Thucydides History of the Peloponnesian War 7.5

[1] Gylippus in the meantime went on with the wall through Epipolae, using the stones laid ready there by the Athenians, and withal drew out the Syracusians and their confederates beyond the point of the same, and ever as he brought them forth put them into their order;

[2] and the Athenians, on the other side, embattled themselves against them. Gylippus, when he saw his time, began the battle; and being come to hands, they fought between the fortifications of them both, where the Syracusians and their confederates had no use at all of their horsemen.

[3] The Syracusians and their confederates being overcome, and the Athenians having given them truce to take up their dead and erected a trophy, Gylippus assembled the army and told them that this was not theirs, but his own fault, who, by pitching the battle so far within the fortifications, had deprived them of the use both of their cavalry and darters;

[4] and that therefore he meant to bring them on again, and wished them to consider that for forces they were nothing inferior to the enemy; and for courage, it were a thing not to be endured that, being Peloponnesians and Dorians, they should not master and drive out of the country Ionians, islanders, and a rabble of mixed nations.

[1] Gylippus, meanwhile, went on with the wall across Epipolae, using the stones which the Athenians had laid down for their own wall, and at the same time constantly led out the Syracusans and their allies, and formed them in order of battle in front of the lines, the Athenians forming against him.

[2] At last he thought that the moment was come, and began the attack; and a hand-to-hand fight ensued between the lines, where the Syracusan cavalry could be of no use;

[3] and the Syracusans and their allies were defeated and took up their dead under truce, while the Athenians erected a trophy. After this Gylippus called the soldiers together, and said that the fault was not theirs but his; he had kept their lines too much within the works, and had thus deprived them of the services of their cavalry and darters.

[4] He would now, therefore, lead them on a second time. He begged them to remember that in material force they would be fully a match for their opponents, while with respect to moral advantages, it were intolerable if Peloponnesians and Dorians should not feel confident of overcoming Ionians and islanders with the motley rabble that accompanied them, and of driving them out of the country.

Gylippos aber baute nicht nur an der Mauer durch
Epipolä, indem er dazu die Steine verbrauchte, welche die Athener
vorher für sich selbst herbeigeschafft hatten, sondern führte auch täglich
die Syrakufier und die Bundesgenossen vor die Befestigungswerke
und stellte sie in Schlachtordnung auf, und die Athener thaten ebenso.
Da nun einmal dem Gylippos die Gelegenheit günstig schien, so
begann er den Angriff, und als man handgemein geworden, kämpften
beide Theile zwischen ihren Mauern, wo den Syrakusanern ihre
Reiterei zu Nichts nützte. Als nun die Syrakufier und ihre
Bundesgenossen besiegt worden waren und unter dem Schutz eines Vertrages
ihre Todten aufgehoben und die Athener ein Siegeszeichen ausgestellt
hatten, berief Gylippos sein Heer zusammen und sagte, nicht an ¹
ihnen läge die Schuld, sondern an ihm selber; denn da er die
Schlachtlinie zu weit zwischen die Mauern hinein aufgestellt habe,
so sei die Reiterei und die Speerschützen nicht in's Gefecht gekommen;
jetzt wolle er sie aber wieder gegen den Feind führen, und sie sollten
doch bedenken, daß sie an Kriegsrüstung nicht die Schwächeren seien,
und was den Muth anbelange, so wäre es doch unerträglich, wenn
sie als Dorier und Peloponnesier sich nicht getrauten, über Jopier,
Insulaner und zusammengelaufenes Volk Herr zu werden und sie auS
dem Land zu jagen.

V. Gylippos continuait la construction du mur à travers Épipolæ, et y employait les pierres que les Athéniens avaient amassées pour eux-mêmes; en même temps il faisait sortir régulièrement et rangeait devant le retranchement les Syracusains et leurs alliés. En face, les Athéniens formaient aussi leurs rangs. Lorsque Gylippos crut le moment favorable, il commença l'attaque; on en vint aux mains, et l’action eut lieu dans l’intervalle des retranchements, où la cavalerie des Syracusains et de leurs alliés ne fut d’aucun usage. Les Syracusains et leurs alliés furent vaincus. Après que les Athéniens eurent rendu les morts par convention et dressé un trophée, Gylippos convoqua ses soldats et leur dit que ce qui était arrivé n’était pas de leur faute, mais de la sienne; que, par ses dispositions mêmes, il avait, en les massant trop à l’étroit entre les murs ¹ , rendu inutiles la cavalerie et les gens de trait; qu’il allait donc les mener de nouveau à l’ennemi. Il les engagea à bien réfléchir que, sous le rapport des forces, ils ne seraient pas inférieurs, et que, quant au courage, il serait intolérable qu’ils se crussent incapables, eux Péloponnésiens et Doriens, de vaincre et de chasser du pays des Ioniens, des insulaires, un ramas de troupes.

Gylippe continuait à construire le mur en travers des Épipoles, et se servait à cet effet de pierres que les Athéniens avaient amassées pour leur propre compte ; en même temps, il faisait sortir les Syracusains et leurs alliés, qu’il déployait au fur et à mesure devant le retranchement. Les Athéniens i leur tour se rangèrent en bataille. Lorsque Gylippe crut le moment venu, il donna le signal de l’attaque. Le combat fût livré dans l’intervalle des murs, où les Syracusains ne pouvaient faire usage de leur cavalerie; aussi furent-ils vaincus avec leurs alliés.

Après qu’ils eurent relevé leurs morts par composition et que les Athéniens eurent dressé un trophée, Gylippe convoqua ses soldats et leur dit que la faute n’était point à eux, mais à lui seul ; qu’en s’engageant trop au dedans des murs il jLvait rendu inutile la cavalerie et les gens de trait; qu’il allait donc les ramener à la charge. Il ajouta qu’ils ne devaient point se croire inférieurs aux ennemis, ou mettre le moins du monde en doute que des Péloponésiens et des Doriens ne sussent pas vaincre des Ioniens, des insulaires, un ramas d’étrangers, et les chasser de la contrée.

[1] Gylippus, on the other hand, continued to build the wall across Epipolae, using the stones which the Athenians had previously dumped along the line for their own use, and at the same time he continually led out the Syracusans and their allies and drew them up before the wall; and the Athenians would always draw up to meet them.

[2] But when it seemed to Gylippus that the right moment had come, he commenced the onset; and coming to close quarters they fought between the walls, where the cavalry of the Syracusans was of no use.

[3] And when the Syracusans and their allies had been defeated and had taken up their dead under a truce, and the Athenians had set up a trophy, Gylippus called his troops together and said that the mistake was not theirs but his own, for by arranging his line of battle too much between the walls he had deprived them of the benefit of their cavalry and javelin-men. He would therefore now lead them on again, and he urged them to make up their minds to this—that in point of men and equipment they would not be inferior;

[4] and as for their spirit, it was not to be endured if they, being Peloponnesians and Dorians, confronting Ionians and islanders and a mixed rabble, were not going to make it a point of honour to conquer them and drive them out of the country.

[1] Gylippus, on the other hand, was at once building the wall across Epipolae—making use of the stones which the Athenians before had thrown down along the line for their own use—and leading out continually the Syracusans and their allies, and drawing them up before the works; while the Athenians formed their line against them.

[2] When Gylippus thought it a favourable opportunity, he commenced the attack; and, having closed in battle, they fought in the space between the works, where the cavalry of the Syracusans was of no use.

[3] When the Syracusans and their allies had thus been defeated, and had taken up their dead under truce, and after the Athenians had erected a trophy, Gylippus called his army together, and said, that

[4]

[1] Gylippus vero simul et murum, quem per Epipolas ducebat, exstruebat, utens lapidibus, quos Athenienses fn usum suum aggesserant, simul et Syracusanos sociosque inadem extra munitionem producebat; et Athenienses aciem illis oppositam instruebant.

[2] Postquam autem Gylippo tempus opportunum adesse visum est, prior impetum dabat , et quum ad manus venissent, pugnabant in eo spatio, quod inter munitiones erat, ubi equitatus Syracusanorum nullus usus erat.

[3] Et quum Syracusani et socii victi essent, svorumque cadavera fide publica interposita sustulissent, et Athenienses tropaeum erexissent, Gylippus convocatis copiis non illarum, sed suam culpam fuisse dixit; se enim equitatus ac velitum usum ipsis eripuisse, quod nimis intra munitiones bcicm instruxisset; nunc autem sc rursus educturum.

[4] Et jubebat illos ita secum cogitare, apparatu quidem se inferiores non futuros, animis vero minime tolerabile ducendum, si non hoc sibi sumerent, ut qui Peloponnesii et Dorienses essent, Iones et insularum incolas et convenas homines superatos ex sua regione ejicerent

Gilippo intanto edificava il muro a traverso l’Epipole, usando dei sassi che gli Ateniesi avevano ammassati per sé, e al tempo stesso conduceva fuori di quando in quando i Siracusani e gli alleati, e gli attelava dinanzi alle fortificazioni nemiche : e gli Ateniesi a neh’essi si schieravano loro di fronte. Or Gilippo, quando gli parve opportuno , incominciò l’assalto; e venuti alle mani combattevano nell’intervallo de’muri, ove non era di alcun uso la cavalleria de’ Siracusani e degli alleati, che però rimasero vinti e ripresero con salvocondotto i cadaveri ; e gli Ateniesi ersero trofeo. E Gilippo convocato l’esercito disse che la colpa non era stata di loro ma sua , perchè coll’ordinare la battaglia troppo dentro ai muri, avea operato che restassero privati del vantaggio della cavalleria e de’ lanciatori; volerli ora ricondurre contro al nemico; pensassero, li confortava, che in apparecchi non sarebbero inferiori ; ma che incomportabil cosa sarebbe se essi Peloponnesi e Doriesi non presumessero ne’loro animi di dover vincere un ragunaticcio di Ionii e d’isolani, e cacciarli di quel paese.