§4.18.1ψασαν ἄρδην ἀπολέσαι.
[country] to ruin completely.
τὴν δὲ πρᾶξιν τοιᾷδέ τινι τόλμῃ καὶ τοιούτῳ τρόπῳ συνεστήσαντο.
They organized their plot with the following audacity and in the following manner.
§4.18.2πολέμαρχοι τῶν κατεληλυθότων τινὲς ἐγεγόνεισαν· ταύτην δὲ συμβαίνει τὴν ἀρχὴν κλείειν τὰς πύλας καὶ τὸν μεταξὺ χρόνον κυριεύειν τῶν κλειδῶν, ποιεῖσθαι δὲ καὶ τὸ καθʼ ἡμέραν τὴν δίαιταν ἐπὶ τῶν πυλώνων.
Some of those who had returned had become polemarchs; it is the function of this office to shut the gates and to keep control of the keys during the interval, and also to take their daily meals by the gatehouses.
§4.18.3οἱ μὲν οὖν Αἰτωλοὶ διεσκευασμένοι καὶ τὰς κλίμακας ἑτοίμας ἔχοντες ἐπετήρουν τὸν καιρόν·
The Aetolians, therefore, fully equipped and having their ladders ready, were waiting for the opportune moment.
§4.18.4οἱ δὲ πολεμαρχοῦντες τῶν φυγάδων κατασφάξαντες τοὺς συνάρχοντας ἐπὶ τοῦ πυλῶνος ἀνέῳξαν τὴν πύλην.
And those of the exiles who were acting as polemarchs, having slaughtered their colleagues at the gatehouse, opened the gate.
§4.18.5οὗ συμβάντος τινὲς μὲν τῶν Αἰτωλῶν διὰ ταύτης εἰσέπιπτον, τινὲς δὲ τὰς κλίμακας προσερείσαντες ἐβιάσαντο διὰ τούτων καὶ κατελάμβανον τὸ τεῖχος.
When this happened, some of the Aetolians rushed in through this gate, while others, having applied their ladders, forced their way up and captured the wall.
οἱ δʼ ἐν τῇ πόλει πάντες, §4.18.6ἐκπλαγεῖς ὄντες ἐπὶ τοῖς συντελουμένοις, ἀπόρως καὶ δυσχρήστως εἶχον πρὸς τὸ συμβαῖνον· οὔτε γὰρ πρὸς τοὺς διὰ τῆς πύλης εἰσπίπτοντας οἷοί τʼ ἦσαν βοηθεῖν ἀπερισπάστως διὰ τοὺς πρὸς τὰ τείχη προσβάλλοντας, οὐδὲ μὴν τοῖς τείχεσιν ἐπαμύνειν διὰ τοὺς τῇ πύλῃ βιαζομένους.
All those in the city, being astounded at what was taking place, were helpless and at a loss to deal with the situation; for they were unable to bring aid against those rushing through the gate without distraction because of those attacking the walls, nor indeed could they defend the walls because of those forcing their way at the gate.
§4.18.7οἱ δʼ Αἰτωλοὶ διὰ ταύτας τὰς αἰτίας ταχέως ἐγκρατεῖς γενόμενοι τῆς πόλεως, τῶν ἀδίκων ἔργων ἓν τοῦτʼ ἔπραξαν δικαιότατον· πρώτους γὰρ τοὺς εἰσαγαγόντας καὶ προδόντας αὐτοῖς τὴν πόλιν κατασφάξαντες διήρπασαν τοὺς τούτων βίους.
The Aetolians, having quickly become masters of the city for these reasons, performed this one act which, among all their unjust deeds, was most just: for having slaughtered first of all those who had let them in and betrayed the city to them, they plundered their property.
§4.18.8ὁμοίως δὲ καὶ τοῖς ἄλλοις ἐχρήσαντο πᾶσι· τὸ δὲ τελευταῖον ἐπισκηνώσαντες ἐπὶ τὰς οἰκίας ἐξετοιχωρύχησαν μὲν τοὺς βίους, ἐστρέβλωσαν δὲ πολλοὺς τῶν Κυναιθέων, οἷς ἠπίστησαν ἔχειν κεκρυμμένα διάφορον ἢ κατασκευάσματʼ ἤπερ ἄλλο τι τῶν πλείονος ἀξίων.
They treated all the others in like manner; and finally, quartering themselves in the houses, they ransacked their property, and tortured many of the Cynaethians whom they suspected of having concealed money, furniture, or any other things of greater value.
§4.18.9τοῦτον δὲ τὸν τρόπον λωβησάμενοι τοὺς Κυναιθεῖς ἀνεστρατοπέδευσαν, ἀπολιπόντες φυλακὴν τῶν τειχῶν, καὶ προῆγον ὡς ἐπὶ Λούσων·
Having maltreated the Cynaethians in this manner, they broke camp, leaving a guard on the walls, and advanced as if towards Lusi.
§4.18.10καὶ παραγενόμενοι πρὸς τὸ τῆς Ἀρτέμιδος ἱερόν, ὃ κεῖται μὲν μεταξὺ Κλείτορος καὶ Κυναίθης, ἄσυλον δὲ νενόμισται παρὰ τοῖς Ἕλλησιν, ἀνετείνοντο διαρπάσειν τὰ θρέμματα τῆς θεοῦ καὶ τἄλλα τὰ περὶ τὸν ναόν.
And arriving at the temple of Artemis, which lies between Cleitor and Cynaetha, and is regarded as inviolable among the Greeks, they threatened to plunder the cattle of the goddess and the other things around the temple.
§4.18.11οἱ δὲ Λουσιᾶται νουνεχῶς δόντες τινὰ τῶν κατασκευασμάτων τῆς θεοῦ, παρῃτήσαντο τὴν τῶν Αἰτωλῶν ἀσέβειαν τοῦ μηδὲν παθεῖν ἀνήκεστον.
The people of Lusi, however, wisely giving them some of the vessels of the goddess, averted the impiety of the Aetolians so as to suffer no fatal harm.
§4.18.12οἱ δὲ δεξάμενοι παραχρῆμʼ ἀναζεύξαντες προσεστρατοπέδευσαν τῇ τῶν Κλειτορίων πόλει.
The Aetolians, having accepted these, immediately marched away and encamped near the city of the Cleitorians.