§20.88.1Δημήτριος δὲ περὶ τὴν ἐπισκευὴν τῶν μηχανῶν καὶ τῶν πλοίων ἡμέρας ἑπτὰ γενόμενος καὶ πάντα τὰ πρὸς τὴν πολιορκίαν παρασκευασάμενος πάλιν ἐπέπλευσε τῷ λιμένι· πᾶσα γὰρ ἦν ἡ σπουδὴ περὶ τὸ κρατῆσαι τούτου καὶ τῆς σιτοπομπείας ἀποκλεῖσαι τοὺς κατὰ τὴν πόλιν.
Demetrius, having spent seven days on the repair of the engines and the ships and having prepared everything for the siege, sailed again against the harbor; for his whole effort was directed toward gaining control of this and shutting off those in the city from the importation of grain.
§20.88.2γενόμενος δʼ ἐντὸς βέλους τοῖς μὲν πυρφόροις πολλοῖς οὖσιν εἰς τὰ διωρμισμένα πλοῖα τῶν Ῥοδίων ἐνέβαλε, τοῖς δὲ πετροβόλοις τὰ τείχη διέσεισε, τοῖς δʼ ὀξυβελέσι τὰ φαινόμενα τῶν σωμάτων κατετίτρωσκε.
When he came within range of missiles, he shot fire-arrows, of which there were many, into the moored ships of the Rhodians, shook the walls with his ballistae, and with his catapults wounded those whose bodies were exposed.
§20.88.3συνεχοῦς οὖν καὶ καταπληκτικῆς γενομένης τῆς προσβολῆς οἱ μὲν παρὰ τοῖς Ῥοδίοις ναύκληροι διαγωνιάσαντες περὶ τῶν πλοίων κατέσβεσαν τοὺς πυρφόρους, οἱ δὲ πρυτάνεις κινδυνεύοντος ἁλῶναι τοῦ λιμένος παρεκάλεσαν τοὺς ἀρίστους τῶν πολιτῶν τὸν ὑπὲρ τῆς κοινῆς σωτηρίας ὑπομεῖναι κίνδυνον.
Therefore, since the attack was continuous and terrifying, the shipmasters on the side of the Rhodians, being in great anxiety about their vessels, extinguished the fire-arrows, while the prytaneis, since the harbor was in danger of being captured, called upon the best of the citizens to undergo danger for the common safety.
§20.88.4πολλῶν οὖν προθύμως ὑπακουόντων τρεῖς ναῦς τὰς κρατίστας ἐπλήρωσαν ἐπιλέκτων ἀνδρῶν, οἷς παρήγγειλαν πειρᾶσθαι τοῖς ἐμβόλοις βυθίσαι τὰ πλοῖα τὰ τὰς μηχανὰς κομίζοντα τῶν πολεμίων.
Since many eagerly responded, they manned three of their strongest ships with selected men, whom they ordered to try to sink with their rams the enemy vessels that carried the engines.
§20.88.5οὗτοι μὲν οὖν, καίπερ πολλῶν ἐπʼ αὐτοὺς φερομένων βελῶν, ὠσάμενοι τὸ μὲν πρῶτον τὸν σεσιδηρωμένον χάρακα διέσπασαν, τοῖς δὲ πλοίοις πολλὰς ἐμβολὰς δόντες καὶ θαλάττης αὐτὰ πληρώσαντες δύο μὲν τῶν μηχανῶν κατέβαλον, τῆς δὲ τρίτης ὑπὸ τῶν περὶ τὸν Δημήτριον εἰς τοὐπίσω τοῖς ῥύμασιν ἑλκομένης οἱ μὲν Ῥόδιοι θαρρήσαντες τοῖς κατωρθωμένοις θρασύτερον τοῦ καθήκοντος προέπιπτον εἰς τὸν κίνδυνον.
These men, then, although many missiles were flying at them, pushed forward and first broke through the iron-plated boom; then, delivering many blows with their rams to the ships and filling them with sea-water, they overturned two of the engines. But while the third engine was being dragged backward by towlines by Demetrius' men, the Rhodians, encouraged by their success, rushed into danger more boldly than was proper.
§20.88.6διὸ πολλῶν αὐτοῖς καὶ μεγάλων νεῶν περιχυθεισῶν καὶ τοῖς ἐμβόλοις πολλὰ μέρη τῶν τοίχων ἀναρρηττουσῶν ὁ μὲν ναύαρχος Ἐξήκεστος καὶ ὁ τριήραρχος καί τινες ἄλλοι κατατραυματισθέντες ἥλωσαν, τοῦ δʼ ἄλλου πλήθους ἐκκολυμβήσαντος καὶ διανηξαμένου πρὸς τοὺς ἰδίους μία μὲν τῶν νεῶν ὑποχείριος ἐγένετο τοῖς περὶ τὸν Δημήτριον, αἱ δʼ ἄλλαι διέφυγον τὸν κίνδυνον.
For this reason, since many large ships swarmed around them and shattered many parts of their sides with their rams, the admiral Execestus and the trierarch and certain others, being severely wounded, were captured; and while the rest of the multitude leaped overboard and swam across to their own people, one of the ships fell into the hands of Demetrius' men, while the others escaped the danger.
§20.88.7τοιαύτης οὖν γενομένης τῆς ναυμαχίας ὁ μὲν Δημήτριος ἄλλην μηχανὴν κατεσκεύασε τριπλασίαν τῷ ὕψει καὶ πλάτει τῆς πρότερον, προσάγοντος δʼ αὐτὴν πρὸς τὸν λιμένα νότος ἐκνεφίας ἐπιγενόμενος τὰ μὲν ὁρμοῦντα τῶν πλοίων συνέκλυσε, τὴν δὲ μηχανὴν κατέβαλε.
After such a sea-fight had taken place, Demetrius constructed another engine, three times as high and broad as the former one; but as he was bringing it toward the harbor, a violent south wind coming up in a storm shattered his anchored ships and threw down the engine.
καθʼ ὃν δὴ χρόνον οἱ Ῥόδιοι τῷ καιρῷ δεξιῶς χρησάμενοι πύλην ἀνοίξαντες ἐπέθεντο τοῖς τὸ χῶμα κατειληφόσι.
At this very time the Rhodians, skillfully taking advantage of the opportunity, opened a gate and attacked those who had occupied the mole.
§20.88.8γενομένης δὲ μάχης ἐπὶ πολὺν χρόνον ἰσχυρᾶς καὶ τοῦ μὲν Δημητρίου διὰ τὸν χειμῶνα μὴ δυναμένου βοηθῆσαι, τῶν δὲ Ῥοδίων ἐκ διαδοχῆς ἀγωνιζομένων ἠναγκάσθησαν οἱ τοῦ βασιλέως ἀποθέμενοι τὰ ὅπλα παραδοῦναι σφᾶς αὐτούς, ὄντες σχεδὸν τετρακόσιοι.
A fierce battle raged for a long time, and since Demetrius was unable to bring aid because of the storm, while the Rhodians fought in successive shifts, the soldiers of the king were forced to lay down their arms and surrender themselves, being about four hundred in number.
§20.88.9τούτων δὲ τῶν προτερημάτων γενομένων τοῖς Ῥοδίοις κατέπλευσαν τῇ πόλει σύμμαχοι παρὰ μὲν Κνωσσίων ἑκατὸν πεντήκοντα, παρὰ δὲ Πτολεμαίου πλείους τῶν πεντακοσίων, ὧν ἦσάν τινες Ῥόδιοι μισθοφοροῦντες παρὰ τῷ βασιλεῖ.
When these successes had come to the Rhodians, allies sailed into the city: from the Cnossians one hundred and fifty, and from Ptolemy more than five hundred, among whom were some Rhodians serving as mercenaries under the king.
καὶ τὰ μὲν περὶ τὴν ἐν Ῥόδῳ πολιορκίαν ἐν τούτοις ἦν.
And such was the state of affairs regarding the siege of Rhodes.