§19.4.1ὁ δʼ Ἀγαθοκλῆς ἀλλοτρίως ἔχων τὰ πρὸς αὐτοὺς τὸ μὲν πρῶτον κατέμενεν ἐν Ἰταλίᾳ μετὰ τῶν κοινοπραγούντων καὶ καταλαμβάνεσθαι τὴν τῶν Κροτωνιατῶν πόλιν ἐπιχειρήσας ἐξέπεσε καὶ μετʼ ὀλίγων εἰς Τάραντα διεσώθη.
But Agathocles, being on hostile terms with them, at first remained in Italy with his associates, and having attempted to seize the city of the Crotoniates, he was driven out and escaped safely with a few men to Tarentum.
ταχθεὶς δὲ παρὰ τοῖς Ταραντίνοις ἐν τῇ τῶν μισθοφόρων τάξει καὶ πολλαῖς καὶ παραβόλοις ἐγχειρῶν πράξεσιν εἰς ὑποψίαν ἦλθε καινοτομεῖν.
Having been enrolled among the Tarentines in the rank of the mercenaries, and undertaking many bold enterprises, he fell under suspicion of plotting a revolution.
§19.4.2διόπερ ἀπολυθεὶς καὶ ταύτης τῆς στρατείας συνήθροισε τοὺς κατὰ τὴν Ἰταλίαν φυγάδας καὶ Ῥηγίνοις πολεμουμένοις ὑπὸ τῶν περὶ τὸν Ἡρακλείδην καὶ Σώστρατον ἐβοήθησεν.
For this reason, having been dismissed also from this service, he gathered the exiles throughout Italy and brought aid to the Rhegians, who were being attacked by Heracleides and Sostratus and their faction.
§19.4.3ἔπειτα τῆς ἐν Συρακούσσαις δυναστείας καταλυθείσης καὶ τῶν περὶ τὸν Σώστρατον φυγόντων κατῆλθεν εἰς τὴν πατρίδα.
Then, after the ruling power in Syracuse was overthrown and Sostratus and his faction had fled, he returned to his fatherland.
συνεκπεσόντων δὲ τοῖς δυνάσταις πολλῶν ἐνδόξων ἀνδρῶν, ὡς ἂν τῆς ὀλιγαρχίας κενοινωνηκότων τῆς τῶν ἑξακοσίων τῶν ἐπιφανεστάτων, ἐνέστη πόλεμος τοῖς φυγάσι πρὸς τοὺς ἀντεχομένους τῆς δημοκρατίας.
But since many illustrious men had been banished along with the rulers, on the ground that they had shared in the oligarchy of the six hundred most prominent men, a war arose between the exiles and those who clung to the democracy.
συμμαχούντων δὲ τῶν Καρχηδονίων τοῖς περὶ τὸν Σώστρατον φυγάσιν ἐγίνοντο κίνδυνοι συνεχεῖς καὶ παρατάξεις ἁδρῶν δυνάμεων, ἐν αἷς Ἀγαθοκλῆς, ποτὲ μὲν ἰδιώτης ὤν, ποτὲ δὲ ἐφʼ ἡγεμονίας τεταγμένος, ὑπελήφθη δραστικὸς εἶναι καὶ φιλότεχνος ἐκ τοῦ πρὸς ἕκαστον τῶν καιρῶν ἐπινοεῖσθαί τι τῶν χρησίμων· ὧν ἓν ἔπραξε καὶ μάλα μνήμης ἄξιον.
Since the Carthaginians were allied with Sostratus and his fellow exiles, there were continuous dangers and pitched battles of large forces, in which Agathocles, sometimes as a private citizen, sometimes appointed to a command, was considered to be energetic and resourceful from his devising some useful plan for each occasion; of which things he performed one that is highly worthy of mention.
§19.4.4στρατοπεδευόντων γάρ ποτε τῶν Συρακοσίων πλησίον τῆς Γέλας αὐτὸς μὲν νυκτὸς παρεισέπεσεν εἰς τὴν πόλιν μετὰ χιλίων στρατιωτῶν, οἱ δὲ περὶ τὸν Σώστρατον ἐπιφανέντες μετὰ μεγάλης καὶ τεταγμένης δυνάμεως ἐτρέψαντο τοὺς παρεισπεπτωκότας καὶ κατέβαλον εἰς τριακοσίους.
For when the Syracusans were once encamped near Gela, he himself by night slipped into the city with a thousand soldiers, but Sostratus and his men, having appeared with a large and well-ordered force, routed those who had slipped in, and cut down about three hundred of them.
§19.4.5τῶν δʼ ἄλλων ἐπιβαλομένων μὲν φεύγειν διά τινος στενοῦ τόπου καὶ τὴν σωτηρίαν ἀπεγνωκότων παραδόξως αὐτοὺς Ἀγαθοκλῆς ἐκ τῶν κινδύνων ἐρρύσατο.
And when the rest attempted to flee through a narrow place and had despaired of their safety, Agathocles unexpectedly rescued them from the dangers.
§19.4.6αὐτὸς μὲν γὰρ λαμπρότατα πάντων ἀγωνισάμενος ἑπτὰ τραύμασι περιέπεσε καὶ διὰ τὸ πλῆθος τοῦ ῥυέντος αἵματος τὸ σῶμα παρελύετο· τῶν δὲ πολεμίων ἐπικειμένων παρήγγειλε τοῖς σαλπιγκταῖς ἐπʼ ἀμφότερα τὰ μέρη τοῦ τείχους παρελθόντας σημαίνειν τὸ πολεμικόν.
For he himself, having fought most brilliantly of all, received seven wounds, and because of the quantity of blood that flowed, his body was becoming paralyzed; but as the enemy were pressing upon them, he ordered the trumpeters to go to both sides of the wall and sound the battle-signal.
§19.4.7ὧν ταχέως τὸ ῥηθὲν πραξάντων οἱ προσβοηθήσαντες ἐκ τῆς Γέλας τὸ μὲν ἀληθὲς διὰ τὸ σκότος οὐκ ἠδύναντο συνιδεῖν, ὑπολαβόντες δὲ τὴν ἄλλην δύναμιν τῶν Συρακοσίων κατʼ ἀμφότερα τὰ μέρη παρεισπεπτωκέναι τοῦ μὲν ἔτι διώκειν ἀπέστησαν, διελόμενοι δὲ τὰς τάξεις διχῇ ταχέως ἐβοήθουν, συντρέχοντες πρὸς τὸν ἦχον τῶν σαλπιγκτῶν.
And when they quickly did what was ordered, those who had come as reinforcements from Gela could not see the truth because of the darkness, but supposing that the rest of the Syracusan army had broken in on both sides, they stopped pursuing, and dividing their ranks into two, they quickly brought aid, running together toward the sound of the trumpets.
ἐν τοσούτῳ δὲ τυχόντες ἀνοχῆς οἱ περὶ τὸν Ἀγαθοκλέα μετὰ πάσης ἀσφαλείας διεσώθησαν εἰς τὸν χάρακα.
And in the meantime, having obtained a respite, Agathocles and his men escaped with entire safety to their camp.
ἐνταῦθα μὲν οὖν τοῦτον τὸν τρόπον καταστρατηγήσας τοὺς πολεμίους οὐ μόνον τοὺς σὺν αὐτῷ παραδόξως ἔσωσεν, ἀλλὰ καὶ τῶν συμμάχων ἑπτακοσίους ἄνδρας.
Thus, having outgeneralled the enemy in this manner, he not only unexpectedly saved his own men, but also seven hundred of the allies.