Thucydides History of the Peloponnesian War 1.133

[1] The ephori, when these letters were by him shown unto them, though they believed the matter much more than they did before, yet desirous to hear somewhat themselves from Pausanias his own mouth, the man being upon design gone to Taenarus into sanctuary and having there built him a little room with a partition in which he hid the ephori, and Pausanias coming to him and asking the cause of his taking sanctuary, they plainly heard the whole matter. For the man both expostulated with him for what he had written about him and from point to point discovered all the practice, saying that though he had never boasted unto him these and these services concerning the king, he must yet have the honour as well as many other of his servants to be slain. And Pausanias himself both confessed the same things and also bade the man not to be troubled at what was past and gave him assurance to leave sanctuary, intreating him to go on in his journey with all speed and not to frustrate the business in hand.

[1] On being shown the letter the Ephors now felt more certain. Still, they wished to hear Pausanias commit himself with their own ears. Accordingly the man went by appointment to Taenarus as a suppliant, and there built himself a hut divided into two by a partition; within which he concealed some of the Ephors and let them hear the whole matter plainly. For Pausanias came to him and asked him the reason of his suppliant position; and the man reproached him with the order that he had written concerning him, and one by one declared all the rest of the circumstances, how he who had never yet brought him into any danger, while employed as agent between him and the king, was yet just like the mass of his servants, to be rewarded with death. Admitting all this, and telling him not to be angry about the matter, Pausanias gave him the pledge of raising him up from the temple, and begged him to set off as quickly as possible, and not to hinder the business in hand.

Als er den Brief den Ephoren gezeigt, waren diese im
Grunde von der Schuld des Pausanias schon überzeugt, wünschten
aber aus dessen eigenem Munde zunächst auch selbst etwas zu
hören. Auf ihre Veranlassung begab sich der Mensch als
Schutzflehender nach Tainaron, ließ sich dort eine Hütte mit
einer Scheidewand darin bauen und ein paar Ephoren sich da­
hinter verstecken. Und hier konnten sie nun, als Pausanias
ihn dort aufsuchte und nach dem Grunde seiner Flucht fragte,
alles deutlich mit anhören. Wie der Mensch ihm vorhielt, was
er seinetwegen in den Brief geschrieben, und alles Punkt für
Punkt mit ihm durchging, - daß er ihn, wo immer er sich
in den Verhandlungen mit dem Könige seiner Hilfe bedient,
niemals bloßgestellt oder in Ungelegenheit gebracht habe und
nun zum Lohn dafür wie alle seine anderen Boten obendrein
die Ehre haben solle, getötet zu werden, - und wie Pausanias
das alles zugab und ihn bat, ihm deshalb jetzt nicht weiter böse
zu sein, auch sich dafür verbürgte, daß er sich ohne Gefahr
aus dem Heiligtum entfernen könne, und ihn schließlich auf­
forderte, schleunigst abzureisen, damit die Verhandlungen nicht
ins Stocken kämen.

CXXXIII. Ces lettres, communiquées par lui aux éphores, fortifièrent leur conviction. Toutefois ils voulurent entendre personnellement quelque aveu de la bouche de Pausanias ; d’après leurs instructions, cet homme se rendit en suppliant à Ténare ¹ , s’y construisit une cabane séparée en deux par une clôture, et fit cacher dans l’intérieur quelques-uns des éphores. Pausanias vint à lui et lui demanda ses motifs pour se constituer suppliant : alors les éphores entendirent distinctement et les reproches de cet homme à Pausanias sur ce qu’il avait écrit à son sujet, et les détails circonstanciés qu’il lui donnait sur tout le reste ; comment il ne l’avait jamais compromis dans ses messages auprès du roi ; comment Pausanias l’avait cependant choisi pour le dévouer à la mort, à l’égal du commun de ses serviteurs. Ils entendirent également Pausanias convenir de tout, l’engager à ne pas s’irriter de ce qui venait de se passer, l’assurer qu’il pouvait sans crainte sortir du temple sur sa parole, le presser enfin de partir sans délai et de ne pas entraver ses négociations.

Quand il eut mis cette lettre sous les yeux des éphores, leurs doutes commencèrent à se dissiper ; toutefois ils voulurent encore entendre quelque aveu de la bouche même de Pausanias. D’accord avec eux, Γ Argilien s’en alla au Ténare comme suppliant ¹ , et construisit une cabane à double cloison, dans l’intérieur de laquelle il cacha quelques-uns des éphores. Aussi, lorsque Pausanias fut venu lui demander le motif de sa démarche, il's ne perdirent pas un mot de la conversation. D’abord l’Argilien reprocha à Pausanias ce qu’il avait écrit sur son compte; puis il énonça tout le reste de point en point, et finit par lui dire qu’il ne l’avait jamais desservi dans ses messages auprès du roi, et qu’il se voyait en récompense condamné à mourir comme le dernier des serviteurs. Pausanias convint de tout, essaya d’adoucir son ressentiment, lui donna sa foi pour qu’il sortît du sanctuaire, et le pressa de partir au plus tôt, afin de ne pas entraver les négociations.

[1] At this point the ephors, when the man showed them the letter, were at last more nearly convinced, but they wished besides to hear with their own ears some word from Pausanias' own lips; so in accordance with a prearranged plan the man went as a suppliant to Taenarus and put up there a hut divided by a partition. In the inner room of the hut he concealed some of the ephors, and when Pausanias visited him and asked the reason of his taking the position of a suppliant, they heard clearly everything that was said: they heard the man accuse Pausanias of having written the order about himself, reveal the other items of the plot in detail, and protest that, though he had never yet compromised Pausanias in his errands to the King, the special honour awarded him was no better than that which the common run of his servants received—to be put to death; and they heard Pausanias acknowledge these same things, urge the man not to be angry with him this time, offer him a guarantee that he might leave the temple in safety, and finally request him to go on his way with all speed and not frustrate the negotiations.

[1] Then, however, the ephors, on his showing them the letter, gave greater credence to it; but still wished to be ear-witnesses of Pausanias' saying something. When therefore, from a concerted plan, the man had gone to Taenarus ¹ as a suppliant, and had built himself a hut, divided into two by a partition wall, in which he concealed some of the ephors; and when Pausanias came to him, and asked the reason for his becoming a suppliant, they heard all distinctly; while the man charged him with what had been written, and set forth the other particulars, one by one, saying that he had never yet endangered him at all in his services with respect to the king, yet had been, just like the mass of his servants, preferred to death; and Pausanias acknowledged these very things, and desired him not to be angry for what had happened, but gave him the security of raising him up from the temple, and begged him to go as quickly as possible, and not to put an obstacle in the way of his designs.

[1] Tum vero ephori, cum ille litteras ostendisset, vehementius illi quidem crediderunt, sed quia praeterea suis ipsorum auribus aliquid ipsius Pausaniae loquentia oro prolatum audire vellent, ex composito vir ille supplex ad Taenarum confugit, ibique tugurium construxit septo interposito disclusum, in quo quosdam de ephoris abscondidit; et quum Pausanias ad ipsum venisset, et supplicationis causam ex illo quaereret, omnia plane audiverunt, dum ille conquereretur de rebus in suam perniciem ab ipso scriptis, et reliqua singulatim declararet, quomodo nunquam in obeundis apud Regem ministeriis ipsum ullis periculis objecisset, et tamen dignus habitus esset, qui, aeque ac plurimi ipsius ministri, caederetur, et dnm ille haec ipsa confiteretur, nec eum propter id, quod tunc acciderat, irasci vellet sed fidem ei daret de discessu ex templo et postularet, ut quam celerrime pergeret, neve impediret, quae agerentur.

[1] Diesen Grundsätzen, die wir von unsern Vätern überkommen und selber stets bewährt erfunden haben, lasst uns nicht ungetreu werden und nicht binnen weniger Stunden über so viel Menschenleben und Eigenthum, über Staatenglück und Ehre einen übereilten Beschluss fassen, sondern uns Zeit nehmen. Wir haben den Vortheil der Macht, um nichts zu versäumen. Nach Athen also sendet wegen Potidäas und wegen der Beschwerden der Bundesgenossen, besonders da sie eine gerichtliche Entscheidung nicht ablehnen. Wer diese anbietet, den hat man kein Recht als bereits Verurtheilten anzugreifen. Aber zugleich rüstet euch auch zum Kriege. Dies ist das Beste, was ihr beschliessen könnt, und wird bei dem Feind am meisten Eindruck machen.

Mostrò egli la lettera agli efori, i quali viepiù si confermarono nella loro sentenza. Tuttavia volendo eglino stessi udire qualche parola dalla bocca di Pausania, si accordarono con l’argiliese : il quale refùgiatosi supplichevole in Tenaro vi fece un casotto diviso in due da un tramezzo, e dietro a questo tramezzo nascose alcuni efori. Pausania vi andò a trovarlo e gli domandava , perchè si fosse ricovrato la supplichevole. Gli efori udivano tutto distintamente. L' argiliese rimproverava Pausania di ciò che aveva scritto intorno a lui nella lettera; dichiarava ordinatamente che negli altri suoi messaggi appresso al re si era sempre portato con fedeltà, e nondimeno aveva ottenuto da lui il bel premio di dovere essere ucciso , come aveva fatto di molti altri suoi servidori. Udirono ancora Pausania convenire di tutto ciò ; consigliare l' argiliese a non adirarsi per l' accaduto ; rassicurarlo affinchè si ritraesse dal luogo sacro, e pregarlo a partire speditamente per non frastornare le sue pratiche.