§1.46.1Ἰλίου κρατηθέντος ὑπʼ Ἀχαιῶν, εἴτε τοῦ δουρείου ἵππου τῇ ἀπάτῃ, ὡς Ὁμήρῳ πεποίηται, εἴτε τῇ προδοσίᾳ τῶν Ἀντηνοριδῶν εἴτε ἄλλως πως, τὸ μὲν ἄλλο πλῆθος ἐν τῇ πόλει Τρωικόν τε καὶ συμμαχικὸν ἐν ταῖς εὐναῖς ἔτι καταλαμβανόμενον ἐφονεύετο ʽνυκτὸς γὰρ δὴ τὸ δεινὸν ἀφυλάκτοις αὐτοῖς ἐπιστῆναι ἔοικενʼ, Αἰνείας δὲ καὶ οἱ σὺν αὐτῷ παρόντες Ἰλιεῦσιν ἐπίκουροι Τρῶες ἐκ Δαρδάνου τε πόλεως καὶ Ὀφρυνίου τῶν τε ἄλλων ὅσοι τῆς κάτω πόλεως ἁλισκομένης ἔφθασαν αἴσθησιν τοῦ δεινοῦ λαβεῖν, ἐπὶ τὰ καρτερὰ τοῦ Περγάμου συμφυγόντες τὴν ἀκρόπολιν ἰδίῳ τείχει φρουρουμένην καταλαμβάνονται, ἐν ᾗ καὶ ἱερὰ τὰ πατρῷα τοῖς Τρωσὶν ἦν καὶ χρημάτων ὁ πολὺς πλοῦτος, οἷα εἰκὸς ἐν ἐχυρῷ, §1.46.2καὶ τοῦ στρατιωτικοῦ τὸ κράτιστον·
When Ilium was taken by the Achaeans, whether by the deceit of the wooden horse, as has been depicted by Homer, or by the treachery of the Antenoridae, or in some other way, the rest of the multitude in the city, both Trojans and allies, were slaughtered while still being caught in their beds; for indeed the terror seems to have fallen upon them at night while they were off their guard. But Aeneas and the Trojan allies present with him to aid the Ilians, from the city of Dardanus and Ophrynium, and all the others who, while the lower city was being taken, managed to perceive the danger in time, having fled together to the strong parts of Pergamos, occupied the acropolis, which was guarded by its own wall, in which there were both the ancestral sacred things of the Trojans and a great wealth of money, as was natural in a stronghold, and the best part of the military force.
ἔνθα ὑπομένοντες ἀπεκρούοντο τοὺς πειρωμένους ἐπιβαίνειν τῆς ἄκρας καὶ τὸ διαπῖπτον ὑπὸ τῆς ἁλώσεως πλῆθος ἐμπειρίᾳ στενωπῶν ὑποθέοντες ἀνελάμβανον· καὶ ἐγένετο τοῦ καταληφθέντος πλεῖον τὸ διαφυγόν.
Remaining there, they repulsed those who attempted to mount the citadel, and, running under the passageways by their experience of the narrow lanes, they rescued the multitude escaping from the capture; and the number of those who escaped became greater than that of those who were captured.
τὴν μὲν δὴ αὐτίκα ὁρμὴν τῶν πολεμίων, ἣν εἶχον ὅλην διαχρήσασθαι τὴν πόλιν, καὶ τὸ μὴ πᾶν ἐξ ἐφόδου καταληφθῆναι τὸ ἄστυ τοῦτο τὸ μηχάνημα ἐξευρὼν Αἰνείας ἐπέσχε.
This device, which Aeneas devised, checked the immediate onset of the enemy, who were intent on destroying the whole city, and prevented the town from being entirely taken by storm.
λογισμὸν δὲ τὸν εἰκότα περὶ τοῦ μέλλοντος λαμβάνων, ὡς ἀμήχανον εἴη πρᾶγμα σῶσαι πόλιν, ἧς τὰ πλείω ἤδη ἐκρατεῖτο, εἰς νοῦν βάλλεται τοῦ μὲν τείχους ἐρήμου παραχωρῆσαι τοῖς πολεμίοις, τὰ δὲ σώματα αὐτὰ καὶ τὰ ἱερὰ τὰ πατρῷα καὶ χρήματα ὁπόσα φέρειν δύναιτο διασώσασθαι.
But taking a reasonable calculation concerning the future, and considering that it was an impossible task to save a city of which the greater part was already captured, he resolved in his mind to abandon the wall, leaving it empty to the enemy, and to save their lives themselves, their ancestral sacred things, and as much wealth as he could carry.
§1.46.3δόξαν δὲ αὐτῷ, παῖδας μὲν καὶ γυναῖκας καὶ τὰ γηραιὰ σώματα καὶ ὁπόσοις ἄλλοις βραδείας ἔδει φυγῆς προεξελθεῖν κελεύει τῆς πόλεως κατὰ τὰς ἐπὶ τὴν Ἴδην φερούσας ὁδοὺς, ἕως Ἀχαιοὶ τὴν ἄκραν ἑλεῖν προθυμούμενοι διώξεως τοῦ διαπίπτοντος ἐκ τῆς πόλεως πλήθους οὐδὲν προεμηχανῶντο, τοῦ δὲ στρατιωτικοῦ τὸ μὲν ἐπὶ φυλακῇ τῶν ἐξιόντων ἔταξεν, ὡς ἀσφαλής τε καὶ ἀταλαίπωρος ἐκ τῶν ἐνόντων ἡ φυγὴ αὐτοῖς γένοιτο, εἴρητο δὲ τούτοις τὰ καρτερώτατα καταλαβέσθαι τῆς Ἴδης·
Having resolved on this, he ordered the children, the women, the aged, and all others who required a slow flight, to depart beforehand from the city along the roads leading to Mount Ida, while the Achaeans, eager to take the citadel, made no provision for pursuing the multitude escaping from the city. Of the military force, he stationed one part to guard those who were departing, so that their flight might be as safe and free from trouble as possible under the circumstances, and these had been ordered to occupy the strongest positions of Mount Ida.
τὸ δὲ λοιπὸν, ὃ δὴ κράτιστον ἦν, αὐτὸς ἔχων ὑπέμενεν ἐπὶ τοῦ τείχους καὶ παρεῖχε τοῖς προεξελθοῦσιν ἧττον ἐπιπόνους διηρτημένων τειχομαχίᾳ τῶν πολεμίων τὰς φυγάς.
But having the remaining part, which was indeed the best, he himself remained upon the wall and rendered the flight of those who had gone before less painful, while the enemy were kept occupied by the siege.
§1.46.4Νεοπτολέμου δὲ σὺν τοῖς ἀμφʼ αὐτὸν ἐπιβάντος μέρους τινὸς τῆς ἄκρας καὶ προσβοηθησάντων αὐτοῖς Ἀχαιῶν ἁπάντων τῆς μὲν ἄκρας μεθίεται, ἀνοίξας δὲ τὰς πύλας ἀπῄει συντεταγμένους ἔχων τοὺς λοιποὺς φυγάδας, ἀγόμενος ἐπὶ ταῖς κρατίσταις συνωρίσι τόν τε πατέρα καὶ θεοὺς τοὺς πατρῴους γυναῖκά τε καὶ τέκνα καὶ τῶν ἄλλων εἴ τι πλείστου ἄξιον ἦν σῶμα ἢ χρῆμα.
But when Neoptolemus and his men had mounted a certain part of the citadel, and all the Achaeans had run to their assistance, he abandoned the citadel, and opening the gates, departed with the remaining fugitives in good order, carrying away on the best chariots both his father and the ancestral gods, his wife and children, and whatever other person or property was of the greatest value.