§5.61.1λείας πρὸς τὸν Ἀντίοχον.
ety with Antiochus.
ὁ δὲ βασιλεὺς δεξάμενος τὴν ἔντευξιν συνεχώρησε δώσειν τοῖς ἐλευθέροις τὴν ἀσφάλειαν· οὗτοι δʼ ἦσαν εἰς ἑξακισχιλίους.
The king, having received the petition, agreed to grant safety to the free citizens; these were about six thousand in number.
§5.61.2παραλαβὼν δὲ τὴν πόλιν οὐ μόνον ἐφείσατο τῶν ἐλευθέρων, ἀλλὰ καὶ τοὺς πεφευγότας τῶν Σελευκέων καταγαγὼν τήν τε πολιτείαν αὐτοῖς ἀπέδωκε καὶ τὰς οὐσίας·
On taking possession of the city, he not only spared the free citizens, but also restored those of the Seleucians who had fled, giving back to them their citizenship and their property.
ἠσφαλίσατο δὲ φυλακαῖς τόν τε λιμένα καὶ τὴν ἄκραν.
He also secured both the harbor and the citadel with garrisons.
ἔτι δὲ περὶ ταῦτα διατρίβοντος αὐτοῦ, §5.61.3προσπεσόντων παρὰ Θεοδότου γραμμάτων, ἐν οἷς αὐτὸν ἐκάλει κατὰ σπουδὴν ἐγχειρίζων τὰ κατὰ Κοίλην Συρίαν, πολλῆς ἀπορίας ἦν καὶ δυσχρηστίας πλήρης ὑπὲρ τοῦ τί πρακτέον καὶ πῶς χρηστέον ἐστὶ τοῖς προσαγγελλομένοις.
While he was still occupied with these matters, a letter arrived from Theodotus, in which he invited him in all haste, offering to hand over the affairs of Coele-Syria. The king was filled with great perplexity and embarrassment as to what should be done and how he should deal with these messages.
§5.61.4ὁ δὲ Θεόδοτος, ὢν τὸ γένος Αἰτωλὸς καὶ μεγάλας παρεσχημένος τῇ Πτολεμαίου βασιλείᾳ χρείας, καθάπερ ἐπάνω προεῖπον, ἐπὶ δὲ τούτοις οὐχ οἷον χάριτος ἠξιωμένος, ἀλλὰ καὶ τῷ βίῳ κεκινδυνευκὼς καθʼ οὓς καιροὺς Ἀντίοχος ἐποιεῖτο τὴν ἐπὶ Μόλωνα στρατείαν,
Now this Theodotus was an Aetolian by birth, and had rendered great services to the kingdom of Ptolemy, as I mentioned above; yet, instead of receiving any gratitude, his very life had been in danger at the time when Antiochus was making his campaign against Molon.
§5.61.5τότε κατεγνωκὼς τοῦ βασιλέως καὶ διηπιστηκὼς τοῖς περὶ τὴν αὐλήν, καταλαβόμενος διὰ μὲν αὑτοῦ Πτολεμαΐδα, διὰ δὲ Παναιτώλου Τύρον, ἐκάλει τὸν Ἀντίοχον μετὰ σπουδῆς.
At that time, having conceived a contempt for the king and mistrusting those at court, he seized Ptolemais by himself, and Tyre through Panetolus, and called on Antiochus in all haste.
§5.61.6ὁ δὲ βασιλεὺς καὶ τὰς ἐπὶ τὸν Ἀχαιὸν ἐπιβολὰς ὑπερθέμενος καὶ τἄλλα πάντα πάρεργα ποιησάμενος ἀνέζευξε μετὰ τῆς δυνάμεως, ποιούμενος τὴν πορείαν ᾗ καὶ πρόσθεν.
The king, postponing even his designs against Achaeus and treating everything else as of secondary importance, set out with his army, marching by the same route as before.
§5.61.7διελθὼν δὲ τὸν ἐπικαλούμενον αὐλῶνα Μαρσύαν, κατεστρατοπέδευσε περὶ τὰ στενὰ τὰ κατὰ Γέρρα πρὸς τῇ μεταξὺ κειμένῃ λίμνῃ.
Having passed through the valley called Marsyas, he encamped near the pass of Gerra, by the lake that lies between them.
§5.61.8πυνθανόμενος δὲ Νικόλαον τὸν παρὰ Πτολεμαίου στρατηγὸν προσκαθῆσθαι τῇ Πτολεμαΐδι πολιορκοῦντα τὸν Θεόδοτον, τὰ μὲν βαρέα τῶν ὅπλων ἀπέλειπε, προστάξας τοῖς ἡγουμένοις πολιορκεῖν τοὺς Βρόχους, τὸ κείμενον ἐπὶ τῆς λίμνης καὶ τῆς παρόδου χωρίον, αὐτὸς δὲ τοὺς εὐζώνους ἀναλαβὼν προῆγε, βουλόμενος λῦσαι τὴν πολιορκίαν.
But on learning that Nicolas, Ptolemy's general, was blockading Ptolemais and besieging Theodotus, he left behind his heavy-armed troops, ordering the officers to besiege Brochi, a place lying on the lake and the pass, while he himself took the light-armed troops and advanced, wishing to raise the siege.
§5.61.9ὁ δὲ Νικόλαος πρότερον ἤδη πεπυσμένος τὴν τοῦ βασιλέως παρουσίαν, αὐτὸς μὲν ἀνεχώρησε, τοὺς δὲ περὶ Λαγόραν τὸν Κρῆτα καὶ Δορυμένην τὸν Αἰτωλὸν ἐξαπέστειλε προκαταληψομένους τὰ στενὰ τὰ περὶ Βηρυτόν·
Nicolas, however, having already received news of the king's approach, withdrew himself, but sent out those under Lagoras the Cretan and Dorymenes the Aetolian to preoccupy the pass near Berytus.
§5.61.10οἷς προσβαλὼν ὁ βασιλεὺς ἐξ ἐφόδου καὶ
The king, having attacked them on his arrival, and