§8.21.1οὐ μὴν ἀλλʼ ἅμα τῷ φωτὶ συναθροιζομένων τῶν φίλων εἰς τὴν σκηνὴν κατὰ τὸν ἐθισμόν, καὶ τοῦ πράγματος ὑπὸ τὴν ὄψιν θεωρουμένου, τὸ παραπλήσιον τῷ βασιλεῖ συνέβαινε πάσχειν καὶ τοὺς ἄλλους· θαυμάζοντες γὰρ τὸ γεγονὸς ἠπίστουν τοῖς ὁρωμένοις. §8.21.2καθίσαντος δὲ τοῦ συνεδρίου, πολλοὶ μὲν ἐγίνοντο λόγοι περὶ τοῦ τίσι δεῖ κατʼ αὐτοῦ χρήσασθαι τιμωρίαις· §8.21.3ἔδοξε δʼ οὖν πρῶτον μὲν ἀκρωτηριάσαι τὸν ταλαίπωρον, μετὰ δὲ ταῦτα τὴν κεφαλὴν ἀποτεμόντας αὐτοῦ καὶ καταρράψαντας εἰς ὄνειον ἀσκὸν ἀνασταυρῶσαι τὸ σῶμα. §8.21.4γενομένων δὲ τούτων, καὶ τῆς δυνάμεως ἐπιγνούσης τὸ συμβεβηκός, τοιοῦτος ἐνθουσιασμὸς ἐγένετο καὶ παράστασις τοῦ στρατοπέδου παντὸς ὥστε τὴν Λαοδίκην ἐκ τῆς ἄκρας μόνον συνειδυῖαν τὴν ἔξοδον τἀνδρός, τεκμήρασθαι τὸ γεγονὸς ἐκ τῆς περὶ τὸ στρατόπεδον ταραχῆς καὶ κινήσεως. §8.21.5ταχὺ δὲ καὶ τοῦ κήρυκος παραγενομένου πρὸς τὴν Λαοδίκην καὶ διασαφοῦντος τὰ περὶ τὸν Ἀχαιόν, καὶ κελεύοντος τίθεσθαι τὰ πράγματα καὶ παραχωρεῖν τῆς ἄκρας, §8.21.6τὸ μὲν πρῶτον ἀναπόκριτος οἰμωγὴ καὶ θρῆνοι παράλογοι κατεῖχον τοὺς περὶ τὴν ἀκρόπολιν, οὐχ οὕτως διὰ τὴν πρὸς τὸν Ἀχαιὸν εὔνοιαν ὡς διὰ τὸ παράδοξον καὶ τελέως ἀνέλπιστον ἑκάστῳ φαίνεσθαι τὸ συμβεβηκός, §8.21.7μετὰ δὲ ταῦτα πολλή τις ἦν ἀπορία καὶ δυσχρηστία περὶ τοὺς ἔνδον. §8.21.8Ἀντίοχος δὲ διακεχειρισμένος τὸν Ἀχαιὸν ἐπεῖχε τοῖς κατὰ τὴν ἄκραν ἀεί, πεπεισμένος ἀφορμὴν ἐκ τῶν ἔνδον αὑτῷ παραδοθήσεσθαι, καὶ μάλιστα διὰ τῶν στρατιωτῶν. §8.21.9ὃ καὶ τέλος ἐγένετο· στασιάσαντες γὰρ πρὸς σφᾶς ἐμερίσθησαν, οἱ μὲν πρὸς Ἀρίβαζον, οἱ δὲ πρὸς τὴν Λαοδίκην.
Nevertheless, as soon as it was daylight, when his friends assembled at the tent according to custom and the event was seen before their eyes, a similar thing happened to the others as well; for wondering at what had occurred, they could not believe their eyes. When the council sat, many speeches were made as to what punishments they ought to inflict upon him. It was therefore decided first to mutilate the wretched man, and after that, having cut off his head and sewn it up in an ass's skin, to crucify his body. When this was done and the army became aware of what had happened, there was such excitement and consternation throughout the whole camp that Laodice, who inside the citadel was only aware of her husband's departure, guessed what had happened from the tumult and movement in the camp. Soon a herald also came to Laodice, explaining the circumstances regarding Achaeus and ordering her to settle her affairs and surrender the citadel. At first, a wailing that brooked no answer and frantic lamentation overcame those in the citadel, not so much because of their goodwill toward Achaeus as because the event appeared to each of them so unexpected and utterly hopeless. But after this there was great perplexity and division among those within. Antiochus, having disposed of Achaeus, kept a constant watch on those in the citadel, convinced that an opportunity would be handed to him from within, and especially through the soldiers. And this is what finally happened; for they mutinied and split into factions, some taking the side of Aribazus and others that of Laodice.
οὗ γενομένου διαπιστήσαντες ἀλλήλοις ταχέως ἀμφότεροι παρέδοσαν αὑτοὺς καὶ τὰς ἀκροπόλεις.
When this occurred, distrusting each other, both quickly surrendered themselves and the citadels.
Ἀχαιὸς μὲν οὖν πάντα τὰ κατὰ λόγον πράξας, §8.21.10ὑπὸ δὲ τῆς τῶν πιστευθέντων ἡττηθεὶς ἀθεσίας, κατεστρέψατο τὸν βίον, κατὰ δύο τρόπους οὐκ ἀνωφελὲς ὑπόδειγμα γενόμενος τοῖς ἐπεσομένοις, §8.21.11καθʼ ἕνα μὲν πρὸς τὸ μηδενὶ πιστεύειν ῥᾳδίως, καθʼ ἕτερον δὲ πρὸς τὸ μὴ μεγαλαυχεῖν ἐν ταῖς εὐπραγίαις, πᾶν δὲ προσδοκᾶν ἀνθρώπους ὄντας. [ξοδ. υρβ. φολ. 109 εχξ. αντ. π. 199 ετ ινδε αβ 360, 10. πιστεύειν εχξ. ϝατ. π. 374 μ. 27, 1 η. ποστ υνιυς φολιι λαξυναμ ϝ. ϝιιι, 36, 9. ]
Thus Achaeus, though he had done everything that reason required, but defeated by the treachery of those whom he trusted, ended his life, leaving to posterity a lesson useful in two ways: one, never to trust anyone easily, and the other, not to be boastful in prosperity, but as we are men, to expect anything.