§4.45.1ἀκαιρίαν τὰ μέλλοντα ῥηθήσεσθαι.
disadvantageous, it is what is about to be said.
τῆς γὰρ Θρᾴκης κύκλῳ περιεχούσης αὐτῶν τὴν χώραν οὕτως ὥστʼ ἐκ θαλάττης εἰς θάλατταν καθήκειν, ἀίδιον ἔχουσι πόλεμον καὶ δυσχερῆ πρὸς τούτους.
For since Thrace surrounds their territory on all sides so as to extend from sea to sea, they have an endless and difficult war against them.
§4.45.2οὔτε γὰρ παρασκευασάμενοι καὶ κρατήσαντες αὐτῶν εἰσάπαξ ἀποτρίψασθαι τὸν πόλεμον οἷοί τʼ εἰσὶ διὰ τὸ πλῆθος καὶ τῶν ὄχλων καὶ τῶν δυναστῶν· §4.45.3ἐὰν τοῦ γὰρ ἑνὸς περιγένωνται, τρεῖς ἐπιβαίνουσιν ἐπὶ τὴν τούτων χώραν ἄλλοι βαρύτεροι δυνάσται.
For they are not able, by preparing themselves and overcoming them, to shake off the war once and for all, because of the multitude both of their tribes and of their chieftains; for if they get the better of one, three other more troublesome chieftains invade their territory.
§4.45.4καὶ μὴν οὐδʼ εἴξαντες καὶ συγκαταβάντες εἰς φόρους καὶ συνθήκας οὐδὲν ποιοῦσι πλέον· ἂν γὰρ ἑνὶ πρόωνταί τι, πενταπλασίους διʼ αὐτὸ τοῦτο πολεμίους εὑρίσκουσι.
Moreover, even if they yield and submit to tributes and treaties, they gain nothing more; for if they concede anything to one, they find five times as many enemies because of this very fact.
§4.45.5διόπερ ἀιδίῳ συνέχονται καὶ δυσχερεῖ πολέμῳ· τί γὰρ ἐπισφαλέστερον ἀστυγείτονος καὶ βαρβάρου πολέμου;
Therefore they are beset by an endless and difficult war; for what is more precarious than a war with a neighboring barbarian?
§4.45.6τί δεινότερον;
What is more terrible?
οὐ μὴν ἀλλὰ τούτοις τὸ παράπαν κακοῖς παλαίοντες κατὰ γῆν, χωρὶς τῶν ἄλλων τῶν παρεπομένων τῷ πολέμῳ κακῶν, ὑπομένουσί τινα καὶ τιμωρίαν Ταντάλειον κατὰ τὸν ποιητήν·
Nevertheless, while struggling on land against these evils altogether, quite apart from the other evils that accompany war, they endure a kind of Tantalus-like punishment, as the poet says.
§4.45.7ἔχοντες γὰρ χώραν γενναιοτάτην, ὅταν διαπονήσωσι ταύτην καὶ γένηται τὸ τῶν καρπῶν πλῆθος τῷ κάλλει διαφέρον, κἄπειτα παραγενηθέντες οἱ βάρβαροι τοὺς μὲν καταφθείρωσι, τοὺς δὲ συναθροίσαντες ἀποφέρωσι, §4.45.8τότε δὴ χωρὶς τῶν ἔργων καὶ τῆς δαπάνης καὶ τὴν καταφθορὰν θεώμενοι διὰ τὸ κάλλος τῶν καρπῶν σχετλιάζουσι καὶ βαρέως φέρουσι τὸ συμβαῖνον.
For though they possess a most fertile land, whenever they cultivate it with great labor, and the abundance of the crops becomes outstanding in beauty, and then the barbarians arrive and destroy some of them, and gather and carry away the rest, then indeed, quite apart from their labor and expense, beholding the destruction of their crops because of their beauty, they complain and bear what happens with heavy hearts.
§4.45.9ἀλλʼ ὅμως τὸν μὲν ἀπὸ τῶν Θρᾳκῶν πόλεμον κατὰ τὴν συνήθειαν ἀναφέροντες ἔμενον ἐπὶ τῶν ἐξ ἀρχῆς δικαίων πρὸς τοὺς Ἕλληνας· §4.45.10προσεπιγενομένων δὲ Γαλατῶν αὐτοῖς τῶν περὶ Κομοντόριον
But nevertheless, bearing up under the war with the Thracians according to custom, they remained true to their original obligations towards the Greeks; but when the Gauls under Comontorius additionally fell upon them...