ἐπεὶ δὲ ἅπαξ ὥσπερ εἰς ὁδὸν βασιλικὴν τὴν ἐλπίδα κατέστη καὶ συνίστατο πάλιν σῶμα καὶ σχῆμα περὶ αὑτὸν ἀρχῆς, Θηβαίοις μὲν ἀπέδωκε τὴν πολιτείαν, Ἀθηναῖοι δὲ ἀπέστησαν αὐτοῦ. καὶ τόν τε Δίφιλον, ὃς ἦν ἱερεὺς τῶν Σωτήρων ἀναγεγραμμένος, ἐκ τῶν ἐπωνύμων ἀνεῖλον, ἄρχοντας αἱρεῖσθαι πάλιν, ὥσπερ ἦν πάτριον, ψηφισάμενοι, τόν τε Πύρρον ἐκ Μακεδονίας μετεπεμποντο, μᾶλλον ἢ προσεδόκησαν ἰσχύοντα τὸν Δημήτριον ὁρῶντες.
But as soon as he had entered upon the path of hope, as upon a royal highway, and had gathered about himself a body and form of sovereignty, he restored to the Thebans their ancient form of government; the Athenians, however, revolted from him. They voted to elect archons, as had been their custom of old, and took away from Diphilus, who had been appointed priest of the Saviour-gods, the privilege of giving his name to the current year; and when they saw that Demetrius had more strength than they expected, they summoned Pyrrhus to their aid from Macedonia. Demetrius came up against them in a rage, and began a strenuous siege of the city.
ὁ δὲ ὀργῇ μὲν ἐπῆλθεν αὐτοῖς καὶ πολιορκίαν περὶ τὸ ἄστυ συνεστήσατο καρτεράν, Κράτητος δὲ τοῦ φιλοσόφου πεμφθέντος ὑπὸ τοῦ δήμου πρὸς αὐτόν, ἀνδρὸς ἐνδόξου καὶ δυνατοῦ, τὰ μὲν οἷς ὑπὲρ τῶν Ἀθηναίων ἐδεῖτο πεισθείς, τὰ δὲ ἐξ ὧν ἐδίδασκε περὶ τῶν ἐκείνῳ συμφερόντων νοήσας ἔλυσε τὴν πολιορκίαν, καὶ συναγαγὼν ὅσαι νῆες ἦσαν αὐτῷ, καὶ στρατιώτας μυρίους καὶ χιλίους σὺν ἱππεῦσιν ἐμβιβάσας, ἐπὶ τὴν Ἀσίαν ἔπλει, Λυσιμάχου Καρίαν καὶ Λυδίαν ἀποστήσων.
But the people sent to him Crates the philosopher, a man of great repute and influence, and Demetrius, partly because he was induced to grant the ambassador’s appeals in behalf of the Athenians, and partly because he was convinced when the philosopher showed him what would be an advantageous course, raised the siege, and after assembling all the ships he had, and putting on board eleven thousand soldiers, together with his cavalry, he sailed for Asia, to wrest Caria and Lydia from Lysimachus.
δέχεται δὲ αὐτὸν Εὐρυδίκη περὶ Μίλητον, ἀδελφὴ Φίλας, ἄγουσα τῶν αὐτῆς καὶ Πτολεμαίου θυγατέρων Πτολεμαΐδα καθωμολογημένην ἐκείνῳ πρότερον διὰ Σελεύκου. ταύτην γαμεῖ Δημήτριος Εὐρυδίκης ἐκδιδούσης. καὶ μετὰ τὸν γάμον εὐθὺς ἐπὶ τὰς πόλεις τρέπεται, πολλῶν μὲν ἑκουσίως προστιθεμένων, πολλὰς δὲ καὶ βιαζόμενος.
He was met at Miletus by Eurydicé, a sister of Phila, who brought with her one of her daughters by Ptolemy, Ptolemaïs, who had been betrothed to Demetrius before this through the agency of Seleucus. Demetrius married her now, and Eurydicé gave the bride away. After the marriage Demetrius at once turned his arms against the cities, many of which attached themselves to him of their own accord, and many also he forced into submission.
ἔλαβε δὲ καὶ Σάρδεις· καί τινες τῶν Λυσιμάχου στρατηγῶν ἀπεχώρησαν πρὸς αὐτὸν χρήματα καὶ στρατιὰν κομίζοντες. ἐπερχομένου δὲ Ἀγαθοκλέους τοῦ Λυσιμάχου μετὰ δυνάμεως ἀνέβαινεν εἰς Φρυγίαν, ἐγνωκώς, ἄνπερ Ἀρμενίας ἐπιλάβηται, Μηδίαν κινεῖν καὶ τῶν ἄνω πραγμάτων ἔχεσθαι, πολλὰς ἐξωθουμένῳ περιφυγὰς καὶ ἀναχωρήσεις ἐχόντων.
He took Sardis also; and some of the generals of Lysimachus came over to him bringing money and troops. But when Agathocles, the son of Lysimachus, came against him with an army, Demetrius retired into Phrygia; he had determined, if once he could reach Armenia, to bring Media to revolt and attempt the upper provinces, which afforded an ejected commander many refuges and retreats.
ἑπομένου δὲ Ἀγαθοκλέους ἐν ταῖς συμπλοκαῖς περιῆν, ἐπισιτισμοῦ δὲ καὶ προνομῶν εἰργόμενος ἠπορεῖτο, καὶ τοῖς στρατιώταις δι’ ὑποψίας ἦν ὡς ἐπʼ Ἀρμενίαν καὶ Μηδίαν ἐκτοπίζων. ἅμα δὲ μᾶλλον ὁ λιμὸς ἐπέτεινε, καὶ διαμαρτία τις γενομένη περὶ τὴν τοῦ Λύκου διάβασιν πλῆθος ἀνθρώπων ἁρπασθὲν ὑπὸ τοῦ ῥεύματος ἀπώλεσεν. ὅμως δὲ τοῦ σκώπτειν οὐκ ἀπείχοντο· προγράφει δέ τις αὐτοῦ πρὸ τῆς σκηνῆς τὴν τοῦ Οἰδίποδος ἀρχὴν μικρὸν παραλλάξας· τέκνον τυφλοῦ γέροντος Ἀντιγόνου· τίνας / χώρους ἀφίγμεθα; /
Agathocles followed him, and though Demetrius had the advantage in their engagements, he was shut off from getting provisions and forage, and was in great straits; besides, his soldiers were suspicious that he was trying to make his way towards Armenia and Media. And not only did famine press them harder, but also some mistake was made in crossing the river Lycus, and a large number of men were carried away by the current and lost. But nevertheless they would have their pleasantries; and one of them wrote up in front of the tent of Demetrius the opening words of the Oedipus, slightly changed:— O child of blind and aged Antigonus, what are / These regions whither we are come? /
τέλος δὲ καὶ νόσου τῷ λιμῷ συνεπιτιθεμένης, ὥσπερ εἴωθεν, ἐπὶ βρώσεις ἀναγκαίας τρεπομένων, τοὺς πάντας οὐκ ἐλάσσονας ὀκτακισχιλίων ἀποβαλὼν ἀνῆγεν ὀπίσω τοὺς λοιπούς· καὶ καταβὰς εἰς Ταρσὸν ἐβούλετο μὲν ἀπέχεσθαι τῆς χώρας, οὔσης ὑπὸ Σελεύκῳ τότε, καὶ πρόφασιν ἐκείνῳ μηδεμίαν παρασχεῖν,
But at last sickness assailed them as well as famine, which is wont to happen when men have recourse to foods which they must eat to save their lives, and after losing no less than eight thousand men in all, Demetrius retraced his steps with the rest and came down to Tarsus. Here he would gladly have spared the country, which was then under Seleucus, and so have given its ruler no ground of complaint;
ὡς δὲ ἦν ἀμήχανον, ἐν ταῖς ἐσχάταις ὄντων ἀπορίαις τῶν στρατιωτῶν, καὶ τοῦ Ταύρου τὰς ὑπερβολὰς Ἀγαθοκλῆς ἀπετείχισε, γράφει πρὸς Σέλευκον ἐπιστολὴν μακρόν τινα τῆς αὑτοῦ τύχης ὀδυρμόν, εἶτα πολλὴν ἱκεσίαν καὶ δέησιν ἔχουσαν ἀνδρὸς οἰκείου λαβεῖν οἶκτον, ἄξια καὶ πολεμίοις συναλγῆσαι πεπονθότος. Ἐπικλασθέντος δέ πως Σελεύκου, καὶ γράψαντος τοῖς ἐκεῖ στρατηγοῖς ὅπως αὐτῷ τε τῷ Δημητρίῳ χορηγίαν βασιλικὴν καὶ τῇ δυνάμει τροφὴν ἄφθονον παρέχωσιν,
but this was impossible, for his soldiers were suffering extreme privations, and Agathocles had fortified the passes of the Taurus against him. He therefore wrote a very long letter to Seleucus, bewailing his own misfortunes, and then begging and beseeching him to take pity on a man who was allied to him by marriage, and had suffered enough to win sympathy even from his enemies. Seleucus was somewhat softened by this appeal, and wrote to his generals in that province that they should furnish Demetrius himself with royal maintenance, and his troops with abundant supplies.
ἐπελθὼν Πατροκλῆς, ἀνὴρ συνετὸς εἶναι δοκῶν καὶ Σελεύκῳ φίλος πιστός, οὐ τὸ τῆς δαπάνης ἔφη πλεῖστον εἶναι τῶν Δημητρίου στρατιωτῶν τρεφομένων, ἀλλʼ ἐνδιατρίβοντα τῇ χώρᾳ Δημήτριον οὐ καλῶς περιορᾶν αὐτόν, ὃς ἀεὶ βιαιότατος ὢν καὶ μεγαλοπραγμονέστατος βασιλέων νῦν ἐν τύχαις γέγονεν αἳ καὶ τοὺς φύσει μετρίους ἐξάγουσι τολμᾶν καὶ ἀδικεῖν.
But Patrocles, a man in repute for wisdom, and a trusted friend of Seleucus, came to him and told him that the expense of maintaining the soldiers of Demetrius was a very small matter, but that it was unwise for him to allow Demetrius to remain in the country, since he had always been the most violent of the kings, and the most given to grand designs, and was now in a state of fortune where even naturally moderate men are led to commit deeds of daring and injustice.
ἐκ τούτου παροξυνθεὶς ὁ Σέλευκος ἐξώρμησεν εἰς Κιλικίαν μετὰ πολλῆς δυνάμεως. ὁ δὲ Δημήτριος ἐκπλαγεὶς τῇ δι’ ὀλίγου μεταβολῇ τοῦ Σελεύκου καὶ φοβηθείς, ὑπέστειλε τοῖς ὀχυρωτάτοις τοῦ Ταύρου, καὶ διαπεμπόμενος ἠξίου μάλιστα μὲν αὐτὸν περιϊδεῖν τῶν αὐτονόμων τινὰ βαρβάρων κτησάμενον ἀρχήν, ἐν ᾗ καταβιώσεται πλάνης καὶ φυγῆς παυσάμενος, εἰ δὲ μή, τὸν χειμῶνα διαθρέψαι τὴν δύναμιν αὐτόθι, καὶ μὴ πάντων ἐνδεᾶ καὶ γυμνὸν ἐξελαύνειν καὶ προβάλλειν τοῖς πολεμίοις.
Incited by this advice, Seleucus marched into Cilicia with a large force. Then Demetrius, filled with amazement and alarm at the sudden change of attitude in Seleucus, withdrew to the strongest fastnesses of the Taurus, and sending messengers to Seleucus, asked that above all things he might be permitted to acquire a petty empire among the independent Barbarians, in which he might end his days without further wanderings and flights; but if this might not be, he begged him to give his troops food for the winter there, and not to drive him forth, stripped and destitute of all things, and cast him into the hands of his enemies.
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