§20.17.1ἅμα δὲ τούτοις πραττομένοις ὁ μὲν Ἀγαθοκλῆς κρατῶν τῶν ὑπαίθρων τὰ περὶ τὴν Καρχηδόνα χωρία κατὰ κράτος ᾔρει καὶ τῶν πόλεων ἃς μὲν διὰ φόβον, ἃς δὲ διὰ τὸ πρὸς Καρχηδονίους μίσος προσηγάγετο.
At the same time as these events, Agathocles, master of the open country, was capturing by force the regions around Carthage, and of the cities, some he won over through fear, others through hatred toward the Carthaginians.
παρεμβολὴν δὲ πλησίον τοῦ Τύνητος ὀχυρωσάμενος καὶ τὴν ἱκανὴν ἀπολιπὼν φυλακὴν ἀνέζευξε πρὸς τὰς ἐπὶ θαλάττῃ κειμένας πόλεις.
Having fortified a camp near Tunis and left a sufficient guard, he set out toward the cities situated on the sea.
καὶ πρώτην μὲν ἑλὼν Νέαν πόλιν κατὰ κράτος φιλανθρώπως ἐχρήσατο τοῖς χειρωθεῖσιν· εἶτα παρελθὼν ἐπʼ Ἀδρύμητα πρὸς μὲν ταύτην πολιορκίαν συνεστήσατο, Αἰλύμαν δὲ τὸν βασιλέα τῶν Λιβύων εἰς συμμαχίαν προσελάβετο.
And having first taken Neapolis by force, he treated the conquered people humanely; then, having passed on to Adrumetum, against this he began a siege, and he won over Ailymas, the king of the Libyans, into alliance.
§20.17.2ἃ δὴ πυθόμενοι οἱ Καρχηδόνιοι πᾶσαν τὴν δύναμιν προήγαγον ἐπὶ τὸν Τύνητα καὶ τῆς μὲν Ἀγαθοκλέους στρατοπεδείας ἐκυρίευσαν, τῇ πόλει δὲ μηχανὰς προσαγαγόντες συνεχεῖς προσβολὰς ἐποιοῦντο.
Having learned of these things, the Carthaginians led their entire force against Tunis and became masters of Agathocles' camp, and bringing engines against the city, they made continuous assaults.
§20.17.3ὁ δʼ Ἀγαθοκλῆς, ἀπαγγειλάντων τινῶν αὐτῷ τὰ περὶ τοὺς ἰδίους ἐλαττώματα, τὸ μὲν πολὺ τῆς δυνάμεως κατέλιπεν ἐπὶ τῆς πολιορκίας, τὴν δὲ θεραπείαν καὶ τῶν στρατιωτῶν ὀλίγους ἀναλαβὼν λάθρᾳ προσῆλθεν ἐπί τινα τόπον ὀρεινόν, ὅθεν ὁρᾶσθαι δυνατὸν ἦν αὐτὸν ὑπό τε τῶν Ἀδρυμητινῶν καὶ τῶν Καρχηδονίων τῶν τὸν Τύνητα πολιορκούντων.
But Agathocles, when some reported to him the reverses of his own men, left the greater part of his force at the siege, and taking his personal retinue and a few of the soldiers, secretly approached a certain mountainous place, from where it was possible for him to be seen both by the Adrumetines and by the Carthaginians who were besieging Tunis.
§20.17.4νυκτὸς δὲ συντάξας τοῖς στρατιώταις ἐπὶ πολὺν τόπον πυρὰ κάειν, δόξαν ἐν εποίησε τοῖς μὲν Καρχηδονίοις ὡς μετὰ μεγάλης δυνάμεως ἐπʼ αὐτοὺς πορευόμενος, τοῖς δὲ πολιορκουμένοις ὡς ἄλλης δυνάμεως ἁδρᾶς τοῖς πολεμίοις εἰς συμμαχίαν παραγεγενημένης.
And by night, having ordered his soldiers to burn campfires over a wide area, he created the impression in the Carthaginians that he was marching against them with a large force, and in those being besieged that another strong force had arrived as an alliance for the enemy.
§20.17.5ἀμφότεροι δὲ τῷ ψεύδει τοῦ στρατηγήματος παραλογισθέντες παραλόγως ἠλαττώθησαν, οἱ μὲν τὸν Τύνητα πολιορκοῦντες φυγόντες εἰς Καρχηδόνα καὶ τὰς μηχανὰς ἀπολιπόντες, οἱ δʼ Ἀδρυμητινοὶ διὰ τὸν φόβον παραδόντες τὴν πατρίδα.
And both, having been deceived by the falsehood of the stratagem, were unexpectedly brought to grief: those besieging Tunis fled to Carthage, leaving behind their engines, while the Adrumetines surrendered their fatherland out of fear.
§20.17.6Ἀγαθοκλῆς δὲ ταύτην διʼ ὁμολογίας παραλαβὼν Θάψον εἷλε κατὰ κράτος καὶ τῶν ἄλλων τῶν ταύτῃ πόλεων ἃς μὲν ἐξεπολιόρκησεν, ἃς δὲ προσηγάγετο· τὰς ἁπάσας δὲ πόλεις πλείους τῶν διακοσίων κεχειρωμένος εἰς τοὺς ἄνω τόπους τῆς Λιβύης διενοεῖτο στρατεύειν.
And Agathocles, having received this city by agreement, took Thapsus by force, and of the other cities in this region, some he reduced by siege, and others he won over; and having subdued in all more than two hundred cities, he intended to march into the upper regions of Libya.