§4.32.1τὸ δὲ ὀνομαζόμενον παρὰ Μεσσηνίων ἱεροθέσιον ἔχει μὲν θεῶν ἀγάλματα ὁπόσους νομίζουσιν Ἕλληνες, ἔχει δὲ χαλκῆν εἰκόνα Ἐπαμινώνδου.
The place named Hierotheseon by the Messenians has statues of all the gods whom the Greeks worship, and it has a bronze image of Epaminondas.
κεῖνται δὲ καὶ ἀρχαῖοι τρίποδες· ἀπύρους αὐτοὺς καλεῖ Ὅμηρος.
There are also ancient tripods dedicated; Homer calls them 'unfired'.
τὰ δὲ ἀγάλματα τὰ ἐν τῷ γυμνασίῳ ποιήματά ἐστιν ἀνδρῶν Αἰγυπτίων, Ἑρμῆς καὶ Ἡρακλῆς τε καὶ Θησεύς.
The statues in the gymnasium are the works of Egyptian men—Hermes, Heracles, and Theseus.
τούτους μὲν δὴ τοῖς πᾶσιν Ἕλλησι καὶ ἤδη τῶν βαρβάρων πολλοῖς περί τε γυμνάσια καὶ ἐν παλαίστραις καθέστηκεν ἔχειν ἐν τιμῇ·
Now, it has been established for all the Greeks, and already for many of the barbarians, to hold these in honor around gymnasia and in wrestling schools.
§4.32.2Αἰθίδαν δὲ ἐμαυτοῦ πρεσβύτερον ὄντα εὕρισκον, γενομένῳ δέ οἱ χρήμασιν οὐκ ἀδυνάτῳ τιμαὶ παρὰ Μεσσηνίων ὑπάρχουσιν ἅτε ἥρωι.
Now I found that Aethidas was older than myself, and to him, since he was not powerless in wealth, honors are paid by the Messenians as to a hero.
εἰσὶ δὲ τῶν Μεσσηνίων οἳ τῷ Αἰθίδᾳ χρήματα μὲν γενέσθαι πολλὰ ἔλεγον, οὐ μέντοι τοῦτόν γε εἶναι τὸν ἐπειργασμένον τῇ στήλῃ, πρόγονον δὲ καὶ ὁμώνυμον ἄνδρα τῷ Αἰθίδᾳ· Αἰθίδαν δὲ τὸν πρότερον ἡγήσασθαι τοῖς Μεσσηνίοις φασίν, ἡνίκα ἐν τῇ νυκτὶ Δημήτριός σφισιν ὁ Φιλίππου μηδαμῶς ἐλπίσασιν αὐτός τε καὶ ἡ στρατιὰ λανθάνουσιν ἐσελθόντες ἐς τὴν πόλιν.
But there are some of the Messenians who said that although Aethidas had much wealth, yet it was not this man who was carved on the stele, but an ancestor and namesake of Aethidas; and they say that the former Aethidas led the Messenians when Demetrius, the son of Philip, and his army, without them expecting it at all, secretly entered the city in the night.
§4.32.3καὶ Ἀριστομένους δὲ μνῆμά ἐστιν ἐνταῦθα·
And there is also a monument of Aristomenes here.
οὐ κενὸν δὲ εἶναι τὸ μνῆμα λέγουσιν, ἀλλʼ ἐρομένου μου τρόπον τε ὅντινα καὶ ὁπόθεν Ἀριστομένους κομίσαιντο τὰ ὀστᾶ, μεταπέμψασθαι μὲν ἐκ Ῥόδου φασί, τὸν δὲ ἐν Δελφοῖς θεὸν τὸν κελεύσαντα εἶναι.
They say that the monument is not empty, but when I asked in what manner and from where they had brought the bones of Aristomenes, they say that they sent for them from Rhodes, and that it was the god in Delphi who ordered it.
πρός τε δὴ τούτοις ἐδίδασκόν με ὁποῖα ἐπὶ τῷ τάφῳ δρῶσι.
In addition to these things, they instructed me what kind of things they do at the tomb.
ταῦρον ὅντινα ἐναγίζειν μέλλουσιν, ἀγαγόντες ἐπὶ τὸ μνῆμα ἔδησαν πρὸς τὸν ἑστηκότα ἐπὶ τῷ τάφῳ κίονα· ὁ δὲ ἅτε ἄγριος καὶ ἀήθης δεσμῶν οὐκ ἐθέλει μένειν·
Bringing whatever bull they are about to sacrifice to the monument, they tie it to the pillar standing on the tomb; but the bull, as it is wild and unaccustomed to bonds, is unwilling to remain still.
θορυβουμένῳ δέ οἱ καὶ σκιρτῶντι ἢν ὁ κίων κινηθῇ, Μεσσηνίοις ἐστὶν αἴσιον, οὐ κινηθέντος δὲ ἀσύμφορα ἐπαγγέλλει τὸ σημεῖον.
If the pillar is moved while it is in turmoil and leaping, it is a good omen for the Messenians, but if it is not moved, the sign portends disadvantageous things.
§4.32.4παραγενέσθαι δὲ Ἀριστομένην καὶ τῷ περὶ Λεῦκτρα ἀγῶνι ἐθέλουσιν οὐ μετὰ ἀνθρώπων ἔτι ὄντα, καὶ ἀμῦναί τε αὐτόν φασι Θηβαίοις καὶ μάλιστα γενέσθαι τοῦ ἀτυχήματος Λακεδαιμονίοις αἴτιον.
They also wish that Aristomenes was present at the battle of Leuctra, although he was no longer among men, and they say that he assisted the Thebans and became the chief cause of the disaster to the Lacedaemonians.
ἐγὼ δὲ Χαλδαίους καὶ Ἰνδῶν τοὺς μάγους πρώτους οἶδα εἰπόντας ὡς ἀθάνατός ἐστιν ἀνθρώπου ψυχή, καί σφισι καὶ Ἑλλήνων ἄλλοι τε ἐπείσθησαν καὶ οὐχ ἥκιστα Πλάτων ὁ Ἀρίστωνος· εἰ δὲ ἀποδέχεσθαι καὶ οἱ πάντες ἐθελήσουσιν, ἐκεῖνό γε ἀντειπεῖν οὐκ ἔνεστι μὴ οὐ τὸν πάντα αἰῶνα Ἀριστομένει τὸ μῖσος τὸ ἐς Λακεδαιμονίους ἐνεστάχθαι.
Now I know that the Chaldeans and the Magi of the Indians were the first to say that the soul of a man is immortal, and others of the Greeks were persuaded by them, and not least Plato, the son of Ariston; and even if all people are willing to accept this, that other point indeed cannot be contradicted, namely that the hatred against the Lacedaemonians was instilled in Aristomenes for all time.
§4.32.5ἃ δὲ αὐτὸς ἤκουσα ἐν Θήβαις, εἰκὸς μέν τι παρείχετο ἐς τὸν Μεσσηνίων λόγον, οὐ μὴν παντάπασί γέ ἐστιν αὐτοῖς ὡμολογηκότα.
And what I myself heard in Thebes lent some probability to the account of the Messenians, yet it is not entirely in agreement with them.
φασὶ δὲ οἱ Θηβαῖοι μελλούσης τῆς μάχης ἔσεσθαί σφισιν ἐν Λεύκτροις ἐς ἄλλα τε ἀποστεῖλαι χρηστήρια καὶ ἐρησομένους τὸν ἐν Λεβαδείᾳ θεόν.
For the Thebans say that when the battle was about to take place for them at Leuctra, they sent to other oracles and also to inquire of the god in Lebadeia.
λέγεται μὲν οὖν καὶ τὰ παρὰ τοῦ Ἰσμηνίου καὶ τοῦ Πτῴου, πρὸς δὲ τὰ ἐν Ἄβαις τε χρησθέντα καὶ τὰ ἐν Δελφοῖς· Τροφώνιον δέ φασιν εἰπεῖν ἑξαμέτρῳ· "
πρὶν δορὶ συμβαλέειν ἐχθροῖς, στήσασθε τρόπαιον,
ἀσπίδα κοσμήσαντες ἐμήν, τὴν εἵσατο νηῷ
θοῦρος Ἀριστομένης Μεσσήνιος.
Now the responses from the Ismenium and from Ptoum are indeed told, and in addition those given at Abae and at Delphi; but they say that Trophonius spoke in hexameter: 'Before joining spear with the enemy, set up a trophy, having adorned my shield, which impetuous Aristomenes the Messenian dedicated in the temple.
αὐτὰρ ἐγώ τοι
ἀνδρῶν δυσμενέων φθίσω στρατὸν ἀσπιστάων. " §4.32.6ἀφικομένου δὲ τοῦ χρησμοῦ δεηθῆναι Ξενοκράτους λέγουσιν Ἐπαμινώνδαν· ὁ δὲ τήν τε ἀσπίδα μεταπέμπεται τοῦ Ἀριστομένους καὶ ἐκόσμησεν ἀπʼ αὐτῆς τρόπαιον, ὅθεν τοῖς Λακεδαιμονίοις ἔσεσθαι σύνοπτον ἔμελλεν.
Then I indeed will destroy for you the army of hostile shield-bearing men.' When the oracle arrived, they say that Epaminondas entreated Xenocrates; and he sent for the shield of Aristomenes and adorned a trophy with it, at a place from which it was going to be in full view of the Lacedaemonians.
ᾔδεσαν δὲ ἄρα τὴν ἀσπίδα οἱ μὲν αὐτῶν ἐν Λεβαδείᾳ καθʼ ἡσυχίαν ἑωρακότες, ἀκοῇ δὲ καὶ πάντες·
Now some of them knew the shield, having seen it in quietness at Lebadeia, and all of them knew it by report.
ὡς δὲ ἐγένετο ἡ νίκη Θηβαίοις, ἀποδιδόασιν αὖθις τῷ Τροφωνίῳ τὸ ἀνάθημα.
When the victory came to the Thebans, they returned the offering again to Trophonius.
Ἀριστομένους δὲ καὶ χαλκοῦς ἀνδριάς ἐστιν ἐν τῷ Μεσσηνίων σταδίῳ· τοῦ θεάτρου δὲ οὐ πόρω Σαράπιδός ἐστι καὶ Ἴσιδος ἱερόν.
There is also a bronze statue of Aristomenes in the stadium of the Messenians; and not far from the theater is a temple of Sarapis and Isis.