§20.21.1Πτολεμαῖος δὲ τῶν ἐν Κύπρῳ πόλεων κυριεύων, ἐπειδή τινων ἐπύθετο Νικοκλέα τὸν βασιλέα τῶν Παφίων ἐν ἀπορρήτοις ἰδίᾳ πρὸς Ἀντίγονον συντεθεῖσθαι φιλίαν, ἔπεμψε τῶν φίλων Ἀργαῖον καὶ Καλλικράτην, προστάξας αὐτοῖς ἀνελεῖν τὸν Νικοκλέα· πάνυ γὰρ εὐλαβεῖτο μὴ καὶ τῶν ἄλλων τινὲς ὁρμήσωσι πρὸς μεταβολήν, ὁρῶντες ἀθῴους γεγονότας τοὺς πρότερον ἀφεστηκότας.
Ptolemy, who held dominion over the cities in Cyprus, when he learned from certain people that Nicocles, the king of the Paphians, had secretly and privately concluded an alliance with Antigonus, sent Argaeus and Callicrates, two of his friends, commanding them to put Nicocles to death; for he was very much afraid lest some of the others also should be impelled to a change of allegiance, seeing that those who had previously revolted had gone unpunished.
οὗτοι μὲν οὖν πλεύσαντες εἰς τὴν νῆσον καὶ παρὰ Μενελάου τοῦ στρατηγοῦ στρατιώτας λαβόντες περιέστησαν τὴν οἰκίαν τοῦ Νικοκλέους καὶ τὰ δόξαντα τῷ βασιλεῖ δηλώσαντες προσέταξαν ἑαυτὸν ἀπαλλάξαι τοῦ ζῆν.
So, these men, having sailed to the island and having received soldiers from Menelaus the general, surrounded the house of Nicocles and, declaring the decrees of the king, ordered him to rid himself of life.
§20.21.2ὁ δὲ τὸ μὲν πρῶτον πρὸς τὴν ἀπολογίαν ἐτρέπετο τῶν ἐγκαλουμένων· ὡς δʼ οὐδεὶς προσεῖχεν, ἑαυτὸν ἀπέκτεινεν.
He at first turned to a defense against the accusations; but when no one paid attention, he killed himself.
Ἀξιοθέα δὲ ἡ γυνὴ τοῦ Νικοκλέους ἀκούσασα τὴν ἀνδρὸς τελευτὴν τὰς μὲν θυγατέρας τὰς ἑαυτῆς παρθένους οὔσας ἀπέσφαξεν, ὅπως μηδεὶς αὐτῶν πολέμιος κυριεύσῃ, τὰς δὲ τῶν ἀδελφῶν τῶν Νικοκλέους γυναῖκας προετρέψατο μεθʼ αὑτῆς ἑλέσθαι τὸν θάνατον, οὐδὲν συντεταχότος Πτολεμαίου περὶ τῶν γυναικῶν, ἀλλὰ συγκεχωρηκότος αὐταῖς τὴν ἀσφάλειαν.
Axiothea, the wife of Nicocles, hearing of her husband's death, slaughtered her own daughters, who were virgins, so that no enemy might get possession of them, and urged the wives of Nicocles' brothers to choose death along with her, although Ptolemy had given no orders concerning the women but had conceded them their safety.
§20.21.3τῶν δὲ βασιλείων πεπληρωμένων φόνων καὶ συμπτωμάτων ἀπροσδοκήτων οἱ τοῦ Νικοκλέους ἀδελφοὶ συγκλείσαντες τὰς θύρας τὴν μὲν οἰκίαν ἐνέπρησαν, ἑαυτοὺς δʼ ἀπέσφαξαν.
When the palace had been filled with slaughter and unexpected disasters, the brothers of Nicocles, having shut the doors, set fire to the house and killed themselves.
ἡ μὲν οὖν τῶν ἐν Πάφῳ βασιλέων οἰκία τραγικοῖς συγκυρήσασα πάθεσι τὸν εἰρημένον τρόπον κατελύθη.
Thus the house of the kings in Paphos, having met with tragic sufferings, was destroyed in the manner described.
ἡμεῖς δὲ τὴν ἀπαγγελίαν τῶν κατὰ τὴν Κύπρον γεγονότων διελθόντες ἐπὶ τὰς συνεχεῖς πράξεις μεταβιβάσομεν τὸν λόγον.
But we, having gone through the narration of the events that occurred in Cyprus, will transfer our account to the subsequent actions.