§4.34.1ἐν ταῖς ὁλοσχερέσι περιστάσεσι.
in moments of extreme crisis.
Λακεδαιμόνιοι δὲ τῶν εἰθισμένων ἐποίησάν τι — τοῦτο γὰρ συνεχὲς ἦν τοῖς προειρημένοις — τέλος γὰρ τοὺς παρὰ τῶν συμμάχων πρέσβεις ἀναποκρίτους ἀπέστειλαν.
The Lacedaemonians did one of their customary things—for this was consistent with what had been said before—for in the end they sent away the envoys from the allies without an answer.
οὕτως ἐξηπόρησαν ὑπὸ τῆς ἀλογίας καὶ κακίας τῆς αὑτῶν.
Thus they were reduced to utter helplessness by their own unreasonableness and wickedness.
§4.34.2καί μοι δοκεῖ τοῦτʼ ἀληθὲς εἶναι διότι πολλάκις τολμᾶν περιττὸν εἰς ἄνοιαν καὶ τὸ μηδὲν καταντᾶν εἴωθεν.
And it seems to me to be true that to venture to excess often tends to end in folly and to arrive at nothing.
§4.34.3οὐ μὴν ἀλλὰ μετὰ ταῦτα, κατασταθέντων ἐφόρων ἄλλων, οἱ κινήσαντες ἐξ ἀρχῆς τὰ πράγματα καὶ γενόμενοι τῆς προειρημένης σφαγῆς αἴτιοι διεπέμποντο πρὸς τοὺς Αἰτωλούς, ἐπισπώμενοι πρεσβευτήν.
Nevertheless, after this, when other ephors were established, those who had set things in motion from the beginning and had been the causes of the aforementioned massacre, kept sending messages to the Aetolians, inviting an envoy.
§4.34.4τῶν δὲ καὶ μάλʼ ἀσμένως ὑπακουσάντων, ἧκε μετʼ ὀλίγον πρεσβεύων εἰς τὴν Λακεδαίμονα Μαχατᾶς.
And since they complied very gladly, Machatas arrived shortly after as an envoy to Lacedaemon.
§4.34.5καὶ παραυτίκα προσῄει τοῖς ἐφόροις οἰόμενοι δεῖν τῷ τε Μαχατᾷ δίδοσθαι τὴν ἔφοδον ἐπὶ τοὺς πολλούς, καὶ βασιλέας καθιστάναι κατὰ τὰ πάτρια, καὶ μὴ περιορᾶν τὸν πλείω χρόνον παρὰ τοὺς νόμους καταλελυμένην τὴν τῶν Ἡρακλειδῶν ἀρχήν.
And immediately they approached the ephors, thinking that Machatas should be granted access to the multitude, and that they should establish kings according to ancestral custom, and not overlook any longer the office of the Heracleidae, which had been abolished contrary to the laws.
§4.34.6οἱ δʼ ἔφοροι, δυσαρεστούμενοι μὲν τοῖς ὅλοις πράγμασιν, οὐ δυνάμενοι δὲ πρὸς τὴν ὁρμὴν ἀντοφθαλμεῖν, ἀλλὰ δεδιότες τὴν τῶν νέων συστροφήν, περὶ μὲν τῶν βασιλέων ἔφασαν μετὰ ταῦτα βουλεύσεσθαι, τῷ δὲ Μαχατᾷ συνεχώρησαν δώσειν τὴν ἐκκλησίαν.
The ephors, though displeased with the whole business, but being unable to look the impulse in the face, and fearing the assembly of the young men, said they would deliberate about the kings later, but agreed to grant Machatas an assembly.
§4.34.7συναχθέντος δὲ τοῦ πλήθους παρελθὼν ὁ Μαχατᾶς παρεκάλει διὰ πλειόνων αὐτοὺς αἱρεῖσθαι τὴν πρὸς Αἰτωλοὺς συμμαχίαν, εἰκῇ μὲν καὶ θρασέως κατηγορῶν Μακεδόνων, ἀλόγως δὲ καὶ ψευδῶς ἐγκωμιάζων τοὺς Αἰτωλούς.
When the multitude was assembled, Machatas came forward and exhorted them at length to choose the alliance with the Aetolians, accusing the Macedonians recklessly and boldly, and praising the Aetolians unreasonably and falsely.
§4.34.8μεταστάντος δὲ τούτου, πολλῆς ἀμφισβητήσεως ἐτύγχανε τὸ πρᾶγμα· τινὲς μὲν γὰρ συνηγόρουν τοῖς Αἰτωλοῖς καὶ συντίθεσθαι πρὸς αὐτοὺς παρῄνουν τὴν συμμαχίαν, ἔνιοι δὲ τούτοις ἀντέλεγον.
After he withdrew, the matter met with much dispute; for some spoke in favor of the Aetolians and advised concluding the alliance with them, while others spoke against them.
§4.34.9οὐ μὴν ἀλλὰ τῶν πρεσβυτέρων τινὲς ἐπιστήσαντες τὸ πλῆθος ἐπί τε τὰς Ἀντιγόνου καὶ Μακεδόνων εὐεργεσίας ἐπί τε τὰς διὰ Χαριξένου καὶ Τιμαίου βλάβας, ὅτε στρατεύσαντες Αἰτωλοὶ πανδημεὶ κατέφθειραν μὲν αὐτῶν τὴν χώραν, ἐξηνδραποδίσαντο δὲ τὰς περιοίκους, ἐπεβούλευσαν δὲ τῇ Σπάρτῃ, μετὰ δόλου καὶ βίας τοὺς φυγάδας ἐπαγαγόντες, ἐπʼ ἄλλης ἐγένοντο γνώμης,
Nevertheless, some of the elders, by directing the multitude to both the benefits of Antigonus and the Macedonians and the injuries caused by Charixenus and Timaeus, when the Aetolians marched in full force, ravaged their country, enslaved the neighboring populations, and plotted against Sparta, bringing back the exiles with deceit and violence, brought them to another opinion.
§4.34.10καὶ τέλος ἐπείσθησαν τηρεῖν τὴν πρὸς Φίλιππον καὶ Μακεδόνας συμμαχίας.
And in the end, they were persuaded to maintain the alliance with Philip and the Macedonians.
§4.34.11γενομένων δὲ τούτων, ὁ μὲν Μαχατᾶς ἄπρακτος ἐπανῄει πάλιν
These things having occurred, Machatas went back again without having accomplished his purpose.