ἑβδόμῃ δὲ ὕστερον μετὰ τὴν μάχην λόχος τῶν Γαλατῶν ἀνελθεῖν ἐς τὴν Οἴτην ἐπεχείρησε κατὰ Ἡράκλειαν· ἀτραπὸς δὲ στενὴ καὶ ταύτῃ μετὰ τὰ ἐρείπια ἀνήκει τὰ Τραχῖνος· ἦν δὲ καὶ ἱερὸν Ἀθηνᾶς τότε ὑπὲρ τῆς πόλεως Τραχινίδος καὶ ἀναθήματα ἐν αὐτῷ. ἔς τε οὖν τὴν Οἴτην ἀναβήσεσθαι κατὰ τὴν ἀτραπὸν ἤλπιζον καὶ ἅμα προσέσεσθαί σφισιν ἐν παρέργῳ τὰ ἐκ τοῦ ἱεροῦ τὴν φρουρὰν οἰομένου Τελεσάρχῳ. καὶ νικῶσι μὲν τοὺς βαρβάρους τῇ μάχῃ, αὐτὸς δὲ ἔπεσεν ὁ Τελέσαρχος, ἀνήρ εἴπερ τις καὶ ἄλλος πρόθυμος ἐς τὰ Ἑλλήνων.
οἱ μὲν δὴ ἡγεμόνες τῶν βαρβάρων οἱ ἄλλοι κατεπεπλήγεσαν τὸ Ἑλληνικόν, καὶ ἠπόρουν ἅμα ὑπὲρ τῶν μελλόντων, ἐς οὐδέν σφισι πλέον προχωροῦντα ὁρῶντες τὰ ἐν χερσί· τῷ δὲ Βρέννῳ λογισμὸς παρίστατο ὡς εἰ ἀναγκάσει τοὺς Αἰτωλοὺς οἴκαδε ἐς τὴν Αἰτωλίαν ἀναχωρῆσαι, ῥᾴων ἤδη γενήσοιτο ὁ πόλεμος αὐτῷ πρὸς τὸ Ἑλληνικόν. ἀπολέξας οὖν τῆς στρατιᾶς μυριάδας τοὺς πεζοὺς τέσσαρας καὶ ὅσον ὀκτακοσίους ἱππέας, Ὀρεστόριόν τε αὐτοῖς καὶ Κόμβουτιν ἐφίστησιν ἄρχοντας, οἳ ὀπίσω κατὰ τοῦ Σπερχειοῦ τὰς γεφύρας καὶ
αὖθις διὰ Θεσσαλίας ὁδεύσαντες ἐμβάλλουσιν ἐς τὴν Αἰτωλίαν· καὶ τὰ ἐς Καλλιέας Κόμβουτις οἱ ἐργασάμενοι καὶ Ὀρεστόριος ἦσαν, ἀνοσιώτατά τε ὧν ἀκοῇ ἐπιστάμεθα καὶ οὐδὲν τοῖς ἀνθρώπων τολμήμασιν ὅμοια. γένος μέν γε πᾶν ἐξέκοψαν τὸ ἄρσεν, καὶ ὁμοίως γέροντές τε καὶ τὰ νήπια ἐπὶ τῶν μητέρων τοῖς μαστοῖς ἐφονεύετο· τούτων δὲ καὶ τὰ ὑπὸ τοῦ γάλακτος πιότερα ἀποκτείνοντες ἔπινόν τε οἱ Γαλάται τοῦ αἵματος καὶ ἥπτοντο τῶν σαρκῶν.
γυναῖκες δὲ καὶ ὅσοι ἐν ὥρᾳ τῶν παρθένων, ὅσαι μὲν φρονήματός τι αὐτῶν εἶχον, ἑαυτὰς ἔφθησαν ὡς ἡλίσκετο ἡ πόλις διειργασμέναι· τὰς δὲ ἔτι περιούσας ἐς ἰδέαν ὕβρεως πᾶσαν μετὰ ἀνάγκης ἦγον ἰσχυρᾶς, ἅτε ἴσον μὲν ἐλέου, ἴσον δὲ τὰς φύσεις καὶ ἔρωτος ἀπέχοντες. καὶ ὅσαι μὲν τῶν γυναικῶν ταῖς μαχαίραις τῶν Γαλατῶν ἐπετύγχανον, αὐτοχειρίᾳ τὰς ψυχὰς ἠφίεσαν· ταῖς δὲ οὐ μετὰ πολὺ ὑπάρξειν τὸ χρεὼν ἔμελλεν ἥ τε ἀσιτία καὶ ἡ ἀυπνία, ἀστέγων βαρβάρων ἐκ διαδοχῆς ἀλλήλοις ὑβριζόντων· οἱ δὲ καὶ ἀφιείσαις τὰς ψυχάς, οἱ δὲ καὶ ἤδη νεκραῖς συνεγίνοντο ὅμως.
Αἰτωλοὶ δὲ πεπυσμένοι τε παρὰ ἀγγέλων ἦσαν ὁποῖαι σφᾶς κατειλήφεσαν συμφοραὶ καὶ αὐτίκα ὡς τάχους εἶχον ἀναστήσαντες ἀπὸ τῶν Θερμοπυλῶν τὴν δύναμιν ἠπείγοντο ἐς τὴν Αἰτωλίαν, τά τε παθήματα τῶν Καλλιέων ἐν ὀργῇ ποιούμενοι καὶ πλέον ἔτι τὰς οὐχ ἑαλωκυίας πω διασώσασθαι πόλεις προθυμούμενοι. ἐξεστρατεύοντο δὲ καὶ οἴκοθεν ἀπὸ τῶν πόλεων πασῶν οἱ ἐν ἡλικίᾳ, ἀναμεμιγμένοι δʼ ἦσαν ὑπὸ ἀνάγκης τε καὶ φρονήματος καὶ οἱ γεγηρακότες· συνεστρατεύοντο δέ σφισι καὶ αἱ γυναῖκες ἑκουσίως, πλέον ἐς τοὺς Γαλάτας καὶ τῶν ἀνδρῶν τῷ θυμῷ χρώμεναι.
ὡς δὲ οἱ βάρβαροι συλήσαντες τούς τε οἴκους καὶ τὰ ἱερὰ καὶ ἐνέντες πῦρ ἐς τὸ Κάλλιον ἐκομίζοντο τὴν αὐτήν, ἐνταῦθα Πατρεῖς μὲν ἐπικουροῦντες Αἰτωλοῖς Ἀχαιῶν μόνοι προσέκειντο ἐξ ἐναντίας τοῖς βαρβάροις ἅτε ὁπλιτεύειν δεδιδαγμένοι, καὶ ὑπὸ πλήθους τε τῶν Γαλατῶν καὶ τῆς ἐς τὰ ἔργα ἀπονοίας μάλιστα ἐταλαιπώρησαν· οἱ δὲ Αἰτωλοὶ καὶ αἱ γυναῖκες αἱ Αἰτωλαὶ παρὰ πᾶσαν τεταγμένοι τὴν ὁδὸν ἐσηκόντιζόν τε ἐς τοὺς βαρβάρους, καὶ οὐδὲν ἄλλο ὅτι μὴ τοὺς ἐπιχωρίους ἐχόντων θυρεοὺς ὀλίγα αὐτῶν ἡμάρτανον, διώκοντάς τε ἀπέφευγον οὐ χαλεπῶς καὶ ἀναστρέφουσιν ἀπὸ τῆς διώξεως ἐπέκειντο αὖθις σπουδῇ.
Καλλιεῦσι δὲ καίπερ δεινὰ οὕτω παθοῦσιν ὡς μηδὲ τὰ ὑπὸ Ὁμήρου πεποιημένα ἔς τε Λαιστρυγόνας καὶ ἐς Κύκλωπα ἐκτὸς εἶναι δοκεῖν ἀληθείας, ὅμως κατὰ τὴν ἀξίαν ἐγίνετο ἡ ὑπὲρ αὐτῶν δίκη· ἀπὸ γὰρ τεσσάρων μυριάδων προσόντων σφίσιν ὀκτακοσίων ἐλάσσονες ἡμίσεων ἐς τὸ στρατόπεδον οἱ βάρβαροι τὸ πρὸς Θερμοπύλαις ἀπεσώθησαν.
περὶ δὲ τοὺς Ἕλληνας ἐν τῷ αὐτῷ χρόνῳ τοὺς ἐν Θερμοπύλαις συνέβαινεν ἄλλα τοιαῦτα. ἀτραπός ἐστι διὰ τοῦ ὄρους τῆς Οἴτης, μία μὲν ἡ ὑπὲρ Τραχῖνος ἀπότομός τε τὰ πλείω καὶ ὄρθιος δεινῶς, ἑτέρα δὲ ἡ διὰ τῆς Αἰνιάνων ὁδεῦσαι στρατῷ ῥᾴων, διʼ ἧς καὶ Ὑδάρνης ποτὲ Μῆδος κατὰ νώτου τοῖς περὶ Λεωνίδην ἐπέθετο Ἕλλησι.
κατὰ ταύτην τὴν ὁδὸν ἐπηγγέλλοντο ἄξειν Βρέννον οἱ Ἡρακλεῶται καὶ οἱ Αἰνιᾶνες, οὐ κακονοίᾳ τῇ ἐς τὸ Ἑλληνικόν, τοὺς δὲ Κελτοὺς ἐκ τῆς χώρας σφίσιν ἀπελθεῖν μηδὲ ἐγκαθημένους φθείρειν περὶ πολλοῦ ποιούμενοι. καί μοι φαίνεται Πίνδαρος ἀληθῆ καὶ ἐν τῷδε εἰπεῖν, ὃς πάντα τινὰ ὑπὸ κακῶν οἰκείων ἔφη πιέζεσθαι, ἐπὶ δὲ ἀλλοτρίοις κήδεσιν ἀπήμαντον εἶναι.
τότε δὲ ἡ τῶν Αἰνιάνων καὶ τῶν Ἡρακλεωτῶν ὑπόσχεσις ἐπήγειρε τὸν Βρέννον· καὶ Ἀκιχώριον μὲν κατέλιπεν ἐπὶ τῇ στρατιᾷ, προειπών, ἐπειδὰν περιλάβωσιν αὐτοὶ τὸ Ἑλληνικόν, τηνικαῦτα καὶ ἐκείνοις ἐφόδου καιρὸν εἶναι· ἀπολέξας δὲ αὐτὸς μυριάδας τοῦ στρατοῦ τέσσαρας ἐποιεῖτο τὴν ὁδὸν διὰ τῆς ἀτραποῦ.
καί πως ἐπʼ ἐκείνης συνέβαινε τῆς ἡμέρας τήν τε ὁμίχλην κατὰ τοῦ ὄρους καταχεῖσθαι πολλὴν καὶ ἀμαυρὸν ὑπʼ αὐτῆς εἶναι τὸν ἥλιον, ὥστε τῶν Φωκέων τοῖς ἔχουσιν ἐπὶ τῇ ἀτραπῷ τὴν φρουρὰν οὐ πρότερον ἐπιόντες οἱ βάρβαροι παρέσχοντο αἴσθησιν πρὶν ἢ πλησίον ἐγεγόνεσαν. ἐνταῦθα δὲ οἱ μὲν μάχης ἦρχον, οἱ δὲ ἠμύνοντο ἐρρωμένως, τέλος δὲ ἐβιάσθησαν καὶ ἀναχωροῦσιν ἀπὸ τῆς ἀτραποῦ· καταδραμόντες μέντοι παρὰ τοὺς συμμάχους καὶ ἀπαγγείλαντες τὰ παρόντα ἔφθησαν πρὶν ἢ ἀκριβῆ καὶ πανταχόθεν τελέαν γενέσθαι τοῦ Ἑλληνικοῦ τὴν κύκλωσιν.
ἔνθα δὴ οἱ ἐπὶ τῶν τριήρων Ἀθηναῖοι φθάνουσιν ὑπεξαγαγόντες ἐκ τῶν Θερμοπυλῶν τὸ Ἑλληνικόν· καὶ οἱ μὲν κατὰ τὰς πατρίδας ἕκαστοι τὰς αὑτῶν ἐσκεδάσθησαν, ὁ δὲ Βρέννος οὐδένα ἔτι ἐπισχὼν χρόνον, πρὶν ἢ τοὺς ἀπὸ τοῦ στρατοπέδου τοῦ σὺν τῷ Ἀκιχωρίῳ παραγενέσθαι, τὴν ὁδὸν ἐποιεῖτο ἐπὶ τοὺς Δελφούς. οἱ δὲ καταφεύγουσιν ὑπὸ δείματος ἐπὶ τὸ χρηστήριον· καὶ ὁ θεὸς σφᾶς οὐκ εἴα φοβεῖσθαι, φυλάξειν δὲ αὐτὸς ἐπηγγέλλετο τὰ ἑαυτοῦ.
οἱ δὲ ἀφικόμενοι τιμωρεῖν τῷ θεῷ τοσοίδε ἐγένοντο Ἑλλήνων· Φωκεῖς μὲν ἀπὸ τῶν πόλεων πασῶν, ἐκ δὲ Ἀμφίσσης ὁπλῖται τετρακόσιοι, παρὰ δὲ Αἰτωλῶν ὀλίγοι μέν τινες αὐτίκα, ὅτε ἐπύθοντο ἐς τὸ πρόσω χωροῦντας τοὺς βαρβάρους, διακοσίους δὲ καὶ χιλίους Φιλόμηλος ἤγαγεν ὕστερον. τὸ δὲ μάλιστα ἐν ἀκμῇ τῶν Αἰτωλῶν ἐτράπετο ἐπὶ τὴν μετὰ τοῦ Ἀκιχωρίου στρατιάν, καὶ μάχης μὲν οὐκ ἦρχον, ὁδευόντων δὲ ἐπέκειντο ἀεὶ τοῖς ἐσχάτοις ἁρπάζοντές τε τὰ τῶν σκευαγωγούντων καὶ αὐτοὺς τοὺς ἄνδρας φονεύοντες· καὶ ἡ πορεία κατὰ ταύτην μάλιστα ἐγίνετό σφισι βραδεῖα τὴν αἰτίαν. κατέλιπε δὲ καὶ περὶ τὴν Ἡράκλειαν ὁ Ἀκιχώριος μοῖραν, οἳ ἔμελλον φρουρήσειν τὰ ἐπὶ τοῦ στρατοπέδου χρήματα.
On the sixth day after the battle a corps of the Gauls attempted to ascend Mount Oeta from Heraclea ; for here, too, a narrow footpath leads up the mountain just beyond the ruins of Trachis. In those days there was also a sanctuary of Athena above the territory of Trachis, with offerings in it. So they hoped to ascend Oeta by this footpath, and to secure the treasures of the sanctuary by the way .. . the guard . . . to Telesarchus. They defeated the barbarians; but Telesarchus himself fell—a Greek patriot if ever there was one.
All the barbarian leaders except Brennus now stood in terror of the Greeks, and were perplexed as to the future, seeing that their enterprise made no progress. But it occurred to Brennus that if he could force the Aetolians to return home to Aetolia, his operations against the Greeks would be much facilitated. So he detached from his army a force of forty thousand foot and some eight hundred horse, and placed it under the command of Orestorius and Combutis. These troops marched back by the bridges over the Spercheus, retraced their steps through Thessaly, and invaded Aetolia. The sack of Callium by Combutis and Orestorius was the most atrocious and inhuman in history. They put the whole male sex to the sword: old men and babes at their mothers’ breasts were butchered alike; and after killing the fattest of the sucklings, they even drank their blood and ate their flesh. All matrons and marriageable maidens who had a spark of spirit anticipated their fate by despatching themselves when the city was taken ; but the survivors were forcibly subjected to every kind of outrage by beings who were equal strangers to pity and to love. Such women as chanced to find an enemy’s sword laid hands on themselves: the rest soon perished from want of food and sleep, the ruthless barbarians outraging them in turn, and glutting their lust on the persons even of the dying and dead.
Apprised by messengers of the disasters that had befallen them, the Aetolians immediately set out from Thermopylae, and hastened with all speed to Aetolia, moved with rage at the sack of Callium, but still more with a desire to save the towns which had not yet fallen. From all their towns, too, poured forth the men of military age ; even the old men, roused by the emergency, were to be seen in the ranks. The very women marched with them as volunteers, their exasperation at the Gauls exceeding even that of the men.
After pillaging the houses and sanctuaries, and firing the town of Callium, the barbarians set out to return. Here they were met by the Patreans, the only Achaeans who came to the aid of the Aetolians. Being trained infantry, the Patreans attacked the barbarians in front, but suffered heavily from the numbers and desperation of the Gauls. The Aetolians, on the other hand, men and women, lined the whole road, and kept up a fire of missiles on the barbarians, and as the latter had nothing but their national shields few shots were thrown away. Pursued by the Gauls they easily escaped, and then, when their enemies were returning from the pursuit, they fell upon them again with vigour. Hence, dreadful as had been the fate of the people of Callium,—so dreadful, indeed, that in the light of it even Homer’s account of the Laestrygones and the Cyclops appears not to be exaggerated,—yet they were amply avenged ; for out of the forty thousand eight hundred barbarians less than half returned alive to the camp at Thermopylae. 5. Meanwhile the Greeks at Thermopylae fared as follows. There are two paths over Mount Oeta: one, starting above Trachis, is exceedingly steep and in most places precipitous; the other, leading through the territory of the Aenianians, is more passable for an army. It was by this latter path that Hydarnes, the Mede, once fell on the rear of Leonidas and his men, and by it the Heracleots and Aenianians now offered to lead Brennus, not from any ill-will they bore the Greeks, but merely because they would give much to rid their country of the destroying presence of the Celts. Pindar, it seems to me, is again right when he says that every man is weighed down by his own troubles, and is callous to the sorrows of others. Incited by the promise held out to him by the Aenianians and Heracleots, Brennus left Acichorius in command of the army, with orders to advance to the attack the moment the Greeks were surrounded. Then at the head of a detachment of forty thousand men he set off by the path. It happened that on that day the mist came down thick on the mountain, darkening the sun, so that the Phocian pickets stationed on the path did not perceive the approach of the barbarians till they were close upon them. Attacked by the enemy, they stood bravely to their arms, but were at last overpowered and driven from the path. Nevertheless they succeeded in running down to their friends, and bringing them word of what was taking place before they were completely surrounded. This gave the Athenian fleet time to withdraw the Greek army from Thermopylae; and so the troops dispersed to their several homes.
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