§5.37.1ἐχρήσατο συνεργήματι τοιούτῳ τινί.
[Sosibius] made use of a cooperative circumstance of the following kind.
Νικαγόρας τις ἦν Μεσσήνιος· οὗτος ὑπῆρχε πατρικὸς ξένος Ἀρχιδάμου τοῦ Λακεδαιμονίων βασιλέως.
There was a certain Nicagoras, a Messenian; this man was a hereditary guest-friend of Archidamus, the king of the Lacedaemonians.
§5.37.2τὸν μὲν οὖν πρὸ τοῦ χρόνον βραχεῖά τις ἦν τοῖς προειρημένοις ἐπιπλοκὴ πρὸς ἀλλήλους· καθʼ ὃν δὲ καιρὸν Ἀρχίδαμος ἐκ τῆς Σπάρτης ἔφυγε δείσας τὸν Κλεομένην, καὶ παρεγένετʼ εἰς Μεσσηνίαν, οὐ μόνον οἰκίᾳ καὶ τοῖς ἄλλοις ἀναγκαίοις ὁ Νικαγόρας αὐτὸν ἐδέξατο προθύμως, ἀλλὰ καὶ κατὰ τὴν ἑξῆς συμπεριφορὰν ἐγένετό τις αὐτοῖς ὁλοσχερὴς εὔνοια καὶ συνήθεια πρὸς ἀλλήλους.
In the time before this, there had been only a slight intercourse between the aforementioned men; but at the time when Archidamus fled from Sparta in fear of Cleomenes and came to Messenia, Nicagoras not only received him eagerly into his house and provided other necessities, but also, during their subsequent life together, a complete goodwill and intimacy arose between them.
§5.37.3διὸ καὶ μετὰ ταῦτα, τοῦ Κλεομένους ὑποδείξαντος ἐλπίδα καθόδου καὶ διαλύσεως πρὸς τὸν Ἀρχίδαμον, ἔδωκεν αὑτὸν ὁ Νικαγόρας εἰς τὰς διαποστολὰς καὶ τὰς ὑπὲρ τῶν πίστεων συνθήκας.
Therefore, when after this Cleomenes held out to Archidamus the hope of return and reconciliation, Nicagoras gave himself up to the missions and the negotiations for the guarantees.
§5.37.4ὧν κυρωθέντων ὁ μὲν Ἀρχίδαμος εἰς τὴν Σπάρτην κατῄει, πιστεύσας ταῖς διὰ τοῦ Νικαγόρου γεγενημέναις συνθήκαις,
When these were ratified, Archidamus returned to Sparta, trusting in the treaty made through Nicagoras.
§5.37.5ὁ δὲ Κλεομένης ἀπαντήσας τὸν μὲν Ἀρχίδαμον ἐπανείλετο, τοῦ δὲ Νικαγόρου καὶ τῶν ἄλλων τῶν συνόντων ἐφείσατο.
But Cleomenes, meeting him, put Archidamus to death, but spared Nicagoras and the others who were with him.
§5.37.6πρὸς μὲν οὖν τοὺς ἐκτὸς ὁ Νικαγόρας ὑπεκρίνετο χάριν ὀφείλειν τῷ Κλεομένει διὰ τὴν αὑτοῦ σωτηρίαν, ἐν αὑτῷ γε μὴν βαρέως ἔφερε τὸ συμβεβηκός, δοκῶν αἴτιος γεγονέναι τῷ βασιλεῖ τῆς ἀπωλείας.
To outsiders, therefore, Nicagoras pretended to owe thanks to Cleomenes for his own safety, but in his heart he took what had happened very bitterly, believing that he had been the cause of the king's destruction.
§5.37.7οὗτος ὁ Νικαγόρας ἵππους ἄγων κατέπλευσε βραχεῖ χρόνῳ πρότερον εἰς τὴν Ἀλεξάνδρειαν.
This Nicagoras had sailed into Alexandria a short time before, bringing horses.
§5.37.8ἀποβαίνων δʼ ἐκ τῆς νεὼς καταλαμβάνει τόν τε Κλεομένην καὶ τὸν Παντέα καὶ μετʼ αὐτῶν Ἱππίταν ἐν τῷ λιμένι παρὰ τὴν κρηπῖδα περιπατοῦντας.
On disembarking from his ship, he found Cleomenes, Panteus, and with them Hippitas walking in the harbor near the quay.
§5.37.9ἰδὼν δʼ ὁ Κλεομένης αὐτὸν καὶ συμμίξας, ἠσπάζετο φιλοφρόνως, καὶ προσεπύθετο τί παρείη.
When Cleomenes saw him and met him, he welcomed him cordially and asked besides for what purpose he was there.
§5.37.10τοῦ δʼ εἰπόντος ὅτι παραγέγονεν ἵππους ἄγων "ἐβουλόμην ἄν σε" ἔφη "καὶ λίαν ἀντὶ τῶν ἵππων κιναίδους ἄγειν καὶ σαμβύκας· τούτων γὰρ ὁ νῦν βασιλεὺς κατεπείγεται. §5.37.11"τότε γοῦν ἐπιγελάσας ὁ Νικαγόρας ἐσιώπησε, μετὰ δέ τινας ἡμέρας ἐπὶ πλεῖον ἐλθὼν εἰς τὰς χεῖρας τῷ Σωσιβίῳ διὰ τοὺς ἵππους εἶπε κατὰ τοῦ Κλεομένους τὸν ἄρτι ῥηθέντα λόγον,
And when Nicagoras replied that he had come bringing horses, Cleomenes said, "I could wish indeed that you had brought pathics and harp-girls instead of horses; for it is of these that the present king stands in urgent need." At that time, indeed, Nicagoras smiled and kept silence; but a few days later, having come into closer contact with Sosibius because of the horses, he repeated this remark against Cleomenes.
§5.37.12θεωρῶν δὲ τὸν Σωσίβιον ἡδέως ἀκούοντα, πᾶσαν ἐξέθετο τὴν προϋπάρχουσαν
And seeing that Sosibius heard it with pleasure, he set forth all the pre-existing