§5.66.1τοιαύτη τις ἦν.
Such was its character.
Ἀντίοχος δὲ συνεσταμένος πολιορκίαν περὶ τὴν καλουμένην πόλιν Δῶρα, καὶ περαίνειν οὐδὲν δυνάμενος διά τε τὴν ὀχυρότητα τοῦ τόπου καὶ τὰς τῶν περὶ τὸν Νικόλαον παραβοηθείας, §5.66.2συνάπτοντος ἤδη τοῦ χειμῶνος, συνεχώρησε ταῖς παρὰ τοῦ Πτολεμαίου πρεσβείαις ἀνοχάς τε ποιήσασθαι τετραμήνους καὶ περὶ τῶν ὅλων εἰς πάντα συγκαταβήσεσθαι τὰ φιλάνθρωπα.
Antiochus, on his part, had been engaged in the siege of the city called Dora, and being unable to achieve anything owing both to the strength of the place and the assistance rendered by Nicolaus and his men, as winter was already approaching, he agreed with the embassies from Ptolemy to make a four months' truce, and to consent to all terms of accommodation regarding the general question.
§5.66.3ταῦτα δʼ ἔπραττε πλεῖστον μὲν ἀπέχων τῆς ἀληθείας, σπεύδων δὲ μὴ πολὺν χρόνον ἀποσπᾶσθαι τῶν οἰκείων τόπων, ἀλλʼ ἐν τῇ Σελευκείᾳ ποιήσασθαι τὴν τῶν δυνάμεων παραχειμασίαν διὰ τὸ προφανῶς τὸν Ἀχαιὸν ἐπιβουλεύειν μὲν τοῖς σφετέροις πράγμασι, συνεργεῖν δὲ τοῖς περὶ τὸν Πτολεμαῖον ὁμολογουμένως.
In doing this he was very far from acting in good faith, but was anxious not to be kept away for long from his own territories, and rather to make the winter quarters of his forces in Seleucia, because it was obvious that Achaeus was plotting against his interests and was admittedly co-operating with Ptolemy.
§5.66.4τούτων δὲ συγχωρηθέντων Ἀντίοχος τοὺς μὲν πρεσβευτὰς ἐξέπεμψε, παραγγείλας διασαφεῖν αὐτῷ τὴν ταχίστην τὰ δόξαντα τοῖς περὶ τὸν Πτολεμαῖον καὶ συνάπτειν εἰς Σελεύκειαν· §5.66.5ἀπολιπὼν δὲ φυλακὰς τὰς ἁρμοζούσας ἐν τοῖς τόποις, καὶ παραδοὺς Θεοδότῳ τὴν τῶν ὅλων ἐπιμέλειαν, ἐπανῆλθε· καὶ παραγενόμενος εἰς τὴν Σελεύκειαν διαφῆκε τὰς δυνάμεις εἰς παραχειμασίαν.
These terms having been agreed upon, Antiochus sent away the envoys, bidding them inform him as quickly as possible of the decisions of Ptolemy and his advisers, and to join him at Seleucia; and leaving suitable garrisons in those places, and handing over the general administration to Theodotus, he returned; and arriving at Seleucia, he dismissed his forces to their winter quarters.
§5.66.6καὶ τὸ λοιπὸν ἤδη τοῦ μὲν γυμνάζειν τοὺς ὄχλους ὠλιγώρει, πεπεισμένος οὐ προσδεήσεσθαι τὰ πράγματα μάχης διὰ τὸ τινῶν μὲν μερῶν Κοίλης Συρίας καὶ Φοινίκης ἤδη κυριεύειν, τοὺς δὲ λοιποὺς ἐλπίζειν ἐξ ἑκόντων καὶ διὰ λόγου παραλήψεσθαι, §5.66.7μὴ τολμώντων τὸ παράπαν τῶν περὶ τὸν Πτολεμαῖον εἰς τὸν περὶ τῶν ὅλων συγκαταβαίνειν κίνδυνον.
Henceforth he neglected the training of his troops, being convinced that the situation would not require a battle, because he was already in possession of certain parts of Coele-Syria and Phoenicia, and hoped to receive the rest voluntarily and by negotiation, since Ptolemy's party would not dare at all to encounter the risk of a general conflict.
§5.66.8ταύτην δὲ συνέβαινε τὴν διάληψιν καὶ τοὺς πρεσβευτὰς ἔχειν διὰ τὸ τὰς ἐντεύξεις αὐτοῖς τὸν Σωσίβιον ἐν τῇ Μέμφει προκαθήμενον φιλανθρώπους ποιεῖσθαι, §5.66.9τῶν δὲ κατὰ τὴν Ἀλεξάνδρειαν παρασκευῶν μηδέποτε τοὺς διαπεμπομένους πρὸς τὸν Ἀντίοχον ἐᾶν αὐτόπτας γενέσθαι.
And it happened that the envoys also held this same view, because Sosibius, residing in Memphis, conducted his interviews with them in a friendly manner, and never allowed those dispatched to Antiochus to become eyewitnesses of the preparations going on in Alexandria.