§18.24.1Φίλιππος δὲ κατὰ τὸν αὐτὸν καιρόν, ἐπειδὴ τὸ πλέον μέρος ἤδη τῆς ἑαυτοῦ δυνάμεως ἑώρα παρεμβεβληκὸς πρὸ τοῦ χάρακος, αὐτὸς μὲν ἀναλαβὼν τοὺς πελταστὰς καὶ τὸ δεξιὸν τῆς φάλαγγος προῆγε, σύντονον ποιούμενος τὴν πρὸς τοὺς λόφους ἀνάβασιν, §18.24.2τοῖς δὲ περὶ τὸν Νικάνορα τὸν ἐπικαλούμενον ἐλέφαντα συνέταξε φροντίζειν ἵνα τὸ λοιπὸν μέρος τῆς δυνάμεως ἐκ ποδὸς ἕπηται. §18.24.3ἅμα δὲ τῷ τοὺς πρώτους ἅψασθαι τῆς ὑπερβολῆς εὐθέως ἐξ ἀσπίδος παρενέβαλε καὶ προκατελάμβανε τοὺς ὑπερδεξίους· τῶν γὰρ προκινδυνευόντων Μακεδόνων ἐπὶ πολὺ τεθλιφότων τοὺς Ῥωμαίους ἐπὶ θάτερα μέρη τῶν λόφων, ἐρήμους κατέλαβε τοὺς ἄκρους. §18.24.4ἔτι δὲ παρεμβάλλοντος αὐτοῦ τὰ δεξιὰ μέρη τῆς στρατιᾶς, παρῆσαν οἱ μισθοφόροι, πιεζούμενοι κατὰ κράτος ὑπὸ τῶν πολεμίων· §18.24.5προσγενομένων γὰρ τοῖς τῶν Ῥωμαίων εὐζώνοις τῶν ἐν τοῖς βαρέσιν ὅπλοις ἀνδρῶν, καθάπερ ἀρτίως εἶπα, καὶ συνεργούντων κατὰ τὴν μάχην, προσλαβόντες οἷον εἰ σήκωμα τὴν τούτων χρείαν, βαρέως ἐπέκειντο τοῖς πολεμίοις καὶ πολλοὺς αὐτῶν ἔκτεινον. §18.24.6ὁ δὲ βασιλεὺς ἐν μὲν ταῖς ἀρχαῖς, ὅτε παρεγίνετο, θεωρῶν οὐ μακρὰν τῆς τῶν πολεμίων παρεμβολῆς συνεστῶτα τὸν τῶν εὐζώνων κίνδυνον περιχαρὴς ἦν· §18.24.7ὡς δὲ πάλιν ἐκ μεταβολῆς ἑώρα κλίνοντας τοὺς ἰδίους καὶ προσδεομένους ἐπικουρίας, ἠναγκάζετο βοηθεῖν καὶ κρίνειν ἐκ τοῦ καιροῦ τὰ ὅλα, καίπερ ἔτι τῶν πλείστων μερῶν τῆς φάλαγγος κατὰ πορείαν ὄντων καὶ προσβαινόντων πρὸς τοὺς βουνούς. §18.24.8προσδεξάμενος δὲ τοὺς ἀγωνιζομένους, τούτους μὲν ἥθροιζε πάντας ἐπὶ τὸ δεξιὸν κέρας, καὶ τοὺς πεζοὺς καὶ τοὺς ἱππέας, τοῖς δὲ πελτασταῖς καὶ τοῖς φαλαγγίταις παρήγγελλε διπλασιάζειν τὸ βάθος καὶ πυκνοῦν ἐπὶ τὸ δεξιόν.
Philip, at the same time, seeing that the greater part of his force was already drawn up in front of the camp, himself advanced, taking the peltasts and the right wing of the phalanx, making a rapid ascent towards the hills. He ordered Nicanor, surnamed the Elephant, and his men to take care that the rest of the force should follow close behind. As soon as the foremost men reached the ridge, he immediately drew them up to the left and preoccupied the high ground; for, as the Macedonian vanguard had pushed the Romans far back onto the other side of the hills, he found the summits unoccupied. While he was still drawing up the right portions of his army, the mercenaries arrived, being hard pressed by the enemy. For when the heavy-armed men joined the Roman light-armed troops, as I have just said, and co-operated in the battle, receiving their support like a decisive weight in the scale, the Romans pressed heavily upon the enemy and killed many of them. Now the king, at first, when he arrived and saw that the combat of the light-armed troops was going on not far from the enemy’s camp, was filled with joy. But when he saw the tide of battle turn and his own men giving way and needing assistance, he was forced to come to their aid and decide the whole issue from the circumstances, although the greater part of the phalanx was still on the march and ascending the hills. Receiving those who were fighting, he collected them all, both infantry and cavalry, on the right wing, and ordered the peltasts and the phalangites to double their depth and close up to the right.
γενομένου δὲ τούτου, §18.24.9καὶ τῶν πολεμίων ἐν χερσὶν ὄντων, τοῖς μὲν φαλαγγίταις ἐδόθη παράγγελμα καταβαλοῦσι τὰς σαρίσας ἐπάγειν, τοῖς δʼ εὐζώνοις κερᾶν. §18.24.10κατὰ δὲ τὸν αὐτὸν καιρὸν καὶ Τίτος, δεξάμενος εἰς τὰ διαστήματα τῶν σημαιῶν τοὺς προκινδυνεύοντας, προσέβαλε τοῖς πολεμίοις.
When this was done, and the enemy were close at hand, the order was given to the phalangites to lower their pikes (sarissas) and charge, and to the light-armed troops to outflank the enemy. At the same time Titus also, having received the vanguard into the intervals of his maniples, charged the enemy.