Thucydides History of the Peloponnesian War 7.30

[1] The Thebans, hearing of it, came out to help them, and overtaking the Thracians before they had gone far, both recovered the booty and chased them to the Euripus and to the sea, where the galleys lay that brought them. Some of them they killed;

[2] of those most in their going aboard, for swim they could not, and such as were in the [small] boats, when they saw how things went a-land, had thrust off their boats, and lay without the Euripus. In the rest of the retreat, the Thracians behaved themselves not unhandsomely against the Theban horsemen, by whom they were charged first; but running out, and again rallying themselves in a circle, according to the manner of their country, defended themselves well and lost but few men in that action. But some also they lost in the city itself, whilst they stayed behind for pillage. But in the whole of thirteen hundred there were slain [only] two hundred and fifty.

[3] Of the Thebans and others that came out to help the city, there were slain, horsemen and men of arms, one with another about twenty; and amongst them Scirphondas of Thebes, one of the governors of Boeotia: and of the Mycallesians there perished a part. Thus went the matter at Mycalessus, the loss which it received being, for the quantity of the city, no less to be lamented than any that happened in the whole war.

[1] Meanwhile the Thebans heard of it and marched to the rescue, and overtaking the Thracians before they had gone far, recovered the plunder and drove them in panic to the Euripus and the sea, where the vessels which brought them were lying.

[2] The greatest slaughter took place while they were embarking, as they did not know how to swim, and those in the vessels on seeing what was going on on shore moored them out of bowshot: in the rest of the retreat the Thracians made a very respectable defence against the Theban horse, by which they were first attacked, dashing out and closing their ranks according to the tactics of their country, and lost only a few men in that part of the affair. A good number who were after plunder were actually caught in the town and put to death.

[3] Altogether the Thracians had two hundred and fifty killed out of thirteen hundred, the Thebans and the rest who came to the rescue about twenty, troopers and heavy infantry, with Scirphondas, one of the Boetarchs. The Mycalessians lost a large proportion of their population.

Als die Thebaner hievon Kunde erhielten, eilten sie
sogleich zur Hilfe herbei, trafen auf die Thraker, die sich schon eine
kleine Strecke Wegs entfernt hatten, nahmen ihnen die Beute wieder
ab und jagten sie fliehend vor sich her bis zum Euripus und an die
See, wo die Kriegsschiffe, welche sie führten, vor Anker lagen. Und
als die Thraker auf die Schifft zu kommen suchten, tödteten ihnen die
Thebaner die meisten Leute, da jene deS Schwimmens nicht kundig
waren, und die auf den Schiffen, als sie sahen, was am Lande
vorging, die Fahrzeuge außer Schußbereich zurückzogen. Sonst hatten
sich die Thraker bei diesem Rückzug gegenüber der Thebanifchen
Reiterei, welche sie zuerst angriff, nicht ungeschickt gezeigt, indem
Einzelne aus Reih und Glied vorstürmten und sich dann in ihrer üblichen
Weise vereinigten und'so die Andern deckten; und dabei waren auch
nur Wenige von ihnen gefallen. Ein Theil von ihnen war aber auch
noch in der Stadt selbst beim Plündern ergriffen und
zusammengehauen worden. Im Ganzen fielen von den tausend drei hundert
Thrakern zwei hundert und fünfzig. Dagegen hatten sie den Thebanern
und den Andern, welche mit diesen zur Hilfe ausgezogen waren,
ungefähr zwanzig Reiter und Schwerbewaffnete getödtet und von den
Thebanern auch den Skirphondas, einen der Böotarchen; von den
Mykaleffiern aber war eine große Zahl umgekommen. — Dieß
Unglück traf die Mykalessier, verhältnißmäßig nicht weniger
bejammernSwerth, als irgend ein anderes Ereigniß deS Krieges.

XXX. Les Thébains, à cette nouvelle, accoururent : ils rencontrèrent les Thraces encore peu éloignés, leur arrachèrent leur butin, jetèrent parmi eux l’épouvante et les poursuivirent vers la mer jusqu’à l’Euripe, où étaient à l’ancre les vaisseaux qui les avaient amenés. Ils en tuèrent un grand nombre, surtout au moment où ils s’embarquèrent; car ils ne savaient pas nager, et ceux qui étaient sur les vaisseaux, voyant ce qui se passait à terre, avaient mouillé hors de la portée des traits. Jusque-là les Thraces, dans leur retraite, s’étaient assez habilement défendus contre la cavalerie thébaine, qui fut la première à les assaillir. Pour s’en garantir, ils couraient au-devant d’elle et se formaient en pelotons, à la manière de leur pays; aussi leur perte de ce côté fut-elle peu considérable. Un certain nombre avaient aussi été surpris et tués dans la ville au milieu du pillage. Il périt en tout deux cent cinquante Thraces sur treize cents. Les Thébains et ceux qui étaient accourus avec eux perdirent vingt hommes, tant cavaliers qu’hoplites, et Scirpbondas, l’un des béotarques thébains ¹ . Quant aux Mycalessiens, il furent en partie anéantis. Tel fut le désastre de Mycalessos, l’un des plus grands, proportionnellement à l’étendue de la ville, et des plus lamentables de cette guerre.

Au premier bruit de cet événement, les Thébains accoururent en armes. Ils atteignirent les Thraces encore peu éloignés, leur arrachèrent leur butin, et les poursuivirent jusqu’à l’Euripe, où les vaisseaux les attendaient. Ils en tuèrent un bon nombre, surtout pendant l’embarquement ; car les Thraces ne savaient pas nager, et les équipages, voyant ce qui se passaient à terre, avaient mouillé hors de la portée des traits. Jusque-là les Thraces s’étaient assez habilement défendus contre la cavalerie thébaine, qui fut la première à les as-saillir. Par une manœuvre particulière à leur nation, ils prenaient les devants à la course, puis se formaient en hérisson pour résister ; aussi leur perte pendant la retraite fut-elle minime. Quelques-uns, attardés au pillage, furent surpris dans la ville et y trouvèrent la mort. Sur treize cents Thraces, il en périt deux cent cinquante ; les Thébains et leurs alliés perdirent une vingtaine d’hommes, cavaliers et hoplites, entre autres le béotarque thébain Scirphondas. Quant aux Mycales-siens, ils furent presque tous exterminés. Telle fut la catastrophe de Mycalessos, catastrophe qui, proportion gardée, ne le céda à aucune autre de cette guerre.

[1] When the Thebans heard of this event they hastened to the rescue, and overtaking the Thracians before they had advanced far they took away their booty and putting them to flight pursued them to the Euripus, where the boats which had brought them lay at anchor.

[2] And most of those who fell were slain by the Thebans during the embarkation, for they could not swim, and the crews of the boats, when they saw what was happening on shore, anchored the boats beyond bowshot; for elsewhere as they were retreating ¹ the Thracians made their defence against the Theban cavalry, which was the first to attack them, not unskilfully, dashing out against them and closing up their ranks again after the manner of fighting peculiar to their country, and in this few of them perished. And a certain number also were slain in the town itself, being caught there while engaged in plundering. All together there were slain of the Thracians two hundred and fifty out of thirteen hundred.

[3] Of the Thebans and the others who took part in the rescue, in all about twenty horsemen and hoplites perished, and among them Scirphondas, one of the Theban Boeotarchs; and of the population of Mycalessus a considerable portion lost their lives. Such was the fate of Mycalessus, which suffered a calamity that, for the size of the city, was not less deplorable than any of the events of this war.

[1] When the Thebans were aware of it, they marched to the rescue; and having overtaken the Thracians when they had not at present advanced any great distance, they both recovered their plundered property, and having struck them with panic pursued them down to the sea, where their boats which conveyed them were lying at anchor.

[2] And they slew the greatest part of them during their embarkation, as they could not swim, and as those on board the boats, on seeing what was going on ashore, moored them out of bow-shot. For in the rest of the retreat the Thracians advanced in no contemptible manner to meet the Theban horse, which first fell upon them; and closing their ranks, according to their native tactics, defended themselves against them; and thus only a few were killed in that part of the affair. Some portion of them also were surprised in the city, through their eagerness in plundering, and perished. Altogether, there fell of the Thracians two hundred and fifty out of thirteen hundred;

[3] while of the Thebans and the rest who joined in attacking them they slew about twenty, horse and foot together, and amongst the Thebans, Scirphondas, one of the Boeotarchs. On the side of the Mycalessians a considerable part of the population was cut off. With regard, then, to Mycalessus, which experienced, considering its extent, a calamity not less lamentable than any which happened in the war, such were the things which occurred there.

[1] Thebani vero quum rem cognovissent, ad opem urbi ferendam accurrebant, et nacti Thraces jam progressos non longe, et praedam iis eripuerunt, et perterrefactos persecuti sunt ad Epripum usque et mare, ubi stabant eorum naves, quae eos vexerant.

[2] Et caedunt ex iis plurimos, dum naves conscendunt, quum neque natandi periti essent et ii, qui in navibus erant, quum vidissent ea, quae in terra gerebantur, naves extra Euripi pontem in altum eduxissent; nam in reliquo quidem receptu Thraces non incomposile adversus Thebanorum equitatum, qui primus eoe invaserat , et procurrentes et conglobati ordinem patrio more servantes, sese defendebant, et ibi pand eorum perierunt. Quaedam vero pars, quae in urbe, φιπο praedatur, deprehensa erat, interiit/ ln summa vero ex mille et trecentis Thracibus omnino ducenti et quinquaginta ceciderunt.

[3] Interfecerunt vero etiam ex Thebanis et ceteris, qui ad opem ferendam convenerant, viginti circiter tam equites quam gravis simul armature milites, una cum Scirplionda Thebano, uno ex Bmotarchis; Mycalessiorum vero pars aliqua plane absumpta est.

[4] Atque hic quidem fuit exitus cladis, quam Mycalessus accepit, que pro civitatis magnitudine non minus est deploranda, quam ulla alia, que rn hoc bello acciderit.

Come i Tebani sentirono la cosa accorsero in aiuto, e trovati i Traci non molto dilungati dalla città , ritolsero ad essi il bottino, e spaventatili gl' inseguirono (ino adEuripo ed al mare ove stavano le navi che li aveano condotti, ed uccisero moltissimi tra loro non avvezzi al nuoto mentre volevano risalirvi sopra, avvegnaché quelli rimasti sui navigli, quando videro quel che accadeva in terra , si erano allargati oltre il tiro dell’arco. Del rimanente, nella ritirata da Micalesso sino al mare i Traci scorrendo innanzi rannodati si difesero bravamente dalla cavalleria tebana serbando la loro usata ordinanza , e pochi allora ne furono uccisi, se si eccettuino quelli che perirono propio in città sorpresi per la cupidigia del saccheggio. Morirono ia tutti dugento cinquanta Traci di mille trecento che erano ; dei Tebani e degli altri accorsi in aiuto ne mancarono venti tra cavalieri e soldati gravi, e con essi Scirfonda (ebano beotarco ; e restò pure uccisa una parte dei Micalessii. Tale fu la calamità di Micalesso, certamente non meno deplorabile di verun’altra nel corso di questa guerra, se si voglia riguardare alla grandezza di quella città.