§17.30.1προσεδόκησε μὲν γὰρ ὁ βασιλεὺς μεταθήσεσθαι αὐτὸν τὸν πάντα πόλεμον ἐκ τῆς Ἀσίας εἰς τὴν Εὐρώπην· ὡς δʼ ἤκουσε τὴν Μέμνονος τελευτήν, συνήγαγε τῶν φίλων συνέδριον καὶ προέθηκε βουλὴν πότερον δεῖ στρατηγοὺς καὶ στρατιὰν καταπέμπειν ἐπὶ θάλατταν ἢ τὸν βασιλέα μετὰ πάσης τῆς δυνάμεως καταβάντα διαγωνίζεσθαι τοῖς Μακεδόσιν.
For the king had expected that Memnon himself would transfer the entire war from Asia to Europe; but when he heard of Memnon's death, he assembled a council of his friends and put forward a proposal for deliberation: whether they should send generals and an army down to the sea, or whether the king himself, marching down with all his forces, should contend against the Macedonians.
§17.30.2ἔνιοι μὲν οὖν ἔφασαν δεῖν αὐτὸν τὸν βασιλέα παρατάττεσθαι καὶ τὸ πλῆθος τῶν Περσῶν ἀπεφαίνοντο προθυμότερον ἀγωνιεῖσθαι·
Now some of them declared that the king himself ought to draw up for battle, and expressed the opinion that the multitude of Persians would fight more zealously.
Χαρίδημος δʼ Ἀθηναῖος, ἀνὴρ θαυμαζόμενος ἐπʼ ἀνδρείᾳ καὶ δεινότητι στρατηγίας, συνεστράτευτο μὲν Φιλίππῳ τῷ βασιλεῖ καὶ πάντων τῶν ἐπιτευγμάτων ἀρχηγὸς καὶ σύμβουλος γεγονὼς ἦν, συνεβούλευεν δὲ τῷ Δαρείῳ μὴ προπετῶς ἀποκυβεῦσαι περὶ τῆς βασιλείας, ἀλλʼ αὐτὸν μὲν τὸ βάρος καὶ τὴν τῆς Ἀσίας ἀρχὴν συνέχειν, ἐπὶ δὲ τὸν πόλεμον ἀποστέλλειν στρατηγὸν πεῖραν δεδωκότα τῆς ἰδίας ἀρετῆς.
But Charidemus the Athenian, a man admired for his courage and skill in generalship, who had campaigned with King Philip and had been the leader and adviser of all his achievements, advised Darius not to risk his kingdom rashly on a throw of the dice, but that he himself should hold together the weight of the empire and the rule of Asia, while sending to the war a general who had given proof of his own excellence.
§17.30.3δύναμιν δʼ ἱκανὴν εἶναι δέκα μυριάδων, ἧς τὸ τρίτον Ἕλληνας ποιῆσαι μισθοφόρους, καὶ διʼ ἐμφάσεως αὐτὸς ἀνεδέχετο κατορθώσειν τὴν ἐπιβολὴν ταύτην.
He added that a force of one hundred thousand men was sufficient, of which one-third should be made Greek mercenaries, and by implication he himself undertook to bring this enterprise to a successful issue.
§17.30.4τὸ μὲν οὖν πρῶτον ὁ βασιλεὺς συγκατετίθετο τοῖς λεγομένοις, μετὰ δὲ ταῦτα τῶν φίλων γενναιότερον ἀντειπόντων καὶ τὸν Χαρίδημον εἰς ὑποψίαν ἀγόντων ὅτι τῆς στρατηγίας ὀρέγεται τυχεῖν, ὅπως τοῖς Μακεδόσι προδῷ τὴν Περσῶν ἡγεμονίαν, ὁ μὲν Χαρίδημος παροργισθεὶς καὶ προχειρότερον ὀνειδίσας τὴν Περσῶν ἀνανδρίαν ἐποίησεν ἐπὶ πλεῖον προσκόψαι τὸν βασιλέα τοῖς λόγοις, τοῦ θυμοῦ δὲ τὸ συμφέρον ἀφαιρουμένου ὁ μὲν Δαρεῖος ἐπιλαβόμενος τῆς τοῦ Χαριδήμου ζώνης κατὰ τὸν τῶν Περσῶν νόμον παρέδωκε τοῖς ὑπηρέταις καὶ προσέταξεν ἀποκτεῖναι,
At first, the king agreed with what was said. But after this, when his friends opposed it more vehemently and brought Charidemus under suspicion of desiring to obtain the command in order to betray the Persian empire to the Macedonians, Charidemus became enraged, and by reproaching the cowardice of the Persians too readily, he caused the king to be further offended by his words. As anger deprived the king of what was advantageous, Darius, seizing Charidemus by his belt according to the Persian law, handed him over to his attendants and ordered them to kill him.
§17.30.5ὁ δὲ Χαρίδημος ἀπαγόμενος ἐπὶ τὸν θάνατον ἀνεβόησεν μεταμελήσειν ταῦτα ταχὺ τῷ βασιλεῖ καὶ τῆς ἀδίκου τιμωρίας αὐτοῦ σύντομον ἕξειν τὴν κόλασιν, ἐπιδόντα τὴν κατάλυσιν τῆς βασιλείας.
And Charidemus, as he was being led away to death, cried out that the king would soon repent of this, and would receive a swift punishment for his unjust execution, witnessing the destruction of his kingdom.
Χαρίδημος μὲν οὖν μεγάλων ἐλπίδων ἐκπεσὼν διὰ παρρησίαν ἄκαιρον τοιαύτην ἔσχε τὴν τοῦ βίου καταστροφήν·
Thus Charidemus, having fallen from great hopes because of such untimely outspokenness, met with such an end to his life.
§17.30.6ὁ δὲ βασιλεὺς ἀνέντος τοῦ θυμοῦ τὴν ψυχὴν εὐθὺς μετενόησε καὶ κατεμέμψατο ἑαυτὸν ὡς τὰ μέγιστα ἡμαρτηκότα.
But when the king's anger abated, he immediately repented and blamed himself for having committed a very great error.
ἀλλʼ οὐ γὰρ ἦν δυνατὸν τὸ γεγονὸς διὰ τῆς βασιλικῆς ἐξουσίας ἀγένητον κατασκευάσαι.
Yet it was not possible, even through royal power, to make what had happened undone.
§17.30.7διόπερ ὀνειροπολούμενος ταῖς Μακεδόνων ἀρεταῖς καὶ τὴν ἐνέργειαν τὴν Ἀλεξάνδρου πρὸ ὀφθαλμῶν λαμβάνων ἐζήτει στρατηγὸν ἀξιόχρεων τὸν διαδεξόμενον τὴν τοῦ Μέμνονος ἡγεμονίαν· οὐ δυνάμενος δʼ εὑρεῖν αὐτὸς ἠναγκάζετο καταβαίνειν εἰς τὸν ὑπὲρ τῆς βασιλείας κίνδυνον.
Therefore, troubled in his dreams by the virtues of the Macedonians and keeping the energetic activity of Alexander before his eyes, he sought a capable general to succeed to the command of Memnon; but being unable to find one, he himself was forced to go down to the danger that threatened his kingdom.