§16.36.1ὁ δὲ Φιλοποίμην ἐξελογίσατο τὰ διαστήματα τῶν Ἀχαϊκῶν πόλεων ἁπασῶν καὶ ποῖαι δύνανται κατὰ τὰς αὐτὰς ὁδοὺς εἰς τὴν Τεγέαν παραγίνεσθαι.
Philopoemen calculated the distances of all the Achaean cities and which of them were able to arrive at Tegea by the same roads.
λοιπὸν ἐπιστολὰς ἔγραψε πρὸς πάσας τὰς πόλεις, §16.36.2καὶ ταύτας διέδωκε ταῖς πορρωτάτω πόλεσι, μερίσας οὕτως ὥστε καθʼ ἑκάστην ἔχειν μὴ μόνον τὰς ἑαυτῆς, ἀλλὰ καὶ τὰς τῶν ἄλλων πόλεων, ὅσαι κατὰ τὴν αὐτὴν ὁδὸν ἔπιπτον.
Consequently, he wrote letters to all the cities, and distributed them to the furthest cities, dividing them in such a way that each had not only its own letters but also those of the other cities that lay along the same road.
§16.36.3ἐγέγραπτο δʼ ἐν ταῖς πρώταις τοῖς ἀποτελείοις τοιαῦτα. "ὅταν κομίσησθε τὴν ἐπιστολήν, παραχρῆμα ποιήσασθε τοὺς ἐν ταῖς ἡλικίαις ἔχοντας τὰ ὅπλα καὶ πένθʼ ἡμερῶν ἐφόδια καὶ πέντʼ ἀργύριον, ἁθροίζεσθαι παραυτίκα πάντας εἰς τὴν ἀγοράν.
In the first letters to the magistrates, the following was written: "As soon as you receive this letter, immediately cause those of military age, with arms, five days' provisions, and five pieces of silver, to assemble at once in the marketplace.
§16.36.4ἐπειδὰν δὲ συλλεχθῶσιν οἱ παρόντες, ἀναλαβόντες αὐτοὺς ἄγετʼ εἰς τὴν ἑξῆς πόλιν· ὅταν δʼ ἐκεῖ παραγένησθε, τὴν ἐπιστολὴν ἀπόδοτε τὴν ἐπιγεγραμμένην τῷ παρʼ ἐκείνων ἀποτελείῳ καὶ πειθαρχεῖτε τοῖς ἐγγεγραμμένοισ" §16.36.5. ἐγγέγραπτο δʼ ἐν ταύτῃ ταὐτὰ τοῖς πρόσθεν, πλὴν διότι τὸ τῆς ἑξῆς κειμένης ὄνομα πόλεως οὐ ταὐτὸν εἶχεν, εἰς ἣν ἔδει προάγειν.
And when those present have gathered, take them and lead them to the next city; and when you arrive there, deliver the letter addressed to the magistrate of that place, and obey what is written in it." In this latter letter, the same instructions were written as in the former, except that it did not have the same name of the next city to which they had to advance.
§16.36.6τοιούτου δὲ τοῦ χειρισμοῦ γενομένου κατὰ τὸ συνεχές, πρῶτον μὲν οὐδεὶς ἐγίνωσκε πρὸς τίνα πρᾶξιν ἢ πρὸς ποίαν ἐπιβολήν ἐστιν ἡ παρασκευή, εἶτα ποῦ πορεύεται, πλὴν τῆς ἑξῆς πόλεως, οὐδεὶς ἁπλῶς ᾔδει, §16.36.7πάντες δὲ διαποροῦντες καὶ παραλαμβάνοντες ἀλλήλους προῆγον εἰς τοὔμπροσθεν.
Since this method of management was carried out continuously, in the first place no one knew for what action or what enterprise the preparation was being made; in the next place, absolutely no one knew where they were marching, except for the next city, but all in perplexity, taking up one another, advanced forward.
§16.36.8τῷ δὲ μὴ τὸ ἴσον ἀπέχειν τῆς Τεγέας τὰς πορρωτάτω κειμένας πόλεις οὐχ ἅμα πάσαις ἀπεδόθη τὰ γράμματα ταύταις, ἀλλὰ κατὰ λόγον ἑκάσταις.
Because the furthest situated cities were not at an equal distance from Tegea, the letters were not delivered to all of them at the same time, but to each in proportion.
§16.36.9ἐξ ὧν συνέβη, μήτε τῶν Τεγεατῶν εἰδότων τὸ μέλλον μήτε τῶν παραγινομένων, ἅμα πάντας τοὺς Ἀχαιοὺς καὶ κατὰ πάσας τὰς πύλας εἰς τὴν Τεγέαν εἰσπο
As a result, while neither the Tegeans nor those who were arriving knew what was about to happen, all the Achaeans entered Tegea at the same time and through all its gates.