by Polybius
80. While these things were going on, the people of Lepreum, having seized a certain quarter of their town, demanded that the Elean, Aetolian, and Lacedaemonian garrisons (for a reinforcement had come from Sparta also) should all alike evacuate the citadel and city. At first Phillidas refused, and stayed on, hoping to overawe the citizens; but when the king, despatching Taurion with a guard of soldiers to Phigalia, advanced in person towards Lepreum, and was now close to the town, Phillidas lowered his tone, and the Lepreates were encouraged in their determination. It was indeed a glorious act of gallantry on their part. Though there was a garrison within their walls of a thousand Eleans, a thousand Aetolians with the pirates, five hundred mercenaries, and two hundred Lacedaemonians, and though too their citadel was in the occupation of these troops, yet they ventured to make a stand for the freedom of their native city, and would not give up hope of deliverance. Phillidas therefore, seeing that the Lepreates were prepared to offer a stout resistance, and that the Macedonians were approaching, evacuated the town with the Eleans and Lacedaemonians. The Cretans, who had been sent by the Spartans, made their way home through Messenia; but Phillidas departed for Samicum. The people of Lepreum, having thus got control of their own town, sent ambassadors to place it in the power of Philip. Hearing the news, Philip sent all his army, except the peltasts and light-armed troops, to Lepreum; and taking the latter with him, he made all the haste he could to catch Phillidas. He succeeded so far as to capture all his baggage; but Phillidas himself managed to outstrip him and throw himself into Samicum. The king therefore sat down before this place: and having sent for the rest of his army from Lepreum, made the garrison believe that he meant to besiege the town. But the Aetolians and Eleans within it, having nothing ready for sustaining a siege beyond their bare hands, alarmed at their situation, held a parley with Philip to secure their lives; and having obtained leave from him to march out with their arms, they departed into Elis. Thus the king became master of Samicum on the spot: and this was followed by deputations from other towns to him, with entreaties for protection; in virtue of which he took over Phrixa, Stylangium, Aepium, Bolax, Pyrgos, and Epitalium. Having settled these things, and reduced all Triphylia into his power in six days, he returned to Lepreum; and having addressed the necessary warnings to the Lepreates, and put a garrison into the citadel, he departed with his army towards Heraea, leaving Ladicus of Acarnania in command of Triphylia. When he arrived at Heraea, he made a distribution of all the booty; and taking up again his baggage from Heraea, arrived about the middle of the winter at Megalopolis.
[1] κατὰ δὲ τοὺς αὐτοὺς καιροὺς Φίλιππος ἔπραττε τὰ κατὰ τὴν Τριφυλίαν, καὶ Χείλων ὁ Λακεδαιμόνιος, ὑπολαμβάνων αὑτῷ καθήκειν κατὰ γένος τὴν βασιλείαν, καὶ βαρέως φέρων τὴν γεγενημένην ὑπεροψίαν περὶ αὐτὸν ἐκ τῶν ἐφόρων ἐν τῇ κατὰ τὸν Λυκοῦργον κρίσει περὶ τῆς βασιλείας, κινεῖν ἐπεβάλετο τὰ καθεστῶτα. [2] νομίσας δ᾽, εἰ τὴν ὁδὸν τὴν αὐτὴν ἔλθοι Κλεομένει καὶ τοῖς πολλοῖς ὑποδείξαι τὴν ἐλπίδα τῆς κληρουχίας καὶ τῶν ἀναδασμῶν, ταχέως ἐπακολουθήσειν αὐτῷ τὸ πλῆθος, ὥρμησε πρὸς τὴν πρᾶξιν. [3] συμφρονήσας δὲ περὶ τούτων πρὸς τοὺς φίλους, καὶ λαβὼν κοινωνοὺς τῆς τόλμης εἰς διακοσίους τὸ πλῆθος, ἐγίνετο πρὸς τῷ συντελεῖν τὴν ἐπίνοιαν. [4] θεωρῶν δὲ μέγιστον ἐμπόδιον ὑπάρχον αὑτῷ πρὸς τὴν ἐπιβολὴν τὸν Λυκοῦργον καὶ τοὺς ἐφόρους τοὺς περιθέντας ἐκείνῳ τὴν βασιλείαν, ὥρμησε πρῶτον ἐπὶ τούτους. [5] τοὺς μὲν οὖν ἐφόρους δειπνοῦντας καταλαβών, πάντας αὐτοῦ κατέσφαξε, τῆς τύχης τὴν ἁρμόζουσαν αὐτοῖς ἐπιθείσης δίκην: καὶ γὰρ ὑφ᾽ οὗ καὶ περὶ οὗ ταῦτ᾽ ἔπαθον, δικαίως αὐτοὺς ἄν τις φήσειε πεπονθέναι. [6] ὁ δὲ Χείλων, τὰ κατὰ τούτους συντελεσάμενος, παρῆν ἐπὶ τὴν οἰκίαν τοῦ Λυκούργου καὶ κατέλαβε μὲν ἔνδον, οὐ μὴν ἐδυνήθη γ᾽ ἐγκρατὴς αὐτοῦ γενέσθαι. [7] διὰ γάρ τινων κατοικούντων ἐκ γειτόνων ἐκκλαπεὶς καὶ διαδρὰς ἔλαθεν αὐτόν. οὗτος μὲν οὖν ἀνεχώρησε ταῖς ἀνοδίαις εἰς τὴν ἐν τῇ Τριπόλει προσαγορευομένην Πελλήνην. [8] ὁ δὲ Χείλων ἀπεσφαλμένος τοῦ κυριωτάτου πρὸς τὴν ἐπιβολὴν ἀθύμως διέκειτο, πράττειν δ᾽ ὅμως ἠναγκάζετο τὸ συνεχές. [9] διόπερ εἰς τὴν ἀγορὰν εἰσβαλὼν τοῖς μὲν ἐχθροῖς προσέφερε τὰς χεῖρας, τοὺς δ᾽ οἰκείους καὶ φίλους παρεκάλει, τοῖς δὲ λοιποῖς ὑπεδείκνυε τὰς ἄρτι ῥηθείσας ἐλπίδας. [10] οὐδενὸς δὲ προσέχοντος αὐτῷ, τἀναντία δὲ συστρεφομένων ἐπ᾽ αὐτὸν τῶν ἀνθρώπων, συννοήσας τὸ γινόμενον, ἀπεχώρει λαθραίως, καὶ διελθὼν τὴν χώραν ἧκε μόνος εἰς τὴν Ἀχαΐαν ἐκπεπτωκώς. οἱ δὲ Λακεδαιμόνιοι, [11] δείσαντες τὴν τοῦ Φιλίππου παρουσίαν, τἀπὸ τῆς χώρας ἀπεσκευάζοντο καὶ τὸ τῶν Μεγαλοπολιτῶν Ἀθήναιον κατασκάψαντες ἐξέλιπον. Λακεδαιμόνιοι μὲν οὖν, [12] ἀπὸ τῆς Λυκούργου νομοθεσίας καλλίστῃ χρησάμενοι πολιτείᾳ καὶ μεγίστην ἔχοντες δύναμιν ἕως τῆς ἐν Λεύκτροις μάχης, αὖτις ἐπὶ τἀναντία τραπείσης αὐτοῖς τῆς τύχης, καὶ τοὔμπαλιν ἐπὶ τὸ χεῖρον ἀεὶ καὶ μᾶλλον τῆς πολιτείας αὐτῶν προβαινούσης, [13] τέλος πλείστων μὲν πόνων καὶ στάσεων ἐμφυλίων πεῖραν εἶχον, πλείστοις δ᾽ ἐπάλαισαν ἀναδασμοῖς καὶ φυγαῖς, πικροτάτης δὲ δουλείας πεῖραν ἔλαβον ἕως τῆς Νάβιδος τυραννίδος, οἱ τὸ πρὶν οὐδὲ τοὔνομα δυνηθέντες ἀνασχέσθαι ῥᾳδίως αὐτῆς. [14] τὰ μὲν οὖν πάλαι καὶ τὰ πλείω περὶ Λακεδαιμονίων εἰς ἑκάτερον μέρος ὑπὸ πολλῶν εἴρηται τάδε. ἐναργέστατα δ᾽ ἐστὶν ἀφ᾽ οὗ Κλεομένης ὁλοσχερῶς κατέλυσε τὸ πάτριον πολίτευμα. νῦν δ᾽ ὑφ᾽ ἡμῶν ῥηθήσεται κατὰ τοὺς ἁρμόζοντας ἀεὶ καιρούς.
81. While Philip was thus engaged in Triphylia, Chilon the Lacedaemonian, holding that the kingship belonged to him in virtue of birth, and annoyed at the neglect of his claims by the Ephors in selecting Lycurgus, determined to stir up a revolution: and believing that if he took the same course as Cleomenes had done, and gave the common people hopes of land allotments and redivision of property, the masses would quickly follow him, he addressed himself to carrying out this policy. Having therefore agreed with his friends on this subject, and got as many as two hundred people to join his conspiracy, he entered upon the execution of his project. But perceiving that the chief obstacles in the way of the accomplishment of his design were Lycurgus, and those Ephors who had invested him with the crown, he directed his first efforts against them. The Ephors he seized while at d
inner, and put them all to death on the spot, — chance thus inflicting upon them the punishment they deserved: for whether we regard the person at whose hands, or the person for whose sake they were thus destroyed, we cannot but say that they richly merited their fate.
After the successful accomplishment of this deed, Chilon went to the house of Lycurgus, whom he found at home, but failed to seize. Assisted by slaves and neighbours Lycurgus was smuggled out of the house, and effected a secret escape; and thence got away by a cross-country route to the town of Pellene in Tripolis. Thus baffled in the most important point of his enterprise, Chilon was greatly discouraged; but was forced all the same to go on with what he had begun. Accordingly he made a descent upon the market-place, and laid violent hands upon those opposed to him; tried to rouse his relations and friends; and declared to the rest of the people there what hopes of success he had. But when nobody seemed inclined to join him, but on the contrary a mob began to collect with threatening looks, he saw how it was, and found a secret way of leaving the town; and, making his way across Laconia, arrived in Achaia alone and an exile. But the Lacedaemonians who were in the territory of Megalopolis, terrified by the arrival of Philip, stowed away all the goods they had got from the country, and first demolished and then abandoned the Athenaeum.
The fact is that the Lacedaemonians enjoyed a most excellent constitution, and had a most extensive power, from the time of the legislation of Lycurgus to that of the battle of Leuctra. But after that event their fortune took an unfavourable turn; and their political state continued ever growing worse and worse, until they finally suffered from a long succession of internal struggles and partisan warfare; were repeatedly agitated by schemes for the redivision of lands and the banishment of one party or another; and were subjected to the severest possible slavery, culminating in the tyrannical government of Nabis: though the word “tyrant” was one which they had in old times scarcely endured to hear mentioned. However, the ancient history of Sparta as well as the great part of it since, has been recorded by many in terms of eulogy or the reverse; but the part of that history which admits of the least controversy is that which followed the entire destruction of the ancient constitution by Cleomenes; and that shall be narrated by me in the order of events as they occur.
[1] ὁ δὲ Φίλιππος ἀναζεύξας ἐκ τῆς Μεγάλης πόλεως καὶ πορευθεὶς διὰ τῆς Τεγέας παρῆν εἰς Ἄργος, κἀκεῖ τὸ λοιπὸν μέρος τοῦ χειμῶνος διέτριβε, κατά τε τὴν λοιπὴν ἀναστροφὴν καὶ κατὰ τὰς πράξεις τεθαυμασμένος ὑπὲρ τὴν ἡλικίαν ἐν ταῖς προειρημέναις στρατείαις. [2] ὁ δ᾽ Ἀπελλῆς οὐδ᾽ ὣς ἔληγε τῆς ἐπιβολῆς, ἀλλ᾽ οἷός τ᾽ ἦν ἄγειν ὑπὸ τὸν ζυγὸν τῷ κατὰ βραχὺ τοὺς Ἀχαιούς. [3] ὁρῶν δὲ τῇ τοιαύτῃ προθέσει τοὺς περὶ τὸν Ἄρατον ἐμποδὼν ἱσταμένους, καὶ τὸν Φίλιππον αὐτοῖς προσέχοντα, καὶ μᾶλλον τῷ πρεσβυτέρῳ διά τε τὴν πρὸς Ἀντίγονον σύστασιν καὶ διὰ τὸ πλεῖστον ἐν τοῖς Ἀχαιοῖς ἰσχύειν, καὶ μάλιστα διὰ τὴν ἐπιδεξιότητα καὶ νουνέχειαν τἀνδρός, περὶ τούτους ἐπεβάλετο γίνεσθαι καὶ κακοπραγμονεῖν τοιῷδέ τινι τρόπῳ. [4] ἐξετάζων τοὺς ἀντιπολιτευομένους τοῖς περὶ τὸν Ἄρατον, τίνες εἰσίν, ἑκάστους ἐκ τῶν πόλεων ἐπεσπάσατο, καὶ λαμβάνων εἰς τὰς χεῖρας ἐψυχαγώγει καὶ παρεκάλει πρὸς τὴν ἑαυτοῦ φιλίαν. [5] συνίστανε δὲ καὶ τῷ Φιλίππῳ, προσεπιδεικνύων αὐτῷ παρ᾽ ἕκαστον ὡς ἐὰν μὲν Ἀράτῳ προσέχῃ, χρήσεται τοῖς Ἀχαιοῖς κατὰ τὴν ἔγγραπτον συμμαχίαν, ἐὰν δ᾽ αὐτῷ πείθηται καὶ τοιούτους προσλαμβάνῃ φίλους, χρήσεται πᾶσι Πελοποννησίοις κατὰ τὴν αὑτοῦ βούλησιν. [6] περί τε τῶν ἀρχαιρεσίων εὐθὺς ἐσπούδαζε, βουλόμενος τούτων τινὶ περιποιῆσαι τὴν στρατηγίαν, τοὺς δὲ περὶ τὸν Ἄρατον ἐκβαλεῖν ἐκ τῆς ὑποθέσεως. [7] δι᾽ ἃ δὴ καὶ πείθει Φίλιππον παραγενέσθαι πρὸς τὰς τῶν Ἀχαιῶν ἀρχαιρεσίας εἰς Αἴγιον, ὡς εἰς τὴν Ἠλείαν ἅμα ποιούμενον τὴν πορείαν. [8] πεισθέντος δ᾽ αὐτῷ τοῦ βασιλέως, παρὼν αὐτὸς ἐπὶ τοῦ καιροῦ, καὶ τοὺς μὲν παρακαλῶν, οἷς δ᾽ ἀνατεινόμενος, μόλις μὲν ἤνυσε, κατεκράτησε δ᾽ οὖν ὅμως τοῦ γενέσθαι στρατηγὸν Ἐπήρατον Φαραιέα, τὸν δὲ Τιμόξενον ἐκπεσεῖν, τὸν ὑπὸ τῶν περὶ τὸν Ἄρατον εἰσαγόμενον.
82. Meanwhile Philip left Megalopolis, and marching by way of Tegea arrived at Argos, and there spent the rest of the winter, having gained in this campaign an admiration beyond his years for his general conduct and his brilliant achievements. But, in spite of all that had happened, Apelles was by no means inclined to desist from the policy on which he had entered; but was resolved little by little to bring the Achaeans under the yoke. He saw that the most determined opponents of his scheme were the elder and younger Aratus; and that Philip was inclined to listen to them, and especially to the elder, both on account of his former intimacy with Antigonus, and his pre-eminent influence in Achaia, and, most of all, because of his readiness of resource and practical ability: he therefore determined to devote his attention to them, and enter upon the intrigue against them which I shall proceed to describe. He sought out in the several cities all such as were opposed to Aratus, and invited them to visit him: and having got them into his hands he tried all he could to win their affections, encouraged them to look upon him as a friend, and introduced them to Philip. To the king he was always pointing out that, if he listened to Aratus, he would have to treat the Achaeans according to the letter of the treaty of alliance; but that, if he would listen to him, and take men like those which he had introduced to him into favour, he would have the whole of the Peloponnese at his own unfettered disposal. But what he was most anxious about was the election; being desirous to secure the office of Strategus for one of this party, and to oust Aratus in accordance with his settled plan. With this purpose, he persuaded Philip to be at Aegium at the time of the Achaean election, on the pretext of being on his way to Elis. The king’s consent to this enabled Apelles himself to be there at the right time; and though he found great difficulty, in spite of entreaties and threats, in carrying his point; yet he did eventually succeed in getting Eperatus of Pharae elected Strategus, and Timoxenus, the candidate proposed by Aratus, rejected.
