§3.4.1Δωριεὺς μὲν δὴ—οὐ γὰρ ἠνείχετο ὑπακούειν Κλεομένει μένων ἐν Λακεδαίμονι—ἐς ἀποικίαν στέλλεται· Κλεομένης δὲ ὡς ἐβασίλευσεν, αὐτίκα ἐσέβαλεν ἐς τὴν Ἀργολίδα, Λακεδαιμονίων τε αὐτῶν ἀθροίσας καὶ τῶν συμμάχων στρατιάν.
Dorieus indeed—for he could not endure to remain in Lacedaemon and be subject to Cleomenes—set out for a colony; and Cleomenes, when he became king, immediately invaded Argolis, having assembled a force of the Lacedaemonians themselves and of the allies.
ὡς δὲ ἐπεξῆλθον οἱ Ἀργεῖοι σὺν ὅπλοις, ὁ Κλεομένης ἐνίκα τῇ μάχῃ· καὶ —ἦν γὰρ πλησίον ἄλσος ἱερὸν Ἄργου τοῦ Νιόβης— καταφεύγουσιν ὡς ἐτράποντο ὅσον τε πεντακισχίλιοι τῶν Ἀργείων ἐς τὸ ἄλσος.
When the Argives came out to meet him in arms, Cleomenes was victorious in the battle; and—for nearby there was a sacred grove of Argos, the son of Niobe—as they turned to flight, about five thousand of the Argives fled for refuge into the grove.
Κλεομένης δὲ—ἐξώρμει γὰρ τὰ πολλὰ ἐκ τοῦ νοῦ—κελεύει καὶ τότε ἐνεῖναι πῦρ τοῖς εἵλωσιν ἐς τὸ ἄλσος, καὶ τό τε ἄλσος ἡ φλὸξ ἐπέλαβεν ἅπαν καὶ ὁμοῦ τῷ ἄλσει καιομένῳ συγκατεκαύθησαν οἱ ἱκέται.
But Cleomenes—for he was for the most part out of his mind—ordered even then the helots to set fire to the grove, and the flame took hold of the entire grove, and as the grove burned, the suppliants were burned to death together with it.
§3.4.2ἐστράτευσε δὲ καὶ ἐπὶ Ἀθήνας, τὸ μὲν πρότερον Ἀθηναίοις τε ἐλευθερίαν ἀπὸ τῶν Πεισιστράτου παίδων καὶ αὑτῷ καὶ Λακεδαιμονίοις δόξαν ἐν τοῖς Ἕλλησιν ἀγαθὴν κτώμενος, ὕστερον δὲ Ἀθηναίου χάριτι ἀνδρὸς Ἰσαγόρου τυραννίδα οἱ συγκατεργασόμενος Ἀθηνῶν.
And he also marched against Athens, at first to acquire both freedom for the Athenians from the sons of Peisistratus and a good reputation for himself and the Lacedaemonians among the Greeks, but later to help establish a tyranny for Isagoras, an Athenian man, out of favor to him.
ὡς δὲ ἡμάρτανε τῆς ἐλπίδος καὶ οἱ Ἀθηναῖοι περὶ τῆς ἐλευθερίας ἐμαχέσαντο ἐρρωμένως, ἐνταῦθα ὁ Κλεομένης ἄλλα τε ἐδῄωσε τῆς χώρας καὶ τῆς καλουμένης Ὀργάδος θεῶν τε τῶν ἐν Ἐλευσῖνι ἱερᾶς, καὶ ταύτης τεμεῖν φασιν αὐτόν.
But when he failed in his hope, and the Athenians fought vigorously for their freedom, Cleomenes then ravaged other parts of the land, and also the sacred land of the goddesses at Eleusis, which is called Orgas, and they say that he cut down its trees.
ἀφίκετο δὲ καὶ ἐς Αἴγιναν, καὶ Αἰγινητῶν τοὺς δυνατοὺς συνελάμβανεν ὅσοι μηδισμοῦ τε αὐτῶν μετέσχον καὶ βασιλεῖ Δαρείῳ τῷ Ὑστάσπου γῆν δοῦναι καὶ ὕδωρ τοὺς πολίτας ἔπεισαν.
He also went to Aegina, and arrested those of the influential Aeginetans who had participated in Medism and had persuaded the citizens to give earth and water to King Darius, the son of Hystaspes.
§3.4.3διατρίβοντος δὲ ἐν Αἰγίνῃ Κλεομένους Δημάρατος ὁ τῆς οἰκίας βασιλεὺς τῆς ἑτέρας διέβαλλεν αὐτὸν ἐς τῶν Λακεδαιμονίων τὸ πλῆθος· Κλεομένης δὲ ὡς ἀνέστρεψεν ἐξ Αἰγίνης, ἔπρασσεν ὅπως Δημάρατον παύσειε βασιλεύοντα, καὶ τήν τε ἐν Δελφοῖς πρόμαντιν ὠνήσατο, Λακεδαιμονίοις αὐτὴν ὁπόσα αὐτὸς ἐδίδασκεν ἐς Δημάρατον χρῆσαι, καὶ Λεωτυχίδην ἄνδρα τοῦ βασιλικοῦ γένους καὶ οἰκίας Δημαράτῳ τῆς αὐτῆς ἐπῆρεν ἀμφισβητεῖν ὑπὲρ τῆς ἀρχῆς.
While Cleomenes was spending time in Aegina, Demaratus, the king of the other house, slandered him to the multitude of the Lacedaemonians; and Cleomenes, when he returned from Aegina, was active to depose Demaratus from being king, and he bribed the prophetess at Delphi to deliver to the Lacedaemonians whatever he himself instructed her concerning Demaratus, and he incited Leotychides, a man of the royal line and of the same house as Demaratus, to dispute about the rule.
§3.4.4εἴχετο δὲ Λεωτυχίδης λόγων οὓς Ἀρίστων ποτὲ ἐς Δημάρατον τεχθέντα ἐξέβαλεν ὑπὸ ἀμαθίας οὐχ αὑτοῦ παῖδα εἶναι φήσας.
Leotychides made use of the words which Ariston once, through foolishness, had let fall concerning Demaratus when he was born, saying that he was not his own son.
τότε δὲ οἱ μὲν ἐς τὸ χρηστήριον οἱ Λακεδαιμόνιοι τὸ ἐν Δελφοῖς, ὥσπερ καὶ τὰ ἄλλα εἰώθεσαν, ἀνάγουσι καὶ τὸ ἀμφισβήτημα τὸ ὑπὲρ Δημαράτου· ἡ δέ σφισιν ἔχρησεν ἡ πρόμαντις ὁπόσα ἦν Κλεομένει κατὰ γνώμην.
At that time, the Lacedaemonians, as they were accustomed to do in other matters, referred the dispute concerning Demaratus to the oracle at Delphi; and the prophetess delivered to them whatever was in accordance with the mind of Cleomenes.
§3.4.5Δημάρατος μὲν δὴ κατὰ ἔχθος τὸ Κλεομένους καὶ οὐ σὺν τῷ δικαίῳ βασιλείας ἐπαύθη, Κλεομένην δὲ ὕστερον τούτων ἐπέλαβεν ἡ τελευτὴ μανέντα· ὡς γὰρ δὴ ἐλάβετο ξίφους, ἐτίτρωσκεν αὐτὸς αὑτὸν καὶ διεξῄει τὸ σῶμα ἅπαν κόπτων τε καὶ λυμαινόμενος.
Demaratus indeed was deposed from the kingship because of the hatred of Cleomenes and not with justice, but after these things end overtook Cleomenes when he had gone mad; for when he had seized a sword, he began to wound himself and went through his whole body, cutting and mutilating it.
Ἀργεῖοι μὲν δὴ τοῖς ἱκέταις τοῦ Ἄργου διδόντα αὐτὸν δίκην τέλος τοῦ βίου φασὶν εὑρέσθαι τοιοῦτον, Ἀθηναῖοι δὲ ὅτι ἐδῄωσε τὴν Ὀργάδα, Δελφοὶ δὲ τῶν δώρων ἕνεκα ὧν τῇ προμάντιδι ἔδωκεν, ἀναπείσας ἐψευσμένα εἰπεῖν ἐς Δημάρατον.
The Argives indeed say that he met with such an end of his life because he was paying the penalty to the suppliants of Argos, the Athenians because he ravaged the Orgas, and the Delphians because of the gifts which he gave to the prophetess, persuading her to speak false things against Demaratus.