§4.33.1ὁ δὲ λόγος οὗτος ἔχει μὲν ἴσως καὶ διὰ τῶν πάλαι γεγονότων πίστιν.
This argument perhaps finds confirmation also through the events of old.
§4.33.2οἱ γὰρ Μεσσήνιοι πρὸς ἄλλοις πολλοῖς καὶ παρὰ τὸν τοῦ Διὸς τοῦ Λυκαίου βωμὸν ἀνέθεσαν στήλην ἐν τοῖς κατʼ Ἀριστομένην καιροῖς, καθάπερ καὶ Καλλισθένης φησί, γράψαντες τὸ γράμμα τοῦτο· πάντως ὁ χρόνος εὗρε δίκην ἀδίκῳ βασιλῆι,
For the Messenians, in addition to many other things, set up a stele near the altar of Zeus Lycaeus in the times of Aristomenes, as Callisthenes also says, after inscribing this epigram: "Time has surely found justice for the unjust king, and Messene with the help of Zeus has easily found the traitor.
§4.33.3εὗρε δὲ Μεσσήνη σὺν Διὶ τὸν προδότην ῥηιδίως. χαλεπὸν δὲ λαθεῖν θεὸν ἄνδρʼ ἐπίορκον.
It is difficult for a perjured man to escape the notice of God.
χαῖρε, Ζεῦ βασιλεῦ, καὶ σάω Ἀρκαδίαν. ἐπεὶ γὰρ τῆς αὑτῶν ἐστερήθησαν, §4.33.4οἷον εἰ περὶ δευτέρας πατρίδος, ὥς γʼ ἐμοὶ δοκεῖ, τοῖς θεοῖς εὐχόμενοι σῴζειν τὴν Ἀρκαδίαν, τοῦτʼ ἀνέθεσαν τὸ γράμμα.
Hail, Lord Zeus, and save Arcadia." For when they were deprived of their own land, as if praying to the gods for a second fatherland, so at least it seems to me, to save Arcadia, they dedicated this inscription.
§4.33.5καὶ τοῦτʼ εἰκότως ἐποίουν· οὐ γὰρ μόνον αὐτοὺς Ἀρκάδες ὑποδεξάμενοι κατὰ τὴν ἔκπτωσιν τὴν ἐκ τῆς ἰδίας ὑπὸ τὸν Ἀριστομένειον πόλεμον ὁμεστίους ἐποιήσαντο καὶ πολίτας, ἀλλὰ καὶ τὰς θυγατέρας ἐψηφίσαντο τοῖς ἐν ἡλικίᾳ διδόναι τῶν Μεσσηνίων, §4.33.6πρὸς δὲ τούτοις ἀναζητήσαντες τὴν Ἀριστοκράτους τοῦ βασιλέως προδοσίαν ἐν τῇ μάχῃ τῇ καλουμένῃ περὶ Τάφρον αὐτόν τʼ ἀνεῖλον καὶ τὸ γένος αὐτοῦ πᾶν ἠφάνισαν.
And they did this with good reason; for the Arcadians, not only receiving them upon their expulsion from their own land during the Aristomenean war, made them hearth-sharers and citizens, but also voted to give their daughters in marriage to those of the Messenians who were of age, and besides this, having investigated the treachery of King Aristocrates in the battle called the Battle of the Trench, they put him to death and utterly destroyed his whole race.
§4.33.7οὐ μὴν ἀλλὰ καὶ χωρὶς τῶν πάλαι τὰ τελευταῖα γεγονότα μετὰ τὸν Μεγάλης πόλεως καὶ Μεσσήνης συνοικισμὸν ἱκανὴν ἂν παράσχοι πίστιν τοῖς ὑφʼ ἡμῶν εἰρημένοις.
Nevertheless, apart from the events of old, the most recent occurrences after the settlement of Megalopolis and Messene would afford sufficient confirmation for what we have said.
§4.33.8καθʼ οὓς γὰρ καιρούς, τῆς περὶ Μαντίνειαν μάχης τῶν Ἑλλήνων ἀμφιδήριτον ἐχούσης τὴν νίκην διὰ τὸν Ἐπαμινώνδου θάνατον, ἐκώλυον Λακεδαιμόνιοι μετέχειν τῶν σπονδῶν Μεσσηνίους, ἀκμὴν σφετεριζόμενοι ταῖς ἐλπίσι τὴν Μεσσηνίαν, §4.33.9ἐπὶ τοσοῦτο διέσπευσαν Μεγαλοπολῖται καὶ πάντες οἱ κοινωνοῦντες Ἀρκάδων τῆς αὐτῶν συμμαχίας ὥστε Μεσσηνίους μὲν ὑπὸ τῶν συμμάχων προσδεχθῆναι καὶ μετασχεῖν τῶν ὅρκων καὶ διαλύσεων, Λακεδαιμονίους δὲ μόνους ἐκσπόνδους γενέσθαι τῶν Ἑλλήνων.
For at the time when, the battle of Mantinea having left the victory of the Greeks undecided because of the death of Epaminondas, the Lacedaemonians were preventing the Messenians from participating in the treaty, still claiming Messenia in their hopes, the Megalopolitans and all the Arcadians who shared in their alliance made such great haste that the Messenians were received by the allies and participated in the oaths and reconciliation, while the Lacedaemonians alone of the Greeks were excluded from the treaty.
§4.33.10ἃ τίς οὐκ ἂν τῶν ἐπιγινομένων ἐν νῷ τιθέμενος νομίσειε καλῶς εἰρῆσθαι τὰ μικρῷ πρότερον ὑφʼ ἡμῶν δεδηλωμένα;
Who among posterity, taking these things to mind, would not think that what we declared a shortly before was well said?
§4.33.11ταῦτα μὲν οὖν εἰρήσθω μοι χάριν Ἀρκάδων καὶ Μεσσηνίων, ἵνα μνημονεύοντες τῶν συμβεβηκότων αὐτοῖς περὶ τὰς πατρίδας ἀτυχημάτων ὑπὸ Λακεδαιμονίων ἀληθινῶς ἀντέχωνται τῆς πρὸς αὑτοὺς εὐνοίας καὶ πίστεως, §4.33.12καὶ μήτε φόβον ὑφορώμενοι μήτʼ εἰρήνης ἐπιθυμοῦντες ἐγκαταλείπωσιν ἀλλήλους
Now, let these things be said by me for the sake of the Arcadians and Messenians, so that, remembering the misfortunes that befell them concerning their homelands caused by the Lacedaemonians, they may truly hold fast to their goodwill and faith toward one another, and neither suspecting fear nor desiring peace may they desert one another.