§2.39.1καθʼ οὓς γὰρ καιροὺς ἐν τοῖς κατὰ τὴν Ἰταλίαν τόποις κατὰ τὴν Μεγάλην Ἑλλάδα τότε προσαγορευομένην ἐνεπρήσθη τὰ συνέδρια τῶν Πυθαγορείων, §2.39.2μετὰ ταῦτα γενομένου κινήματος ὁλοσχεροῦς περὶ τὰς πολιτείας, ὅπερ εἰκός, ὡς ἂν τῶν πρώτων ἀνδρῶν ἐξ ἑκάστης πόλεως οὕτω παραλόγως διαφθαρέντων, §2.39.3συνέβη τὰς κατʼ ἐκείνους τοὺς τόπους Ἑλληνικὰς πόλεις ἀναπλησθῆναι φόνου καὶ στάσεως καὶ παντοδαπῆς ταραχῆς.
For at the time when, in the regions of Italy then called Magna Graecia, the meeting-places of the Pythagoreans were burned down, and after this, a general upheaval occurred in their constitutions—as was natural, since the leading men from each city had been so unexpectedly destroyed— it happened that the Greek cities in those parts were filled with slaughter, sedition, and every kind of confusion.
§2.39.4ἐν οἷς καιροῖς ἀπὸ τῶν πλείστων μερῶν τῆς Ἑλλάδος πρεσβευόντων ἐπὶ τὰς διαλύσεις, Ἀχαιοῖς καὶ τῇ τούτων πίστει συνεχρήσαντο πρὸς τὴν τῶν παρόντων κακῶν ἐξαγωγήν.
At which time, while embassies were being sent from most parts of Greece for the sake of reconciliation, they made use of the Achaeans and their trustworthiness for the removal of their present evils.
§2.39.5οὐ μόνον δὲ κατὰ τούτους τοὺς καιροὺς ἀπεδέξαντο τὴν αἵρεσιν τῶν Ἀχαιῶν, ἀλλὰ καὶ μετά τινας χρόνους ὁλοσχερῶς ὥρμησαν ἐπὶ τὸ μιμηταὶ γενέσθαι τῆς πολιτείας αὐτῶν.
And not only did they accept the principle of the Achaeans at those times, but also after some time they fully resolved to become imitators of their constitution.
§2.39.6παρακαλέσαντες γὰρ σφᾶς καὶ συμφρονήσαντες Κροτωνιᾶται, Συβαρῖται, Καυλωνιᾶται, πρῶτον μὲν ἀπέδειξαν Διὸς Ὁμαρίου κοινὸν ἱερὸν καὶ τόπον, ἐν ᾧ τάς τε συνόδους καὶ τὰ διαβούλια συνετέλουν, δεύτερον τοὺς ἐθισμοὺς καὶ νόμους ἐκλαβόντες τοὺς τῶν Ἀχαιῶν ἐπεβάλοντο χρῆσθαι καὶ διοικεῖν κατὰ τούτους τὴν πολιτείαν.
For the Crotoniates, Sybarites, and Cauloniates, having invited one another and agreed in mind, first established a common temple and place of Zeus Homarios, in which they held their meetings and deliberations; secondly, having adopted the customs and laws of the Achaeans, they undertook to use them and to administer their constitution accordingly.
ὑπὸ δὲ τῆς Διονυσίου Συρακοσίου δυναστείας, §2.39.7ἔτι δὲ τῆς τῶν περιοικούντων βαρβάρων ἐπικρατείας ἐμποδισθέντες οὐχ ἑκουσίως ἀλλὰ κατʼ ἀνάγκην αὐτῶν ἀπέστησαν.
But being hindered by the dynasty of Dionysius of Syracuse, and also by the domination of the surrounding barbarians, they departed from them, not voluntarily, but by necessity.
§2.39.8μετὰ δὲ ταῦτα Λακεδαιμονίων μὲν παραδόξως πταισάντων περὶ τὴν ἐν Λεύκτροις μάχην, Θηβαίων δʼ ἀνελπίστως ἀντιποιησαμένων τῆς τῶν Ἑλλήνων ἡγεμονίας, ἦν ἀκρισία περὶ πάντας μὲν τοὺς Ἕλληνας, μάλιστα δὲ περὶ τοὺς προειρημένους, ὡς ἂν τῶν μὲν μὴ συγχωρούντων ἡττῆσθαι, τῶν δὲ μὴ πιστευόντων ὅτι νενικήκασιν.
After this, when the Lacedaemonians had unexpectedly failed in the battle of Leuctra, and the Thebans had unlooked-for laid claim to the hegemony of the Greeks, there was great uncertainty among all the Greeks, and especially among the aforementioned, since the one side would not concede that they were defeated, and the other could not believe that they had won.
§2.39.9οὐ μὴν ἀλλά γε περὶ τῶν ἀμφισβητουμένων ἐπέτρεψαν Θηβαῖοι καὶ Λακεδαιμόνιοι μόνοις τῶν Ἑλλήνων Ἀχαιοῖς, οὐ πρὸς τὴν δύναμιν ἀποβλέψαντες — §2.39.10σχεδὸν γὰρ ἐλαχίστην τότε δὴ τῶν Ἑλλήνων εἶχον — τὸ δὲ πλεῖον εἰς τὴν πίστιν καὶ τὴν ὅλην καλοκἀγαθίαν.
Nevertheless, concerning the matters in dispute, the Thebans and Lacedaemonians referred to the Achaeans alone of all the Greeks, looking not to their power— for they had at that time almost the smallest power of any Greeks—but rather to their trustworthiness and general excellence.
ὁμολογουμένως γὰρ δὴ τότε ταύτην περὶ αὐτῶν πάντες εἶχον τὴν δόξαν.
For indeed, everyone then unanimously held this opinion concerning them.
§2.39.11τότε μὲν οὖν ψιλῶς αὐτὰ τὰ κατὰ τὴν προαίρεσιν ὑπῆρχε παρʼ αὐτοῖς· ἀποτέλεσμα δʼ ἢ πρᾶξις ἀξιόλογος πρὸς αὔξησιν τῶν ἰδίων ἀνήκουσα πραγμάτων οὐκ ἐγίνετο, §2.39.12τῷ μὴ δύνασθαι φῦναι προστάτην ἄξιον τῆς προαιρέσεως, ἀεὶ δὲ τὸν ὑποδείξαντα ποτὲ μὲν ὑπὸ τῆς Λακεδαιμονίων ἀρχῆς ἐπισκοτεῖσθαι καὶ κωλύεσθαι, ποτὲ δὲ μᾶλλον ὑπὸ
At that time, therefore, the principles themselves existed merely in their possession; but no remarkable result or action leading to the increase of their own affairs took place, because of their inability to produce a leader worthy of their principle, and because any man who did show such promise was always obscured and hindered at one time by the dominion of the Lacedaemonians, and at another time rather by