§2.51.1καταφεύγειν ἐπὶ τὰς τῶν φίλων βοηθείας.
to resort to the assistance of their friends.
ἐπισημηναμένου δὲ τοῦ πλήθους, ἔδοξε μένειν ἐπὶ τῶν ὑποκειμένων καὶ διʼ αὑτῶν ἐπιτελεῖν τὸν ἐνεστῶτα πόλεμον. §2.51.2ἐπεὶ δὲ Πτολεμαῖος ἀπογνοὺς μὲν τὸ ἔθνος Κλεομένει χορηγεῖν ἐπεβάλετο, βουλόμενος αὐτὸν ἐπαλείφειν ἐπὶ τὸν Ἀντίγονον διὰ τὸ πλείους ἐλπίδας ἔχειν ἐν τοῖς Λακεδαιμονίοις ἤπερ ἐν τοῖς Ἀχαιοῖς τοῦ δύνασθαι διακατέχειν τὰς τῶν ἐν Μακεδονίᾳ βασιλέων ἐπιβολάς, §2.51.3οἱ δʼ Ἀχαιοὶ τὸ μὲν πρῶτον ἠλαττώθησαν περὶ τὸ Λύκαιον, συμπλακέντες κατὰ πορείαν τῷ Κλεομένει, τὸ δὲ δεύτερον ἐκ παρατάξεως ἡττήθησαν ἐν τοῖς Λαδοκείοις καλουμένοις τῆς Μεγαλοπολίτιδος, ὅτε καὶ Λυδιάδας ἔπεσε, τὸ δὲ τρίτον ὁλοσχερῶς ἔπταισαν ἐν τῇ Δυμαίᾳ περὶ τὸ καλούμενον Ἑκατόμβαιον, πανδημεὶ διακινδυνεύοντες, §2.51.4τότʼ ἤδη τῶν πραγμάτων οὐκέτι διδόντων ἀναστροφὴν ἠνάγκαζε τὰ περιεστῶτα καταφεύγειν ὁμοθυμαδὸν ἐπὶ τὸν Ἀντίγονον. §2.51.5ἐν ᾧ καιρῷ πρεσβευτὴν τὸν υἱὸν ἐξαποστείλας Ἄρατος πρὸς Ἀντίγονον ἐβεβαιώσατο τὰ περὶ τῆς βοηθείας. §2.51.6παρεῖχε δʼ αὐτοῖς ἀπορίαν καὶ δυσχρηστίαν μεγίστην τὸ μήτε τὸν βασιλέα δοκεῖν ἂν βοηθῆσαι χωρὶς τοῦ κομίσασθαι τὸν Ἀκροκόρινθον καὶ λαβεῖν ὁρμητήριον πρὸς τὸν ἐνεστῶτα πόλεμον τὴν τῶν Κορινθίων πόλιν, μήτε τοὺς Ἀχαιοὺς ἂν τολμῆσαι Κορινθίους ἄκοντας ἐγχειρίσαι Μακεδόσι. §2.51.7διὸ καὶ τὸ πρῶτον ὑπέρθεσιν ἔσχε τὸ διαβούλιον
When the multitude expressed their approval, it was resolved to remain on the existing basis and to carry through the present war by themselves. But when Ptolemy, having despaired of the nation, undertook to supply Cleomenes with funds, wishing to egg him on against Antigonus because he had greater hopes in the Lacedaemonians than in the Achaeans of being able to check the enterprises of the kings in Macedonia, and the Achaeans, first, were worsted near Mount Lycaeum, having clashed with Cleomenes on the march; secondly, were defeated in a pitched battle at the place called Ladoceia in the territory of Megalopolis, when Lydiadas also fell; and thirdly, suffered a total defeat in Dymaea near the so-called Hecatombaeum, risking a battle with their entire force; then at length, as the circumstances no longer allowed any alternative, the surrounding situation forced them to resort with one mind to Antigonus. At this critical juncture, Aratus, having dispatched his son as an ambassador to Antigonus, confirmed the terms concerning the assistance. But what caused them the greatest perplexity and difficulty was that neither did the king seem likely to bring help without recovering the Acrocorinth and receiving the city of the Corinthians as a base of operations for the present war, nor would the Achaeans venture to hand over the Corinthians against their will to the Macedonians. Therefore, at first, the deliberation was postponed.