While these events were occurring, some of the exiles who had been banished1 from Thebes, coming to the city by night, and being brought in by some of the citizens, in order to effect a change in the government, apprehended2 and slew3 outside the Cadmea,66 Amyntas and Timolaüs,67 two of the men who held that fortress4, having no suspicion that any hostile attempt was about to be made. Then entering the public assembly, they incited5 26the Thebans to revolt from Alexander, holding out to them as pretexts6 the ancient and glorious words, liberty and freedom of speech, and urging them now at last to rid themselves of the heavy yoke7 of the Macedonians. By stoutly8 maintaining that Alexander had been killed in Illyria they gained more power in persuading the multitude;68 for this report was prevalent, and for many reasons it gained credit, both because he had been absent a long time, and because no news had arrived from him. Accordingly, as is usual in such cases, not knowing the facts, each man conjectured9 what was most pleasing to himself.
When Alexander heard what was being done at Thebes, he thought it was a movement not at all to be slighted, inasmuch as he had for a long time suspected the city of Athens and deemed the audacious action of the Thebans no trivial matter, if the Lacedaemonians, who had long been disaffected10 in their feelings to him, and the Aetolians and certain other States in the Peloponnese, who were not firm in their allegiance to him, should take part with the Thebans in their revolutionary effort. He therefore led his army through Eordaea and Elimiotis69 and along the peaks of Stymphaea and Paravaea,70 and on the seventh day arrived at Pelina71 in Thessaly. Starting thence, he entered Boeotia on the sixth day; so that the Thebans did not learn that he had passed south of Thermopylae, until he was at Onchestus72 with the whole of his army. Even then the authors of the revolt asserted that Antipater’s army had arrived out of Macedonia, stoutly affirming that 27 Alexander himself was dead, and being very angry with those who announced that it was Alexander himself who was advancing.73 For they said it must be another Alexander, the son of A?ropus, who was coming.74 On the following day Alexander set out from Onchestus, and advanced towards the city along the territory consecrated11 to Iolaüs;75 where indeed he encamped, in order to give the Thebans further time to repent12 of their evil resolutions and to send an embassy to him. But so far were they from showing any sign of wishing to come to an accommodation, that their cavalry13 and a large body of light-armed infantry14 sallied forth15 from the city as far as the camp, and, skirmishing with the Macedonian outposts, slew a few of their men. Alexander hereupon sent forth a party of his light-armed infantry and archers16 to repel17 their sortie; and these men repelled18 them with ease, just as they were approaching the very camp. The next day he took the whole of his army and marched round towards the gate which led to Eleutherae and Attica. But not even then did he assault the wall itself, but encamped not far away from the Cadmea, in order that succour might be at hand to the Macedonians who were occupying that citadel19. For the Thebans had blockaded the Cadmea with a double stockade20 and were guarding it, so that no one from without might be able to give succour to those who were beleaguered21, and that the garrison22 might not be able, by making a sally, to do them any injury, when they were attacking the enemy outside. But Alexander remained encamped near the 28 Cadmea, for he still wished rather to come to friendly terms with the Thebans than to come to a contest with them.76 Then those of the Thebans who knew what was for the best interest of the commonwealth23 were eager to go out to Alexander and obtain pardon for the commonalty of Thebes for their revolt; but the exiles and those who had summoned them home kept on inciting24 the populace to war by every means in their power, since they despaired of obtaining for themselves any indulgence from Alexander, especially as some of them were also Boeotarchs.77 However not even for this did Alexander assault the city.
CHAPTER VIII.
Fall of Thebes.
But Ptolemy, son of Lagus, tells us that Perdiccas, who had been posted in the advanced guard of the camp with his own brigade, and was not far from the enemy’s stockade, did not wait for the signal from Alexander to commence the battle; but of his own accord was the first to assault the stockade, and, having made a breach25 in it, fell upon the advanced guard of the Thebans.78 29Amyntas,79 son of Andromenes, followed Perdiccas, because he had been stationed with him. This general also of his own accord led on his brigade when he saw that Perdiccas had advanced within the stockade. When Alexander saw this, he led on the rest of his army, fearing that unsupported they might be intercepted26 by the Thebans and be in danger of destruction. He gave instructions to the archers and Agrianians to rush within the stockade, but he still retained the guards and shield-bearing troops outside. Then indeed Perdiccas, after forcing his way within the second stockade, fell there wounded with a dart27, and was carried back grievously injured to the camp, where he was with difficulty cured of his wound. However the men of Perdiccas, in company with the archers sent by Alexander, fell upon the Thebans and shut them up in the hollow way leading to the temple of Heracles, and followed them in their retreat as far as the temple itself. The Thebans, having wheeled round, again advanced from that position with a shout, and put the Macedonians to flight. Eurybotas the Cretan, the captain of the archers, fell with about seventy of his men; but the rest fled to the Macedonian guard and the royal shield-bearing troops. Now, when Alexander saw that his own men were in flight, and that the Thebans had broken their ranks in pursuit, he attacked them with his phalanx drawn28 up in proper order, and drove them back within the gates. The Thebans fled in such a panic that being driven into the 30city through the gates they had not time to shut them; for the Macedonians, who were close behind the fugitives29, rushed with them within the fortifications, inasmuch as the walls were destitute30 of defenders31 on account of the numerous pickets32 in front of them. When the Macedonians had entered the Cadmea, some of them marched out of it, in company with those who held the fortress, into the other part of the city opposite the temple of Amphion,80 but others crossing along the walls, which were now in the possession of those who had rushed in together with the fugitives, advanced with a run into the market-place. Those of the Thebans who had been drawn up opposite the temple of Amphion stood their ground for a short time; but when the Macedonians under the command of Alexander were seen to be pressing hard upon them in various directions, their cavalry rushed through the city and sallied forth into the plain, and their infantry fled for safety as each man found it possible. Then indeed the Thebans, no longer defending themselves, were slain33, not so much by the Macedonians as by the Phocians, Plataeans and other Boeotians,81 who by indiscriminate slaughter34 vented35 their rage against them. Some were even attacked in the houses, having there turned to defend themselves from the enemy, and others were slain as they were supplicating36 the protection of the gods in the temples; not even the women and children being spared.
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1
banished
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| v.放逐，驱逐( banish的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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apprehended
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| 逮捕，拘押( apprehend的过去式和过去分词 )； 理解 | |
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slew
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| v.（使）旋转；n.大量，许多 | |
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fortress
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| n.堡垒，防御工事 | |
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incited
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| 刺激，激励，煽动( incite的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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pretexts
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| n.借口，托辞( pretext的名词复数 ) | |
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yoke
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| n.轭；支配；v.给...上轭，连接，使成配偶 | |
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8
stoutly
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| adv.牢固地，粗壮的 | |
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conjectured
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| 推测，猜测，猜想( conjecture的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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10
disaffected
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| adj.（政治上）不满的，叛离的 | |
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consecrated
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| adj.神圣的，被视为神圣的v.把…奉为神圣，给…祝圣( consecrate的过去式和过去分词 )；奉献 | |
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repent
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| v.悔悟，悔改，忏悔，后悔 | |
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13
cavalry
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| n.骑兵；轻装甲部队 | |
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infantry
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| n.[总称]步兵(部队) | |
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15
forth
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| adv.向前；向外，往外 | |
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16
archers
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| n.弓箭手，射箭运动员( archer的名词复数 ) | |
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17
repel
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| v.击退，抵制，拒绝，排斥 | |
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repelled
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| v.击退( repel的过去式和过去分词 )；使厌恶；排斥；推开 | |
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citadel
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| n.城堡；堡垒；避难所 | |
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stockade
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| n.栅栏，围栏；v.用栅栏防护 | |
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beleaguered
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| adj.受到围困[围攻]的；包围的v.围攻( beleaguer的过去式和过去分词)；困扰；骚扰 | |
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garrison
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| n.卫戍部队；驻地，卫戍区；vt.派(兵)驻防 | |
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commonwealth
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| n.共和国，联邦，共同体 | |
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inciting
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| 刺激的，煽动的 | |
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25
breach
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| n.违反，不履行；破裂；vt.冲破，攻破 | |
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26
intercepted
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| 拦截( intercept的过去式和过去分词 )； 截住； 截击； 拦阻 | |
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27
dart
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| v.猛冲，投掷；n.飞镖，猛冲 | |
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28
drawn
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| v.拖，拉，拔出；adj.憔悴的，紧张的 | |
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29
fugitives
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| n.亡命者，逃命者( fugitive的名词复数 ) | |
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30
destitute
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| adj.缺乏的；穷困的 | |
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31
defenders
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| n.防御者( defender的名词复数 )；守卫者；保护者；辩护者 | |
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32
pickets
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| 罢工纠察员( picket的名词复数 ) | |
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33
slain
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| 杀死，宰杀，杀戮( slay的过去分词 )； (slay的过去分词) | |
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34
slaughter
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| n.屠杀，屠宰；vt.屠杀，宰杀 | |
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35
vented
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| 表达，发泄（感情，尤指愤怒）( vent的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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36
supplicating
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| v.祈求，哀求，恳求( supplicate的现在分词 ) | |
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