§18.3.1ταῦτα δʼ εἰπόντος τοῦ Φαινέου τοῦ τῶν Αἰτωλῶν στρατηγοῦ, μεταλαβὼν Ἀλέξανδρος ὁ προσαγορευόμενος Ἴσιος, ἀνὴρ δοκῶν πραγματικὸς εἶναι καὶ λέγειν ἱκανός,
When Phaeneas, the strategus of the Aetolians, had said this, Alexander, surnamed Isius, took up the word—a man who was considered practical and an able speaker.
§18.3.2οὔτε διαλύεσθαι νῦν ἔφησε τὸν Φίλιππον ἀληθινῶς οὔτε πολεμεῖν γενναίως, ὅταν δέῃ τοῦτο πράττειν, ἀλλʼ ἐν μὲν τοῖς συλλόγοις καὶ ταῖς ὁμιλίαις ἐνεδρεύειν καὶ παρατηρεῖν καὶ ποιεῖν τὰ τοῦ πολεμοῦντος ἔργα, κατʼ αὐτὸν δὲ τὸν πόλεμον ἀδίκως ἵστασθαι καὶ λίαν ἀγεννῶς·
He said that Philip was neither truly making peace now nor waging war nobly when it was necessary to do so, but that in conferences and interviews he was setting ambushes, watching for opportunities, and performing the deeds of a belligerent, whereas in the war itself he conducted himself unjustly and most ignobly.
§18.3.3ἀφέντα γὰρ τοῦ κατὰ πρόσωπον ἀπαντᾶν τοῖς πολεμίοις, φεύγοντα τὰς πόλεις ἐμπιπράναι καὶ διαρπάζειν καὶ διὰ ταύτης τῆς προαιρέσεως ἡττώμενον τὰ τῶν νικώντων ἆθλα λυμαίνεσθαι.
For, avoiding meeting the enemy face to face, he burned and plundered the cities as he fled, and by this policy, though defeated, he ruined the prizes of the victors.
§18.3.4καίτοι γε τοὺς πρότερον Μακεδόνων βεβασιλευκότας οὐ ταύτην ἐσχηκέναι τὴν πρόθεσιν, ἀλλὰ τὴν ἐναντίαν· μάχεσθαι μὲν γὰρ πρὸς ἀλλήλους συνεχῶς ἐν τοῖς ὑπαίθροις, τὰς δὲ πόλεις σπανίως ἀναιρεῖν καὶ καταφθείρειν.
Yet those who had previously ruled the Macedonians did not hold this purpose, but rather the opposite; for they fought with one another constantly in the open field, but rarely destroyed and ruined the cities.
§18.3.5τοῦτο δʼ εἶναι πᾶσι φανερὸν ἔκ τε τοῦ πολέμου τοῦ περὶ τὴν Ἀσίαν, ὃν Ἀλέξανδρος ἐπολέμησε πρὸς Δαρεῖον, ἔκ τε τῆς τῶν διαδεξαμένων ἀμφισβητήσεως, καθʼ ἣν ἐπολέμησαν πάντες πρὸς Ἀντίγονον ὑπὲρ τῆς Ἀσίας.
This was manifest to all both from the war in Asia which Alexander waged against Darius, and from the dispute of the successors, in which they all fought against Antigonus for Asia.
§18.3.6παραπλησίως δὲ καὶ τοὺς τούτους διαδεξαμένους μέχρι Πύρρου κεχρῆσθαι τῇ προαιρέσει ταύτῃ·
Similarly, those who succeeded these down to Pyrrhus had also followed this policy.
§18.3.7διακινδυνεύειν μὲν γὰρ πρὸς αὑτοὺς ἐν τοῖς ὑπαίθροις προχείρως καὶ πάντα ποιεῖν εἰς τὸ καταγωνίσασθαι διὰ τῶν ὅπλων ἀλλήλους, τῶν δὲ πόλεων φείδεσθαι χάριν τοῦ τοὺς νικήσαντας ἡγεῖσθαι τούτων καὶ τιμᾶσθαι παρὰ τοῖς ὑποταττομένοις.
For they readily hazarded their lives against each other in the open field and did everything to defeat one another by force of arms, but spared the cities in order that the victors might rule over them and be honored by their subjects.
§18.3.8τὸ δʼ ἀναιροῦντα περὶ ὧν ὁ πόλεμός ἐστι τὸν πόλεμον αὐτὸν καταλιπεῖν μανίας ἔργον εἶναι, καὶ ταύτης ἐρρωμένης, ὃ νῦν ποιεῖν τὸν Φίλιππον·
But to ruin the very things for which the war is waged and to leave the war itself behind is the act of a madman, and of a violent madness—which is what Philip is doing now.
§18.3.9τοσαύτας γὰρ διεφθαρκέναι πόλεις ἐν Θετταλίᾳ, φίλον ὄντα καὶ σύμμαχον, καθʼ ὃν καιρὸν ἐκ τῶν ἐν Ἠπείρῳ στενῶν ἐποιεῖτο τὴν σπουδήν, ὅσας οὐδείς ποτε τῶν Θετταλοῖς πεπολεμηκότων διέφθειρε.
For he has destroyed so many cities in Thessaly, which was a friend and ally, at the time when he was making his haste from the passes of Epirus, as no one ever destroyed of those who had waged war against the Thessalians.
§18.3.10πολλὰ δὲ καὶ ἕτερα πρὸς ταύτην τὴν ὑπόθεσιν διαλεχθεὶς τελευταίοις ἐχρήσατο τούτοις.
After speaking at length on this subject, he concluded with these points.
§18.3.11ἤρετο γὰρ τὸν Φίλιππον διὰ τί Λυσιμάχειαν μετʼ Αἰτωλῶν ταττομένην καὶ στρατηγὸν ἔχουσαν παρʼ αὐτῶν ἐκβαλὼν τοῦτον κατάσχοι φρουρᾷ τὴν πόλιν· §18.3.12διὰ τί δὲ Κιανούς, παραπλησίως μετʼ Αἰτωλῶν συμπολιτευομένους ἐξανδραποδίσαιτο, φίλος ὑπάρχων Αἰτωλοῖς· τί δὲ λέγων κατέχει νῦν Ἐχῖνον καὶ Θήβας τὰς Φθίας καὶ Φάρσαλον καὶ Λάρισαν.
For he asked Philip why, when Lysimacheia was aligned with the Aetolians and had a general sent by them, he expelled him and occupied the city with a garrison; and why he enslaved the Cianians, who were in a similar political alliance with the Aetolians, when he was a friend of the Aetolians; and on what ground he now holds Echinus, Phthitian Thebes, Pharsalus, and Larissa.