Delphi Complete Works of Pausanias

by Pausanias

  [7] ἀλλὰ ὁ θεὸς τὸ ὕδωρ ἐπήγαγεν ἀθρόον μᾶλλον μετὰ ἰσχυροῦ τῶν βροντῶν τοῦ ψόφου καὶ τοὺς ὀφθαλμοὺς αὐτῶν ἐναντίαις ταῖς ἀστραπαῖς ἐξέπλησσε. τοῖς δὲ Λακεδαιμονίοις ταῦτα πάντα παρίστη φρόνημα, καὶ αὐτὸν ἀμύνειν σφίσιν ἔφασαν τὸν θεόν: καὶ — ἤστραπτε γὰρ τούτοις κατὰ δεξιὰ — ἀπέφαινεν Ἕκας ὁ μάντις ὡς αἴσιον εἴη τὸ σημεῖον.

  [21.7] But the god caused the rain to descend more densely, with loud claps of thunder, and dazzled their eyes with lightning flashing in their faces. All this put courage in the Lacedaemonians, who said that heaven itself was-helping them and as the lightning was on their right, Hecas the seer declared the sign of good omen.

  [8] οὗτος δὲ καὶ στρατήγημα ἐξεῦρε τοιόνδε. ἀριθμῷ καὶ πολὺ οἱ Λακεδαιμόνιοι περιῆσαν: ἅτε δὲ οὐκ ἐν εὐρυχωρίᾳ σφίσιν οὐδὲ κατὰ σύνταγμα ἐγγινομένης τῆς μάχης, ἄλλων δὲ ἐν ἄλλῳ τῆς πόλεως ποιουμένων τὸν ἀγῶνα, ἀχρείους ἀπὸ ἑκάστης τάξεως συνέβαινεν εἶναι τοὺς τελευταίους. τούτους ἐκέλευεν ἀποχωρήσαντας ἐς τὸ στρατόπεδον σιτίων μεταλαβεῖν καὶ ὕπνου καὶ αὖθις πρὸ ἑσπέρας ἥκειν τοῖς ὑπομενοῦσιν αὐτῶν διαδεξομένους τὸν πόνον.

  [21.8] It was he who devised the following plan. The Lacedaemonians far outnumbered the Messenians, but as the battle was not being fought on open ground with troops in line, but they were fighting over different quarters of the town, the rearmost of each detachment were rendered useless. Hecas ordered these to retire to the camp, take food and sleep, and return before evening to relieve their own men who were to remain on duty.

  [9] καὶ οἳ μὲν ἀναπαυόμενοί τε καὶ ἀνὰ μέρος μαχόμενοι μᾶλλον ἀντήρκουν, τοῖς δὲ Μεσσηνίοις πανταχόθεν παρίστατο ἀπορία: μεθ᾽ ἡμέραν γὰρ ἀεὶ καὶ νύκτα συνεχῶς οἱ αὐτοὶ τρίτην ἠμύνοντο. ἤδη τε ἡμέρα ἦν καὶ ἥ τε ἀυπνία καὶ ἐκ τοῦ οὐρανοῦ τὸ ὕδωρ τε καὶ ῥῖγος ἐπίεζε σφᾶς, ὅ τε λιμὸς καὶ ἡ δίψα ἐπέκειτο: μάλιστα δὲ αἱ γυναῖκες ἀηθείᾳ τε πολέμου καὶ τῇ συνεχείᾳ τῆς ταλαιπωρίας ἀπειρήκεσαν.

  [21.9] The Lacedaemonians, by resting and fighting by turns, held out the longer, but the Messenians were faced with difficulties on all sides. They fought continuously day and night until the third day with none to relieve them. When the next day dawned, worn out by lack of sleep and by the rain and cold from heaven, they were assailed by hunger and thirst. The women especially, unaccustomed to war, were exhausted by the continuous suffering.

  [10] παραστὰς οὖν ὁ μάντις Θέοκλος πρὸς Ἀριστομένην εἶπε: ‘τί μάτην τόνδε ἔχεις τὸν πόνον; ἁλῶναι Μεσσήνην πάντως ἐστὶ πεπρωμένον, συμφορὰν δὲ τὴν ἐν

  ὀφθαλμοῖς πάλαι τε ἡμῖν προεσήμαινεν ἡ Πυθία καὶ ἔναγχος ὁ ἐρινεὸς ἔδειξεν. ἐμοὶ μὲν οὖν ὁ θεὸς αὐτῷ κοινὴν πρὸς τὴν πατρίδα ἐπάγει τὴν τελευτήν: σὺ δὲ σώζειν μὲν ὡς δυνάμεως ἥκεις Μεσσηνίους, σώζειν δὲ καὶ σαυτόν.’ ἐπεὶ δὲ εἶπε πρὸς τοῦτον, ἐπὶ τοὺς πολεμίους ἔθει: καί οἱ καὶ ἐς τοὺς Λακεδαιμονίους ἔπεισιν ἐκβοῆσαι τοσόνδε: ‘ἀλλ᾽ οὔ τοι τὸν πάντα γε χρόνον χαίροντες καρπώσεσθε τὰ Μεσσηνίων.’

  [21.10] So the seer Theoclus came to Aristomenes’ side and said: “Why vainly maintain this toil? The decree of fate stands fast that Messene should fall; long since the Pythia declared to us the disaster now before our eyes, and lately the fig-tree revealed it. On me the gods have laid one doom with my country, but do thou save the Messenians with what power thou hast and save thyself.” When he had spoken to Aristomenes he rushed upon the enemy, and these were the words that he was constrained to fling at the Lacedaemonians. “Yet not for all time shall you enjoy the fruits of Messenia with impunity.”

  [11] μετὰ τοῦτο τοῖς καθ᾽ αὑτὸν ἀνθεστηκόσιν ἐμπεσὼν ἐκείνους τε ἔκτεινε καὶ αὐτὸς ἐτιτρώσκετο, προεμπλήσας δὲ τὸν θυμὸν τῷ φόνῳ τῶν ἐχθρῶν ἀφίησι τὴν ψυχήν. Ἀριστομένης δὲ ἀπὸ τῆς μάχης ὀπίσω τοὺς Μεσσηνίους ἀνεκάλει, πλὴν ὅσοι κατὰ ἀνδραγαθίαν αὐτῶν προεμάχοντο: τούτους δὲ εἴα κατὰ χώραν μένειν: τοῖς δὲ λοιποῖς προσέταξε τὰς γυναῖκας καὶ τὰ τέκνα ἐντὸς τῆς τάξεως ἔχοντας ἐπακολουθεῖν, ᾗπερ ἂν αὐτὸς παρέχηται διέξοδον.

  [21.11] Then falling upon the men who faced him he killed them and himself was wounded, and having sated his passion with the slaughter of his foes, he breathed his last. But Aristomenes called the Messenians back from the fight, except those who by virtue of their courage were fighting to cover them. These he allowed to remain at their post. The rest he ordered to receive the women and children within their ranks and follow him wherever he should show a passage.

  [12] καὶ τούτων μὲν τοῖς τελευταίοις Γόργον καὶ Μάντικλον ἐπέστησεν ἄρχοντας: αὐτὸς δὲ ἀναδραμὼν ἐς τοὺς προτεταγμένους τῆς τε κεφαλῆς τῷ νεύματι καὶ τοῦ δόρατος τῇ κινήσει δῆλος ἦν διέξοδόν τε αἰτούμενος καὶ ἀποχωρεῖν ἤδη βεβουλευμένος. τῷ τε οὖν Ἐμπεράμῳ καὶ Σπαρτιατῶν τοῖς παροῦσι διεῖναι τοὺς Μεσσηνίους ἤρεσκε μηδὲ λυσσῶντας ἀνθρώπους καὶ ἐς τὸ ἔσχατον ἀπονοίας ἥκοντας ἐξαγριᾶναι πέρα: καὶ ἅμα οὕτω σφᾶς ποιεῖν Ἕκας ὁ μάντις ἐκέλευεν.

  [21.12] He appointed Gorgus and Manticlus to command the rear, he himself ran to the head of the company and by the gestures of his head and movement of his spear signified that he asked a passage and had resolved to depart. Emperamus and the Spartans present were pleased to let the Messenians pass, without further inflaming men who had reached the bounds of frenzy and despair. Moreover Hecas the seer ordered them to act thus.

  22. οἱ δὲ Ἀρκάδες παραυτίκα τε τὴν κατάληψιν ἐπυνθάνοντο τῆς Εἴρας καὶ αὐτίκα τὸν Ἀριστοκράτην

  ἐκέλευον σφᾶς ἄγειν ὡς ἢ σώσοντας Μεσσηνίους ἢ σὺν αὐτοῖς ἀπολουμένους. ὁ δὲ ἅτε ἐκ τῆς Λακεδαίμονος δεδεγμένος δῶρα, οὔτε ἄγειν ἤθελεν εἰδέναι τε ἔφασκεν οὐδένα ἔτι Μεσσηνίων ὅτῳ καὶ ἀμυνοῦσιν ὄντα ὑπόλοιπον.

  [22.1] XXII. As soon as the Arcadians heard of the Capture of Eira, they at once ordered Aristocrates to lead them to the rescue of the Messenians or to death with them. But he, being in receipt of bribes from Lacedaemon, refused to lead them, and said that he knew that no Messenian survived for them to help.

  [2] τότε δὲ ὡς σαφέστερον ᾐσθ�
�νοντο περιόντας καὶ ἐκλείπειν τὴν Εἶραν βεβιασμένους, αὐτοὶ μὲν περὶ τὸ ὄρος σφᾶς τὸ Λύκαιον ἔμελλον ὑποδέξεσθαι, προετοιμασάμενοι καὶ ἐσθῆτα καὶ σιτία, ἄνδρας δὲ τῶν ἐν τέλει πέμπουσι παραμυθεῖσθαί τε τοὺς Μεσσηνίους καὶ ἡγεμόνας ἅμα τῆς πορείας γενέσθαι. καὶ τοὺς μέν, ὡς ἐς τὸ Λύκαιον ἀνεσώθησαν, ἐξένιζον καὶ τὰ ἄλλα εὐνοϊκῶς περιεῖπον οἱ Ἀρκάδες, κατανέμειν τε ἐς τὰς πόλεις ἤθελον καὶ ἀναδάσασθαι δι᾽ ἐκείνους τὴν γῆν:

  [22.2] When they obtained more certain news, that they survived and had been forced to desert Eira, they themselves proposed to receive them at Mount Lycaeus after preparing clothing and food, and sent some of their leading men to comfort the Messenians and also to be their guides on the way. After their safe arrival at Mount Lycaeus, the Arcadians entertained them and treated them kindly in every way, offering to distribute them among their towns and to make a new distribution of their land on their account.

  [3] Ἀριστομένει δὲ ὅ τε οἶκτος διαρπαζομένης τῆς Εἴρας καὶ τὸ μῖσος τὸ ἐς τοὺς Λακεδαιμονίους βούλευμα παρίστησι τοιόνδε. πεντακοσίους τῶν Μεσσηνίων, οὓς μάλιστα ἠπίστατο αὑτῶν ἀφειδῶς ἔχοντας, ἀποκρίνας ἀπὸ τοῦ πλήθους, ἤρετο σφᾶς ἐν ἐπηκόῳ τῶν τε ἄλλων Ἀρκάδων καὶ Ἀριστοκράτους, ἅτε ὄντα προδότην οὐκ εἰδώς — ἀνανδρίᾳ γὰρ καὶ ὑπὸ δειλίας φυγεῖν τότε ἤδη Ἀριστοκράτην τῆς μάχης καὶ οὐ διὰ κακίαν οὐδεμίαν ἐδόξαζεν αὐτόν, ὥστε ἐναντίον καὶ τούτου τοὺς πεντακοσίους ἤρετο — , εἰ τιμωροῦντες τῇ πατρίδι ἀποθνήσκειν σὺν αὑτῷ ἐθελήσουσι.

  [22.3] But Aristomenes’ grief for the sack of Eira and his hatred of the Lacedaemonians suggested to him the following plan. He chose from the body of the Messenians five hundred men whom he knew to be the most unsparing of themselves, and asked them in the hearing of Aristocrates and the rest of the Arcadians if they were ready to die with him, avenging their country He did not know that Aristocrates was a traitor, for he thought that he had fled from the battle formerly from lack of courage and through cowardice, not for any knavery; so he asked the five hundred in his presence.

  [4] φαμένων δὲ ἐθέλειν ἀπεγύμνου τὸ πᾶν, ὡς πάντως τῆς ἐπιούσης ἑσπέρας ἐπὶ τὴν Σπάρτην ἄγειν μέλλοι: Λακεδαιμονίων γὰρ τότε δὴ μάλιστα ἐς τὴν Εἶραν ἀπῆσαν οἱ πολλοί, καὶ ἄλλοι τε ἐπεφοίτων φέροντες καὶ ἄγοντες τὰ Μεσσηνίων. ‘καὶ ἢν μὲν ἑλεῖν τὴν Σπάρτην καὶ κατασχεῖν δυνηθῶμεν’, ἔφασκεν ὁ Ἀριστομένης, ‘ἔστιν ἡμῖν ἀποδόντας Λακεδαιμονίοις τὰ ἐκείνων κομίσασθαι τὰ οἰκεῖα: ἁμαρτάνοντες δὲ ὁμοῦ ἀποθανούμεθά γε μνήμης καὶ τοῖς ἔπειτα ἄξια ἐργασάμενοι.’

  [22.4] When they said that they were ready, he revealed the whole plan, that he proposed at all costs to lead them against Sparta during the following evening. For now was the time when the majority of the Lacedaemonians was away at Eira, and others were scouring Messenia for booty and plunder. “If we can capture and occupy Sparta,” said Aristomenes, “we can give back to the Lacedaemonians what is theirs and receive our own. If we fail, we shall die together, having done a deed for posterity to remember.”

  [5] ταῦτα εἰπόντος τῶν Ἀρκάδων ὅσον τριακόσιοι μετέχειν καὶ αὐτοὶ τοῦ τολμήματος ἤθελον. καὶ τότε μὲν ἐπεῖχον τῆς ἐξόδου, τὰ γὰρ ἱερὰ ἐγίνετο αὐτοῖς οὐ κατὰ γνώμην, τῇ δὲ ἐπιούσῃ τό τε ἀπόρρητον ἔγνωσαν σφῶν τοὺς Λακεδαιμονίους προπεπυσμένους καὶ αὐτοὶ δεύτερον ὑπὸ Ἀριστοκράτους προδεδομένοι: τὰ γὰρ τοῦ Ἀριστομένους βουλεύματα αὐτίκα ὁ Ἀριστοκράτης ἐγγράψας βιβλίῳ, καὶ τὸ βιβλίον ἐπιθεὶς τῶν οἰκετῶν ὃν ἠπίστατο ὄντα εὐνούστατον, παρὰ Ἀνάξανδρον ἀπέστελλεν ἐς Σπάρτην.

  [22.5] When he said this, as many as three hundred of the Arcadians were ready to share his enterprise. For the time they delayed their departure, as the victims were unfavorable, but on the following day they learnt that the Lacedaemonians had been forewarned of their secret, and that they themselves had been a second time betrayed by Aristocrates. For Aristocrates had at once written the designs of Aristomenes in a letter, and having entrusted it to the slave whom he knew to be most loyal, sent him to Anaxander in Sparta.

  [6] ἐπανιόντα δὲ τὸν οἰκέτην λοχῶσιν ἄνδρες τῶν Ἀρκάδων διάφοροι καὶ πρότερον τῷ Ἀριστοκράτει, σχόντες δέ τι καὶ ὕποπτον τότε ἐς αὐτόν. λοχήσαντες δὲ τὸν οἰκέτην ἐπανάγουσιν ἐς τοὺς Ἀρκάδας καὶ ἐπεδείκνυον ἐς τὸν δῆμον τὰ ἀντεπεσταλμένα ἐκ Λακεδαίμονος: ἐπέστελλε δὲ ὁ Ἀνάξανδρος, φυγήν τε αὐτῷ τὴν πρότερον ἀπὸ τῆς Μεγάλης τάφρου φάμενος οὐκ ἀνόνητον ἐκ Λακεδαιμονίων γενέσθαι, προσέσεσθαι δέ οἱ χάριν καὶ τῶν ἐν τῷ παρόντι μηνυμάτων.

  [22.6] As the slave was returning, he was intercepted by some of the Arcadians, who had formerly been at variance with Aristocrates and regarded him then with some suspicion. Having intercepted the slave they brought him before the Arcadians and made known to the people the answer from Lacedaemon. Anaxander was writing that his retreat from the Great Trench formerly had not gone unrewarded on the part of the Lacedaemonians and that he would receive an additional recompense for his information on the present occasion.

  [7] ὡς δὲ ἀπηγγέλθη ταῦτα ἐς ἅπαντας, αὐτοί τε τὸν Ἀριστοκράτην ἔβαλλον οἱ Ἀρκάδες καὶ τοῖς Μεσσηνίοις διεκελεύοντο: οἱ δὲ ἐς τὸν Ἀριστομένην ἀπέβλεπον. καὶ ὁ μὲν ἐς τὴν γῆν

  ἀφορῶν ἔκλαιεν: τὸν δὲ Ἀριστοκράτην οἱ Ἀρκάδες καταλιθώσαντες τὸν μὲν τῶν ὅρων ἐκτὸς ἐκβάλλουσιν ἄταφον, στήλην δὲ ἀνέθεσαν ἐς τὸ τέμενος τοῦ Λυκαίου λέγουσαν

  πάντως ὁ χρόνος εὗρε δίκην ἀδίκῳ βασιλῆι, “εὗρε δὲ Μεσσήνης σὺν Διὶ τὸν προδότην

  ῥηιδίως. χαλεπὸν δὲ λαθεῖν θεὸν ἄνδρ᾽ ἐπίορκον.

  χαῖρε Ζεῦ βασιλεῦ, καὶ σάω Ἀρκαδίαν.

  “

  [22.7] When this was declared to all, the Arcadians themselves stoned Aristocrates and urged the Messenians to join them. They looked to Aristomenes. But he was weeping, with his eyes fixed on the ground. So the Arcadians stoned Aristocrates to death and flung him beyond their borders without burial, and set up a tablet in the precinct of Zeus Lycaeus with the words:–

  Truly time hath declared justice upon an unjust king and with the help of Zeus hath easily declared the betrayer of
Messene. Hard it is for a man forsworn to hide from God. Hail, king Zeus, and keep Arcadia safe.

  23. τῶν δὲ Μεσσηνίων ὁπόσοι περὶ τὴν Εἶραν ἢ καὶ ἑτέρωθί που τῆς Μεσσηνίας ἐγκατελήφθησαν, τούτους μὲν οἱ Λακεδαιμόνιοι προσένειμαν ἐς τὸ εἱλωτικόν: Πύλιοι δὲ καὶ Μοθωναῖοι καὶ ὅσοι τὰ παραθαλάσσια ᾤκουν, καὶ ναυσὶν ὑπὸ τὴν ἅλωσιν τῆς Εἴρας ἀπαίρουσιν ἐς Κυλλήνην τὸ ἐπίνειον τὸ Ἠλείων. ἐκεῖθεν δὲ παρὰ τοὺς ἐν Ἀρκαδίᾳ Μεσσηνίους ἀπέστελλον, ἐθέλοντες κοινῷ στόλῳ χώραν ἔνθα οἰκήσουσιν ἀναζητεῖν, καὶ Ἀριστομένην ἐκέλευον ἡγεῖσθαί σφισιν ἐς ἀποικίαν.

  [23.1] XXIII. All the Messenians, who were captured about Eira or anywhere else in Messenia, were reduced by the Lacedaemonians to serfdom. The people of Pylos and Mothone and all who occupied the maritime district retired in ships on the capture of Eira to Cyllene, the port of the Eleians. Thence they sent to the Messenians in Arcadia, proposing to unite their forces and seek a new country to dwell in, enjoining Aristomenes to lead them to a colony.

  [2] ὁ δὲ αὐτὸς μὲν ἕως ἂν περιῇ, πολεμήσειν Λακεδαιμονίοις ἔφασκεν, ἐπίστασθαι δὲ ἀκριβῶς ὡς ἀεί τι ἀναφύσεται τῇ Σπάρτῃ δι᾽ αὐτοῦ κακόν: ἐκείνοις δὲ Γόργον καὶ Μάντικλον ἔδωκεν ἡγεμόνας. ὁ δὲ Εὐεργετίδας ἐς μὲν τὸ Λύκαιον σὺν τοῖς ἄλλοις Μεσσηνίοις καὶ αὐτὸς ἀπεχώρησεν: ἐκεῖθεν δέ, ὡς ἑώρα τὸ βούλευμα διαπεπτωκὸς τῷ Ἀριστομένει τὸ ἐς τὴν κατάληψιν τῆς Σπάρτης, ἀναπείσας τῶν Μεσσηνίων ὡς πεντήκοντα ἐπάνεισιν ἐπὶ τοὺς Λακεδαιμονίους ἐς τὴν Εἶραν, καὶ ἐντυχὼν διαρπάζουσιν ἔτι τὰ ἐπινίκια