῖχος τὸ διὰ τῶν οἰκιῶν αὐτομάτως ἡτοιμασμένον.
Therefore Philip, although he had become master of the wall after much labor and danger, found the wall which was automatically prepared by the houses to be stronger.
πρὸς δὲ τούτοις ἐκ τοῦ Βυζαντίου πάντων τῶν πρὸς τὸν πόλεμον χρησίμων ἑτοίμως χορηγουμένων ἐμέρισε τὰς δυνάμεις εἰς δύο μέρη καὶ τοὺς μὲν ἡμίσεις τῶν στρατιωτῶν ἀπέλιπεν ἐπὶ τῆς πολιορκίας, ἐπιστήσας αὐτοῖς τοὺς ἀρίστους ἡγεμόνας, τοὺς δʼ ἄλλους παραλαβὼν αὐτὸς προσέπεσεν ἄφνω τῷ Βυζαντίῳ καὶ πολιορκίαν ἰσχυρὰν συνεστήσατο.
Moreover, since all things useful for war were readily supplied from Byzantium, he divided his forces into two parts; half of the soldiers he left at the siege, placing the best commanders over them, while he himself, taking the others, suddenly fell upon Byzantium and established a powerful siege.
§16.76.4οἱ δὲ Βυζάντιοι τῶν τε στρατιωτῶν καὶ τῶν βελῶν καὶ τῶν ἄλλων τῶν χρησίμων παρὰ τοῖς Περινθίοις ὄντων εἰς πολλὴν ἐνέπιπτον ἀμηχανίαν.
But the Byzantines, since their soldiers, missiles, and other useful things were with the Perinthians, fell into great difficulty.
καὶ τὰ μὲν περὶ Περινθίους καὶ Βυζαντίους ἐν τούτοις ἦν.
And such was the state of affairs concerning the Perinthians and Byzantines.
§16.76.5τῶν δὲ συγγραφέων Ἔφορος μὲν ὁ Κυμαῖος τὴν ἱστορίαν ἐνθάδε κατέστροφεν εἰς τὴν Περίνθου πολιορκίαν· περιείληφε δὲ τῇ γραφῇ πράξεις τάς τε τῶν Ἑλλήνων καὶ βαρβάρων ἀρξάμενος ἀπὸ τῆς τῶν Ἡρακλειδῶν καθόδου· χρόνον δὲ περιέλαβε ἐτῶν σχεδὸν ἑπτακοσίων καὶ πεντήκοντα καὶ βύβλους γέγραφε τριάκοντα, προοίμιον ἑκάστῃ προθείς.
Of the historians, Ephorus of Cyme concluded his history here at the siege of Perinthus; he embraced in his writing the deeds of both the Greeks and the barbarians, beginning from the return of the Heracleidae; he covered a period of almost seven hundred and fifty years and wrote thirty books, placing a preface before each.
§16.76.6Δίυλλος δʼ ὁ Ἀθηναῖος τῆς δευτέρας συντάξεως ἀρχὴν πεποίηται τῆς Ἐφόρου ἱστορίας τὴν τελευτὴν καὶ τὰς ἑξῆς πράξεις συνείρει τάς τε τῶν Ἑλλήνων καὶ τῶν βαρβάρων μέχρι τῆς Φιλίππου τελευτῆς.
And Diyllus of Athens made the end of Ephorus's history the beginning of his second systematic work, and connects the subsequent deeds of both the Greeks and the barbarians down to the death of Philip.