§4.7.1τοιαῦτα ὁ Εὐφαὴς εἰπὼν διέλυσε τὸν σύλλογον, τὸ δὲ ἀπὸ τούτου πάντας ἔσχεν ἤδη τοὺς Μεσσηνίους ἐν ὅπλοις, τούς τε οὐκ εἰδότας ἐπαναγκάζων διδάσκεσθαι τὰ πολεμικὰ καὶ τοῖς ἐπισταμένοις ἐπιμελεστέραν ἢ πρότερον τὴν ἄσκησιν εἶναι.
Having spoken thus, Euphaes dissolved the assembly; and from this time on, he kept all the Messenians under arms, compelling those who did not know how to fight to be instructed in military matters, and making the training more diligent than before for those who already knew.
Λακεδαιμόνιοι δὲ καταδρομὰς ἐποιοῦντο ἐς τὴν Μεσσηνίαν, καὶ τὴν μὲν χώραν οὐκ ἐλυμαίνοντο ἅτε δὴ νομίζοντες οἰκείαν οὐδὲ δένδρα ἔκοπτον οὐδὲ οἰκήματα κατέβαλλον· οἱ δὲ λείαν εἰ περιτύχοιεν ἤλαυνον καὶ σῖτον καὶ τὸν ἄλλον καρπὸν ἀφῃροῦντο.
The Lacedaemonians, for their part, made incursions into Messenia, but they did not lay waste to the land since they regarded it as their own, nor did they cut down trees or demolish houses; however, if they fell in with any booty, they drove it off and carried away the corn and other crops.
§4.7.2πρὸς δὲ τὰς πόλεις ποιούμενοι προσβολὰς εἷλον μὲν οὐδεμίαν ἅτε καὶ τείχεσιν ὠχυρωμένας καὶ διʼ ἀκριβείας φρουρουμένας, λαμβάνοντες δὲ τραύματα ἀπεχώρουν ἄπρακτοι καὶ τελευτῶντες οὐκέτι ἀπεπειρῶντο τῶν πόλεων.
Though they made assaults on the cities, they captured none, as these were secured with walls and guarded with vigilance; receiving wounds instead, they retreated without success, and at last they no longer attempted the cities.
ἐλῄστευον δὲ καὶ οἱ Μεσσήνιοι τά τε ἐπιθαλάσσια τῆς Λακωνικῆς καὶ ὅσαι γεωργίαι περὶ τὸ Ταΰγετον ἦσαν.
The Messenians also plundered the coastal regions of Laconia and all the cultivated lands around Taygetus.
§4.7.3τετάρτῳ δὲ ἔτει μετὰ τῆς Ἀμφείας τὴν ἅλωσιν Εὐφαὴς τῷ θυμῷ χρήσασθαι τῷ Μεσσηνίων προθυμούμενος ἀκμαζόντων ἐς τοὺς Λακεδαιμονίους ταῖς ὀργαῖς καὶ ἅμα τὴν ἄσκησιν ἤδη σφίσιν αὐτάρκη νομίζων εἶναι, προεῖπεν ἔξοδον· συνακολουθεῖν δὲ καὶ τοὺς οἰκέτας προσέτασσε φέροντας ξύλα καὶ ἄλλα ὅσα πρόσφορα ἐς ποίησιν χαρακώματος.
In the fourth year after the capture of Ampheia, Euphaes, wishing to make use of the spirit of the Messenians, who were at the height of their anger against the Lacedaemonians, and at the same time believing that their training was now sufficient, proclaimed an expedition; and he ordered the servants to follow, carrying wood and everything else suitable for making a stockade.
ἐπυνθάνοντο δὲ καὶ οἱ Λακεδαιμόνιοι παρὰ τῶν ἐν Ἀμφείᾳ φρουρῶν τοὺς Μεσσηνίους ἐξιόντας· ἐξεστρατεύοντο οὖν καὶ οὗτοι.
The Lacedaemonians also learned from the garrison in Ampheia that the Messenians were marching out; and they too took the field.
§4.7.4καὶ ἦν γὰρ ἐν τῇ Μεσσηνίᾳ χωρίον ἄλλως μὲν ἐς ἀγῶνα ἐπιτήδειον, χαράδρα δὲ προεβέβλητο αὐτοῦ βαθεῖα· ἐνταῦθα τοὺς Μεσσηνίους παρέτασσεν ὁ Εὐφαής, ἀποδείξας στρατηγὸν Κλέοννιν· τῆς δὲ ἵππου καὶ τῶν ψιλῶν, οἳ συναμφότεροι ἐλάσσους πεντακοσίων ἦσαν, τούτων Πυθάρατος καὶ Ἄντανδρος ἡγοῦντο.
Now there was in Messenia a place otherwise suitable for a battle, but a deep ravine lay in front of it; there Euphaes drew up the Messenians, having appointed Cleonnis as general; and Pytharatus and Antandros led the cavalry and the light-armed troops, who together were fewer than five hundred.
§4.7.5ὡς δὲ συνῄει τὰ στρατόπεδα, τοῖς μὲν ὁπλίταις καὶ ἀφειδῶς ὅμως καὶ ἀκρατέστερον ὑπὸ τοῦ μίσους φερομένοις ἐπὶ ἀλλήλους οὐ παρέσχεν ἐλθεῖν ἐς χεῖρας ἡ χαράδρα διείργουσα· τὸ δʼ ἱππικὸν καὶ οἱ ψιλοὶ συμμίσγουσι μὲν κατὰ τὸ ὑπὲρ τὴν χαράδραν, ἦσαν δὲ οὔτε πλῆθος οὔτε ἐμπειρίᾳ διαφέροντες οὐδέτεροι, καὶ διὰ τοῦτο ἰσόρροπος ἡ μάχη σφίσιν ἐγένετο.
When the armies met, the ravine, separating them, did not allow the hoplites to come to close quarters, though they charged against one another mercilessly and with fury because of their hatred; but the cavalry and light-armed troops engaged above the ravine, and as neither side was superior in numbers or in experience, for this reason the battle was even between them.
§4.7.6ἐν ὅσῳ δὲ οὗτοι συνεστήκασιν, ἐν τοσούτῳ τοὺς οἰκέτας ἐκέλευεν ὁ Εὐφαὴς πρῶτα μὲν τὰ κατὰ νῶτον τοῦ στρατοπέδου φράξασθαι τοῖς σταυροῖς, μετὰ δὲ τὰ πλευρὰ ἀμφότερα.
While these were engaged, Euphaes ordered the servants first to fence the rear of the camp with the stakes, and then both sides.
ἐπεὶ δὲ ἥ τε νύξ ἐπέλαβε καὶ ἡ μάχη διελέλυτο, τότε ἤδη καὶ τὰ πρὸ τοῦ στρατοπέδου κατὰ τὴν χαράδραν ἐφράξαντο, ὥστε ἐπισχούσης ἡμέρας τῆς τε προνοίας τοῦ Εὐφαοῦς τοῖς Λακεδαιμονίοις ἐπιπίπτει λογισμὸς εἶχόν τε οὔτε ὅπως μάχεσθαι χρὴ πρὸς τοὺς Μεσσηνίους μὴ προϊόντας ἐκ τοῦ χάρακος προσκαθῆσθαί τε ἀπεγίνωσκον ἀπαράσκευοι τοῖς πᾶσιν ὁμοίως ὄντες.
And when night came on and the battle was broken off, then they also fenced the front of the camp along the ravine, so that when day broke, a calculation of Euphaes' foresight fell upon the Lacedaemonians, and they neither knew how they ought to fight against the Messenians who did not come out of the stockade, and they despaired of sitting down before it, being alike unprovided with everything.
§4.7.7καὶ τότε μὲν ἀποχωροῦσιν οἴκαδε, ἐνιαυτῷ δὲ ὕστερον κακιζόντων σφᾶς τῶν γεγηρακότων καὶ δειλίαν τε ὁμοῦ προφερόντων καὶ τοῦ ὅρκου τὴν ὑπεροψίαν, οὕτω δευτέραν ἐκ τοῦ προφανοῦς ἐπὶ Μεσσηνίους στρατείαν ἐποιοῦντο.
At that time indeed they returned home, but a year later, as the elders reproached them, charging them at once with cowardice and disregard of their oath, they thus made a second expedition openly against the Messenians.
ἡγοῦντο δὲ οἱ βασιλεῖς ἀμφότεροι, Θεόπομπός τε ὁ Νικάνδρου καὶ Πολύδωρος ὁ Ἀλκαμένους· Ἀλκαμένης δὲ οὐκέτι περιῆν.
Both their kings led them, Theopompus the son of Nicander, and Polydorus the son of Alcamenes; for Alcamenes was no longer alive.
ἀντεστρατοπεδεύοντο δὲ καὶ οἱ Μεσσήνιοι καὶ πειρωμένων μάχης τῶν Σπαρτιατῶν ἄρχειν ἀντεπεξῄεσαν.
The Messenians also encamped opposite them, and when the Spartans attempted to begin the battle, they marched out to meet them.
§4.7.8Λακεδαιμονίοις δὲ ἡγεῖτο Πολύδωρος μὲν κατὰ τὸ κέρας τὸ ἀριστερόν, Θεόπομπος δὲ ἐπὶ τῷ δεξιῷ, τὸ μέσον δὲ εἶχεν Εὐρυλέων, τὰ μὲν παρόντα Λακεδαιμόνιος, τὰ ἐξ ἀρχῆς δὲ ἀπὸ Κάδμου καὶ ἐκ Θηβῶν, Αἰγέως τοῦ Οἰολύκου τοῦ Θήρα τοῦ Αὐτεσίωνος ἀπόγονος πέμπτος.
For the Lacedaemonians, Polydorus commanded the left wing, and Theopompus on the right, while the center was held by Euryleon, a Lacedaemonian for the present, but originally from Cadmus and Thebes, being the fifth descendant of Aegeus the son of Oiolycus, the son of Theras, the son of Autesion.
τοῖς δὲ Μεσσηνίοις κατὰ μὲν τὸ δεξιὸν τῶν Λακεδαιμονίων ἀντετάσσοντο Ἄντανδρός τε καὶ Εὐφαής, τὸ δὲ ἕτερον κέρας τὸ κατὰ τὸν Πολύδωρον Πυθάρατος εἶχε, Κλέοννις δὲ τὸ μέσον.
For the Messenians, Antandros and Euphaes were drawn up against the right wing of the Lacedaemonians, while Pytharatus held the other wing against Polydorus, and Cleonnis held the center.
§4.7.9συνιέναι δὲ ἤδη μελλόντων, ἐπεὶ παριόντες οἱ βασιλεῖς προέτρεπον τοὺς αὑτῶν, πρὸς μὲν δὴ τοὺς Λακεδαιμονίους βραχεῖαν κατὰ τὸ ἐπιχώριον τὴν παράκλησιν ἐποιεῖτο ὁ Θεόπομπος, τοῦ τε ὅρκου τοῦ κατὰ τῶν Μεσσηνίων ἀναμιμνήσκων καὶ ὡς καλόν σφισι τὸ φιλοτίμημα, τῶν πατέρων οἳ τοὺς περιοίκους κατεδουλώσαντο φανῆναι λαμπρότερα εἰργασμένους καὶ χώραν εὐδαιμονεστέραν προσκεκτημένους·
When they were now about to engage, as the kings went along encouraging their own men, Theopompus made a brief exhortation to the Lacedaemonians, according to their country's custom, reminding them of their oath against the Messenians, and showing how glorious an ambition it was for them to appear to have performed more brilliant deeds and to have acquired a happier land than their fathers who had enslaved the perioikoi.
Εὐφαὴς δὲ μακρότερα μὲν εἶπεν ἢ ὁ Σπαρτιάτης, οὐ πλείω δὲ οὐδʼ οὗτος ἢ ἐφιέντα ἑώρα τὸν καιρόν.
Euphaes spoke at greater length than the Spartan, but he too said no more than he saw the occasion demanded.
§4.7.10οὐ γὰρ περὶ γῆς μόνον οὐδὲ κτημάτων τὸν ἀγῶνα ἀπέφαινε γενησόμενον, εἰδέναι δὲ ἔφη σαφῶς ἃ νικωμένους ἐπιλήψεται· γυναῖκας μὲν γὰρ ἀχθήσεσθαι καὶ τέκνα ἐν ἀνδραπόδων μέρει, τοῖς δὲ ἐν ἡλικίᾳ τὸ ἐλαφρότατον ἔσεσθαι. θάνατον, ἢν μετʼ αἰκίας μὴ γένηται, συλήσεσθαι δέ σφισι καὶ τὰ ἱερὰ καὶ τὰς πατρίδας ἐμπρήσεσθαι· λέγειν δὲ οὐκ εἰκάζων, μάρτυρα δὲ ἐναργῆ πᾶσιν εἶναι τῶν ἐγκαταληφθέντων ἐν Ἀμφείᾳ τὰ πάθη.
For he declared that the contest would not be for land or property only, but that he knew clearly what would catch them if they were defeated: for their wives and children would be led away in the condition of slaves, while for those of military age, death would be the lightest thing, if it did not come with outrage; further, their temples would be plundered and their native lands burned; and he said he was not speaking by conjecture, but that the sufferings of those captured in Ampheia were a clear witness to all.
§4.7.11πρό τε δὴ τηλικούτων κακῶν κέρδος εἶναι καλῶς τινα ἀποθανεῖν, πολὺ δὲ εἶναι ῥᾷον ἀηττήτοις οὖσιν ἔτι καὶ τὰς τόλμας καθεστηκόσιν ἐξ ἴσου προθυμίᾳ τοὺς ἀντιτεταγμένους ὑπερβαλεῖν ἢ προαποβαλόντας τὸ φρόνημα ἐπανορθοῦσθαι τὰ ἐπταισμένα.
And he added that in the face of such great evils, to die honorably was a gain, and that it was much easier, while they were still undefeated and their courage was steady, to surpass their opponents with equal ardor, than to repair their failures after having first lost their spirit.