§4.5.1στρατηγὸς μὲν οὖν ὑπῆρχε τῶν Αἰτωλῶν Ἀρίστων· οὗτος δὲ διά τινας σωματικὰς ἀσθενείας ἀδύνατος ὢν πρὸς πολεμικὴν χρείαν, ἅμα δὲ καὶ συγγενὴς ὑπάρχων Δωριμάχου καὶ Σκόπα, τρόπον τινὰ παρακεχωρήκει τούτῳ τῆς ὅλης ἀρχῆς.
Now Ariston was the general of the Aetolians; but being incapable of active military service owing to bodily infirmity, and being at the same time a kinsman of Dorimachus and Scopas, he had in a manner relinquished the whole administration to the former.
§4.5.2ὁ δὲ Δωρίμαχος κατὰ κοινὸν μὲν οὐκ ἐτόλμα παρακαλεῖν τοὺς Αἰτωλοὺς εἰς τὸν κατὰ τῶν Μεσσηνίων πόλεμον διὰ τὸ μηδεμίαν ἔχειν ἀξίαν λόγου πρόφασιν, ἀλλʼ ὁμολογουμένως ἐκ παρανομίας καὶ σκώμματος γεγονέναι τὴν ὁρμήν· §4.5.3ἀφέμενος δὲ τῆς ἐπινοίας ταύτης ἰδίᾳ προετρέπετο τὸν Σκόπαν κοινωνῆσαι τῆς ἐπιβολῆς αὐτῷ τῆς κατὰ τῶν Μεσσηνίων, ὑποδεικνύων μὲν τὴν ἀπὸ Μακεδόνων ἀσφάλειαν διὰ τὴν ἡλικίαν τοῦ προεστῶτος — οὐ γὰρ εἶχε πλεῖον ἐτῶν τότε Φίλιππος ἑπτακαίδεκα — §4.5.4παρατιθεὶς δὲ τὴν Λακεδαιμονίων ἀλλοτριότητα πρὸς τοὺς Μεσσηνίους, ἀναμιμνήσκων δὲ τῆς Ἠλείων πρὸς σφᾶς εὐνοίας καὶ συμμαχίας· ἐξ ὧν ἀσφαλῆ τὴν εἰσβολὴν τὴν εἰς τὴν Μεσσηνίαν ἐσομένην αὐτοῖς ἀπέφαινεν.
And Dorimachus did not dare to call upon the Aetolians publicly to join in a war against the Messenians, because he had no plausible pretext, but the impulse was admittedly born of lawlessness and a taunt; abandoning this design, therefore, he privately urged Scopas to join him in the enterprise against the Messenians, pointing out the security they would enjoy from Macedonia owing to the youth of its ruler—for Philip was at that time not more than seventeen years of age— adducing also the hostility of the Lacedaemonians towards the Messenians, and reminding him of the goodwill and alliance of the Eleans towards themselves; from which facts he showed that their invasion of Messenia would be safe for them.
§4.5.5τὸ δὲ συνέχον τῆς Αἰτωλικῆς προτροπῆς, ὑπὸ τὴν ὄψιν ἐτίθει τὰς ἐσομένας ὠφελείας ἐκ τῆς τῶν Μεσσηνίων χώρας, οὔσης ἀπρονοήτου καὶ διαμεμενηκυίας ἀκεραίου μόνης τῶν ἐν Πελοποννήσῳ κατὰ τὸν Κλεομενικὸν πόλεμον.
But the main point of his Aetolian persuasion was that he placed before his eyes the booty to be gained from the Messenian territory, which was unprotected and had alone remained unravaged in the Peloponnese during the Cleomenic war.
§4.5.6ἐπὶ δὲ πᾶσι τούτοις συνίστανε τὴν ἐξακολουθήσουσαν εὔνοιαν σφίσι παρὰ τοῦ τῶν Αἰτωλῶν πλήθους.
To all this he added the assurance of the goodwill that would follow them from the Aetolian multitude.
§4.5.7Ἀχαιοὺς δʼ, ἂν μὲν κωλύσωσι τὴν δίοδον, οὐκ ἐρεῖν ἐγκλήματα τοῖς ἀμυνομένοις· ἐὰν δʼ ἀγάγωσι τὴν ἡσυχίαν, οὐκ ἐμποδιεῖν αὐτοῖς πρὸς τὴν ἐπιβολήν.
As for the Achaians, if they should try to prevent their passage, they would have no ground of complaint against those who defended themselves; while if they remained quiet, they would not obstruct their enterprise.
§4.5.8πρὸς δὲ Μεσσηνίους προφάσεως οὐκ ἀπορήσειν ἔφη· πάλαι γὰρ αὐτοὺς ἀδικεῖν Ἀχαιοῖς καὶ Μακεδόσιν ἐπηγγελμένους κοινωνήσειν τῆς συμμαχίας.
Against the Messenians, he said, they would not lack a pretext; for they had long been injuring them by promising to share the alliance with the Achaians and Macedonians.
§4.5.9ταῦτα δʼ εἰπὼν καὶ παραπλήσια τούτοις ἕτερα πρὸς τὴν αὐτὴν ὑπόθεσιν, τοιαύτην ὁρμὴν παρέστησε τῷ Σκόπᾳ καὶ τοῖς τούτου φίλοις ὥστʼ οὔτε κοινὴν τῶν Αἰτωλῶν προσδεξάμενοι σύνοδον οὔτε τοῖς ἀποκλήτοις συμμεταδόντες, οὐδὲ μὴν ἄλλο τῶν καθηκόντων οὐδὲν πράξαντες, §4.5.10κατὰ δὲ τὰς αὑτῶν ὁρμὰς καὶ κρίσεις διαλαβόντες ἅμα Μεσσηνίοις, Ἠπειρώταις, Ἀχαιοῖς, Ἀκαρνᾶσι, Μακεδόσι πόλεμον ἐξήνεγκαν.
By saying these things and other similar arguments to the same purpose, he inspired such an impulse in Scopas and his friends that, without waiting for a general assembly of the Aetolians, or consulting the committee of apokletoi, or indeed doing any of the proper formalities, and acting entirely on their own impulse and judgment, they declared war simultaneously against the Messenians, Epirotes, Achaians, Acarnanians, and Macedonians.