§4.48.1Βυζαντίους.
Byzantines.
τὸ δὲ παραπλήσιον ἐποίουν καὶ Βυζάντιοι· πρός τε γὰρ Ἄτταλον καὶ πρὸς Ἀχαιὸν ἔπεμπον πρέσβεις, δεόμενοι σφίσι βοηθεῖν.
And the Byzantines did much the same; for they sent ambassadors both to Attalus and to Achaeus, begging them to help them.
§4.48.2ὁ μὲν οὖν Ἄτταλος ἦν πρόθυμος, εἶχε δὲ βραχεῖαν τότε ῥοπήν, ὡς ἂν ὑπʼ Ἀχαιοῦ συνεληλαμένος εἰς τὴν πατρῴαν ἀρχήν· §4.48.3ὁ δʼ Ἀχαιός, κρατῶν μὲν τῆς ἐπὶ τάδε τοῦ Ταύρου, βασιλέα δὲ προσφάτως αὑτὸν ἀναδεδειχώς, ἐπηγγέλλετο βοηθήσειν.
Now Attalus was eager to help, but had at that time but little weight, since he had been shut up by Achaeus within his ancestral dominion; but Achaeus, who was master of the country on this side of Taurus, and had recently declared himself king, promised to help them.
§4.48.4ὑπάρχων δʼ ἐπὶ ταύτης τῆς προαιρέσεως, τοῖς μὲν Βυζαντίοις μεγάλην ἐλπίδα παρεσκεύαζε, τοῖς δὲ Ῥοδίοις καὶ Προυσίᾳ τἀναντία κατάπληξιν.
Being of this mind, he inspired the Byzantines with great hope, but the Rhodians and Prusias with the contrary, namely, consternation.
§4.48.5Ἀχαιὸς γὰρ ἦν μὲν Ἀντιόχου συγγενὴς τοῦ παρειληφότος τὴν ἐν Συρίᾳ βασιλείαν, ἐγκρατὴς δʼ ἐγένετο τῆς προειρημένης δυναστείας διά τινας τοιαύτας αἰτίας.
For Achaeus was a relative of Antiochus who had succeeded to the kingdom in Syria, and he obtained the sovereignty of the aforementioned territory through some such reasons as follow.
§4.48.6Σελεύκου μεταλλάξαντος τὸν βίον, ὃς ἦν Ἀντιόχου τοῦ προειρημένου πατήρ, διαδεξαμένου δὲ τὴν βασιλείαν Σελεύκου πρεσβυτάτου τῶν υἱῶν, ἅμα τούτῳ διὰ τὴν οἰκειότητα συνυπερέβαλε τὸν Ταῦρον, δυσὶ μάλιστά πως ἔτεσι πρότερον τῶν νῦν λεγομένων καιρῶν.
When Seleucus, who was the father of the aforementioned Antiochus, departed this life, and Seleucus, the eldest of his sons, succeeded to the kingdom, Achaeus, owing to his relationship, crossed Taurus along with him, about two years before the times of which we are now speaking.
§4.48.7Σέλευκος γὰρ ὁ νέος ὡς θᾶττον παρέλαβε τὴν βασιλείαν, πυνθανόμενος Ἄτταλον πᾶσαν ἤδη τὴν ἐπὶ τάδε τοῦ Ταύρου δυναστείαν ὑφʼ αὑτὸν πεποιῆσθαι, παρωρμήθη βοηθεῖν τοῖς σφετέροις πράγμασιν.
For as soon as the younger Seleucus succeeded to the kingdom, learning that Attalus had already reduced under his own power all the dominion on this side of Taurus, he was prompted to go to the help of his own affairs.
§4.48.8ὑπερβαλὼν δὲ μεγάλῃ δυνάμει τὸν Ταῦρον, καὶ δολοφονηθεὶς ὑπό τʼ Ἀπατουρίου τοῦ Γαλάτου καὶ Νικάνορος, μετήλλαξε τὸν βίον.
And having crossed Taurus with a large force, and having been treacherously murdered by Apaturius the Galatian and Nicanor, he departed this life.
§4.48.9Ἀχαιὸς δὲ κατὰ τὴν ἀναγκαιότητα τὸν φόνον αὐτοῦ μετῆλθε παραχρῆμα, τοὺς περὶ τὸν Νικάνορα καὶ τὸν Ἀπατούριον ἀποκτείνας, τῶν τε δυνάμεων καὶ τῶν ὅλων πραγμάτων φρονίμως καὶ μεγαλοψύχως προέστη.
But Achaeus immediately avenged his murder as duty required, by putting Nicanor and Apaturius to death, and directed the forces and the whole state with wisdom and magnanimity.
§4.48.10τῶν γὰρ καιρῶν παρόντων αὐτῷ, καὶ τῆς τῶν ὄχλων ὁρμῆς συνεργούσης εἰς τὸ διάδημα περιθέσθαι, τοῦτο μὲν οὐ προείλετο ποιῆσαι, τηρῶν δὲ τὴν βασιλείαν Ἀντιόχῳ τῷ νεωτέρῳ τῶν υἱῶν, ἐνεργῶς ἐπιπορευόμενος ἀνεκτᾶτο τὴν ἐπὶ τάδε τοῦ Ταύρου πᾶσαν.
For though the opportunity was favorable to him, and the enthusiasm of the multitude cooperated with him to assume the diadem, he did not choose to do this, but keeping the kingdom for Antiochus, the younger of the sons, he actively advanced and recovered the whole country on this side of Taurus.
§4.48.11τῶν δὲ πραγμάτων αὐτῷ παραδόξως εὐροούντων, ἐπεὶ τὸν μὲν Ἄτταλον εἰς αὐτὸ τὸ Πέργαμον συνέκλεισε, τῶν δὲ λοιπῶν πάντων ἦν ἐγκρατής, ἐπαρθεὶς τοῖς εὐτυχήμασι παρὰ πόδας ἐξώκειλε.
But when his affairs succeeded beyond expectation, and he had shut up Attalus within Pergamum itself and was master of all the rest, he was elated by his successes and immediately went astray.
§4.48.12καὶ διάδημα περιθέμενος καὶ βασιλέα προσαγορεύσας αὑτὸν βαρύτατος ἦν τότε καὶ φοβερώτατος τῶν ἐπὶ τάδε τοῦ Ταύρου βασιλέων καὶ δυναστῶν· §4.48.13ᾧ καὶ μάλιστα τότε Βυζάντιοι πιστεύσαντες ἀνεδέξαντο τὸν πρὸς τοὺς Ῥοδίους καὶ Προυσίαν πόλεμον.
And having assumed the diadem and styled himself king, he was then the most powerful and formidable of the kings and rulers on this side of Taurus; and it was in him that the Byzantines then placed their chief confidence when they undertook the war against the Rhodians and Prusias.