§16.32.1ἐξ ὧν εἴποι τις ἂν καὶ τὴν λεγομένην Φωκικὴν ἀπόνοιαν καὶ τὴν Ἀκαρνάνων εὐψυχίαν ὑπερηρκέναι τὴν τῶν Ἀβυδηνῶν τόλμαν. §16.32.2Φωκεῖς τε γὰρ δοκοῦσι τὰ παραπλήσια βουλεύσασθαι περὶ τῶν ἀναγκαίων, οὐκ εἰς τέλος ἀπηλπισμένας ἔχοντες τὰς τοῦ νικᾶν ἐλπίδας διὰ τὸ μέλλειν ποιεῖσθαι τὸν κίνδυνον πρὸς τοὺς Θετταλοὺς ἐν τοῖς ὑπαίθροις ἐκ παρατάξεως· ὁμοίως δὲ καὶ τὸ τῶν Ἀκαρνάνων ἔθνος, §16.32.3ὅτε προιδόμενοι τὴν Αἰτωλῶν ἔφοδον, ἐβουλεύσαντο παραπλήσια περὶ τῶν ἐνεστώτων· ὑπὲρ ὧν τὰ κατὰ μέρος ἡμεῖς ἐν τοῖς πρὸ τούτων ἱστορήκαμεν. §16.32.4Ἀβυδηνοὶ δέ, συγκεκλεισμένοι καὶ σχεδὸν ἀπηλπικότες τὴν σωτηρίαν, πανδημεὶ προείλοντο τῆς εἱμαρμένης τυχεῖν μετὰ τῶν τέκνων καὶ τῶν γυναικῶν μᾶλλον ἢ ζῶντες ἔτι πρόληψιν ἔχειν τοῦ πεσεῖσθαι τὰ σφέτερα τέκνα καὶ τὰς γυναῖκας ὑπὸ τὴν τῶν ἐχθρῶν ἐξουσίαν. §16.32.5διὸ καὶ μάλιστʼ ἄν τις ἐπὶ τῆς Ἀβυδηνῶν περιπετείας μέμψαιτο τῇ τύχῃ, διότι τὰς μὲν τῶν προειρημένων συμφορὰς οἷον ἐλεήσασα παραυτίκα διωρθώσατο, περιθεῖσα τὴν νίκην ἅμα καὶ τὴν σωτηρίαν τοῖς ἀπηλπισμένοις, περὶ δʼ Ἀβυδηνῶν τὴν ἐναντίαν εἶχε διάληψιν. §16.32.6οἱ μὲν γὰρ ἄνδρες ἀπέθανον, ἡ δὲ πόλις ἑάλω, τὰ δὲ τέκνα σὺν αὐταῖς μητράσιν ἐγένετο τοῖς ἐχθροῖς ὑποχείρια.
From these facts, one might say that the daring of the Abydenians surpassed even the so-called Phocian despair and the courage of the Acarnanians. For the Phocians seem to have made similar decisions concerning their near and dear ones, though they had not lost their hopes of victory to the end, because they were about to face the danger in the open field in a pitched battle against the Thessalians; and likewise the nation of the Acarnanians, when they foresaw the inroad of the Aetolians, made similar decisions concerning their present situation; about whom we have recorded the details in our previous narrative. But the Abydenians, shut up and having almost despaired of safety, chose as a whole people to meet their fate together with their children and wives rather than, while still living, to foresee their own children and wives falling under the power of the enemy. Wherefore one might most of all blame Fortune for the sudden reversal of the Abydenians, because, as if in pity, she immediately corrected the misfortunes of the aforementioned peoples, bestowing victory as well as safety upon those who had despaired, but for the Abydenians she held the opposite decision. For the men died, the city was taken, and the children together with their very mothers fell into the hands of the enemy.