Λακεδαιμόνιοι δὲ ἀκούσαντες τὸν γενόμενον Μεσσηνίοις χρησμὸν ἀθύμως διέκειντο καὶ αὐτοὶ καὶ οἱ βασιλεῖς ἔς τε τὰ λοιπὰ καὶ ἄρχειν ὀκνοῦντες μάχης. ἔτει δὲ ἕκτῳ μετὰ τὸν ἐξ Ἰθώμης Λυκίσκου δρασμὸν οἱ Λακεδαιμόνιοι—τὰ γὰρ ἱερὰ ἐγίνετο αὐτοῖς αἴσια —στρατεύουσιν ἐπὶ τὴν Ἰθώμην· οἱ δὲ Κρῆτες οὐκέτι παρόντες σφίσιν ἔτυχον. ὑστέρησαν δὲ καὶ οἱ τῶν Μεσσηνίων σύμμαχοι—διʼ ὑποψίας γὰρ οἱ Σπαρτιᾶται καὶ ἄλλοις ἤδη Πελοποννησίων καὶ Ἀρκάσιν ἦσαν καὶ Ἀργείοις μάλιστα—καὶ οἱ μὲν Ἀργεῖοι κρύφα ἔμελλον τῶν Λακεδαιμονίων ἀφίξεσθαι καὶ ἰδίᾳ δὴ μᾶλλον ἢ μετὰ δόγματος κοινοῦ, τοῖς δὲ Ἀρκάσιν ἡ στρατεία μὲν ἀνείρητο ἐκ τοῦ φανεροῦ, παρέτυχον δὲ οὐδʼ οὗτοι. τοὺς γὰρ Μεσσηνίους καὶ ἄνευ συμμάχων κινδυνεῦσαι προήγαγεν ἡ δόξα τοῦ χρησμοῦ.
τὰ μὲν οὖν πολλὰ οὐδέν τι ἐγένετο διάφορα ἢ καὶ ἐπὶ τῆς προτέρας μάχης, ἥ τε ἡμέρα καὶ τότε μαχομένους προαπέλιπεν· οὐ μέντοι βιασθῆναί γε οὐδέτερον κέρας ἢ καὶ λόχον μνημονεύουσιν, ἐπεὶ μηδὲ τὴν τάξιν, ὡς ἀπʼ ἀρχῆς ἐτάχθησαν, συμμεῖναί φασιν, ἀλλʼ ἀφʼ ἑκατέρων τοὺς ἀρίστους συνελθόντας ἐς τὸ μεσαίτατον ἐνταῦθα τὸν πάντα ἔχειν πόνον.
ὁ γὰρ Εὐφαὴς πλέον τι ἢ βασιλέα εἰκὸς ἦν προθυμούμενος καὶ ἀφειδῶς τοῖς περὶ τὸν Θεόπομπον ἐγκείμενος τραύματα πολλά τε καὶ οὐκ ἰάσιμα λαμβάνει· λιποψυχήσαντα δὲ αὐτὸν καὶ πεσόντα οἱ Λακεδαιμόνιοι καὶ ὀλίγον ὅμως ἐμπνέοντα ἐποιοῦντο παρʼ αὑτοὺς ἑλκύσαι σπουδήν. ἐπήγειρε δὲ καὶ τοὺς Μεσσηνίους ἥ τε ἐς τὸν Εὐφαῆ προϋπάρχουσα εὔνοια καὶ τὰ ὀνείδη τὰ μέλλοντα· φονευομένοις τε ὑπὲρ τοῦ βασιλέως ἄμεινόν σφισιν ἐφαίνετο προΐεσθαι τὰς ψυχὰς ἢ ἐκεῖνον προεμένων ἀποσωθῆναί τινα.
τότε μὲν δὴ πεσὼν ὁ Εὐφαὴς τήν τε μάχην ἐπεμήκυνε καὶ προήγαγεν ἐς πλέον παρὰ ἑκατέρων τὰ τολμήματα· ὕστερον δὲ ἀνήνεγκε μὲν καὶ ᾔσθετο ὅτι οὐκ ἔλαττον ἐσχήκασιν ἐν τῷ ἔργῳ, ἡμέραις δὲ οὐ πολλαῖς ἀποθνήσκει, βασιλεύσας Μεσσηνίων τρία ἔτη καὶ δέκα καὶ πολεμήσας Λακεδαιμονίοις τὸν πάντα τῆς βασιλείας χρόνον.
Εὐφαεῖ δὲ οὐκ ὄντων παίδων τὸν αἱρεθέντα ὑπὸ τοῦ δήμου κατελείπετο ἔχειν τὴν ἀρχήν, Κλέοννίς τε καὶ Δᾶμις ἐς ἀμφισβήτησιν Ἀριστοδήμῳ προῆλθον, τά τε ἄλλα καὶ τὰ ἐς πόλεμον διαφέρειν νομιζόμενοι· τὸν δὲ Ἄντανδρον οἱ πολέμιοι κατειργάσαντο ἐν τῇ μάχῃ προκινδυνεύοντα Εὐφαοῦς. ἦσαν δὲ καὶ τῶν μάντεων αἱ γνῶμαι κατὰ ταὐτὰ ἀμφοτέρων, Ἐπηβόλου καὶ Ὀφιονέως, μὴ σφᾶς ἀνδρὶ ἐναγεῖ καὶ θυγατρὸς μίασμα ἐπικειμένῳ δοῦναι τὴν Αἰπύτου καὶ τῶν ἀπογόνων τιμήν·
ᾑρέθη δὲ ὅμως καὶ ἐβασίλευσεν Ἀριστόδημος. ὁ δὲ Ὀφιονεὺς οὗτος ὁ τῶν Μεσσηνίων μάντις τυφλὸς ὢν εὐθὺς ἐκ γενετῆς μαντικήν τινα εἶχε τοιαύτην· πυνθανόμενος τὰ γινόμενα ἑκάστοις ἰδίᾳ τε καὶ ἐν κοινῷ προέλεγεν οὕτω τὰ μέλλοντα. οὗτος μὲν τρόπον ἐμαντεύετο τὸν εἰρημένον, Ἀριστόδημος δὲ βασιλεύσας τῷ τε δήμῳ διέμεινε τὰ εἰκότα χαρίζεσθαι προθυμούμενος καὶ τοὺς ἐν τέλει τούς τε ἄλλους καὶ μάλιστα Κλέοννιν καὶ Δᾶμιν ἦγεν ἐν τιμῇ· διὰ θεραπείας δὲ εἶχε καὶ τὰ τῶν συμμάχων, Ἀρκάδων τε τοῖς δυνατοῖς καὶ ἐς Ἄργος καὶ Σικυῶνα ἀποστέλλων δῶρα.
τὸν δὲ πόλεμον ἐπὶ τῆς Ἀριστοδήμου βασιλείας ἐπολέμουν λῃστείαις τε κατʼ ὀλίγους ἀεὶ καὶ περὶ τὴν ὡραίαν καταδρομαῖς ἐς τὴν ἀλλήλων χρώμενοι, συνεσέβαλλον δὲ καὶ παρὰ τῶν Ἀρκάδων τοῖς Μεσσηνίοις ἐς τὴν Λακωνικήν· Ἀργεῖοι δὲ προαναφῆναι μὲν τὸ ἐς τοὺς Λακεδαιμονίους ἔχθος οὐκ ἠξίουν, γινομένου δὲ ἀγῶνος παρεσκευάζοντο ὡς μεθέξοντες.
When the Lacedaemonians heard of the oracle that had been vouchsafed to the Messenians, they were cast down, they and their kings, and they shrank especially from beginning hostilities. But in the fifth year after the escape of Lyciscus from Ithome, the sacrifices were favourable, and they marched against Ithome; the Cretans, however, were no longer with them. The allies of the Messenians were also late. The Spartans had already incurred the suspicions of many of the Peloponnesians, especially of the Arcadians and Argives. The Argives, unknown to the Lacedaemonians, intended to come to the help of the Messenians, but as private volunteers only: the State took no public action. The Arcadians had openly proclaimed war, but neither had their forces as yet come up. For on the strength of the oracle the Messenians were ready to brave the danger single-handed.
On the whole the fight went much as before; and again the daylight failed before the battle was over. It is not, however, recorded that a wing or even a regiment on either side gave way. Indeed, without observing their original formations, the bravest on both sides met in the middle and there the struggle was hottest. Euphaes, with more than kingly ardour, pressed recklessly on the division of Theopompus. Receiving many fatal wounds, he fainted and fell, but still breathed. The Lacedaemonians strove to drag him into their ranks. But their love of Euphaes and the fear of shame roused the Messenians; and they deemed it better to shed their blood and sacrifice their lives in defence of their king than to save themselves by abandoning him.
The fall of Euphaes prolonged the fight, and nerved both sides to more desperate feats of arms. He revived to learn that the battle was not lost, and died a few days afterwards. He had reigned thirteen years, during the whole of which he had been at war with the Lacedaemonians. 4. Being childless, he had bequeathed the throne to a successor to be elected by the people. The claim of Aristodemus was disputed by Cleonnis and Damis, who were esteemed better men and better soldiers. Antander had been killed in the battle fighting in defence of Euphaes. The soothsayers, Epebolus and Ophioneus, were unanimously against bestowing the honours of the line of Aepytus on a man who had imbrued his hands in his own daughter’s blood. Nevertheless, Aristodemus was elected and reigned. The Messenian soothsayer, Ophioneus, was blind from his birth, and possessed a gift of prophecy by virtue of which, on learning the circumstances of individuals or of states, he predicted the future. That was his manner of prophesying. After coming to the throne, Aristodemus exerted himself steadily to gratify the commons in all that was reasonable: he treated the nobility with respect, especially Cleonnis and Damis; and he was studiously attentive to the allies, sending gifts to the most influential of the Arcadians, as well as to Argos and Sicyon. In his reign hostilities were confined to a ceaseless guerrilla warfare and to forays at harvest-time. In their raids into Laconia the Messenians were joined by the Arcadians ; and though the Argives did not choose to reveal their hatred of the Lacedaemonians prematurely, they prepared to take part in the war as soon as it should break out.
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