§7.13.1αὖθις οὖν ἐκ τῶν ἀντιλογιῶν Λακεδαιμονίοις ὥρμηντο Ἀχαιοὶ πολεμεῖν, καὶ στρατὸς ἐπὶ τὴν Σπάρτην ἠθροίζετο ὑπὸ Δαμοκρίτου στρατηγεῖν τηνικαῦτα Ἀχαιῶν ᾑρημένου.
Therefore, because of these disputes, the Achaeans once again set out to make war on the Lacedaemonians, and an army against Sparta was being assembled by Damocritus, who had been chosen general of the Achaeans at that time.
περὶ δὲ τὸν αὐτὸν χρόνον τοῦτον ἀφίκετο ἐς Μακεδονίαν στρατιά τε Ῥωμαίων καὶ ἡγεμὼν ἐπʼ αὐτῇ Μέτελλος, Ἀνδρίσκῳ τῷ Περσέως τοῦ Φιλίππου πολεμήσοντες ἀφεστηκότι ἀπὸ Ῥωμαίων.
About this same time, a Roman army and its commander, Metellus, arrived in Macedonia to make war against Andriscus, the son of Perseus, son of Philip, who had revolted from the Romans.
καὶ ὁ μὲν ἐν Μακεδονίᾳ πόλεμος ἔμελλεν ὡς ῥᾷστα κατὰ τὸ ἐπιτηδειότατον Ῥωμαίοις κριθήσεσθαι· §7.13.2Μέτελλος δὲ ἄνδρας ὑπὸ τῆς Ῥωμαίων ἀπεσταλμένους βουλῆς ἐπὶ τὰ ἐν τῇ Ἀσίᾳ πράγματα ἐκέλευε, πρὶν ἢ ἐς τὴν Ἀσίαν διαβῆναι, τοῖς ἡγεμόσιν αὐτοὺς τοῖς Ἀχαιῶν ἐς λόγους ἐλθεῖν, ὅπλα μὲν ἐπὶ τὴν Σπάρτην μὴ ἐπιφέρειν σφίσιν ἀπαγορεύσοντας, τὴν δὲ ἐκ Ῥώμης παρουσίαν τῶν ἀνδρῶν προεροῦντας μένειν, οἳ κατὰ τοῦτο ἦσαν ἀπεσταλμένοι Λακεδαιμονίοις δικασταὶ καὶ Ἀχαιοῖς γενέσθαι.
And the war in Macedonia was bound to be decided most easily and in the manner most favorable to the Romans; Metellus ordered the men sent by the Roman senate for the affairs in Asia, before crossing over to Asia, to enter into discussions with the leaders of the Achaeans, to forbid them to bear arms against Sparta, and to tell them beforehand to wait for the arrival from Rome of the men who had been sent for this purpose to be judges for the Lacedaemonians and the Achaeans.
§7.13.3οἱ μὲν δὴ τὰ ἐντεταλμένα Δαμοκρίτῳ καὶ Ἀχαιοῖς ἐπήγγελλον ἐφθακόσιν ἔξοδον ἐπὶ Λακεδαίμονα πεποιῆσθαι καὶ—ἑώρων γὰρ πρὸς τὴν παραίνεσιν ἀνθεστηκότα τὰ Ἀχαιῶν—ἀπηλλάσσοντο ἐς τὴν Ἀσίαν·
So they delivered the instructions to Damocritus and the Achaeans, who had already made an expedition against Lacedaemon, and—for they saw that the attitude of the Achaeans was opposed to the advice—departed for Asia.
Λακεδαιμόνιοι δὲ ὑπὸ φρονήματος μᾶλλον ἢ ἰσχύος ἔλαβον μὲν τὰ ὅπλα καὶ ἐπεξῆλθον ἀμυνοῦντες τῇ οἰκείᾳ, βιασθέντες δὲ οὐ μετὰ πολύ, ὅσον μὲν ἐς χιλίους οἱ ἡλικίᾳ μάλιστα αὐτῶν καὶ τόλμαις ἀκμάζοντες πίπτουσιν ἐν τῇ μάχῃ, τὸ δὲ ἄλλο στρατιωτικόν, ὡς ἕκαστος τάχους εἶχεν, ἔφευγον πρὸς τὴν πόλιν.
But the Lacedaemonians, out of pride rather than strength, took up arms and went out to defend their own land; but having been overpowered not long after, about a thousand of them who were in the flower of their youth and daring fell in the battle, while the rest of the army fled toward the city as fast as each could run.
§7.13.4εἰ δὲ ὁ Δαμόκριτος προθυμίαν ἐποιήσατο, τοῖς φεύγουσιν ἐκ τῆς παρατάξεως ὁμοῦ καὶ Ἀχαιοῖς ἐσδραμεῖν ὑπῆρξεν ἂν ἐς τὸ τεῖχος τῆς Σπάρτης· νῦν δὲ αὐτίκα τε ἀνεκάλεσεν ἀπὸ τῆς διώξεως τοὺς Ἀχαιοὺς καὶ ἐχρῆτο καὶ ἐς τὸ ἔπειτα καταδρομαῖς μᾶλλον καὶ ἁρπαγαῖς ἐκ τῆς χώρας ἢ συντόνῳ πολιορκίᾳ.
And if Damocritus had shown enthusiasm, it would have been possible for the Achaeans, together with those fleeing from the battle-line, to burst inside the wall of Sparta; but as it was, he immediately recalled the Achaeans from the pursuit, and thereafter engaged more in incursions and plundering from the territory than in a vigorous siege.
§7.13.5Δαμοκρίτῳ μὲν οὖν ἀπαγαγόντι ὀπίσω τὴν στρατιὰν ἐπιβάλλουσιν οἱ Ἀχαιοὶ ζημίαν πεντήκοντα ἅτε ἀνδρὶ προδότῃ τάλαντα, καὶ—οὐ γὰρ εἶχεν ἐκτῖσαι— φεύγων ᾤχετο ἐκ Πελοποννήσου·
Therefore, because Damocritus had led the army back, the Achaeans imposed a fine of fifty talents upon him as a traitor, and—since he had no means to pay—he went into exile from the Peloponnese.
Δίαιος δὲ Ἀχαιῶν μετὰ Δαμόκριτον στρατηγεῖν ᾑρημένος ἀποστείλαντι αὖθις Μετέλλῳ πρέσβεις ὡμολόγησε μηδένα ἐπάξειν Λακεδαιμονίοις πόλεμον, ἀλλὰ ἔστʼ ἂν ἥκωσιν ἐκ Ῥώμης, ἀναμενεῖν τοὺς διαλλακτάς.
But Diaeus, having been chosen to lead the Achaeans as general after Damocritus, agreed with Metellus when the latter again sent envoys, that he would not bring any war upon the Lacedaemonians, but would wait for the arbitrators until they should arrive from Rome.
§7.13.6στρατήγημα δὲ ἄλλο ἐς τοὺς Λακεδαιμονίους παρεῦρε τοιόνδε· τὰ ἐν κύκλῳ τῆς Σπάρτης πολίσματα ἐς τὴν Ἀχαιῶν ὑπηγάγετο εὔνοιαν, ἐσήγαγε δὲ ἐς αὐτὰ καὶ φρουράς, ὁρμητήρια ἐπὶ τὴν Σπάρτην Ἀχαιοῖς εἶναι.
But he devised another stratagem against the Lacedaemonians of this kind: he brought the small towns around Sparta into goodwill toward the Achaeans, and also introduced garrisons into them, so that they might be bases of operations for the Achaeans against Sparta.
§7.13.7Μεναλκίδας δὲ ᾕρητο μὲν ὑπὸ Λακεδαιμονίων ἐναντία Διαίῳ στρατηγεῖν·
On the other side, Menalcidas had been chosen by the Lacedaemonians to be general against Diaeus.
ἐχόντων δὲ αὐτῶν ἔς τε τὴν πᾶσαν πολέμου παρασκευὴν καὶ οὐχ ἥκιστα τοῖς χρήμασιν ἀσθενῶς, πρὸς δὲ καὶ τῆς γῆς σφισιν ἀσπόρου μεμενηκυίας, †διας ὅμως τὰς σπονδὰς ὑπερβῆναι καὶ πόλισμα Ἴασον ἑλὼν ἐξ ἐπιδρομῆς ἐπόρθησεν, ἐν ὅροις μὲν χώρας τῆς Λακωνικῆς, Ἀχαιῶν δὲ ἐν τῷ τότε ὑπήκοον.
But although they were weak in all military preparations, and not least in funds, and besides their land had remained unsown, †nevertheless† he transgressed the treaty and captured by sudden attack and plundered the town of Iasus, which was on the borders of the Laconian territory, but at that time subject to the Achaeans.
§7.13.8ἐξεγείρας δὲ αὖθις Λακεδαιμονίοις καὶ Ἀχαιοῖς πόλεμον ἐν ἐγκλήμασί τε ἦν ὑπὸ τῶν πολιτῶν καὶ— οὐ γάρ τινα ἐκ τοῦ προσδοκωμένου κινδύνου Λακεδαιμονίοις σωτηρίαν εὕρισκεν—ἀφίησιν ἑκουσίως τὴν ψυχὴν πιὼν φάρμακον.
Having thus once again stirred up war between the Lacedaemonians and the Achaeans, he fell under charges from his fellow-citizens, and—since he could find no way of safety for the Lacedaemonians from the expected danger—he voluntarily parted with his life by drinking poison.
καὶ Μεκαλκίδᾳ μὲν τέλος τοιοῦτον ἐγένετο, ἄρξαντι ἐν τῷ τότε μὲν Λακεδαιμονίων ὡς ἂν ὁ ἀμαθέστατος στρατηγός, πρότερον δὲ ἔτι τοῦ Ἀχαιῶν ἔθνους ὡς ἀνθρώπων ὁ ἀδικώτατος.
And such was the end of Menalcidas, who at that time had ruled the Lacedaemonians as the most ignorant general, and even earlier had ruled the Achaean nation as the most unjust of men.