§18.46.1Ἀλκέτας μετὰ τὸν Περδίκκου θάνατον οὐκ ἔχων συμμάχους κατὰ τὴν Ἀσίαν ἔκρινε τοὺς Πισίδας εὐεργετεῖν, νομίζων ἕξειν συμμάχους πολεμικοὺς ἄνδρας καὶ χώραν ἔχοντας δυσέμβολον καὶ μεστὴν ὀχυρῶν φρουρίων.
Alcetas, having no allies in Asia after the death of Perdiccas, decided to do favors for the Pisidians, thinking that he would have as allies men who were warlike and who possessed a country difficult to invade and full of strong fortresses.
§18.46.2διόπερ ἐν ταῖς στρατείαις παρὰ πάντας τοὺς συμμάχους ἐτίμα περιττότερον τούτους καὶ τὰς μὲν ἐκ τῆς πολεμίας ὠφελείας ἐμέριζεν αὐτοῖς, διδοὺς τῶν λαφύρων τὰ ἡμίση, κατὰ δὲ τὰς ὁμιλίας λόγοις φιλανθρώποις χρώμενος καὶ κατὰ τὰ σύνδειπνα καθʼ ἡμέραν τοὺς ἀξιολογωτάτους ἐν μέρει παραλαμβάνων ἐπὶ τὰς ἑστιάσεις, ἔτι δὲ τιμῶν πολλοὺς δωρεαῖς ἀξιολόγοις ἰδίους ταῖς εὐνοίαις κατεσκεύασεν.
For this reason, during the campaigns he honored them far more than all the other allies, and distributed to them the profits gained from the enemy's territory, giving them half of the booty; moreover, in his daily intercourse he used kindly words, and at his daily dinners he invited the most prominent of them in turn to his feasts, and by honoring many of them with valuable gifts, he made them his own devoted followers through their goodwill.
§18.46.3διόπερ καὶ τότε τὰς ἐλπίδας ἔχοντος ἐν τούτοις Ἀλκέτου τῶν ἐλπίδων αὐτὸν οὐ διεψεύσαντο.
Therefore, at this time too, when Alcetas placed his hopes in them, they did not disappoint him in his expectations.
τοῦ γὰρ Ἀντιγόνου μετὰ πάσης τῆς δυνάμεως πλησίον τῆς Τερμησσοῦ καταστρατοπεδεύσαντος καὶ τὸν Ἀλκέταν ἐξαιτοῦντος, ἔτι δὲ τῶν πρεσβυτέρων συμβουλευόντων ἐκδοῦναι συστραφέντες οἱ νεώτεροι πρὸς τοὺς γονεῖς διαστάντες ἐψηφίσαντο πᾶν ὑπομένειν δεινὸν ἕνεκα τῆς τούτου σωτηρίας.
For when Antigonus encamped with his entire force near Termessus and demanded the surrender of Alcetas, and furthermore, when the elders advised surrendering him, the younger men banded together, took a stand against their parents, and voted to endure every extremity for the sake of his safety.
§18.46.4οἱ δὲ πρεσβύτεροι τὸ μὲν πρῶτον πείθειν ἐπεχείρουν τοὺς νέους μὴ διʼ ἕνα Μακεδόνα περιιδεῖν τὴν πατρίδα γινομένην δοριάλωτον· ἐπεὶ δʼ ἀμετάθετον αὐτῶν τὴν ὁρμὴν ἑώρων, λάθρᾳ συμφρονήσαντες ἐξέπεμψαν νυκτὸς πρεσβείαν πρὸς Ἀντίγονον, ἐπαγγελλόμενοι τὸν Ἀλκέταν ἢ ζῶντα παραδώσειν ἢ τετελευτηκότα.
The elders at first attempted to persuade the young men not to allow their fatherland to be captured by force of arms for the sake of a single Macedonian; but when they saw that the impulse of the youth was unalterable, they secretly came to an agreement among themselves and sent an embassy by night to Antigonus, promising to deliver Alcetas either alive or dead.
§18.46.5ἠξίουν δʼ αὐτὸν ἐφʼ ἡμέρας τινὰς προσβάλλοντα τῇ πόλει καὶ διʼ ἀκροβολισμῶν ἐλαφρῶν προαγόμενον τοὺς ἐκ τῆς πόλεως ὑποχωρεῖν ὡς φεύγοντα· τούτου γὰρ γενομένου καὶ τῶν νεωτέρων περὶ τὴν μάχην ἐκτὸς τῆς πόλεως ἀσχολουμένων λήψεσθαι καιρὸν οἰκεῖον ταῖς ἰδίαις ἐπιβολαῖς.
They asked him to attack the city for a few days, and, after drawing out the citizens by light skirmishes, to retreat as if fleeing; for they said that if this were done and the younger men were occupied with the fighting outside the city, they themselves would find a suitable opportunity for their own designs.
§18.46.6ὁ δʼ Ἀντίγονος πεισθεὶς ὑπʼ αὐτῶν καὶ μακρὰν τῆς πόλεως μεταστρατοπεδεύσας διὰ τῶν ἀκροβολισμῶν προεσπᾶτο τοὺς νέους εἰς τὸν ἐκτὸς τῆς πόλεως ἀγῶνα.
Antigonus, persuaded by them and having moved his camp far from the city, by means of the skirmishes kept drawing the young men out into the battle outside the city.
§18.46.7οἱ δὲ πρεσβύτεροι μεμονωμένον ὁρῶντες τὸν Ἀλκέταν καὶ τῶν τε δούλων τοὺς πιστοτάτους καὶ τῶν ἀκμαζόντων πολιτῶν ἐπιλέξαντες τοὺς μὴ συστρατευομένους τῷ Ἀλκέτᾳ τὴν ἐπίθεσιν ἐποιήσαντο κατὰ τὴν ἀπουσίαν τῶν νέων.
Meanwhile, the elders, seeing Alcetas isolated, selected the most trustworthy of the slaves and those of the citizens in their prime who were not campaigning with Alcetas, and made their attack during the absence of the young men.
ζωγρῆσαι μὲν οὖν αὐτὸν οὐ κατίσχυσαν ʽἔφθασε γὰρ αὑτὸν διαχειρισάμενος, ὅπως μὴ ζῶν ὑποχείριος γένηται τοῖς πολεμίοισʼ, τὸ δὲ σῶμα αὐτοῦ θέντες ἐπὶ κλινίδιον καὶ συγκατακαλύψαντες εὐτελεῖ τρίβωνι κατὰ τὰς πύλας ἐξήνεγκαν καὶ λαθόντες τοὺς ἀκροβολιζομένους παρέδωκαν Ἀντιγόνῳ.
Now they were not able to capture him alive, for he anticipated them by taking his own life, so that he might not fall into the hands of the enemy alive; but they placed his body upon a small cot, covered it with a cheap cloak, carried it out through the gates, and, eluding the attention of those engaged in the skirmishing, delivered it to Antigonus.