§17.84.1ἐπὶ δὲ τούτοις γενομένων τῶν ὅρκων ἡ μὲν βασίλισσα τὴν μεγαλοψυχίαν τοῦ Ἀλεξάνδρου θαυμάσασα δῶρά τε κράτιστα ἐξέπεμψε καὶ πᾶν τὸ προσταττόμενον ποιήσειν ἐπηγγείλατο.
When the oaths were taken on these terms, the queen, admiring the magnanimity of Alexander, sent him the finest gifts and promised to do everything that was commanded.
οἱ δὲ μισθοφόροι παραχρῆμα κατὰ τὰς ὁμολογίας ἐκ τῆς πόλεως ἀπελθόντες καὶ σταδίους ὀγδοήκοντα προελθόντες ἀνεπικωλύτως κατεστρατοπέδευσαν, οὐδεμίαν ἔννοιαν λαμβάνοντες τοῦ μέλλοντος.
Meanwhile, the mercenaries immediately departed from the city according to the agreement, and having advanced eighty stades without hindrance, they encamped, having no suspicion of what was to come.
§17.84.2ὁ δʼ Ἀλέξανδρος ἀμετάθετον ἔχων τὴν πρὸς τοὺς μισθοφόρους ἀλλοτριότητα διεσκευασμένην ἔχων τὴν δύναμιν ἐπηκολούθησε τοῖς βαρβάροις καὶ προσπεσὼν αὐτοῖς ἄφνω πολὺν ἐποίει φόνον.
But Alexander, keeping his hostility toward the mercenaries unaltered, and having his army fully prepared, followed after the barbarians and, falling upon them suddenly, made a great slaughter.
οἱ δὲ μισθοφόροι τὸ μὲν πρῶτον ἐβόων παρὰ τοὺς ὅρκους αὑτοὺς πολεμεῖσθαι καὶ τοὺς ἀσεβουμένους ὑπʼ αὐτοῦ θεοὺς ἐπεκαλοῦντο· ὁ δʼ Ἀλέξανδρος μεγάλῃ τῇ φωνῇ πρὸς αὐτοὺς ἀνεβόησεν ὅτι συνεχώρησεν αὐτοῖς ἐκ τῆς πόλεως ἀπελθεῖν, οὐ φίλους εἶναι διὰ παντὸς Μακεδόνων.
At first the mercenaries cried out that they were being attacked in violation of the oaths, and they called upon the gods who were being treated with impiety by him; but Alexander shouted back to them in a loud voice that he had agreed to let them depart from the city, but not to be friends of the Macedonians forever.
§17.84.3οἱ δὲ μισθοφόροι τὸ μέγεθος τῶν κινδύνων οὐ καταπλαγέντες συνεφράξαντο καὶ τὴν ὅλην τάξιν ποιήσαντες κυκλοτερῆ τά τε τέκνα καὶ τὰς γυναῖκας εἰς μέσον ἀπέλαβον, ὥστε πανταχόθεν τοῖς προσμαχομένοις ἀσφαλῶς ἀντιτάττεσθαι.
The mercenaries, not terrified by the magnitude of the dangers, closed their ranks, and making their whole formation circular, they enclosed their children and wives in the center, so as to oppose those attacking them safely from all sides.
ἀπονοηθέντων δʼ αὐτῶν καὶ διὰ τὴν τόλμαν καὶ διὰ τὴν ἐν τοῖς ἀγῶσιν ἀρετὴν ἰσχυρὰν μάχην συστησαμένων καὶ τῶν Μακεδόνων φιλοτιμουμένων μὴ λειφθῆναι τῆς τῶν βαρβάρων ἀνδραγαθίας μεγάλην κατάπληξιν εἶχεν ὁ κίνδυνος.
Since they had become desperate and, through their daring and valor in combat, maintained a fierce battle, and since the Macedonians were eager not to be left behind by the bravery of the barbarians, the danger held great terror.
§17.84.4ἐκ χειρὸς γὰρ τῆς μάχης οὔσης καὶ συμπλεκομένων τῶν ἀγωνιζομένων ἀλλήλοις πολλαὶ καὶ παντοῖαι διαθέσεις θανάτων καὶ τραυμάτων ἐγίνοντο· οἱ γὰρ Μακεδόνες ταῖς σαρίσαις ἀναρρήσσοντες τὰς τῶν βαρβάρων πέλτας τὰς ἀκμὰς τοῦ σιδήρου τοῖς πνεύμοσιν ἐνήρειδον, οἱ δὲ μισθοφόροι τὰς λόγχας ἀκοντίζοντες εἰς ἀθρόους τοὺς πολεμίους οὐχ ἡμάρτανον, σύνεγγυς κειμένου τοῦ σκοποῦ.
For since the battle was hand-to-hand and the combatants were locked with one another, many and various forms of death and wounds occurred; for the Macedonians, piercing the light shields of the barbarians with their sarissas, drove the iron points into their lungs, while the mercenaries, hurling their spears into the crowded enemy, did not miss, since the target was close at hand.
§17.84.5διὸ καὶ πολλῶν μὲν τραυματιζομένων, οὐκ ὀλίγων δὲ τελευτώντων αἱ γυναῖκες τὰ τῶν πεσόντων ὅπλα λαμβάνουσαι συνηγωνίζοντο τοῖς ἀνδράσιν· ἡ γὰρ ὀξύτης τοῦ κινδύνου καὶ τὸ τῆς ἐνεργείας δεινὸν ἠνάγκαζεν αὐτὰς παρὰ φύσιν τρέπεσθαι πρὸς ἀλκήν.
Wherefore, while many were being wounded and not a few were dying, the women, taking the weapons of the fallen, fought along with their husbands; for the urgency of the danger and the horror of the situation forced them to turn to valor contrary to their nature.
διὸ καὶ τινὲς μὲν αὐτῶν καθοπλισθεῖσαι συνήσπιζον τοῖς ἰδίοις ἀνδράσι, τινὲς δὲ ἄνευ ὅπλων ἐμπίπτουσαι τῶν ἀσπίδων ἐπελαμβάνοντο καὶ πολλὰ τοὺς πολεμίους ἐνεπόδιζον.
Therefore, some of them, fully armed, locked shields with their own husbands, while others, rushing in without weapons, seized the shields of the enemy and greatly hindered them.
§17.84.6τέλος δὲ πάντες μετὰ τῶν γυναικῶν ἀγωνισάμενοι καὶ κατακοπέντες ὑπὸ τοῦ πλήθους τὸν ἔνδοξον θάνατον τῆς ἀγεννοῦς φιλοζωίας ἠλλάξαντο.
At last, all having fought together with the women and having been cut down by the multitude, they exchanged ignoble survival for a glorious death.
ὁ δὲ Ἀλέξανδρος τόν τε ἀχρεῖον καὶ ἄνοπλον ὄχλον καὶ τῶν γυναικῶν τὰς ὑπολειφθείσας ἀπάγων τοὺς ἱππεῖς συνεπέστησεν.
Alexander, leading away the useless and unarmed crowd and the surviving women, placed the cavalry over them as guards.