§2.50.1ὁ μὲν οὖν Ἀντίγονος ἀκούσας ταῦτα καὶ δόξας ἀληθινῶς καὶ πραγματικῶς ὑποδεικνύναι τὸν Ἄρατον, προσεῖχε τοῖς ἑξῆς πραττομένοις ἐπιμελῶς.
Thus Antigonus, having heard this and thinking that Aratus was pointing out the situation truly and practically, paid careful attention to subsequent events.
ἔγραψε δὲ καὶ τοῖς Μεγαλοπολίταις, §2.50.2ἐπαγγελλόμενος βοηθήσειν, ἐὰν καὶ τοῖς Ἀχαιοῖς τοῦτο βουλομένοις ᾖ.
He also wrote to the Megalopolitans, promising to bring help, if this should also be to the liking of the Achaeans.
§2.50.3τῶν δὲ περὶ τὸν Νικοφάνη καὶ Κερκιδᾶν ἐπανελθόντων εἰς οἶκον καὶ τάς τε παρὰ τοῦ βασιλέως ἐπιστολὰς ἀποδόντων καὶ τὴν λοιπὴν εὔνοιαν αὐτοῦ καὶ προθυμίαν διασαφούντων, §2.50.4μετεωρισθέντες οἱ Μεγαλοπολῖται προθύμως ἔσχον ἰέναι πρὸς τὴν σύνοδον τῶν Ἀχαιῶν καὶ παρακαλεῖν ἐπισπάσασθαι τὸν Ἀντίγονον καὶ τὰ πράγματα κατὰ σπουδὴν ἐγχειρίζειν αὐτῷ.
When Nicophanes and Cercidas and their companions returned home, delivered the letters from the king, and explained his remaining goodwill and zeal, the Megalopolitans, being highly encouraged, were eager to go to the assembly of the Achaeans and to urge them to call in Antigonus and to entrust the affairs to him with haste.
§2.50.5ὁ δʼ Ἄρατος διακούσας κατʼ ἰδίαν τῶν περὶ τὸν Νικοφάνη τὴν τοῦ βασιλέως αἵρεσιν, ἣν ἔχοι πρός τε τοὺς Ἀχαιοὺς καὶ πρὸς αὐτόν, περιχαρὴς ἦν τῷ μὴ διὰ κενῆς πεποιῆσθαι τὴν ἐπίνοιαν μηδʼ εὑρῆσθαι κατὰ τὴν τῶν Αἰτωλῶν ἐλπίδα τὸν Ἀντίγονον εἰς τέλος ἀπηλλοτριωμένον ἑαυτοῦ.
Aratus, having heard in private from Nicophanes and his companions the disposition which the king had toward the Achaeans and himself, was overjoyed that his design had not been made in vain, and that Antigonus had not been found, as the Aetolians had hoped, completely alienated from him.
§2.50.6πάνυ δὲ πρὸς λόγον ἡγεῖτο γίνεσθαι καὶ τὸ τοὺς Μεγαλοπολίτας προθύμους εἶναι διὰ τῶν Ἀχαιῶν φέρειν ἐπὶ τὸν Ἀντίγονον τὰ πράγματα.
And he thought it was highly advantageous that the Megalopolitans were eager to refer the affairs to Antigonus through the Achaeans.
μάλιστα μὲν γάρ, §2.50.7ὡς ἐπάνω προεῖπον, ἔσπευδεν μὴ προσδεηθῆναι τῆς βοηθείας· εἰ δʼ ἐξ ἀνάγκης ἐπὶ τοῦτο δέοι καταφεύγειν, οὐ μόνον ἠβούλετο διʼ αὑτοῦ γενέσθαι τὴν κλῆσιν, ἔτι δὲ μᾶλλον ἐξ ἁπάντων τῶν Ἀχαιῶν.
For, on the one hand, as I said above, he was anxious not to stand in need of assistance; but if of necessity they should have to resort to this, he wished that the invitation should come not only through himself, but still more from all the Achaeans.
§2.50.8ἠγωνία γάρ, εἰ παραγενόμενος ὁ βασιλεὺς καὶ κρατήσας τῷ πολέμῳ τοῦ Κλεομένους καὶ τῶν Λακεδαιμονίων ἀλλοιότερόν τι βουλεύσοιτο περὶ τῆς κοινῆς πολιτείας, μή ποθʼ ὁμολογουμένως τῶν συμβαινόντων αὐτὸς ἀναλάβῃ τὴν αἰτίαν, §2.50.9δόξαντος δικαίως τοῦτο πράττειν διὰ τὴν ἐξ αὐτοῦ προγεγενημένην ἀδικίαν περὶ τὸν Ἀκροκόρινθον εἰς τὴν Μακεδόνων οἰκίαν.
For he was anxious lest, if the king, having arrived and having conquered Cleomenes and the Lacedaemonians in the war, should form some different plan concerning their common constitution, he himself might admittedly incur the blame for the consequences, since he would be thought to have acted justly in doing this because of the injustice formerly committed by Aratus against the house of Macedon with regard to the Acrocorinth.
§2.50.10διόπερ ἅμα τῷ παρελθόντας τοὺς Μεγαλοπολίτας εἰς τὸ κοινὸν βουλευτήριον τά τε γράμματα τοῖς Ἀχαιοῖς ἐπιδεικνύναι καὶ διασαφεῖν τὴν ὅλην εὔνοιαν τοῦ βασιλέως, πρὸς δὲ τούτοις ἀξιοῦν ἐπισπάσασθαι τὸν Ἀντίγονον τὴν ταχίστην, εἶναι δὲ καὶ τὸ πλῆθος ἐπὶ τῆς αὐτῆς ὁρμῆς, §2.50.11προελθὼν Ἄρατος καὶ τήν τε τοῦ βασιλέως προθυμίαν ἀποδεξάμενος καὶ τὴν τῶν πολλῶν διάληψιν ἐπαινέσας παρεκάλει διὰ πλειόνων μάλιστα μὲν πειρᾶσθαι διʼ αὑτῶν σῴζειν καὶ τὰς πόλεις καὶ τὴν χώραν· οὐδὲν γὰρ εἶναι τούτου κάλλιον οὐδὲ συμφορώτερον· §2.50.12ἐὰν δʼ ἄρα πρὸς τοῦτο τὸ μέρος ἀντιβαίνῃ τὰ τῆς τύχης, πρότερον ἔφη δεῖν ἐξελέγξαντας πάσας τὰς ἐν αὑτοῖς ἐλπίδας τότε
Therefore, as soon as the Megalopolitans had entered the public council, displayed the letters to the Achaeans, and declared the full goodwill of the king, and in addition to this, demanded to call in Antigonus as quickly as possible, and the multitude was also of the same impulse, Aratus came forward and, while accepting the king's zeal and praising the opinion of the multitude, urged them at some length above all to try to save both their cities and their territory by themselves; for nothing was more noble or more advantageous than this; but if, after all, the course of fortune should go against them in this regard, he said that they must first test all the hopes they had in themselves, and only then...