§5.21.1Λυκοῦργος δὲ διαταξάμενος περὶ τοῦ μέλλοντος κινδύνου τοῖς ἡγεμόσι καὶ τοῖς φίλοις, αὐτὸς μὲν ἐξελθὼν ἐκ τῆς πόλεως κατελάβετο τοὺς περὶ τὸ Μενελάιον τόπους, ἔχων τοὺς πάντας οὐκ ἐλάττους δισχιλίων,
Lycurgus, having made arrangements with the officers and his friends regarding the impending battle, himself left the city and occupied the positions around the Menelaium, having in all not fewer than two thousand men.
§5.21.2τοῖς δʼ ἐν τῇ πόλει συνέθετο προσέχειν τὸν νοῦν, ἵνʼ ὅταν αὐτοῖς αἴρῃ τὸ σύνθημα, σπουδῇ κατὰ πλείους τόπους ἐξαγαγόντες πρὸ τῆς πόλεως τὴν δύναμιν ἐκτάττωσι, βλέπουσαν ἐπὶ τὸν Εὐρώταν, καθʼ ὃν ἐλάχιστον τόπον ἀπέχει τῆς πόλεως ὁ ποταμός.
He agreed with those left in the city to pay attention, so that when he should raise the signal for them, they might quickly lead out the forces from several points and draw them up in front of the city, facing the Eurotas, at the point where the river is at its shortest distance from the city.
§5.21.3τὰ μὲν οὖν περὶ τὸν Λυκοῦργον καὶ τοὺς Λακεδαιμονίους ἐν τούτοις ἦν.
Such, then, was the position of Lycurgus and the Lacedaemonians.
§5.21.4ἵνα δὲ μὴ τῶν τόπων ἀγνοουμένων ἀνυπότακτα καὶ κωφὰ γίνηται τὰ λεγόμενα, συνυποδεικτέον ἂν εἴη τὴν φύσιν καὶ τάξιν αὐτῶν,
But in order that, through ignorance of the places, what is said may not become disconnected and meaningless, we must explain their nature and arrangement at the same time.
§5.21.5ὃ δὴ καὶ παρʼ ὅλην τὴν πραγματείαν πειρώμεθα ποιεῖν, συνάπτοντες καὶ συνοικειοῦντες ἀεὶ τοὺς ἀγνοουμένους τῶν τόπων τοῖς γνωριζομένοις καὶ παραδιδομένοις.
This indeed is what we attempt to do throughout our entire work, always connecting and associating the unknown places with those that are familiar and handed down by tradition.
§5.21.6ἐπεὶ γὰρ τῶν κατὰ πόλεμον κινδύνων τοὺς πλείους καὶ κατὰ γῆν καὶ κατὰ θάλατταν σφάλλουσιν αἱ τῶν τόπων διαφοραί, βουλόμεθα δὲ πάντες οὐχ οὕτως τὸ γεγονὸς ὡς τὸ πῶς ἐγένετο γινώσκειν, §5.21.7οὐ παρολιγωρητέον τῆς τῶν τόπων ὑπογραφῆς ἐν οὐδʼ ὁποίᾳ μὲν τῶν πράξεων, ἥκιστα δʼ ἐν ταῖς πολεμικαῖς, οὐδʼ ὀκνητέον ποτὲ μὲν λιμέσι καὶ πελάγεσι καὶ νήσοις συγχρῆσθαι σημείοις, ποτὲ δὲ πάλιν ἱεροῖς, ὄρεσι, §5.21.8χώραις ἐπωνύμοις, τὸ δὲ τελευταῖον ταῖς ἐκ τοῦ περιέχοντος διαφοραῖς, ἐπειδὴ κοινόταται πᾶσιν ἀνθρώποις εἰσὶν αὗται·
For since, in the dangers of war, whether by land or by sea, it is the differences of places that ruin most enterprises, and we all wish to know not so much what happened as how it happened, we must not neglect the description of places in any of the actions, least of all in military ones, nor should we hesitate to make use at one time of harbors, seas, and islands as landmarks, and at another of temples, mountains, lands with specific names, and finally, of the differences arising from the surrounding sky, since these are most common to all mankind.
§5.21.9μόνως γὰρ οὕτως δυνατὸν εἰς ἔννοιαν ἀγαγεῖν τῶν ἀγνοουμένων τοὺς ἀκούοντας, καθάπερ καὶ πρότερον εἰρήκαμεν.
For only in this way is it possible, as we have said before, to bring the hearers to an understanding of what is unknown.
§5.21.10ἔστι δʼ ἡ τῶν τόπων φύσις τοιαύτη [ὑπὲρ ὧν νῦν δὴ ὁ λό
Now the nature of the places [about which our discourse now...