§17.4.1πρώτους δὲ Θετταλοὺς ὑπομνήσας τῆς ἀρχαίας ἀφʼ Ἡρακλέους συγγενείας καὶ λόγοις φιλανθρώποις, ἔτι δὲ μεγάλαις ἐπαγγελίαις μετεωρίσας ἔπεισε τὴν πατροπαράδοτον ἡγεμονίαν αὐτῷ συγχωρῆσαι κοινῷ τῆς Θετταλίας δόγματι.
Alexander first reminded the Thessalians of their ancient kinship derived from Heracles, and having encouraged them with friendly words and moreover with great promises, he persuaded them by a common decree of Thessaly to cede to him the ancestral hegemony.
§17.4.2μετὰ δὲ τούτους τὰ συνορίζοντα τῶν ἐθνῶν εἰς τὴν ὁμοίαν εὔνοιαν προσαγαγόμενος παρῆλθεν εἰς Πύλας καὶ τὸ τῶν Ἀμφικτυόνων συνέδριον συναγαγὼν ἔπεισεν ἑαυτῷ κοινῷ δόγματι δοθῆναι τὴν τῶν Ἑλλήνων ἡγεμονίαν.
Next to these, having brought the neighboring nations into a similar goodwill, he advanced to Pylae, and having assembled the council of the Amphictyons, he persuaded them by a common decree that the hegemony of the Greeks should be given to him.
§17.4.3τοῖς δʼ Ἀμβρακιώταις διαπρεσβευομένοις φιλανθρώπως ὁμιλήσας ἔπεισεν αὐτοὺς βραχεῖ προειληφέναι τὴν μέλλουσαν ὑπʼ αὐτοῦ δίδοσθαι μετὰ προθυμίας αὐτονομίαν.
He spoke in a friendly manner to the Ambraciots who sent embassies and persuaded them that they had only pre-empted by a little the autonomy which was about to be granted by him with goodwill.
§17.4.4πρὸς δὲ τὴν κατάπληξιν τῶν ἀπειθούντων ἦγε τὴν δύναμιν τῶν Μακεδόνων κεκοσμημένην καταπληκτικῶς.
For the intimidation of those who were disobedient, he led the force of the Macedonians equipped in an awesome manner.
ὀξείαις δὲ ταῖς ὁδοιπορίαις χρησάμενος ἧκεν εἰς τὴν Βοιωτίαν καὶ πλησίον τῆς Καδμείας καταστρατοπεδεύσας ἐπέστησε πολὺν φόβον τῇ πόλει τῶν Θηβαίων.
Making use of rapid marches, he arrived in Boeotia, and encamping near the Cadmeia, he brought great fear upon the city of the Thebans.
§17.4.5καθʼ ὃν δὴ χρόνον Ἀθηναῖοι πυθόμενοι τὴν εἰς Βοιωτίαν πάροδον τοῦ βασιλέως τῆς προϋπαρχούσης καταφρονήσεως ἀπέστησαν· ἡ γὰρ ὀξύτης τοῦ νεανίσκου καὶ ἡ διὰ τῶν πράξεων ἐνέργεια τοὺς ἀλλοτριοφρονοῦντας μεγάλως ἐξέπληττεν.
At which very time, the Athenians, learning of the king's passage into Boeotia, abandoned their pre-existing contempt; for the youth's speed and his energy in action greatly astonished those who were ill-disposed toward him.
§17.4.6διόπερ Ἀθηναῖοι τὰ μὲν ἀπὸ τῆς χώρας ἐψηφίσαντο κατακομίζειν, τῶν δὲ τειχῶν τὴν ἐνδεχομένην ἐπιμέλειαν ποιεῖσθαι.
Therefore, the Athenians voted to bring in their property from the countryside and to give all possible care to the walls.
πρὸς δὲ τὸν Ἀλέξανδρον πρέσβεις ἐξαπέστειλαν, ἀξιοῦντες συγγνώμην ἔχειν, εἰ τὴν ἡγεμονίαν μὴ ταχέως συγχωροῦσιν.
They dispatched ambassadors to Alexander, asking him to have pardon if they did not cede the hegemony quickly.
§17.4.7ἐν δὲ τοῖς πρέσβεσι καὶ Δημοσθένης ἐκπεμφθεὶς οὐ συνῆλθε μετὰ τῶν ἄλλων πρὸς τὸν Ἀλέξανδρον, ἀλλʼ ἐκ τοῦ Κιθαιρῶνος ἀνέκαμψεν εἰς τὰς Ἀθήνας, εἴτε διὰ τὰ πεπολιτευμένα κατὰ Μακεδόνων φοβηθείς, εἴτε βουλόμενος τῷ βασιλεῖ τῶν Περσῶν ἄμεμπτον αὑτὸν διαφυλάττειν.
Demosthenes, though sent among the ambassadors, did not go with the others to Alexander, but turned back from Mount Cithaeron to Athens, either because he was afraid due to his political actions against the Macedonians, or because he wished to keep himself blameless in the eyes of the King of the Persians.
§17.4.8πολλὰ γὰρ χρήματά φασιν αὐτὸν εἰληφέναι παρὰ Περσῶν, ἵνα πολιτεύηται κατὰ Μακεδόνων· περὶ ὧν καὶ τὸν Αἰσχίνην φασὶν ὀνειδίζοντα τῷ Δημοσθένει κατά τινα λόγον τὴν δωροδοκίαν εἰπεῖν,
"νῦν μέντοι τὴν δαπάνην ἐπικέκλυκεν αὐτοῦ τὸ βασιλικὸν χρυσίον.
For they say he had received much money from the Persians in order to conduct politics against the Macedonians; concerning which they say Aeschines also, reproaching Demosthenes in a certain speech, spoke of the bribery: "Now indeed the royal gold has overwhelmed his expenditure.
ἔσται δὲ οὐδὲ τοῦθʼ ἱκανόν· οὐδεὶς γὰρ πώποτε πλοῦτος τρόπου πονηροῦ περιεγένετο. " §17.4.9ὁ δὲ Ἀλέξανδρος τοῖς πρέσβεσι τῶν Ἀθηναίων φιλανθρώπους ἀποκρίσεις δοὺς ἀπέλυσε τοῦ πολλοῦ φόβου τὸν δῆμον.
But not even this will be sufficient; for no wealth has ever overcome a bad character." But Alexander, giving friendly answers to the ambassadors of the Athenians, released the people from their great fear.
τοῦ δʼ Ἀλεξάνδρου παραγγείλαντος εἰς Κόρινθον ἀπαντᾶν τάς τε πρεσβείας καὶ τοὺς συνέδρους, ἐπειδὴ συνῆλθον οἱ συνεδρεύειν εἰωθότες, διαλεχθεὶς ὁ βασιλεὺς καὶ λόγοις ἐπιεικέσι χρησάμενος ἔπεισε τοὺς Ἕλληνας ψηφίσασθαι στρατηγὸν αὐτοκράτορα τῆς Ἑλλάδος εἶναι τὸν Ἀλέξανδρον καὶ συστρατεύειν ἐπὶ τοὺς Πέρσας ὑπὲρ ὧν εἰς τοὺς Ἕλληνας ἐξήμαρτον.
When Alexander ordered both the embassies and the councillors to meet at Corinth, and when those accustomed to join the council had assembled, the king spoke to them, and using fair words, persuaded the Greeks to vote that Alexander should be the commander-in-chief of Greece, and that they should join in the campaign against the Persians to avenge the wrongs they had committed against the Greeks.
τυχὼν δὲ ταύτης τῆς τιμῆς ὁ βασιλεὺς ἐπανῆλθε μετὰ τῆς δυνάμεως εἰς Μακεδονίαν.
Having obtained this honor, the king returned with his force to Macedonia.