§4.22.1οἱ δὲ Ἀρκάδες παραυτίκα τε τὴν κατάληψιν ἐπυνθάνοντο τῆς Εἴρας καὶ αὐτίκα τὸν Ἀριστοκράτην ἐκέλευον σφᾶς ἄγειν ὡς ἢ σώσοντας Μεσσηνίους ἢ σὺν αὐτοῖς ἀπολουμένους.
The Arcadians, as soon as they learned of the capture of Eira, immediately ordered Aristokrates to lead them, either to save the Messenians or to perish with them.
ὁ δὲ ἅτε ἐκ τῆς Λακεδαίμονος δεδεγμένος δῶρα, οὔτε ἄγειν ἤθελεν εἰδέναι τε ἔφασκεν οὐδένα ἔτι Μεσσηνίων ὅτῳ καὶ ἀμυνοῦσιν ὄντα ὑπόλοιπον.
But he, since he had received gifts from Lacedaemon, neither wished to lead them nor claimed that any of the Messenians was still left for them to help.
§4.22.2τότε δὲ ὡς σαφέστερον ᾐσθάνοντο περιόντας καὶ ἐκλείπειν τὴν Εἶραν βεβιασμένους, αὐτοὶ μὲν περὶ τὸ ὄρος σφᾶς τὸ Λύκαιον ἔμελλον ὑποδέξεσθαι, προετοιμασάμενοι καὶ ἐσθῆτα καὶ σιτία, ἄνδρας δὲ τῶν ἐν τέλει πέμπουσι παραμυθεῖσθαί τε τοὺς Μεσσηνίους καὶ ἡγεμόνας ἅμα τῆς πορείας γενέσθαι.
But when they later perceived more clearly that they survived and had been forced to leave Eira, they themselves intended to receive them around Mount Lykaion, having prepared beforehand both clothing and food, and they sent men of those in authority both to comfort the Messenians and at the same time to be guides of their march.
καὶ τοὺς μέν, ὡς ἐς τὸ Λύκαιον ἀνεσώθησαν, ἐξένιζον καὶ τὰ ἄλλα εὐνοϊκῶς περιεῖπον οἱ Ἀρκάδες, κατανέμειν τε ἐς τὰς πόλεις ἤθελον καὶ ἀναδάσασθαι διʼ ἐκείνους τὴν γῆν·
And when they had escaped safely to Lykaion, the Arcadians entertained them and in other respects treated them kindly, and they wished both to distribute them among their cities and to redistribute the land for their sake.
§4.22.3Ἀριστομένει δὲ ὅ τε οἶκτος διαρπαζομένης τῆς Εἴρας καὶ τὸ μῖσος τὸ ἐς τοὺς Λακεδαιμονίους βούλευμα παρίστησι τοιόνδε.
But to Aristomenes, both pity for Eira being plundered and hatred toward the Lacedaemonians suggested the following plan.
πεντακοσίους τῶν Μεσσηνίων, οὓς μάλιστα ἠπίστατο αὑτῶν ἀφειδῶς ἔχοντας, ἀποκρίνας ἀπὸ τοῦ πλήθους, ἤρετο σφᾶς ἐν ἐπηκόῳ τῶν τε ἄλλων Ἀρκάδων καὶ Ἀριστοκράτους, ἅτε ὄντα προδότην οὐκ εἰδώς—ἀνανδρίᾳ γὰρ καὶ ὑπὸ δειλίας φυγεῖν τότε ἤδη τῆς μάχης καὶ οὐ διὰ κακίαν οὐδεμίαν ἐδόξαζεν αὐτόν, ὥστε ἐναντίον καὶ τούτου τοὺς πεντακοσίους ἤρετο—, εἰ τιμωροῦντες τῇ πατρίδι ἀποθνήσκειν σὺν αὑτῷ ἐθελήσουσι.
Having selected from the multitude five hundred of the Messenians, whom he knew to be most unsparing of themselves, he asked them in the hearing of both the other Arcadians and Aristokrates—since he did not know that he was a traitor; for he thought that he had fled from the battle then already because of unmanliness and through cowardice, and not because of any malice, so that even in front of him he asked the five hundred—whether they would be willing to die with him to avenge their fatherland.
§4.22.4φαμένων δὲ ἐθέλειν ἀπεγύμνου τὸ πᾶν, ὡς πάντως τῆς ἐπιούσης ἑσπέρας ἐπὶ τὴν Σπάρτην ἄγειν μέλλοι· Λακεδαιμονίων γὰρ τότε δὴ μάλιστα ἐς τὴν Εἶραν ἀπῆσαν οἱ πολλοί, καὶ ἄλλοι τε ἐπεφοίτων φέροντες καὶ ἄγοντες τὰ Μεσσηνίων.
And when they said they were willing, he revealed the whole matter, that he intended by all means to lead them against Sparta on the coming evening; for at that very time most of the Lacedaemonians were away at Eira, and others were visiting it, carrying and driving off the possessions of the Messenians.
“καὶ ἢν μὲν ἑλεῖν τὴν Σπάρτην καὶ κατασχεῖν δυνηθῶμεν”, ἔφασκεν ὁ Ἀριστομένης, “ἔστιν ἡμῖν ἀποδόντας Λακεδαιμονίοις τὰ ἐκείνων κομίσασθαι τὰ οἰκεῖα· ἁμαρτάνοντες δὲ ὁμοῦ ἀποθανούμεθά γε μνήμης καὶ τοῖς ἔπειτα ἄξια ἐργασάμενοι. ” §4.22.5ταῦτα εἰπόντος τῶν Ἀρκάδων ὅσον τριακόσιοι μετέχειν καὶ αὐτοὶ τοῦ τολμήματος ἤθελον.
"And if we are able to capture and hold Sparta," said Aristomenes, "it is possible for us, by giving back to the Lacedaemonians their own, to recover what is ours; but if we fail, we shall at least die together, having performed deeds worthy of remembrance also for posterity." When he had said this, about three hundred of the Arcadians wished to take part in the daring enterprise themselves.
καὶ τότε μὲν ἐπεῖχον τῆς ἐξόδου, τὰ γὰρ ἱερὰ ἐγίνετο αὐτοῖς οὐ κατὰ γνώμην, τῇ δὲ ἐπιούσῃ τό τε ἀπόρρητον ἔγνωσαν σφῶν τοὺς Λακεδαιμονίους προπεπυσμένους καὶ αὐτοὶ δεύτερον ὑπὸ Ἀριστοκράτους προδεδομένοι· τὰ γὰρ τοῦ Ἀριστομένους βουλεύματα αὐτίκα ὁ Ἀριστοκράτης ἐγγράψας βιβλίῳ, καὶ τὸ βιβλίον ἐπιθεὶς τῶν οἰκετῶν ὃν ἠπίστατο ὄντα εὐνούστατον, παρὰ Ἀνάξανδρον ἀπέστελλεν ἐς Σπάρτην.
And at that time indeed they held back from setting out, for the sacrifices did not turn out according to their wish; but on the following day they learned that their secret had been beforehand known to the Lacedaemonians and that they themselves had been betrayed a second time by Aristokrates; for Aristokrates, having immediately written down the plans of Aristomenes in a letter, and having entrusted the letter to the one of his servants whom he knew to be most loyal, sent him to Anaxandros in Sparta.
§4.22.6ἐπανιόντα δὲ τὸν οἰκέτην λοχῶσιν ἄνδρες τῶν Ἀρκάδων διάφοροι καὶ πρότερον τῷ Ἀριστοκράτει, σχόντες δέ τι καὶ ὕποπτον τότε ἐς αὐτόν.
But on his return, some Arcadian men, who had been at variance with Aristokrates even before and had also conceived some suspicion toward him at that time, lay in wait for the servant.
λοχήσαντες δὲ τὸν οἰκέτην ἐπανάγουσιν ἐς τοὺς Ἀρκάδας καὶ ἐπεδείκνυον ἐς τὸν δῆμον τὰ ἀντεπεσταλμένα ἐκ Λακεδαίμονος· ἐπέστελλε δὲ ὁ Ἀνάξανδρος, φυγήν τε αὐτῷ τὴν πρότερον ἀπὸ τῆς Μεγάλης τάφρου φάμενος οὐκ ἀνόνητον ἐκ Λακεδαιμονίων γενέσθαι, προσέσεσθαι δέ οἱ χάριν καὶ τῶν ἐν τῷ παρόντι μηνυμάτων.
And having caught the servant in ambush, they brought him back to the Arcadians and displayed to the assembly the reply sent back from Lacedaemon; and Anaxandros had written, saying that his former flight from the Great Trench had not been without profit from the Lacedaemonians, and that gratitude would also be added to him for the present disclosures.
§4.22.7ὡς δὲ ἀπηγγέλθη ταῦτα ἐς ἅπαντας, αὐτοί τε τὸν Ἀριστοκράτην ἔβαλλον οἱ Ἀρκάδες καὶ τοῖς Μεσσηνίοις διεκελεύοντο· οἱ δὲ ἐς τὸν Ἀριστομένην ἀπέβλεπον.
And when this was reported to everyone, the Arcadians themselves began to pelt Aristokrates with stones and urged the Messenians to do so; but they looked toward Aristomenes.
καὶ ὁ μὲν ἐς τὴν γῆν ἀφορῶν ἔκλαιεν· τὸν δὲ Ἀριστοκράτην οἱ Ἀρκάδες καταλιθώσαντες τὸν μὲν τῶν ὅρων ἐκτὸς ἐκβάλλουσιν ἄταφον, στήλην δὲ ἀνέθεσαν ἐς τὸ τέμενος τοῦ Λυκαίου λέγουσαν πάντως ὁ χρόνος εὗρε δίκην ἀδίκῳ βασιλῆι,
"
εὗρε δὲ Μεσσήνης σὺν Διὶ τὸν προδότην
ῥηιδίως.
And he, looking down to the ground, wept; but the Arcadians, having stoned Aristokrates to death, cast him unburied outside the borders, and set up a stele in the sanctuary of Lykaion, which said: "Time in any case found justice for an unjust king, And together with Zeus, found the traitor of Messene Easily.
χαλεπὸν δὲ λαθεῖν θεὸν ἄνδρʼ ἐπίορκον.
For it is hard for a perjured man to escape the god's notice.
χαῖρε Ζεῦ βασιλεῦ, καὶ σάω Ἀρκαδίαν. "
Hail, King Zeus, and save Arcadia."