§20.5.1τὰ δὲ κεφάλαια τῆς κατὰ μέρος ἀγνοίας ἐχειρίσθη παρʼ αὐτοῖς τὸν τρόπον τοῦτον.
The main points of their detailed folly were conducted among them in the following manner.
§20.5.2μετὰ γὰρ τὴν προειρημένην ἧτταν εὐθέως ἐγκαταλιπόντες τοὺς Ἀχαιοὺς προσένειμαν Αἰτωλοῖς τὸ ἔθνος.
For immediately after the aforesaid defeat, they abandoned the Achaeans and attached their nation to the Aetolians.
§20.5.3ἀνελομένων δὲ καὶ τούτων πόλεμον μετά τινα χρόνον πρὸς Δημήτριον τὸν Φιλίππου πατέρα, πάλιν ἐγκαταλιπόντες τούτους, καὶ παραγενομένου Δημητρίου μετὰ δυνάμεως εἰς τὴν Βοιωτίαν οὐδενὸς πεῖραν λαβόντες τῶν δεινῶν, ὑπέταξαν σφᾶς αὐτοὺς ὁλοσχερῶς Μακεδόσι.
And when the latter also, after some time, undertook a war against Demetrius, the father of Philip, they abandoned them in turn; and when Demetrius arrived with a force in Boeotia, without experiencing any hardships, they subjected themselves entirely to the Macedonians.
§20.5.4βραχέος δʼ αἰθύγματος ἐγκαταλειπομένου τῆς προγονικῆς δόξης, ἦσάν τινες οἳ δυσηρεστοῦντο τῇ παρούσῃ καταστάσει καὶ τῷ πάντα πείθεσθαι Μακεδόσι.
But since a tiny spark of their ancestral glory was still left, there were some who were dissatisfied with the present state of affairs and with obeying the Macedonians in everything.
§20.5.5διὸ καὶ μεγάλην ἀντιπολιτείαν εἶναι συνέβαινε τούτοις πρὸς τοὺς περὶ τὸν Ἀσκώνδαν καὶ Νέωνα, τοὺς Βραχύλλου προγόνους· οὗτοι γὰρ ἦσαν οἱ μάλιστα τότε μακεδονίζοντες.
Consequently, there came to be a great political opposition between them and the faction of Ascondas and Neon, the ancestors of Brachylles; for these latter were the ones who at that time were most pro-Macedonian.
§20.5.6οὐ μὴν ἀλλὰ τέλος κατίσχυσαν οἱ περὶ τὸν Ἀσκώνδαν γενομένης τινὸς περιπετείας τοιαύτης.
Nevertheless, the faction of Ascondas finally prevailed, owing to the occurrence of a certain incident of the following nature.
§20.5.7Ἀντίγονος μετὰ τὸν Δημητρίου θάνατον ἐπιτροπεύσας Φιλίππου, πλέων ἐπί τινας πράξεις πρὸς τὰς ἐσχατιὰς τῆς Βοιωτίας πρὸς Λάρυμναν, παραδόξου γενομένης ἀμπώτεως ἐκάθισαν εἰς τὸ ξηρὸν αἱ νῆες αὐτοῦ.
Antigonus, having become guardian of Philip after the death of Demetrius, was sailing on some business towards Larymna on the frontier of Boeotia, when, an unexpected ebb of the tide occurring, his ships ran aground on the dry land.
§20.5.8κατὰ δὲ τὸν καιρὸν τοῦτον προσπεπτωκυίας φήμης ὅτι μέλλει κατατρέχειν τὴν χώραν Ἀντίγονος, Νέων, ἱππαρχῶν τότε καὶ πάντας τοὺς Βοιωτῶν ἱππεῖς μεθʼ αὑτοῦ περιαγόμενος χάριν τοῦ παραφυλάττειν τὴν χώραν, ἐπεγένετο τοῖς περὶ τὸν Ἀντίγονον ἀπορουμένοις καὶ δυσχρηστουμένοις διὰ τὸ συμβεβηκός, §20.5.9καὶ δυνάμενος μεγάλα βλάψαι τοὺς Μακεδόνας ἔδοξε φείσασθαι παρὰ τὴν προσδοκίαν αὐτῶν.
At this very time, a rumor having spread that Antigonus was about to overrun the country, Neon, who was then cavalry commander and was leading all the Boeotian cavalry with him for the purpose of guarding the country, came upon Antigonus and his men, who were at a loss and in difficulties because of what had happened; and though he had it in his power to inflict great damage on the Macedonians, he decided, contrary to their expectations, to spare them.
§20.5.10τοῖς μὲν οὖν ἄλλοις Βοιωτοῖς ἤρεσκε τοῦτο πράξας, τοῖς δὲ Θηβαίοις οὐχ ὅλως εὐδόκει τὸ γεγονός. ὁ δʼ Ἀντίγονος,
Now, while this action of his pleased the other Boeotians, it was by no means approved of by the Thebans.
§20.5.11ἐπελθούσης μετʼ ὀλίγον τῆς πλήμης καὶ κουφισθεισῶν τῶν νεῶν, τῷ μὲν Νέωνι μεγάλην εἶχε χάριν ἐπὶ τῷ μὴ συνεπιτεθεῖσθαι σφίσι κατὰ τὴν περιπέτειαν, αὐτὸς δὲ τὸν προκείμενον ἐτέλει πλοῦν εἰς τὴν Ἀσίαν.
But Antigonus, when shortly afterwards the flood tide came and the ships floated, felt extremely grateful to Neon for not having joined in attacking them during their mishap, and completed his intended voyage to Asia.
§20.5.12διὸ καὶ μετὰ ταῦτα, νικήσας Κλεομένη τὸν Σπαρτιάτην καὶ κύριος γενόμενος τῆς Λακεδαίμονος, ἐπιστάτην ἀπέλειπε τῆς πόλεως Βραχύλλην, ταύτην αὐτῷ χάριν ἀποδιδοὺς τῆς τοῦ πατρὸς Νέωνος εὐεργεσίας· ἐξ ὧν οὐδὲ κατὰ μικρὸν συνέβη τὴν οἰκίαν ἐπανορθωθῆναι τὴν περὶ τὸν Βραχύλλην.
For this reason, when he subsequently defeated Cleomenes the Spartan and became master of Lacedaemon, he left Brachylles as governor of the city, rendering him this gratitude for the benefaction of his father Neon; from which it came about that the house of Brachylles was restored in no small degree.
§20.5.13οὐ μόνον δὲ ταύτην αὐτῶν ἔσχε τὴν πρόνοιαν, ἀλλὰ καὶ κατὰ τὸ συνεχές, ὁτὲ μὲν αὐτός, ὁτὲ δὲ Φιλίππος, χορηγοῦντες καὶ συνεπισχύοντες αἰεί, ταχέως κατηγωνίσαντο τοὺς ἐν ταῖς Θήβαις αὐτοῖς ἀντιπολιτευομένους καὶ πάντας ἠνάγκασαν μακεδονίζειν πλὴν τελέως ὀλίγων τινῶν.
And he not only showed them this consideration, but continually, now himself, now Philip, by always supplying them and helping to strengthen them, they quickly defeated those who opposed them in Thebes itself, and forced everyone to favor the Macedonians except for a very few.
§20.5.14τὰ μὲν οὖν κατὰ τὴν οἰκίαν τὴν Νέωνος τοιαύτην ἔλαβε τὴν ἀρχὴν καὶ τῆς πρὸς Μακεδόνας συστάσεως
Such, then, was the origin of the house of Neon and of its alliance with the Macedonians.