§1.48.1τῶν δὲ πολιορκουμένων ταῖς μὲν ἀντοικοδομίαις ἐνεργῶς χρωμένων, τοῦ δὲ λυμαίνεσθαι καὶ διαφθείρειν τὰς τῶν ὑπεναντίων παρασκευὰς ἀπεγνωκότων,
On the other hand, while the besieged were actively employing counter-walls, they had given up all hope of damaging or destroying the works of the enemy.
§1.48.2γίνεταί τις ἀνέμου στάσις ἔχουσα τηλικαύτην βίαν καὶ φορὰν εἰς αὐτὰς τὰς τῶν μηχανημάτων προσαγωγὰς ὥστε καὶ τὰς στοὰς διασαλεύειν καὶ τοὺς προκειμένους τούτων πύργους τῇ βίᾳ βαστάζειν.
But then there arose a gale of wind which had such violence and direction against the very point where the engines were being brought up, that it shook the galleries and lifted the towers in front of them by its force.
§1.48.3ἐν ᾧ καιρῷ συννοήσαντές τινες τῶν Ἑλληνικῶν μισθοφόρων τὴν ἐπιτηδειότητα τῆς περιστάσεως πρὸς τὴν τῶν ἔργων διαφθορὰν προσφέρουσι τῷ στρατηγῷ τὴν ἐπίνοιαν.
At this moment, some of the Greek mercenaries, perceiving how suitable the circumstance was for the destruction of the works, suggested the plan to the general.
§1.48.4τοῦ δὲ δεξαμένου καὶ ταχέως ἑτοιμάσαντος πᾶν τὸ πρὸς τὴν χρείαν ἁρμόζον, συστραφέντες οἱ νεανίσκοι κατὰ τριττοὺς τόπους ἐνέβαλον πῦρ τοῖς ἔργοις.
He accepted it and quickly prepared everything suitable for the purpose; whereupon the young men, gathering in bodies at three different points, set fire to the works.
§1.48.5ὡς δʼ ἂν τῶν μὲν κατασκευασμάτων διὰ τὸν χρόνον εὖ παρεσκευασμένων πρὸς τὸ ῥᾳδίως ἐμπρησθῆναι, τῆς δὲ τοῦ πνεύματος βίας φυσώσης κατʼ αὐτῶν τῶν πύργων καὶ μηχανημάτων, τὴν μὲν νομὴν τοῦ πυρὸς ἐνεργὸν συνέβαινε γίνεσθαι καὶ πρακτικήν, τὴν δʼ ἐπάρκειαν καὶ βοήθειαν τοῖς Ῥωμαίοις εἰς τέλος ἄπρακτον καὶ δυσχερῆ.
And since the structures, owing to length of time, were well adapted for being easily set on fire, and the violence of the wind was blowing directly against the towers and engines, the spread of the fire was rapid and effective, while the efforts of the Romans to bring help and extinguish it were completely ineffective and difficult.
§1.48.6τοιαύτην γὰρ ἔκπληξιν παρίστα τὸ συμβαῖνον τοῖς βοηθοῦσιν ὥστε μήτε συννοῆσαι μήτε συνιδεῖν δύνασθαι τὸ γινόμενον, ἀλλʼ ἀποσκοτουμένους ὑπὸ τῆς εἰς αὐτοὺς φερομένης λιγνύος καὶ τῶν φεψαλύγων, ἔτι δὲ τῆς τοῦ καπνοῦ πολυπληθίας, οὐκ ὀλίγους ἀπόλλυσθαι καὶ πίπτειν, μὴ δυναμένους ἐγγίσαι πρὸς αὐτὴν τὴν τοῦ πυρὸς βοήθειαν.
For the occurrence caused such confusion to those who came to help that they could neither understand nor see what was happening; but being blinded by the soot and sparks blowing towards them, as well as by the density of the smoke, not a few of them perished and fell, being unable to get near enough to help extinguish the fire itself.
§1.48.7ὅσῳ δὲ μείζω συνέβαινε γίνεσθαι τὴν δυσχρηστίαν περὶ τοὺς ὑπεναντίους διὰ τὰς προειρημένας αἰτίας, τοσούτῳ πλείων εὐχρηστία περὶ τοὺς ἐνιέντας ἦν τὸ πῦρ.
The greater the difficulty on the side of the enemy became owing to the aforesaid causes, the greater was the advantage on the side of those who were throwing the fire.
§1.48.8τὸ μὲν γὰρ ἐπισκοτοῦν καὶ βλάπτειν δυνάμενον πᾶν ἐξεφυσᾶτο καὶ προωθεῖτο κατὰ τῶν ὑπεναντίων, τὸ δὲ βαλλόμενον ἢ ῥιπτούμενον ἐπί τε τοὺς βοηθοῦντας καὶ τὴν τῶν ἔργων διαφθορὰν εὔστοχον μὲν ἐπεγίνετο διὰ τὸ συνορᾶν τοὺς ἀφιέντας τὸν πρὸ αὑτῶν τόπον, πρακτικὸν δὲ διὰ τὸ γίνεσθαι σφοδρὰν τὴν πληγήν, συνεργούσης τοῖς βάλλουσι τῆς τοῦ πνεύματος βίας.
For everything that could blind and injure was blown away and driven against the enemy, while whatever was shot or thrown, whether at those who came to help or to promote the destruction of the works, was well-aimed because the throwers could see the ground in front of them, and effective because the blow was heavy, as the violence of the wind co-operated with those who threw.
§1.48.9τὸ δὲ πέρας τοιαύτην συνέβη γενέσθαι τὴν παντέλειαν τῆς καταφθορᾶς ὥστε καὶ τὰς βάσεις τῶν πύργων καὶ τὰ στύπη τῶν κριῶν ὑπὸ τοῦ πυρὸς ἀχρειωθῆναι.
In the end, the destruction was so complete that even the bases of the towers and the beams of the battering-rams were rendered useless by the fire.
§1.48.10τούτων δὲ συμβάντων τὸ μὲν ἔτι διὰ τῶν ἔργων πολιορκεῖν ἀπέγνωσαν οἱ Ῥωμαῖοι· περιταφρεύσαντες δὲ καὶ χάρακι περιλαβόντες κύκλῳ τὴν πόλιν, ἔτι δὲ τῆς ἰδίας στρατοπεδείας τεῖχος προβαλόμενοι τῷ χρόνῳ παρέδοσαν τὴν πρᾶξιν.
When this happened, the Romans gave up the attempt to besiege the city any longer by means of works; and having dug a trench and built a palisade all round the city, and also erected a wall in front of their own camp, they committed the enterprise to time.
§1.48.11οἱ δʼ ἐν τῷ Λιλυβαίῳ τὸ πεπτωκὸς ἐξοικοδομησάμενοι τεῖχος εὐθαρσῶς ὑπέμενον ἤδη τὴν πολιορκίαν.
But those in Lilybaeum, having rebuilt the part of the wall which had fallen, now courageously awaited the siege.