§8.7.1οἱ δὲ περὶ τὸν Ἄππιον εἰς παραπλησίους ἐμπεσόντες δυσχερείας ἀπέστησαν τῆς ἐπιβολῆς. §8.7.2ἔτι μὲν γὰρ ὄντες ἐν ἀποστήματι τοῖς τε πετροβόλοις καὶ καταπέλταις τυπτόμενοι διεφθείροντο, διὰ τὸ θαυμάσιον εἶναι τὴν τῶν βελῶν κατασκευὴν καὶ κατὰ τὸ πλῆθος καὶ κατὰ τὴν ἐνέργειαν, ὡς ἂν Ἱέρωνος μὲν χορηγοῦ γεγονότος, ἀρχιτέκτονος δὲ καὶ δημιουργοῦ τῶν ἐπινοημάτων Ἀρχιμήδους. §8.7.3συνεγγίζοντές γε μὴν πρὸς τὴν πόλιν οἱ μὲν ταῖς διὰ τοῦ τείχους τοξότισιν, ὡς ἐπάνω προεῖπον, κακούμενοι συνεχῶς εἴργοντο τῆς προσόδου· οἱ δὲ μετὰ τῶν γέρρων βιαζόμενοι ταῖς τῶν κατὰ κορυφὴν λίθων καὶ δοκῶν ἐμβολαῖς διεφθείροντο. §8.7.4οὐκ ὀλίγα δὲ καὶ ταῖς χερσὶ ταῖς ἐκ τῶν μηχανῶν ἐκακοποίουν, ὡς καὶ πρότερον εἶπα· σὺν αὐτοῖς γὰρ τοῖς ὅπλοις τοὺς ἄνδρας ἐξαιροῦντες ἐρρίπτουν. §8.7.5τὸ δὲ πέρας, ἀναχωρήσαντες εἰς τὴν παρεμβολὴν καὶ συνεδρεύσαντες μετὰ τῶν χιλιάρχων οἱ περὶ τὸν Ἄππιον, ὁμοθυμαδὸν ἐβουλεύσαντο πάσης ἐλπίδος πεῖραν λαμβάνειν πλὴν τοῦ διὰ πολιορκίας ἑλεῖν τὰς Συρακούσας, ὡς καὶ τέλος ἐποίησαν· §8.7.6ὀκτὼ γὰρ μῆνας τῇ πόλει προσκαθεζόμενοι τῶν μὲν ἄλλων στρατηγημάτων ἢ τολμημάτων οὐδενὸς ἀπέστησαν, τοῦ δὲ πολιορκεῖν οὐδέποτε πεῖραν ἔτι λαβεῖν ἐθάρρησαν. §8.7.7οὕτως εἷς ἀνὴρ καὶ μία ψυχὴ δεόντως ἡρμοσμένη πρὸς ἔνια τῶν πραγμάτων μέγα τι χρῆμα φαίνεται γίνεσθαι καὶ θαυμάσιον. §8.7.8ἐκεῖνοι γοῦν τηλικαύτας δυνάμεις ἔχοντες καὶ κατὰ γῆν καὶ κατὰ θάλατταν, εἰ μὲν ἀφέλοι τις πρεσβύτην ἕνα Συρακοσίων, παραχρῆμα τῆς πόλεως κυριεύσειν ἤλπιζον, §8.7.9τούτου δὲ συμπαρόντος οὐκ ἐθάρρουν οὐδʼ ἐπιβαλέσθαι κατά γε τοῦτον τὸν τρόπον, καθʼ ὃν ἀμύνασθαι δυνατὸς ἦν Ἀρχιμήδης. §8.7.10οὐ μὴν ἀλλὰ νομίσαντες μάλιστʼ ἂν ὑπὸ τῆς τῶν ἀναγκαίων ἐνδείας διὰ τὸ πλῆθος τοὺς ἔνδον ὑποχειρίους σφίσι γενέσθαι, ταύτης ἀντείχοντο τῆς ἐλπίδος· καὶ ταῖς μὲν ναυσὶ τὰς κατὰ θάλατταν ἐπικουρίας αὐτῶν ἐκώλυον, τῷ δὲ πεζῷ στρατεύματι τὰς κατὰ γῆν.
On the other hand, Appius and his men, having fallen into similar difficulties, abandoned their attempt. For while they were still at a distance, they were struck and destroyed by the stone-throwers and catapults, because the preparation of the missiles was marvelous both in quantity and in power, inasmuch as Hiero had provided the expense, and Archimedes was the architect and creator of these inventions. On the other hand, as they drew near to the city, some, being continually harassed by the archery-engines through the wall, as I said above, were kept from approaching; while others, forcing their way with wicker-shields, were destroyed by the blows of stones and beams dropped from above. And they also suffered no small damage from the hands hanging from the engines, as I said before; for they lifted up the men, arms and all, and flung them down. In the end, having retreated to their camp and held a council with the military tribunes, Appius and his men resolved unanimously to try every hope except that of taking Syracuse by siege, which indeed they did in the end. For though they invested the city for eight months, they desisted from no other stratagems or daring attempts, but they never again dared to make trial of a siege. Thus a single man and a single mind, when properly fitted for certain matters, appears to be something great and marvelous. At any rate, though they possessed such great forces both by land and by sea, if one were to remove a single old man of Syracuse, they expected to make themselves masters of the city immediately. But while he was present, they did not dare even to make an attempt, at least in that manner in which Archimedes was able to defend it. Nevertheless, thinking that those inside would most likely fall into their hands through the lack of provisions because of their great number, they clung to this hope; and with their ships they blocked their supplies by sea, and with their infantry army, those by land.
βουλόμενοι δὲ μὴ ποιεῖν ἄπρακτον τὸν χρόνον, §8.7.11ἐν ᾧ προσεδρεύουσι ταῖς Συρακούσαις, ἀλλʼ ἅμα τι καὶ τῶν ἐκτὸς χρησίμων κατασκευάζεσθαι, διεῖλον οἱ στρατηγοὶ σφᾶς αὐτοὺς καὶ τὴν δύναμιν, §8.7.12ὥστε τὸν μὲν Ἄππιον ἔχοντα δύο μέρη προσκαθῆσθαι τοῖς ἐν τῇ πόλει, τὸ δὲ τρίτον ἀναλαβόντα Μάρκον ἐπιπορεύεσθαι τοὺς τὰ Καρχηδονίων αἱρουμένους κατὰ τὴν Σικελίαν. [3, 1 — 6, 4 θαλάττης ἐγίνετο ετ 7, 6 τῶν μὲν ἄλλων — ἐθάρρησαν ξοδ. ωεσξηερι πολιορξéτιθυε δες γρεξς. παρις. 1867 π. 321 ετ ειυσδεμ φραγμεντς ινéδιτς δε πολψβε, παρις 1869 π. 9; 3, 2 κατὰ τὴν Σκυτικὴν — 7, 9 οὐκ ἐθάρρουν οὐδʼ ἐπιβαλέσθαι ηερο δε ρεπελλ. οβσιδ. π. 326 τηεϝενοτ; 4, 1 — 7, 12 κατὰ τὴν Σικελίαν ξοδ. υρβ. φολ. 104 εχξ. αντ. π. 197. ]
And wishing not to make the time unprofitable during which they were investing Syracuse, but at the same time to secure some of the external advantages, the generals divided themselves and their force, so that Appius, with two parts of the force, remained investing those in the city, while Marcus, taking the third part, marched against those who chose the side of the Carthaginians throughout Sicily.