Delphi Complete Works of Pausanias

by Pausanias

  [12.3] Thereupon, as the danger he ran was extreme, Menalcidas gave three of the talents he received from Oropus to Diaeus of Megalopolis, who had succeeded him as general of the Achaeans, and on this occasion was so active, because of the bribe, that he succeeded in saving Menalcidas in spite of the opposition of the Achaeans. The Achaeans, individually and as a body, held Diaeus responsible for the acquittal of Menalcidas, but he distracted their attention from the charges made against him by directing it towards more ambitious hopes, using to deceive them the following pretext.

  [4] Λακεδαιμόνιοι περὶ ἀμφισβητησίμου χώρας καταφεύγουσιν ἐπὶ τὴν Ῥωμαίων βουλήν: καταφεύγουσι δὲ αὐτοῖς προεῖπεν ἡ βουλὴ δικάζεσθαι τὰ ἄλλα πλὴν ψυχῆς ἐν συνεδρίῳ τῷ Ἀχαιῶν. ἡ μὲν δὴ ταῦτα ἀπεκρίνατο: Δίαιος δὲ οὐ τὸν ὄντα ἔλεγεν Ἀχαιοῖς λόγον, ψυχαγωγῶν δὲ αὐτοὺς ἔφασκε παρὰ τῆς Ῥωμαίων σφίσιν ἐφεῖσθαι βουλῆς καὶ θάνατον ἀνδρὸς καταγνῶναι τῶν ἐκ Σπάρτης.

  [12.4] The Lacedaemonians appealed to the Roman senate about a disputed territory, and the senate replied to the appeal by decreeing that all except capital cases should be under the jurisdiction of the Achaean League. Such was the senate’s answer, but Diaeus did not tell the Achaeans the truth, but cajoled them by the declaration that the Roman senate had committed to them the right to condemn a Spartan to death.

  [5] οἱ μὲν δὴ δικάζειν Λακεδαιμονίοις ἠξίουν καὶ ὑπὲρ τῆς ἑκάστου ψυχῆς, Λακεδαιμόνιοι δὲ οὔτε ἀληθῆ συνεχώρουν Δίαιον λέγειν καὶ ἀνάγειν ἤθελον ἐπὶ τὴν Ῥωμαίων βουλήν. Ἀχαιοὶ δὲ ἀντελαμβάνοντο αὖθις ἄλλου λόγου, πόλεις ὅσαι τελοῦσιν ἐς Ἀχαιοὺς μηδεμίαν ἐφ᾽ ἑαυτῆς καθεστηκέναι κυρίαν ἄνευ τοῦ κοινοῦ τοῦ Ἀχαιῶν παρὰ Ῥωμαίους ἰδίᾳ πρεσβείαν ἀποστέλλειν.

  [12.5] So the Achaeans claimed the right to try a Lacedaemonian on a capital charge, but the Lacedaemonians would not admit that Diaeus spoke the truth, and wished to refer the point to the Roman senate. But the Achaeans seized another pretext, that no state belonging to the Achaean League had the right to send an embassy on its own to the Roman senate, but only in conjunction with the rest of the League.

  [6] πόλεμός τε δὴ ἀπὸ τῶν ἀμφισβητημάτων τούτων Ἀχαιοῖς καὶ Λακεδαιμονίοις ἤρχετο καὶ Λακεδαιμόνιοι συνιέντες οὐκ ἀξιόμαχοι πρὸς Ἀχαιοὺς εἶναι πρεσβείαις ἐχρῶντο πρὸς τὰς πόλεις αὐτῶν καὶ ἰδίᾳ πρὸς τὸν Δίαιον λόγοις. αἱ μὲν δὴ κατὰ τὰ αὐτὰ αἱ πόλεις ἐποιοῦντο τὰς ἀποκρίσεις, οὔ σφισιν ἔξοδον ἐπαγγέλλοντος στρατηγοῦ παρακούειν εἶναι νόμον: Δίαιος γὰρ ἦρχε τῶν Ἀχαιῶν καὶ ἔφασκεν οὐ τῇ Σπάρτῃ, τοῖς δὲ ταράσσουσιν αὐτὴν πολεμήσων ἀφίξεσθαι.

  [12.6] These disputes were the cause of a war between the Lacedaemonians and the Achaeans, and the former, realizing that they were not a match for their opponents, sent envoys to their cities and entered into personal negotiations with Diaeus. The cities all made the same reply, that it was unlawful to turn a deaf ear to their general when he proclaimed a campaign; for Diaeus, who was in command of the Achaeans, declared that he would march to make war, not on Sparta but on those that were troubling her.

  [7] ἐρομένων δὲ τῶν γερόντων ὁπόσους ἡγοῖτο ἀδικεῖν, ἐσπέμπει σφίσι τεσσάρων ὀνόματα ἀνδρῶν καὶ εἴκοσι πρωτευόντων τὰ πάντα ἐν Σπάρτῃ. ἐνταῦθα Ἀγασισθένους ἐνίκησε γνώμη δοκίμου καὶ τὰ πρότερα ὄντος, ἀπὸ δὲ τῆς παραινέσεως ταύτης προελθόντος καὶ ἐς πλέον δόξης: ὃς τοὺς ἄνδρας τούτους ἐκέλευσεν ἐκ Λακεδαίμονος ἐθελοντὰς φεύγειν μηδὲ αὐτοῦ μένοντας ἐργάσασθαι τῇ Σπάρτῃ πόλεμον, φυγόντας δὲ ἐς Ῥώμην καταχθήσεσθαι σφᾶς οὐ μετὰ πολὺ ἔφασκεν ὑπὸ Ῥωμαίων.

  [12.7] When the Spartan senate inquired how many he considered were guilty, he reported to them the names of twenty-four citizens of the very front rank in Sparta. Thereupon was carried a motion of Agasisthenes, whose advice on this occasion enhanced the already great reputation he enjoyed. He bade the twenty-four to go into voluntary exile from Lacedaemon, instead of bringing war upon Sparta by remaining where they were; if they exiled themselves to Rome, he declared, they would before long be restored to their country by the Romans.

  [8] καὶ οἱ μὲν ἀπελθόντες ὑπήγοντο ὑπὸ Σπαρτιατῶν ἐς δικαστήριον τῷ λόγῳ καὶ ἀποθανεῖν ἦσαν κατεγνωσμένοι: ἀπεστάλησαν δὲ καὶ ὑπὸ Ἀχαιῶν Καλλικράτης ἐς Ῥώμην καὶ Δίαιος τοῖς φεύγουσιν ἐκ Σπάρτης ἀντιδικήσοντες ἐπὶ τῆς βουλῆς. καὶ αὐτῶν ὁ μὲν κατὰ τὴν ὁδὸν Καλλικράτης τελευτᾷ νόσῳ, οὐδὲ οἶδα εἰ ἀφικόμενος ἐς Ῥώμην ὠφέλησεν ἄν τι Ἀχαιοὺς ἢ κακῶν σφισιν ἐγένετο μειζόνων ἀρχή: Δίαιος δὲ ἐς ἀντιλογίαν Μεναλκίδᾳ καταστὰς ἐπὶ τῆς βουλῆς πολλὰ μὲν εἶπε, τὰ δὲ ἤκουσεν οὐ σὺν κόσμῳ.

  [12.8] So they departed, underwent a nominal trial at Sparta, and were condemned to death. The Achaeans on their side despatched to Rome Callicrates and Diaeus to oppose the exiles from Sparta before the senate. Callicrates died of disease on the journey, and even if he had reached Rome I do not know that he would have been of any assistance to the Achaeans – perhaps he would have been the cause of greater troubles. The debate between Diaeus and Menalcidas before the senate was marked by fluency rather than by decency on either side.

  [9] καί σφισιν ἀπεκρίνατο ἡ βουλὴ ἀποστέλλειν πρέσβεις, οἳ κρινοῦσιν ὅσα Λακεδαιμονίοις καὶ Ἀχαιοῖς διάφορα ἦν ἐς ἀλλήλους. καὶ τοῖς ἐκ Ῥώμης πρέσβεσι σχολαιτέρα πως ἐγίνετο ἡ ὁδός, ὥστε ἐξαπατᾶν ὑπῆρχεν ἐξ ἀρχῆς Διαίῳ τε Ἀχαιοὺς καὶ Μεναλκίδᾳ Λακεδαιμονίους: τοὺς μὲν δὴ παρῆγεν ὁ Δίαιος ὡς τὰ πάντα ἕπεσθαι Λακεδαιμόνιοί σφισιν ὑπὸ τῆς Ῥωμαίων βουλῆς εἰσιν ἐγνωσμένοι, Λακεδαιμονίους δὲ ὁ Μεναλκίδας ἠπάτα παντελῶς τοῦ συνεδρεύειν ἐς τὸ Ἀχαϊκὸν ὑπὸ Ῥωμαίων αὐτοὺς ἀπηλλάχθαι.

  [12.9] The answer of the senate to their remarks was that they were sending envoys to settle the disputes between the Lacedaemonians and the Achaeans. The journey of the envoys from Rome proved rather slow, giving Diaeus a fresh opportunity of deceiving the Achaeans and Menalcidas of deceiving the Lacedaemonians. Diaeus misled the Achaeans into the belief that the Roman senate had decreed the complete subjection to them of the Lacedaemonians; Menalcidas deceived the Lacedaemonians into thinking that the Romans had entirely freed them from the Achaean League.

  13. αὖθις οὖν ἐκ τῶν ἀντιλογιῶν Λακεδαιμονίοις ὥρμηντο Ἀχαιοὶ π
ολεμεῖν, καὶ στρατὸς ἐπὶ τὴν Σπάρτην ἠθροίζετο ὑπὸ Δαμοκρίτου στρατηγεῖν τηνικαῦτα Ἀχαιῶν ᾑρημένου. περὶ δὲ τὸν αὐτὸν χρόνον τοῦτον ἀφίκετο ἐς Μακεδονίαν στρατιά τε Ῥωμαίων καὶ ἡγεμὼν ἐπ᾽ αὐτῇ Μέτελλος, Ἀνδρίσκῳ τῷ Περσέως τοῦ Φιλίππου πολεμήσοντες ἀφεστηκότι ἀπὸ Ῥωμαίων. καὶ ὁ μὲν ἐν Μακεδονίᾳ πόλεμος ἔμελλεν ὡς ῥᾷστα κατὰ τὸ ἐπιτηδειότατον Ῥωμαίοις κριθήσεσθαι:

  [13.1] XIII. So the result of the debate was that the Achaeans again came near to actual war with the Lacedaemonians, and Damocritus, who had been elected general of the Achaeans at this time, proceeded to mobilize an army against Sparta. But about this time there arrived in Macedonia a Roman force under Metellus, whose object was to put down the rebellion of Andriscus, the son of Perseus, the son of Philip. The war in Macedonia, it turned out, was easily decided in favour of the Romans,

  [2] Μέτελλος δὲ ἄνδρας ὑπὸ τῆς Ῥωμαίων ἀπεσταλμένους βουλῆς ἐπὶ τὰ ἐν τῇ Ἀσίᾳ πράγματα ἐκέλευε, πρὶν ἢ ἐς τὴν Ἀσίαν διαβῆναι, τοῖς ἡγεμόσιν αὐτοὺς τοῖς Ἀχαιῶν ἐς λόγους ἐλθεῖν, ὅπλα μὲν ἐπὶ τὴν Σπάρτην μὴ ἐπιφέρειν σφίσιν ἀπαγορεύσοντας, τὴν δὲ ἐκ Ῥώμης παρουσίαν τῶν ἀνδρῶν προεροῦντας μένειν, οἳ κατὰ τοῦτο ἦσαν ἀπεσταλμένοι Λακεδαιμονίοις δικασταὶ καὶ Ἀχαιοῖς γενέσθαι.

  [13.2] but Metellus urged the envoys, sent by the Roman senate to settle the affairs of Asia, to parley with the chiefs of the Achaeans before making the crossing. They were to order them not to attack Sparta, but to await the arrival from Rome of the envoys sent for the purpose of arbitrating between the Lacedaemonians and the Achaeans.

  [3] οἱ μὲν δὴ τὰ ἐντεταλμένα Δαμοκρίτῳ καὶ Ἀχαιοῖς ἐπήγγελλον ἐφθακόσιν ἔξοδον ἐπὶ Λακεδαίμονα πεποιῆσθαι καὶ — ἑώρων γὰρ τὰ πρὸς τὴν παραίνεσιν ἀνθεστηκότα τὰ Ἀχαιῶν — ἀπηλλάσσοντο ἐς τὴν Ἀσίαν: Λακεδαιμόνιοι δὲ ὑπὸ φρονήματος μᾶλλον ἢ ἰσχύος ἔλαβον μὲν τὰ ὅπλα καὶ ἐπεξῆλθον ἀμυνοῦντες τῇ οἰκείᾳ, βιασθέντες δὲ οὐ μετὰ πολύ, ὅσον μὲν ἐς χιλίους οἱ ἡλικίᾳ μάλιστα αὐτῶν καὶ τόλμαις ἀκμάζοντες πίπτουσιν ἐν τῇ μάχῃ, τὸ δὲ ἄλλο στρατιωτικόν, ὡς ἕκαστος τάχους εἶχεν, ἔφευγον πρὸς τὴν πόλιν.

  [13.3] They delivered their instructions to the Achaeans under Damocritus when these had already begun a campaign against Lacedaemon, and so, realizing that the Achaeans were set against their advice, proceeded on their way to Asia. The Lacedaemonians, with a spirit greater than their strength, took up arms, and sallied forth to defend their country. But they were soon crushed; a thousand of their bravest youths fell in the battle, and the rest of the soldiery fled towards the city with all the haste they could.

  [4] εἰ δὲ ὁ Δαμόκριτος προθυμίαν ἐποιήσατο, τοῖς φεύγουσιν ἐκ τῆς παρατάξεως ὁμοῦ καὶ Ἀχαιοῖς ἐσδραμεῖν ὑπῆρξεν ἂν ἐς τὸ τεῖχος τῆς Σπάρτης εἰς Σπάρτην: νῦν δὲ αὐτίκα τε ἀνεκάλεσεν ἀπὸ τῆς διώξεως τοὺς Ἀχαιοὺς καὶ ἐχρῆτο καὶ ἐς τὸ ἔπειτα καταδρομαῖς μᾶλλον καὶ ἁρπαγαῖς ἐκ τῆς χώρας ἢ συντόνῳ πολιορκίᾳ.

  [13.4] If Damocritus had made a vigorous effort, the Achaeans could have dashed into the walls of Sparta along with the fugitives from the field of battle. As it was, he at once recalled the Achaeans from the pursuit, and confined his future operations to raids and plunder, instead of prosecuting the siege with energy.

  [5] Δαμοκρίτῳ μὲν οὖν ἀπαγαγόντι ὀπίσω τὴν στρατιὰν ἐπιβάλλουσιν οἱ Ἀχαιοὶ ζημίαν πεντήκοντα ἅτε ἀνδρὶ προδότῃ τάλαντα, καὶ — οὐ γὰρ εἶχεν ἐκτῖσαι — φεύγων ᾤχετο ἐκ Πελοποννήσου: Δίαιος δὲ Ἀχαιῶν μετὰ Δαμόκριτον στρατηγεῖν ᾑρημένος ἀποστείλαντι αὖθις Μετέλλῳ πρέσβεις ὡμολόγησε μηδένα ἐπάξειν Λακεδαιμονίοις πόλεμον, ἀλλὰ ἔστ᾽ ἂν ἥκωσιν ἐκ Ῥώμης, ἀναμενεῖν τοὺς διαλλακτάς.

  [13.5] So Damocritus withdrew his army, and the Achaeans sentenced him to pay a fine of fifty talents for his treachery. Being unable to pay, he left the Peloponnesus and went into exile. Diaeus, who was elected general after Damocritus, agreed, when Metellus sent another embassy, to involve the Lacedaemonians in no war, but to await the arrival of the arbitrators from Rome.

  [6] στρατήγημα δὲ ἄλλο ἐς τοὺς Λακεδαιμονίους παρεῦρε τοιόνδε: τὰ ἐν κύκλῳ τῆς Σπάρτης πολίσματα ἐς τὴν Ἀχαιῶν ὑπηγάγετο εὔνοιαν, ἐσήγαγε δὲ ἐς αὐτὰ καὶ φρουράς, ὁρμητήρια ἐπὶ τὴν Σπάρτην Ἀχαιοῖς εἶναι.

  [13.6] But he invented another trick to embarrass the Lacedaemonians. He induced the towns around Sparta to be friendly to the Achaeans, and even introduced garrisons into them, to be Achaean bases against Sparta.

  [7] Μεναλκίδας δὲ ᾕρητο μὲν ὑπὸ Λακεδαιμονίων ἐναντία Διαίῳ στρατηγεῖν: ἐχόντων δὲ αὐτῶν ἔς τε τὴν πᾶσαν πολέμου παρασκευὴν καὶ οὐχ ἥκιστα τοῖς χρήμασιν ἀσθενῶς, πρὸς δὲ καὶ τῆς γῆς σφισιν ἀσπόρου μεμενηκυίας, †διας ὅμως τὰς σπονδὰς ὑπερβῆναι καὶ πόλισμα Ἴασον ἑλὼν ἐξ ἐπιδρομῆς ἐπόρθησεν, ἐν ὅροις μὲν χώρας τῆς Λακωνικῆς, Ἀχαιῶν δὲ ἐν τῷ τότε ὑπήκοον.

  [13.7] The Lacedaemonians elected Menalcidas to be their general against Diaeus, and although they were utterly unprepared for war, being especially ill-provided with money, while in addition their land had remained unsown, he nevertheless dared to break the truce, and took by assault and sacked Iasus, a town on the borders of Laconia, but at that time subject to the Achaeans.

  [8] ἐξεγείρας δὲ αὖθις Λακεδαιμονίοις καὶ Ἀχαιοῖς πόλεμον ἐν ἐγκλήμασί τε ἦν ὑπὸ τῶν πολιτῶν καὶ — οὐ γάρ τινα ἐκ τοῦ προσδοκωμένου κινδύνου Λακεδαιμονίοις σωτηρίαν εὕρισκεν — ἀφίησιν ἑκουσίως τὴν ψυχὴν πιὼν φάρμακον. καὶ Μεκαλκίδᾳ μὲν τέλος τοιοῦτον ἐγένετο, ἄρξαντι ἐν τῷ ἑαυτοῦ νῷ τότε μὲν Λακεδαιμονίων ὡς ἂν ὁ ἀμαθέστατος στρατηγός, πρότερον δὲ ἔτι τοῦ Ἀχαιῶν ἔθνους ὡς ἀνθρώπων ὁ ἀδικώτατος.

  [13.8] Having again stirred up war between Lacedaemonians and Achaeans he incurred blame at the hands of his countrymen, and, failing to find a way of escape for the Lacedaemonians from the peril that threatened them, he took his own life by poison. Such was the end of Menalcidas. At the time he was in command of the Lacedaemonians, and previously he had commanded the Achaeans. In the former office he proved a most stupid general, in the la
tter an unparalleled villain.

  14. ἀφίκοντο δὲ ἐς τὴν Ἑλλάδα καὶ οἱ ἀποσταλέντες ἐκ Ῥώμης Λακεδαιμονίοις δικασταὶ καὶ Ἀχαιοῖς γενέσθαι, ἄλλοι τε καὶ Ὀρέστης: ὁ δὲ τούς τε ἐν ἑκάστῃ πόλει τῶν Ἀχαιῶν ἔχοντας τὰς ἀρχὰς καὶ Δίαιον ἐκάλει παρ᾽ αὑτόν. ἀφικομένοις δὲ ἔνθα ἔτυχεν αὐτὸς ἐσῳκισμένος, ἀπεγύμνου τὸν πάντα σφίσιν ἤδη λόγον, ὡς δίκαια ἡγοῖτο ἡ Ῥωμαίων βουλὴ μήτε Λακεδαιμονίους τελεῖν ἐς τὸ Ἀχαϊκὸν μήτε αὐτὴν Κόρινθον, ἀφεῖσθαι δὲ καὶ Ἄργος καὶ Ἡράκλειαν τὴν πρὸς Οἴτῃ καὶ

  Ὀρχομενίους Ἀρκάδας συνεδρίου τοῦ Ἀχαιῶν: γένους τε γὰρ αὐτοῖς οὐδὲν τοῦ Ἀχαιῶν μετεῖναι καὶ ὕστερον τὰς πόλεις προσχωρῆσαι ταύτας πρὸς τὸ Ἀχαϊκόν.

  [14.1] XIV. There also arrived in Greece the envoys despatched from Rome to arbitrate between the Lacedaemonians and the Achaeans, among them being Orestes. He invited to visit him the magistrates in each of the Greek cities, along with Diaeus. When they arrived at his lodging, he proceeded to disclose to them the whole story, that the Roman senate decreed that neither the Lacedaemonians nor yet Corinth itself should belong to the Achaean League, and that Argos, Heracleia by Mount Oeta and the Arcadian Orchomenus should be released from the Achaean confederacy. For they were not, he said, related at all to the Achaeans, and but late-comers to the League.