§8.3.27εἰ γοῦν τὸν Ἠλιακὸν Πύλον εἶναί τις τὸν Νέστορος ἐπινοήσειεν, οὐκ ἂν οἰκείως λέγοιτο ἡ ἐντεῦθεν ἀναχθεῖσα ναῦς παρὰ Κρουνοὺς ἐνεχθῆναι καὶ Χαλκίδα μέχρι δύσεως, εἶτα Φεαῖς ἐπιβάλλειν νύκτωρ, καὶ τότε τὴν Ἠλείαν παραπλεῖν· οὗτοι γὰρ οἱ τόποι πρὸς νότον τῆς Ἠλείας εἰσί, πρῶται μὲν αἱ Φεαί, εἶθʼ ἡ Χαλκίς, εἶθʼ οἱ Κρουνοί, εἶθʼ ὁ Πύλος ὁ Τριφυλιακὸς καὶ τὸ Σαμικόν.
If, at any rate, anyone should conceive that the Eleian Pylos is that of Nestor, it would not be fittingly said that the ship, having set sail from there, was carried past Crounoi and Chalcis until sunset, and then made for Pheas by night, and at that time sailed past the Eleian territory; for these places are to the south of Elis, first Pheas, then Chalcis, then Crounoi, and then the Triphylian Pylos and Samicon.
τῷ μὲν οὖν πρὸς νότον πλέοντι ἐκ τοῦ Ἠλιακοῦ Πύλου οὗτος ἂν ὁ πλοῦς εἴη· τῷ δὲ πρὸς ἄρκτον, ὅπου ἐστὶν ἡ Ἰθάκη, ταῦτα μὲν πάντα ὀπίσω λείπεται, αὐτὴ δʼ ἡ Ἠλεία παραπλευστέα ἦν, καὶ πρὸ δύσεώς γε· ὁ δέ φησι μετὰ δύσιν.
For one sailing to the south from the Eleian Pylos, this indeed would be the voyage; but for one sailing to the north, where Ithaca is, all these places are left behind, and Elis itself had to be sailed past, and indeed before sunset; but the poet says after sunset.
καὶ μὴν εἰ καὶ πάλιν ὑπόθοιτό τις τὸν Μεσσηνιακὸν Πύλον καὶ τὸ Κορυφάσιον ἀρχὴν τοῦ παρὰ Νέστορος πλοῦ, πολὺ ἂν εἴη τὸ διάστημα καὶ πλέονος χρόνου.
And indeed, if someone should again suppose the Messenian Pylos and Coryphasion as the starting point of the voyage from Nestor's, the distance would be great and of more time.
αὐτὸ γοῦν τὸ ἐπὶ τὸν Τριφυλιακὸν Πύλον καὶ τὸ Σαμιακὸν ποσείδιον τετρακοσίων ἐστὶ σταδίων· καὶ ὁ παράπλους παρὰ Κρουνοὺς καὶ Χαλκίδα καὶ Φεάν, ἀδόξων ποταμῶν ὀνόματα μᾶλλον δὲ ὀχετῶν, ἀλλὰ παρὰ τὴν Νέδαν πρῶτον, εἶτʼ Ἀκίδωνα, εἶτα τὸν Ἀλφειὸν καὶ τόπους τούτων τοὺς μεταξύ· ὕστερον δʼ, εἰ ἄρα, κἀκείνων ἐχρῆν μνησθῆναι· καὶ γὰρ παρʼ ἐκείνους ὑπῆρχεν ὁ πλοῦς.
At any rate, the distance to the Triphylian Pylos and the Samian Poseidion itself is four hundred stades; and the coasting voyage is past Crounoi and Chalcis and Phea, names of obscure rivers or rather of ditches, whereas first it was necessary to pass past the Neda, then the Acidon, then the Alpheios and the places between these; and later, if at all, those others should have been mentioned; for indeed the voyage was past them.
§8.3.28καὶ μὴν ἥ γε τοῦ Νέστορος διήγησις, ἣν διατίθεται πρὸς Πάτροκλον περὶ τοῦ γενομένου τοῖς Πυλίοις πρὸς Ἠλείους πολέμου, συνηγορεῖ τοῖς ὑφʼ ἡμῶν ἐπιχειρουμένοις, ἐὰν σκοπῇ τις τὰ ἔπη.
And indeed, the narrative of Nestor, which he delivers to Patroclus about the war that occurred to the Pylians against the Eleians, supports our contentions, if one examines the verses.
φησὶ γὰρ ἐν αὐτοῖς, ὅτι πορθήσαντος Ἡρακλέους τὴν Πυλίαν ὥστε τὴν νεότητα ἐκλειφθῆναι πᾶσαν, δώδεκα δὴ παίδων ὄντων τῷ Νηλεῖ, μόνον αὐτῷ περιγενέσθαι τὸν Νέστορα νέον τελέως· καταφρονήσαντες δʼ οἱ Ἐπειοὶ τοῦ Νηλέως διὰ γῆρας καὶ ἐρημίαν ὑπερηφάνως καὶ ὑβριστικῶς ἐχρῶντο τοῖς Πυλίοις.
For he says in them that, when Heracles had plundered the Pylian land so that all the youth was left lacking, there being twelve sons to Neleus, only Nestor survived for him, being entirely young; and the Epeians, despising Neleus because of old age and emptiness, treated the Pylians insolently and abusively.
ἀντὶ τούτων οὖν ὁ Νέστωρ συναγαγὼν τοὺς οἰκείους ὅσους οἷός τε ἦν ἐπελθεῖν φησιν ἐπὶ τὴν Ἠλείαν, καὶ περιελάσαι παμπόλλην λείαν
"
πεντήκοντα βοῶν ἀγέλας, τόσα πώεα οἰῶν,
τόσσα συῶν συβόσια,
"
τοσαῦτα δὲ καὶ αἰπόλια, ἵππους δὲ ξανθὰς ἑκατὸν καὶ πεντήκοντα, ὑποπώλους τὰς πλείστας.
In return for these things, therefore, Nestor, having gathered as many of his own people as he was able to, says that he invaded the Eleian territory and drove off a very great booty, "fifty herds of cattle, as many flocks of sheep, as many droves of swine," and as many goat-pens, and one hundred and fifty chestnut horses, most of them with foals under them.
"
καὶ τὰ μὲν ἠλασάμεσθα Πύλον (φησί)Νηλήιον εἴσω,
ἐννύχιοι προτὶ ἄστυ,
"
ὡς μεθʼ ἡμέραν μὲν τῆς λεηλασίας γενομένης καὶ τῆς τροπῆς τῶν ἐκβοηθησάντων, ὅτε κτανεῖν λέγει τὸν Ἰτυμονέα, νύκτωρ δὲ τῆς ἀφόδου γενομένης ὥστʼ ἐννυχίους πρὸς τῷ ἄστει γενέσθαι· περὶ δὲ τὴν διανομὴν καὶ θυσίαν ὄντων οἱ Ἐπειοὶ τῇ τρίτῃ τῶν ἡμερῶν κατὰ πλῆθος ἀθροισθέντες πεζοί τε καὶ ἱππεῖς ἀντεπεξῆλθον καὶ τὸ Θρύον ἐπὶ τῷ Ἀλφειῷ κείμενον περιεστρατοπέδευσαν.
"And these indeed we drove (he says) inside Neleian Pylos, by night toward the city," meaning that while the plundering and the rout of those who came to help occurred by day (when he says he killed Itymoneus), the departure occurred by night, so that they arrived by night at the city; and while they were engaged in the distribution and sacrifice, the Epeians on the third of the days, having assembled in a multitude, both foot and horse, came out against them and encamped around Thryon, situated on the Alpheios.
αἰσθόμενοι δʼ εὐθὺς οἱ Πύλιοι βοηθεῖν ὥρμησαν· νυκτερεύσαντες δὲ περὶ τὸν Μινυήιον ποταμὸν ἐγγύθεν Ἀρήνης, ἐντεῦθεν ἔνδιοι πρὸς τὸν Ἀλφειὸν ἀφικνοῦνται· τοῦτο δʼ ἐστὶ κατὰ μεσημβρίαν· θύσαντες δὲ τοῖς θεοῖς καὶ νυκτερεύσαντες ἐπὶ τῷ ποταμῷ συμβάλλουσιν εἰς μάχην εὐθὺς ἕωθεν· λαμπρᾶς δὲ τῆς τροπῆς γενομένης οὐκ ἐπαύσαντο διώκοντές τε καὶ κτείνοντες πρὶν Βουπρασίου ἐπέβησαν
"
πέτρης τʼ Ὠλενίης καὶ Ἀλεισίου ἔνθα κολώνη
κέκληται, ὅθεν αὖτις ἀπέτραπε λαὸν Ἀθήνη. "
καὶ ὑποβάς
"
αὐτὰρ Ἀχαιοὶ
ἂψ ἀπὸ Βουπρασίοιο Πύλονδʼ ἔχον ὠκέας ἵππους. "
And the Pylians, having perceived this, immediately hastened to help; and having spent the night near the river Minyeius near Arene, from there they arrived at the Alpheios at midday, which is at noon; and having sacrificed to the gods and spent the night by the river, they joined in battle immediately from dawn; and a brilliant rout having occurred, they did not cease pursuing and killing until they set foot on Bouprasion "and the Olenian Rock and where the hill of Aleision is called, whence Athena turned back the people again." And going a little further down: "But the Achaeans held their swift horses back from Bouprasion to Pylos."