§20.6.1καὶ τῆς κατὰ τὴν οὐσίαν ἐπιδόσεως·
and the increase of their property.
τὰ δὲ κοινὰ τῶν Βοιωτῶν εἰς τοσαύτην παραγεγόνει καχεξίαν ὥστε σχεδὸν εἴκοσι καὶ πέντʼ ἐτῶν τὸ δίκαιον μὴ διεξῆχθαι παρʼ αὐτοῖς μήτε περὶ τῶν ἰδιωτικῶν συμβολαίων μήτε περὶ τῶν κοινῶν ἐγκλημάτων, §20.6.2ἀλλʼ οἱ μὲν φρουρὰς παραγγέλλοντες τῶν ἀρχόντων, οἱ δὲ στρατείας κοινάς, ἐξέκοπτον ἀεὶ τὴν δικαιοδοσίαν·
Meanwhile, the public affairs of the Boeotians had fallen into such a state of decay that for almost twenty-five years justice had not been administered among them, either in respect to private contracts or public offenses; but some of the magistrates, by ordering garrison duties, and others, joint military expeditions, continually interrupted the execution of justice.
ἔνιοι δὲ τῶν στρατηγῶν καὶ μισθοδοσίας ἐποίουν ἐκ τῶν κοινῶν τοῖς ἀπόροις τῶν ἀνθρώπων.
And some of the generals even made distributions of money from the public funds to the needy among the population.
§20.6.3ἐξ ὧν ἐδιδάχθη τὰ πλήθη τούτοις προσέχειν καὶ τούτοις περιποιεῖν τὰς ἀρχάς, διʼ ὧν ἔμελλε τῶν μὲν ἀδικημάτων καὶ τῶν ὀφειλημάτων οὐχ ὑφέξειν δίκας, προσλήψεσθαι δὲ τῶν κοινῶν αἰεί τι διὰ τὴν τῶν ἀρχόντων χάριν.
From these practices the masses learned to pay attention to these leaders and to secure the offices for them, through which they were not likely to be brought to justice for their crimes and debts, but would always receive some share of the public funds through the favor of the magistrates.
πλεῖστα δὲ συνεβάλετο πρὸς τὴν τοιαύτην §20.6.4Ὀφέλτας, αἰεί τι προσεπινοῶν ὃ κατὰ τὸ παρὸν ἐδόκει τοὺς πολλοὺς ὠφελεῖν, μετὰ δὲ ταῦτα πάντας ἀπολεῖν ἔμελλεν ὁμολογουμένως.
And the person who contributed most to this state of affairs was Opheltas, who was always devising some scheme which at the moment seemed to benefit the multitude, but was in the long run admittedly bound to ruin them all.
§20.6.5τούτοις δʼ ἠκολούθησε καὶ ἕτερος ζῆλος οὐκ εὐτυχής.
To this there succeeded also another unfortunate passion.
οἱ μὲν γὰρ ἄτεκνοι τὰς οὐσίας οὐ τοῖς κατὰ γένος ἐπιγενομένοις τελευτῶντες ἀπέλειπον, ὅπερ ἦν ἔθος παρʼ αὐτοῖς πρότερον, ἀλλʼ εἰς εὐωχίας καὶ μέθας διετίθεντο καὶ κοινὰς τοῖς φίλοις ἐποίουν· §20.6.6πολλοὶ δὲ καὶ τῶν ἐχόντων γενεὰς ἀπεμέριζον τοῖς συσσιτίοις τὸ πλεῖον μέρος τῆς οὐσίας, ὥστε πολλοὺς εἶναι Βοιωτῶν οἷς ὑπῆρχε δεῖπνα τοῦ μηνὸς πλείω τῶν εἰς τὸν μῆνα διατεταγμένων ἡμερῶν.
For childless men did not leave their property at their death to their next of kin, as had been their custom formerly, but disposed of it for banquets and drinking-parties and made it common to their friends; and many of those who even had offspring assigned the greater part of their property to the common meals, so that there were many Boeotians who had more dinner parties in a month than there were days appointed for the month.
§20.6.7διὸ καὶ Μεγαρεῖς, μισήσαντες μὲν τὴν τοιαύτην κατάστασιν, μνησθέντες δὲ τῆς προγεγενημένης αὐτοῖς μετὰ τῶν Ἀχαιῶν συμπολιτείας, αὖτις ἀπένευσαν πρὸς τοὺς Ἀχαιοὺς καὶ τὴν ἐκείνων αἵρεσιν.
For this reason the Megarians also, detesting such a state of affairs and remembering their former citizenship with the Achaeans, turned back to the Achaeans and their alliance.
§20.6.8Μεγαρεῖς γὰρ ἐξ ἀρχῆς μὲν ἐπολιτεύοντο μετὰ τῶν Ἀχαιῶν ἀπὸ τῶν κατʼ Ἀντίγονον τὸν Γονατᾶν χρόνων· ὅτε δὲ Κλεομένης εἰς τὸν Ἰσθμὸν προεκάθισεν, διακλεισθέντες προσέθεντο τοῖς Βοιωτοῖς μετὰ τῆς τῶν Ἀχαιῶν γνώμης.
For the Megarians had originally lived under the same government as the Achaeans since the times of Antigonus Gonatas; but when Cleomenes blocked the Isthmus, being cut off, they attached themselves to the Boeotians with the consent of the Achaeans.
§20.6.9βραχὺ δὲ πρὸ τῶν νῦν λεγομένων καιρῶν δυσαρεστήσαντες τῇ πολιτείᾳ τῶν Βοιωτῶν αὖτις ἀπένευσαν πρὸς τοὺς Ἀχαιούς.
But shortly before the times of which we are now speaking, having become dissatisfied with the government of the Boeotians, they turned back to the Achaeans.
§20.6.10οἱ δὲ Βοιωτοὶ διοργισθέντες ἐπὶ τῷ καταφρονεῖσθαι δοκεῖν ἐξῆλθον ἐπὶ τοὺς Μεγαρεῖς πανδημεὶ σὺν τοῖς ὅπλοις.
At this the Boeotians, being highly incensed at what they regarded as an insult, marched out against the Megarians in full force with arms.
§20.6.11οὐδένα δὲ ποιουμένων λόγον τῶν Μεγαρέων τῆς παρουσίας αὐτῶν, οὕτω θυμωθέντες πολιορκεῖν ἐπεβάλοντο καὶ προσβολὰς ποιεῖσθαι τῇ πόλει.
But as the Megarians paid no attention to their presence, they became so enraged that they attempted to besiege them and make assaults on the city.
§20.6.12πανικοῦ δʼ ἐμπεσόντος αὐτοῖς καὶ φήμης ὅτι πάρεστιν Φιλοποίμην τοὺς Ἀχαιοὺς ἔχων, ἀπολιπόντες πρὸς τῷ τείχει τὰς κλίμακας ἔφυγον προτροπάδην εἰς τὴν οἰκείαν.
But when a panic fell upon them and a rumor spread that Philopoemen was at hand with the Achaeans, leaving their ladders against the wall, they fled headlong back to their own country.