§4.12.1Λακεδαιμονίους δὲ ἐλύπει μὲν καὶ τὸ γεγονὸς πταῖσμα, τεθνεώτων ἐν τῇ μάχῃ πολλῶν τε καὶ ἀξίων λόγου, παρίστατο δὲ καὶ ἐς τὴν πᾶσαν ἐλπίδα τοῦ πολέμου σφίσιν ἀθύμως ἔχειν·
The Lacedaemonians were grieved by the defeat that had occurred, since many worthy of mention had died in the battle, and it also occurred to them to be despondent regarding the entire hope of the war; and for this reason they sent sacred envoys to Delphi.
καὶ διὰ τοῦτο θεωροὺς ἀποστέλλουσιν ἐς Δελφούς. τούτοις ἐλθοῦσιν ἡ Πυθία χρᾷ τάδε· "
οὔ σε μάχης μόνον ἔργʼ ἐφέπειν χερὶ Φοῖβος ἄνωγεν,
ἀλλʼ ἀπάτῃ μὲν ἔχει γαῖαν Μεσσηνίδα λαός,
ταῖς δʼ αὐταῖς τέχναισιν ἁλώσεται αἷσπερ ὑπῆρξεν.
When these arrived, the Pythia gave them this oracle: "Phoebus does not command thee to pursue only the deeds of battle with thy hand, but by deceit the people hold the Messenian land, and by the very same arts by which it was acquired shall it be captured.
" §4.12.2πρὸς ταῦτα τοῖς βασιλεῦσι καὶ τοῖς ἐφόροις τέχνας μὲν προθυμουμένοις οὐκ ἐγίνετο ἀνευρεῖν·
"In response to this, though the kings and ephors were eager, they were unable to devise any stratagem.
οἱ δὲ Ὀδυσσέως τῶν ἔργων ἀπομιμούμενοι τὸ ἐπὶ Ἰλίῳ πέμπουσιν ἄνδρας ἑκατὸν ἐς Ἰθώμην συνήσοντας ἃ μηχανῶνται, λόγῳ δὲ αὐτομόλους· ἦν δὲ καὶ φυγὴ τῶν ἀνδρῶν ἐκ τοῦ φανεροῦ κατεγνωσμένη.
But, imitating the deeds of Odysseus at Ilium, they sent a hundred men to Ithome under the pretense of being deserters, in order to find out what was being planned; and indeed, the banishment of these men had been publicly decreed.
τούτους ἥκοντας ἀπέπεμπεν αὐτίκα Ἀριστόδημος, Λακεδαιμονίων φήσας τὰ ἀδικήματα καινὰ εἶναι, τὰ δὲ σοφίσματα ἀρχαῖα.
When they arrived, Aristodemus immediately sent them away, saying that the crimes of the Lacedaemonians were novel, but their stratagems were ancient.
§4.12.3ἁμαρτόντες δὲ οἱ Λακεδαιμόνιοι τοῦ ἐγχειρήματος δεύτερα ἐπειρῶντο τῶν Μεσσηνίων διαλῦσαι τὸ συμμαχικόν·
The Lacedaemonians, having failed in this attempt, tried in the second place to break up the alliance of the Messenians.
ἀντειπόντων δὲ τῶν Ἀρκάδων —παρὰ γὰρ τούτους πρότερον ἀφίκοντο οἱ πρέσβεις —οὕτω τὴν ἐπʼ Ἄργος ἐπέσχον πορείαν.
But when the Arcadians spoke against it—for the envoys had come to them first—they thus stayed their march toward Argos.
Ἀριστόδημος δὲ πυνθανόμενος τὰ πρασσόμενα ὑπὸ τῶν Λακεδαιμονίων πέμπει καὶ αὐτὸς ἐρησομένους τὸν θεόν, ἡ δὲ Πυθία σφίσιν ἔχρησε· §4.12.4"
κῦδός σοι πολέμοιο διδοῖ θεός· ἀλλʼ ἀπάταισι
φράζεο μὴ Σπάρτης δόλιος λόχος ἐχθρὸς ἀνέλθῃ
κρείσσων·
When Aristodemus learned of what was being done by the Lacedaemonians, he himself also sent messengers to inquire of the god, and the Pythia gave them this oracle: "The god grants thee the glory of war; but beware lest by deceit the crafty, hostile ambush of Sparta arise superior.
ἦ γὰρ Ἄρης κείνων εὐήρεα τεύχη
καί τὸ χορῶν στεφάνωμα πικροὺς οἰκήτορας ἕξει,
τῶν δύο συντυχίαις κρυπτὸν λόχον ἐξαναδύντων.
For indeed Ares shall possess their well-fitting arms and the crown of dances as bitter inhabitants, when, by the coincidence of two events, the hidden ambush emerges.
οὐ πρόσθεν δὲ τέλος τόδʼ ἐπόψεται ἱερὸν ἦμαρ,
πρὶν τὰ παραλλάξαντα φύσιν τὸ χρεὼν ἀφίκηται.
But this sacred day shall not see this fulfillment, before those things that have altered their nature reach their destined end.
"
τότε μὲν δὴ Ἀριστόδημος καὶ οἱ μάντεις ἀπείρως εἶχον συμβαλέσθαι τὸ εἰρημένον· ἔτεσι δὲ ὕστερον οὐ πολλοῖς ἀναφαίνειν τε καὶ ἐς τέλος ἄξειν ἔμελλεν ὁ θεός.
"At that time indeed, Aristodemus and the seers had no experience to interpret what had been said; but not many years later, the god was destined to make it clear and bring it to fulfillment.
§4.12.5ἕτερα δὲ ἐν τῷ τότε τοῖς Μεσσηνίοις συνέβαινε τοιαῦτα.
Other things of the following sort were happening to the Messenians at that time.
Λυκίσκου μετοικοῦντος ἐν Σπάρτῃ τὴν θυγατέρα ἐπέλαβεν ἀποθανεῖν, ἣν ἅμα ἀγόμενος ἔφυγεν ἐκ Μεσσήνης.
While Lyciscus was living as a resident alien in Sparta, it happened that his daughter, whom he had taken with him when fleeing from Messene, died.
πολλάκις δὲ αὐτὸν φοιτῶντα ἐπὶ τὸ μνῆμα τῆς παιδὸς λοχήσαντες ἱππεῖς τῶν Ἀρκάδων αἱροῦσιν· ἀναχθεὶς δὲ ἐς τὴν Ἰθώμην καὶ ἐς ἐκκλησίαν καταστὰς ἀπελογεῖτο ὡς οὐ προδιδοὺς τὴν πατρίδα ἀποχωρήσαι, πειθόμενος δὲ τοῖς ῥηθεῖσιν ὑπὸ τοῦ μάντεως ἐς τὴν παῖδα ὡς οὖσαν οὐ γνησίαν.
As he went frequently to the daughter's tomb, some Arcadian horsemen lay in ambush and captured him; and when he was brought up to Ithome and stood before the assembly, he defended himself, saying that he had not withdrawn to betray his country, but because he believed what had been said by the seer regarding his daughter, that she was not his legitimate child.
§4.12.6ταῦτα ἀπολογούμενος οὐ πρότερον ἔδοξεν ἀληθῆ λέγειν πρὶν ἢ παρῆλθεν ἐς τὸ θέατρον ἡ τὴν ἱερωσύνην τότε τῆς Ἥρας ἔχουσα.
Though he made this defense, they did not believe he was speaking the truth until the woman who then held the priesthood of Hera came into the theater.
αὕτη δὲ τεκεῖν τε τὴν παῖδα ὡμολόγει καὶ τῇ Λυκίσκου γυναικὶ ὑποβαλέσθαι δοῦναι· “νῦν δὲ” ἔφη “τό τε ἀπόρρητον ἐκφαίνουσα ἥκω καὶ παύσουσα ἐμαυτὴν ἱερωμένην. ” ταῦτα δὲ ἔλεγεν, ὅτι ἦν ἐν τῇ Μεσσήνῃ καθεστηκός, ἢν γυναικὸς ἱερωμένης ἢ καὶ ἀνδρὸς προαποθάνῃ τις τῶν παίδων, ἐς ἄλλον τὴν ἱερωσύνην μεταχωρεῖν.
She confessed that she had given birth to the child and had secretly given her to Lyciscus' wife to substitute; "and now," she said, "I have come to reveal the secret and to cease from being priestess myself." She said this because it was established in Messene that if any of the children of a priestess or even of a priest died before them, the priesthood transferred to another.
νομίζοντες οὖν τὴν γυναῖκα ἀληθῆ λέγειν, τῇ θεῷ τε εἵλοντο ἱερατευσομένην ἀντʼ ἐκείνης καὶ Λυκίσκον συγγνωστὰ ἔφασαν εἰργάσθαι.
Believing therefore that the woman was speaking the truth, they chose another woman to serve as priestess to the goddess in her place, and declared that Lyciscus had acted excusably.
§4.12.7μετὰ δὲ ταῦτα ἐδόκει σφίσι—καὶ γὰρ εἰκοστὸν ἔτος ἐπῄει τῷ πολέμῳ—πέμπειν αὖθις ἐς Δελφοὺς ἐρησομένους ὑπὲρ νίκης.
After this they resolved—for the twentieth year of the war was approaching—to send again to Delphi to inquire about victory.
ἐρομένοις δὲ ἔχρησεν ἡ Πυθία· "
τοῖς τρίποδας περὶ βωμὸν Ἰθωμάτᾳ Διὶ πρώτοις
στήσασιν δεκάδων ἀριθμὸν δὶς πέντε δίδωσι
σὺν κύδει πολέμου γαῖαν Μεσσηνίδα δαίμων.
When they inquired, the Pythia gave this oracle: "To those who first set up tripods around the altar of Ithomaian Zeus, twice five in number of tens, the deity gives the Messenian land with the glory of war.
Ζεὺς γὰρ ἔνευσʼ οὕτως.
For Zeus has so nodded.
ἀπάτη δέ σε πρόσθε τίθησιν
ἥ τʼ ὀπίσω τίσις ἐστί, καὶ ἔνθεον ἐξαπατῴης.
But deceit puts thee ahead, and behind is retribution, and thou mightest deceive even the divinely inspired.
ἕρδʼ ὅππῃ τὸ χρεών· ἄτη δʼ ἄλλοισι πρὸ ἄλλων. "
Act as destiny requires; but ruin comes to some before others.
§4.12.8ταῦτʼ ἀκούσαντες γεγονέναι τε ἡγοῦντο ὑπὲρ αὑτῶν τὴν μαντείαν καὶ σφίσι διδόναι τὸ τοῦ πολέμου κράτος· οὐ γὰρ αὐτῶν γε ἐχόντων ἐντὸς τείχους τοῦ Ἰθωμάτα τὸ ἱερὸν Λακεδαιμονίους προτέρους ἀναθέντας φθήσεσθαι.
"When they heard this, they thought that the oracle was in their favor and was granting them the victory in the war; for they did not think that, while they themselves held the temple of Ithomates within their wall, the Lacedaemonians could anticipate them in setting up the offerings.
καὶ οἱ μὲν ξυλίνους κατασκευάσεσθαι τρίποδας ἔμελλον, οὐ γάρ σφισι περιῆν χρήματα ὡς χαλκοῦς ποιήσασθαι· τῶν δέ τις Δελφῶν τὸν χρησμὸν ἐξήγγειλεν ἐς Σπάρτην.
And they indeed intended to construct wooden tripods, for they had no money left to make bronze ones; but one of the Delphians reported the oracle to Sparta.
πυθομένοις δὲ ἐν κοινῷ μὲν οὐδέν σφισιν ἐξεγένετο ἀνευρεῖν σοφόν, Οἴβαλος δὲ §4.12.9τὰ μὲν ἄλλα οὐ τῶν ἐπιφανῶν, γνώμην δὲ ὡς ἐδήλωσεν ἀγαθός, ποιησάμενος ὡς ἔτυχε πηλοῦ τρίποδας ἑκατόν, τούτους τε ἀποκεκρυμμένους ἐν πήρᾳ καὶ δίκτυα ἅμα αὐτοῖς ἔφερεν ὡς ἀνὴρ θηρευτής.
When they heard it, they were unable to devise anything clever in public, but Oebalus, who in other respects was not among the distinguished, but showed himself clever in judgment, having fashioned a hundred tripods of clay as best he could, hid them in a bag and carried nets along with them, appearing to be a hunter.
ἅτε δὲ ὢν ἀγνὼς καὶ Λακεδαιμονίων τοῖς πολλοῖς, ῥᾷον Μεσσηνίους ἐλάνθανεν· ἀναμίξας δὲ αὑτὸν ἀνδράσιν ἀγροίκοις ἐσῆλθέ τε μετʼ αὐτῶν ἐς τὴν Ἰθώμην καὶ ὡς νὺξ τάχιστα ἐπελάμβανεν ἀναθεὶς τοὺς τρίποδας τῷ θεῷ τούτους δὴ τοὺς πηλίνους αὖθις ἐς Σπάρτην ἀπαγγελῶν Λακεδαιμονίοις ᾤχετο.
Since he was unknown even to most of the Lacedaemonians, he easily escaped the notice of the Messenians; and mixing himself with country folk, he entered Ithome with them, and as soon as night fell, having dedicated these clay tripods to the god, he went off back to Sparta to report to the Lacedaemonians.
§4.12.10Μεσσηνίους δέ, ὡς εἶδον, ἐτάραξε μὲν μεγάλως, καὶ εἴκαζον—ὥσπερ ἦν—παρὰ Λακεδαιμονίων εἶναι· παρεμυθεῖτο δὲ ὅμως αὐτοὺς ὁ Ἀριστόδημος λέγων ἄλλα τε ἃ ἐν τοῖς παροῦσιν εἰκὸς ἦν καὶ τοὺς ξυλίνους τρίποδας—ἐπεποίηντο γὰρ ἤδη —περὶ τοῦ Ἰθωμάτα τὸν βωμὸν ἔστησε.
When the Messenians saw this, they were greatly troubled, and suspected—as indeed was the case—that it was from the Lacedaemonians; but Aristodemus nevertheless comforted them by saying other things appropriate to the circumstances, and set up the wooden tripods—for they had already been made—around the altar of Ithomates.
συνέβη δὲ καὶ Ὀφιονέα τὸν μάντιν τοῦτον, τὸν ἐκ γενετῆς τυφλόν, ἀναβλέψαι παραλόγως δὴ μάλιστα ἀνθρώπων· ἐπέλαβε γὰρ τῆς κεφαλῆς ἄλγημα αὐτὸν ἰσχυρόν, καὶ ἀνέβλεψεν ἀπʼ αὐτοῦ.
And it also happened that the seer Ophioneus, who had been blind from birth, recovered his sight in a manner indeed most contrary to expectation among men; for a severe pain in the head seized him, and from this he recovered his sight.