§8.49.1οὐ πόρρω δὲ τῆς ἀγορᾶς θέατρόν τέ ἐστι καὶ πρὸς αὐτῷ βάθρα εἰκόνων χαλκῶν, αὐταὶ δὲ οὐκ εἰσὶν ἔτι αἱ εἰκόνες· ἐλεγεῖον δὲ ἐφʼ ἑνὶ τῶν βάθρων ἐστὶ Φιλοποίμενος τὸν ἀνδριάντα εἶναι.
Not far from the marketplace is a theater, and near it are pedestals for bronze statues, though the statues themselves are no longer there; on one of the pedestals there is an elegiac inscription showing that a statue of Philopoemen once stood there.
τούτου δὲ Ἕλληνες τοῦ Φιλοποίμενος οὐχ ἥκιστα ἀλλὰ καὶ μάλιστα ἔχουσι μνήμην, γνώμης τε ἕνεκα ἣν παρέσχετο καὶ ἐπὶ τοῖς ἔργοις ὁπόσα ἐτόλμησε.
The Greeks hold this Philopoemen in memory not least but most of all, both on account of the wisdom he displayed and for all the deeds he dared to perform.
§8.49.2τὰ μὲν δὴ ἐς γένους δόξαν ὁ πατήρ οἱ Κραῦγις Ἀρκάδων ἐλείπετο οὐδενὸς τῶν ἐν Μεγάλῃ πόλει·
As for the reputation of his family, his father Craugis was second to none of the Arcadians in Megalopolis.
τελευτήσαντος δὲ τοῦ Κραύγιδος ἐπὶ παιδὶ ἔτι νηπίῳ τῷ Φιλοποίμενι, ἐπετρόπευσεν αὐτὸν ἀνὴρ Μαντινεὺς Κλέανδρος, φεύγων μὲν ἐκ Μαντινείας καὶ ἐν Μεγάλῃ πόλει μετοικῶν κατὰ τὴν οἴκοθεν συμφοράν, ξενίας δὲ ὑπαρχούσης αὐτῷ πατρικῆς ἐς οἶκον τὸν Κραύγιδος.
When Craugis died, while Philopoemen was still a young child, Cleander, a man of Mantinea, became his guardian; Cleander was exiled from Mantinea and was living in Megalopolis because of a disaster at home, but there existed a hereditary ties of hospitality between him and the house of Craugis.
διδασκάλοις δὲ ὁμιλῆσαι τὸν Φιλοποίμενα καὶ ἄλλοις καὶ Μεγαλοφάνει τε καὶ Ἐκδήλῳ λέγουσι· τοὺς δὲ Ἀρκεσιλάου φασὶν εἶναι Πιταναίου μαθητάς.
They say that Philopoemen studied under other teachers and especially Megalophanes and Ecdelus; and they say that these two were pupils of Arcesilaus of Pitane.
§8.49.3μέγεθος μὲν δὴ καὶ σώματος ῥώμην ἀπέδει Πελοποννησίων οὐδενός, τὸ δὲ εἶδος ἦν τοῦ προσώπου κακός·
In stature and physical strength indeed he fell short of none of the Peloponnesians, but the appearance of his face was ugly.
καὶ ἐπὶ μὲν τοὺς στεφανίτας ἀγῶνας ὑπερεφρόνησεν ἀσκῆσαι, γῆν δὲ ἣν ἐκέκτητο ἐργαζόμενος οὐδὲ τὰ θηρία ἠμέλει τὰ ἄγρια ἐξαίρειν.
He disdained to train for the crown-bearing games, and while working the land he possessed, he did not neglect to destroy wild beasts.
ἐπιλέγεσθαι δὲ καὶ βιβλία φασὶν αὐτὸν σοφιστῶν τε τῶν εὐδοκιμούντων παρʼ Ἕλλησι καὶ ὅσα ἐς πολέμων μνήμην καὶ εἰ δή τι ἔχει διδασκαλίαν στρατηγημάτων·
They say that he also read the books of the sophists who were of high repute among the Greeks, and whatever was written concerning the memory of wars and if there was any instruction in generalship.
καταστήσασθαι δὲ τὸν βίον πάντα ἐθέλων γνώμης τῆς Ἐπαμινώνδου καὶ ἔργων εἶναι τῶν ἐκείνου μίμησιν, οὐ τὰ πάντα ἦν ἐξισωθῆναι δυνατός· Ἐπαμινώνδᾳ γὰρ τά τε ἄλλα ἡ ψυχὴ καὶ μάλιστα πρᾴως εἶχε τὰ ἐς ὀργήν, τῷ δὲ Ἀρκάδι μετῆν γε θυμοῦ.
Desiring to conform his whole life to the imitation of the thoughts and deeds of Epaminondas, he was not able to equal him in all respects; for the soul of Epaminondas was, both in other things and especially in anger, extremely mild, whereas the Arcadian possessed a share of passionate temper.
§8.49.4καταλαβόντος δὲ Κλεομένους Μεγάλην πόλιν, Φιλοποίμην οὔτε τῆς συμφορᾶς ἐξεπλάγη τὸ ἀπροσδόκητον καὶ τῶν ἐν ἡλικίᾳ τὰ δύο μάλιστα μέρη καὶ γυναῖκας καὶ παῖδας ἀπέσωσεν ἐς Μεσσήνην, συμμάχων σφίσιν ἐν τῷ τότε καὶ εὔνων τῶν Μεσσηνίων ὄντων·
When Cleomenes captured Megalopolis, Philopoemen was not dismayed by the unexpectedness of the disaster, and saved almost two-thirds of the men of military age, as well as the women and children, bringing them safely to Messene, since the Messenians were at that time their allies and well-disposed.
καὶ—ἦσαν γὰρ τῶν διαπεφευγότων οἷς ὁ Κλεομένης ἐπεκηρυκεύετο μεταγινώσκειν τε ἐπὶ τῷ τολμήματι καὶ πρὸς Μεγαλοπολίτας ἐθέλειν σπένδεσθαι κατιόντας ἐπὶ τὴν ἑαυτῶν —ἔπεισεν ἐν κοινῷ τοὺς πολίτας ὁ Φιλοποίμην μεθʼ ὅπλων τὴν κάθοδον οἴκαδε εὑρίσκεσθαι μηδὲ ἐς ὁμολογίας τε καὶ σπονδὰς ἰέναι.
And—for there were some among the fugitives to whom Cleomenes sent envoys, saying that he regretted his daring deed and wished to make a treaty with the Megalopolitans if they would return to their own city—Philopoemen persuaded the citizens in common that they should seek a return home with arms in their hands, and not enter into agreements and treaties.
§8.49.5γενομένης δὲ ἐν Σελλασίᾳ πρὸς Κλεομένην τε καὶ Λακεδαιμονίους μάχης, ἣν Ἀχαιοὶ καὶ Ἀρκάδες ἀπὸ τῶν πόλεων πασῶν, σὺν δέ σφισι καὶ Ἀντίγονος ἐμαχέσατο ἄγων ἐκ Μακεδονίας στρατιάν, ἐτέτακτο μὲν τηνικαῦτα ὁ Φιλοποίμην ἐν τοῖς ἱππεῦσιν·
When a battle took place at Sellasia against Cleomenes and the Lacedaemonians, in which the Achaians and Arcadians from all the cities fought, and with them also Antigonus leading an army from Macedonia, Philopoemen was at that time stationed among the cavalry.
ἐπεὶ δὲ ἐν τῷ πεζῷ τοῦ ἔργου τὸ πλεῖστον ἑώρα ληψόμενον τὴν κρίσιν, ὁπλίτης ἑκὼν ἐγένετο, καὶ αὐτὸν λόγου κινδυνεύοντα ἀξίως τῶν τις ἐναντίων διʼ ἀμφοτέρων ἔπειρε τῶν μηρῶν.
But when he saw that the greater part of the decision of the battle would be taken by the infantry, he voluntarily became a hoplite, and as he was exposing himself to danger in a manner worthy of mention, one of the enemy pierced him through both thighs.
§8.49.6ὁ δὲ καὶ ἐς τοσοῦτο ὅμως πεπεδημένος τά τε γόνατα ἐνέκλινε καὶ ἐς τὸ πρόσω χωρεῖν ἐβιάζετο, ὥστε καὶ ὑπὸ τῶν ποδῶν τοῦ κινήματος τὸ δόρυ ἔκλασεν·
But he, though thus fettered, nevertheless bent his knees and forced himself to go forward, so that by the movement of his feet he broke the spear.
ἐπεὶ δὲ οἱ Λακεδαιμόνιοι καὶ ὁ Κλεομένης ἐκρατήθησαν καὶ ἐς τὸ στρατόπεδον ἀνέστρεψε Φιλοποίμην, ἐνταῦθα ἐξ ἀμφοτέρων αὐτοῦ τῶν μηρῶν οἱ ἰατροὶ τῇ μὲν τὸν σαυρωτῆρα ἐξεῖλκον, τῇ δὲ τὴν αἰχμήν.
When the Lacedaemonians and Cleomenes were defeated and Philopoemen returned to the camp, there the physicians drew out from both his thighs, from the one the butt-spike and from the other the spear-point.
Ἀντίγονος δὲ ὡς ἐπύθετο καὶ εἶδεν αὐτοῦ τὰ τολμήματα, ἐποιεῖτο σπουδὴν ἐπάγεσθαι Φιλοποίμενα ἐς Μακεδονίαν.
When Antigonus heard of and saw his daring deeds, he made haste to bring Philopoemen to Macedonia.
§8.49.7τῷ δὲ Ἀντιγόνου μὲν ὀλίγον μελήσειν ἔμελλε· περαιωσάμενος δὲ νηὶ ἐς Κρήτην—πόλεμος γὰρ κατεῖχεν αὐτὴν ἐμφύλιος— ἐπετέτακτο ἡγεμὼν μισθοφόροις·
But he was to care little for the plans of Antigonus; crossing over by ship to Crete—for a civil war held it—he was appointed commander of the mercenaries.
ἐπανήκων δὲ ἐς Μεγάλην πόλιν αὐτίκα ὑπὸ τῶν Ἀχαιῶν ᾕρητο ἄρχειν τοῦ ἱππικοῦ, καὶ σφᾶς ἀρίστους Ἑλλήνων ἀπέφαινεν ἱππεύειν.
Returning to Megalopolis, he was immediately chosen by the Achaians to command the cavalry, and he showed them to be the best horsemen of the Greeks.
Ἀχαιῶν δὲ καὶ ὅσοι συντεταγμένοι τοῖς Ἀχαιοῖς ἦσαν περὶ Λάρισον μαχομένων ποταμὸν πρὸς Ἠλείους καὶ τὸ Αἰτωλικὸν ἐπικουροῦντας κατὰ συγγένειαν Ἠλείοις, πρῶτα μὲν Δημόφαντον ἀπέκτεινεν αὐτοχειρίᾳ τοῖς ἐναντίοις ἡγεμόνα ὄντα τῆς ἵππου, δεύτερα δὲ καὶ τὸ ἄλλο ἱππικὸν τῶν Αἰτωλῶν καὶ τῶν Ἠλείων ἐτρέψατο.
When the Achaians and those allied with them were fighting near the river Larisus against the Eleans and the Aetolian force auxiliary to the Eleans because of kinship, he first killed with his own hand Demophantus, who was the commander of the enemy's cavalry, and secondly routed the rest of the cavalry of the Aetolians and Eleans.