τοιαῦτα ὁ Εὐφαὴς εἰπὼν διέλυσε τὸν σύλλογον, τὸ δὲ ἀπὸ τούτου πάντας ἔσχεν ἤδη τοὺς Μεσσηνίους ἐν ὅπλοις, τούς τε οὐκ εἰδότας ἐπαναγκάζων διδάσκεσθαι τὰ πολεμικὰ καὶ τοῖς ἐπισταμένοις ἐπιμελεστέραν ἢ πρότερον τὴν ἄσκησιν εἶναι. Λακεδαιμόνιοι δὲ καταδρομὰς ἐποιοῦντο ἐς τὴν Μεσσηνίαν, καὶ τὴν μὲν χώραν οὐκ ἐλυμαίνοντο ἅτε δὴ νομίζοντες οἰκείαν οὐδὲ δένδρα ἔκοπτον οὐδὲ οἰκήματα κατέβαλλον· οἱ δὲ λείαν εἰ περιτύχοιεν ἤλαυνον καὶ σῖτον καὶ τὸν ἄλλον καρπὸν ἀφῃροῦντο.
πρὸς δὲ τὰς πόλεις ποιούμενοι προσβολὰς εἷλον μὲν οὐδεμίαν ἅτε καὶ τείχεσιν ὠχυρωμένας καὶ διʼ ἀκριβείας φρουρουμένας, λαμβάνοντες δὲ τραύματα ἀπεχώρουν ἄπρακτοι καὶ τελευτῶντες οὐκέτι ἀπεπειρῶντο τῶν πόλεων. ἐλῄστευον δὲ καὶ οἱ Μεσσήνιοι τά τε ἐπιθαλάσσια τῆς Λακωνικῆς καὶ ὅσαι γεωργίαι περὶ τὸ Ταΰγετον ἦσαν.
τετάρτῳ δὲ ἔτει μετὰ τῆς Ἀμφείας τὴν ἅλωσιν Εὐφαὴς τῷ θυμῷ χρήσασθαι τῷ Μεσσηνίων προθυμούμενος ἀκμαζόντων ἐς τοὺς Λακεδαιμονίους ταῖς ὀργαῖς καὶ ἅμα τὴν ἄσκησιν ἤδη σφίσιν αὐτάρκη νομίζων εἶναι, προεῖπεν ἔξοδον· συνακολουθεῖν δὲ καὶ τοὺς οἰκέτας προσέτασσε φέροντας ξύλα καὶ ἄλλα ὅσα πρόσφορα ἐς ποίησιν χαρακώματος. ἐπυνθάνοντο δὲ καὶ οἱ Λακεδαιμόνιοι παρὰ τῶν ἐν Ἀμφείᾳ φρουρῶν τοὺς Μεσσηνίους ἐξιόντας· ἐξεστρατεύοντο οὖν καὶ οὗτοι.
καὶ ἦν γὰρ ἐν τῇ Μεσσηνίᾳ χωρίον ἄλλως μὲν ἐς ἀγῶνα ἐπιτήδειον, χαράδρα δὲ προεβέβλητο αὐτοῦ βαθεῖα· ἐνταῦθα τοὺς Μεσσηνίους παρέτασσεν ὁ Εὐφαής, ἀποδείξας στρατηγὸν Κλέοννιν· τῆς δὲ ἵππου καὶ τῶν ψιλῶν, οἳ συναμφότεροι ἐλάσσους πεντακοσίων ἦσαν, τούτων Πυθάρατος καὶ Ἄντανδρος ἡγοῦντο.
ὡς δὲ συνῄει τὰ στρατόπεδα, τοῖς μὲν ὁπλίταις καὶ ἀφειδῶς ὅμως καὶ ἀκρατέστερον ὑπὸ τοῦ μίσους φερομένοις ἐπὶ ἀλλήλους οὐ παρέσχεν ἐλθεῖν ἐς χεῖρας ἡ χαράδρα διείργουσα· τὸ δʼ ἱππικὸν καὶ οἱ ψιλοὶ συμμίσγουσι μὲν κατὰ τὸ ὑπὲρ τὴν χαράδραν, ἦσαν δὲ οὔτε πλῆθος οὔτε ἐμπειρίᾳ διαφέροντες οὐδέτεροι, καὶ διὰ τοῦτο ἰσόρροπος ἡ μάχη σφίσιν ἐγένετο.
ἐν ὅσῳ δὲ οὗτοι συνεστήκασιν, ἐν τοσούτῳ τοὺς οἰκέτας ἐκέλευεν ὁ Εὐφαὴς πρῶτα μὲν τὰ κατὰ νῶτον τοῦ στρατοπέδου φράξασθαι τοῖς σταυροῖς, μετὰ δὲ τὰ πλευρὰ ἀμφότερα. ἐπεὶ δὲ ἥ τε νύξ ἐπέλαβε καὶ ἡ μάχη διελέλυτο, τότε ἤδη καὶ τὰ πρὸ τοῦ στρατοπέδου κατὰ τὴν χαράδραν ἐφράξαντο, ὥστε ἐπισχούσης ἡμέρας τῆς τε προνοίας τοῦ Εὐφαοῦς τοῖς Λακεδαιμονίοις ἐπιπίπτει λογισμὸς εἶχόν τε οὔτε ὅπως μάχεσθαι χρὴ πρὸς τοὺς Μεσσηνίους μὴ προϊόντας ἐκ τοῦ χάρακος προσκαθῆσθαί τε ἀπεγίνωσκον ἀπαράσκευοι τοῖς πᾶσιν ὁμοίως ὄντες.
καὶ τότε μὲν ἀποχωροῦσιν οἴκαδε, ἐνιαυτῷ δὲ ὕστερον κακιζόντων σφᾶς τῶν γεγηρακότων καὶ δειλίαν τε ὁμοῦ προφερόντων καὶ τοῦ ὅρκου τὴν ὑπεροψίαν, οὕτω δευτέραν ἐκ τοῦ προφανοῦς ἐπὶ Μεσσηνίους στρατείαν ἐποιοῦντο. ἡγοῦντο δὲ οἱ βασιλεῖς ἀμφότεροι, Θεόπομπός τε ὁ Νικάνδρου καὶ Πολύδωρος ὁ Ἀλκαμένους· Ἀλκαμένης δὲ οὐκέτι περιῆν. ἀντεστρατοπεδεύοντο δὲ καὶ οἱ Μεσσήνιοι καὶ πειρωμένων μάχης τῶν Σπαρτιατῶν ἄρχειν ἀντεπεξῄεσαν.
Λακεδαιμονίοις δὲ ἡγεῖτο Πολύδωρος μὲν κατὰ τὸ κέρας τὸ ἀριστερόν, Θεόπομπος δὲ ἐπὶ τῷ δεξιῷ, τὸ μέσον δὲ εἶχεν Εὐρυλέων, τὰ μὲν παρόντα Λακεδαιμόνιος, τὰ ἐξ ἀρχῆς δὲ ἀπὸ Κάδμου καὶ ἐκ Θηβῶν, Αἰγέως τοῦ Οἰολύκου τοῦ Θήρα τοῦ Αὐτεσίωνος ἀπόγονος πέμπτος. τοῖς δὲ Μεσσηνίοις κατὰ μὲν τὸ δεξιὸν τῶν Λακεδαιμονίων ἀντετάσσοντο Ἄντανδρός τε καὶ Εὐφαής, τὸ δὲ ἕτερον κέρας τὸ κατὰ τὸν Πολύδωρον Πυθάρατος εἶχε, Κλέοννις δὲ τὸ μέσον.
συνιέναι δὲ ἤδη μελλόντων, ἐπεὶ παριόντες οἱ βασιλεῖς προέτρεπον τοὺς αὑτῶν, πρὸς μὲν δὴ τοὺς Λακεδαιμονίους βραχεῖαν κατὰ τὸ ἐπιχώριον τὴν παράκλησιν ἐποιεῖτο ὁ Θεόπομπος, τοῦ τε ὅρκου τοῦ κατὰ τῶν Μεσσηνίων ἀναμιμνήσκων καὶ ὡς καλόν σφισι τὸ φιλοτίμημα, τῶν πατέρων οἳ τοὺς περιοίκους κατεδουλώσαντο φανῆναι λαμπρότερα εἰργασμένους καὶ χώραν εὐδαιμονεστέραν προσκεκτημένους· Εὐφαὴς δὲ μακρότερα μὲν εἶπεν ἢ ὁ Σπαρτιάτης, οὐ πλείω δὲ οὐδʼ οὗτος ἢ ἐφιέντα ἑώρα τὸν καιρόν.
οὐ γὰρ περὶ γῆς μόνον οὐδὲ κτημάτων τὸν ἀγῶνα ἀπέφαινε γενησόμενον, εἰδέναι δὲ ἔφη σαφῶς ἃ νικωμένους ἐπιλήψεται· γυναῖκας μὲν γὰρ ἀχθήσεσθαι καὶ τέκνα ἐν ἀνδραπόδων μέρει, τοῖς δὲ ἐν ἡλικίᾳ τὸ ἐλαφρότατον ἔσεσθαι. θάνατον, ἢν μετʼ αἰκίας μὴ γένηται, συλήσεσθαι δέ σφισι καὶ τὰ ἱερὰ καὶ τὰς πατρίδας ἐμπρήσεσθαι· λέγειν δὲ οὐκ εἰκάζων, μάρτυρα δὲ ἐναργῆ πᾶσιν εἶναι τῶν ἐγκαταληφθέντων ἐν Ἀμφείᾳ τὰ πάθη.
πρό τε δὴ τηλικούτων κακῶν κέρδος εἶναι καλῶς τινα ἀποθανεῖν, πολὺ δὲ εἶναι ῥᾷον ἀηττήτοις οὖσιν ἔτι καὶ τὰς τόλμας καθεστηκόσιν ἐξ ἴσου προθυμίᾳ τοὺς ἀντιτεταγμένους ὑπερβαλεῖν ἢ προαποβαλόντας τὸ φρόνημα ἐπανορθοῦσθαι τὰ ἐπταισμένα.
Thus Euphaes spoke and broke up the assembly. From that day he kept the whole male population of Messenia under arms, compelling the untrained to learn, and the trained to practise more diligently than ever, the art of war. The Lacedaemonians made raids into Messenia, but, looking on the country as their own, they did not ravage it, nor fell trees, nor pull down houses ; but any cattle that they fell in with they drove off, and they carried away the corn and the fruits of the ground. They made assaults on the towns, but took none, for the walls were strong and the garrisons wary. So they had to fall back with nothing but hard knocks for their pains, till at last they left the towns alone. The Messenians, on their side, harried the coasts of Laconia and the farms about Mount Taygetus.
But in the third year after the taking of Amphea, Euphaes, anxious to turn to account the passion of the Messenians, which was now wound up to the highest pitch of exasperation against the Lacedaemonians, and believing that his countrymen were now well enough disciplined, announced that he would take the field, and ordered even the slaves to follow with stakes and everything necessary for throwing up entrenchments. But the Lacedaemonians got word from the garrison at Amphea that the Messenians were coming out; so they took the field also. Now there was in Messenia a place that offered a fair field for a battle, but a deep glen ran along the front of it. Here Euphaes drew up the Messenians, and placed Cleonnis in command. The horse and light infantry, numbering together less than five hundred, were led by Pytharatus and Antander. When the armies advanced to the encounter the foot rushed at each other with all the reckless fury of hate, but the glen was between them, and they could not close. Meantime the cavalry and light infantry skirmished above the glen, but being evenly matched in numbers and discipline, the fight was indecisive. While this engagement was going on, Euphaes ordered the slaves to fortify, first the rear, and then both flanks of the army, with a stockade; and when darkness fell, and the combatants parted, he fortified also his front on the side of the glen. So at break of day the Lacedaemonians were struck by the foresight of Euphaes. They could not fight the Messenians, unless the latter sallied from their stockade ; and they gave up all thought of besieging them, for which they were wholly unprepared.
So they went home. But next year, stung by the taunts of the old men, who twitted them with cowardice and with forgetting their oath, they, for the second time, openly marched against the Messenians. They were led by both the kings, Theopompus, son of Nicander, and Polydorus, son of Alcamenes; for Alcamenes himself was no more. The Messenians sat down opposite them, and when the Spartans offered battle the Messenians drew out to meet them. The Lacedaemonian left was led by Polydorus, the right by Theopompus, and the centre was commanded by Euryleon, a Lacedaemonian of Theban descent, sprung of the line of Cadmus ; for he was the fourth descendant of Aegeus, son of Oeolycus, son of Theras, son of Autesion. On the Messenian side Antander and Euphaes faced the Lacedaemonian right: the other wing, facing Polydorus, was under Pytharatus, and the centre under Cleonnis.
Just as they were about to engage, the kings passed along the ranks encouraging their men. The exhortation which Theopompus addressed to the Lacedaemonians was, according to Lacedaemonian custom, brief: he reminded them of the oath they had sworn against the Messenians, and how noble an ambition it was to outdo the glory of their fathers, who had conquered the neighbouring peoples, and to win a wealthier land. The address of Euphaes, though longer, was not more so than he perceived the occasion warranted. He showed that they were not about to fight for land or goods alone: they well knew, he said, the consequences of defeat ; their wives and children would be dragged into slavery ; death without torture would be the least that could befall the men; their sanctuaries would be pillaged, and the homes of their fathers given to the flames. These, he said, were no mere conjectures ; there was proof patent to all in the doom of their friends who had fallen into the enemy’s hands at Amphea. Death with honour, he said, was better than evils like these, and it was far easier now, while they were still unconquered, to meet and vanquish the foe with a courage as high as his own than, disheartened and dejected, to retrieve defeat. Thus Euphaes spoke.
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