§17.117.1τούτων δὲ παρακελευομένων θυσίας ἐπιτελεῖν τοῖς θεοῖς μεγαλοπρεπεῖς μετὰ πάσης σπουδῆς παρεκλήθη πρός τινα τῶν φίλων Μήδιον τὸν Θετταλὸν ἐπὶ κῶμον ἐλθεῖν·
While these men were advising him to offer magnificent sacrifices to the gods with all zeal, the king was invited by one of his friends, Medius the Thessalian, to come to a banquet.
κἀκεῖ πολὺν ἄκρατον ἐμφορηθεὶς ἐπὶ τελευτῆς Ἡρακλέους μέγα ποτήριον πληρώσας ἐξέπιεν.
And there, having filled himself with much unmixed wine, at the end he filled and drank a great cup of Heracles.
§17.117.2ἄφνω δὲ ὥσπερ ὑπό τινος πληγῆς ἰσχυρᾶς πεπληγμένος ἀνεστέναξε μέγα βοήσας καὶ ὑπὸ τῶν φίλων ἀπηλλάττετο χειραγωγούμενος.
Suddenly, as if struck by a heavy blow, he uttered a loud cry and groaned, and was led away by his friends, who held him by the hand.
εὐθὺς δʼ οἱ μὲν περὶ τὴν θεραπείαν ἐκδεξάμενοι κατέκλιναν αὐτὸν καὶ προσήδρευον ἐπιμελῶς,
Immediately those in charge of his care received him and laid him in bed, and attended to him diligently.
§17.117.3τοῦ δὲ πάθους ἐπιτείνοντος καὶ τῶν ἰατρῶν συγκληθέντων βοηθῆσαι μὲν οὐδεὶς ἐδυνήθη, πολλοῖς δὲ πόνοις καὶ δειναῖς ἀλγηδόσι συσχεθείς, ἐπειδὴ τὸ ζῆν ἀπέγνω, περιελόμενος τὸν δακτύλιον ἔδωκε Περδίκκᾳ.
But as the illness grew worse and the physicians were assembled, no one was able to help him. Having been seized by many pains and severe agonies, when he despaired of living, he took off his ring and gave it to Perdiccas.
§17.117.4τῶν δὲ φίλων ἐπερωτώντων, τίνι τὴν βασιλείαν ἀπολείπεις; εἶπεν, τῷ κρατίστῳ, καὶ προσεφθέγξατο, ταύτην τελευταίαν φωνὴν προέμενος, ὅτι μέγαν ἀγῶνα αὐτῷ ἐπιτάφιον συστήσονται πάντες οἱ πρωτεύοντες τῶν φίλων.
When his friends asked, "To whom do you leave the kingdom?" he said, "To the strongest." And he added, uttering this as his last words, that all the foremost of his friends would stage a great funeral contest for him.
§17.117.5οὗτος μὲν οὖν τὸν προειρημένον τρόπον ἐτελεύτησε βασιλεύσας ἔτη δώδεκα καὶ μῆνας ἑπτά, πράξεις δὲ μεγίστας κατεργασάμενος οὐ μόνον τῶν πρὸ αὐτοῦ βασιλευσάντων, ἀλλὰ καὶ τῶν ὕστερον ἐσομένων μέχρι τοῦ καθʼ ἡμᾶς βίου.
Thus he died in the manner described above, having reigned for twelve years and seven months, and having accomplished the greatest deeds, not only of those who had ruled before him, but also of those who would come after him down to our own lifetime.
ἐπεὶ δέ τινες τῶν συγγραφέων περὶ τῆς τελευτῆς τοῦ βασιλέως τούτου διαπεφωνήκασιν, ἀποφαινόμενοι διὰ φαρμάκου θανασίμου γεγονέναι τὸν θάνατον, ἀναγκαῖον ἡγούμεθα δεῖν μὴ παραλιπεῖν αὐτῶν τοὺς λόγους.
But since some of the historians have disagreed concerning the death of this king, asserting that his death came about by a lethal drug, we consider it necessary not to pass over their accounts.