Plutarch · Life of Timoleon Τιμολέων

Plutarch, Life of Timoleon 12.1–13.10: Timoleon's victory at Adranum and the surrender of Dionysius

The people of Adranum, a small city sacred to the god Adranus, are divided, and Hicetas with five thousand men and Timoleon with twelve hundred answer rival invitations and arrive at the same time. Timoleon leads his men forward at once to attack while Hicetas' army is still pitching camp and wins, and the people report that the temple doors opened and the god's spear trembled. Dionysius, despairing, surrenders the acropolis and the tyrant's castle with its stores to Timoleon and is sent to Corinth.

Sections 12.1–13.10 · 865 words · click a number to copy its link

οὐδὲν οὖν ἐκείνων βελτίονα τὸν Κορίνθιον ἔσεσθαι προσδοκῶντες, ἀλλὰ ταῦτα πάλιν ἥκειν πρὸς αὐτοὺς σοφίσματα καί δελεάσματα, μετʼ ἐλπίδων χρηστῶν καί φιλανθρώπων ὑποσχέσεων εἰς μεταβολὴν δεσπότου καινοῦ τιθασευομένους, ὑπώπτευον καί διεκρούοντο τὰς τῶν Κορινθίων προκλήσεις πλὴν Ἀδρανιτῶν,

Expecting, therefore, that the Corinthian leader would be no whit better than those who had preceded him, but that the same sophistries and lures were come to them again, and that with fair hopes and kind promises they were to be made docile enough to receive a new master in place of an old one, they all suspected and repulsed the appeals of the Corinthians except the people of Adranum.

οἳ πόλιν μικρὰν μέν, ἱερὰν δʼ οὖσαν Ἀδρανοῦ, θεοῦ τινος τιμωμένου διαφερόντως ἐν ὅλῃ Σικελίᾳ, κατοικοῦντες ἐστασίασαν πρὸς ἀλλήλους, οἱ μὲν Ἱκέτην προσαγόμενοι καί Καρχηδονίους, οἱ δὲ πρὸς Τιμολέοντα διαπεμπόμενοι.

These dwelt in a city that was small, but sacred to Adranus, a god highly honoured throughout all Sicily, and being at variance with one another, one party invited in Hicetas and the Carthaginians, while the other sent an invitation to Timoleon.

καί πως ἀπʼ αὐτομάτου συνέτυχε σπευδόντων ἀμφοτέρων εἰς ἕνα καιρὸν ἀμφοτέροις γενέσθαι τὴν παρουσίαν.

And by some freak of fortune, both generals hastening to answer the summons, both arrived at one and the same time.

ἀλλʼ Ἱκέτης μὲν ἧκε πεντακισχιλίους στρατιώτας ἔχων, Τιμολέοντι δὲ οἱ σύμπαντες ἦσαν οὐ πλείους χιλίων διακοσίων·

But Hicetas came with five thousand soldiers, while Timoleon had no more than twelve hundred all told.

οὓς ἀναλαβὼν ἐκ τοῦ Ταυρομενίου, σταδίων πρὸς τὸ Ἀδρανὸν ὄντων τετταράκοντα καί τριακοσίων, τῇ μὲν πρώτῃ τῶν ἡμερῶν οὐ πολὺ μέρος τῆς ὁδοῦ προέλαβε καί κατηυλίσατο, τῇ δʼ ὑστεραίᾳ συντόνως ὁδεύσας καί χαλεπὰ χωρία διελθών ἤδη τῆς ἡμέρας καταφερομένης ἤκουσεν ἄρτι προσμιγνύναι τὸν Ἱκέτην τῷ πολιχνίῳ καί καταστρατοπεδεύειν.

Taking these with him from Tauromenium, he set out for Adranum, which was three hundred and forty furlongs off. The first day he advanced only a small part of the journey and bivouacked for the night; but on the second day he quickened his pace, and after traversing difficult regions, when day was already declining he heard that Hicetas was just arriving at the little city and pitching his camp.

οἱ μὲν οὖν λοχαγοὶ καί ταξίαρχοι τοὺς πρώτους ἐπέστησαν ὡς ἐμφαγοῦσι καί διαναπαυσαμένοις χρησόμενοι προθυμοτέροις, ὁ δὲ Τιμολέων ἐπιπορευόμενος ἐδεῖτο ταῦτα μὴ ποιεῖν, ἀλλʼ ἄγειν κατὰ τάχος καί συνάπτειν τοῖς πολεμίοις ἀσυντάκτοις οὖσιν, ὡς εἰκὸς ἄρτι παυομένους ὁδοιπορίας καί περὶ σκηνὰς καί δεῖπνον ἀσχόλους ὄντας.

Accordingly, his captains and taxiarchs halted the van-guard, in order to give the men food and rest and so make them more ready to fight; but when Timoleon came up, he begged them not to do this, but to lead on with speed and engage the enemy while they were in disorder, as they were likely to be when just at the end of their march and busy with their tents and supper.

καί λέγων ἅμα ταῦτα, τὴν ἀσπίδα λαβὼν ἡγεῖτο πρῶτος ὥσπερ ἐπὶ νίκην πρόδηλον. οἱ δʼ εἵποντο τεθαρρηκότες, ἔλαττον ἢ τριάκοντα σταδίους ἔτι τῶν πολεμίων ἀπέχοντες.

And as he thus spoke, he took his shield, put himself at the head, and led the soldiers on as if to certain victory. And they followed, emboldened by his example, being now distant from the enemy less than thirty furlongs.

ὡς δὲ καί τούτους διῆλθον, ἐπιπίπτουσιν αὐτοῖς ταραττομένοις καί φεύγουσιν ὡς πρῶτον ᾔσθοντο προσιόντας, ὅθεν ἀνῃρέθησαν μὲν οὐ πολλῷ πλείους τριακοσίων, ἑάλωσαν δὲ δὶς τοσοῦτοι ζῶντες, ἐλήφθη δὲ τὸ στρατόπεδον.

And when they had traversed these too, they fell upon the enemy, who were confounded and took to flight as soon as they perceived them coming up; wherefore not many more than three hundred of them were slain, while twice as many were taken alive, and their camp was captured.

οἱ δʼ Ἀδρανῖται τὰς πύλας ἀνοίξαντες προσέθεντο τῷ Τιμολέοντι, μετὰ φρίκης καί θαύματος ἀπαγγέλλοντες ὡς ἐνισταμένης τῆς μάχης οἱ μὲν ἱεροὶ τοῦ νεὼ πυλῶνες αὐτόματοι διανοιχθεῖεν, ὀφθείη δὲ τοῦ θεοῦ τὸ μὲν δόρυ σειόμενον ἐκ τῆς αἰχμῆς ἄκρας, τὸ δὲ πρόσωπον ἱδρῶτι πολλῷ ῥεόμενον.

Moreover, the people of Adranum threw open their gates and joined Timoleon, reporting to him with terror and amazement that at the beginning of the battle the sacred portals of their temple flew open of their own accord, and the spear of the god was seen to be trembling to the tip of its point, while copious sweat ran down his face.

ταῦτα δʼ, ὡς ἔοικεν, οὐ τὴν τότε νίκην ἐσήμαινε μόνον, ἀλλὰ καὶ τὰς μετὰ ταῦτα πράξεις, αἷς ἐκεῖνος ὁ ἀγὼν ἀρχὴν εὐτυχῆ παρέσχε.

These prodigies, as it would seem, were a sign not only of the victory which was then won, but also of the achievements succeeding them, to which that struggle afforded a propitious beginning.

καὶ γὰρ πόλεις εὐθὺς ἐπιπρεσβευόμεναι προσετίθεντο τῷ Τιμολέοντι, καὶ Μάμερκος ὁ Κατάνης τύραννος, πολεμιστὴς ἀνὴρ καὶ χρήμασιν ἐρρωμένος, ἔδωκεν αὑτὸν εἰς συμμαχίαν.

For cities at once sent envoys to Timoleon and espoused his cause, and particularly Mamercus, the tyrant of Catana, a warlike and wealthy man, presented himself as an ally.

τὸ δὲ μέγιστον, αὐτὸς Διονύσιος ἀπειρηκὼς ἤδη ταῖς ἐλπίσι καὶ μικρὸν ἀπολείπων ἐκπολιορκεῖσθαι τοῦ μὲν Ἱκέτου κατεφρόνησεν αἰσχρῶς ἡττημένου, τὸν δὲ Τιμολέοντα θαυμάζων ἔπεμψεν ἐκείνῳ καὶ Κορινθίοις παραδιδοὺς αὑτὸν καὶ τὴν ἀκρόπολιν. δεξάμενος δʼ ὁ Τιμολέων τὴν ἀνέλπιστον εὐτυχίαν,

And what was most important, Dionysius himself, now grown desperate and almost forced to surrender, despised Hicetas for his shameful defeat, and in admiration of Timoleon sent to him and his Corinthians offering to surrender himself and the citadel to them. Timoleon accepted this unexpected good fortune,

ἀποστέλλει τοὺς περὶ Εὐκλείδην καὶ Τηλέμαχον, ἄνδρας Κορινθίους, εἰς τὴν ἀκρόπολιν, καὶ στρατιώτας τετρακοσίους, οὐχ ὁμοῦ πάντας οὐδὲ φανερῶς, ἀδύνατον γὰρ ἦν ἐφορμούν· τῶν πολεμίων, ἀλλὰ κρύφα καὶ κατʼ ὀλίγους παρεισπεσόντας.

and sent Eucleides and Telemachus, men of Corinth, into the acropolis, and with them four hundred soldiers, not all at once, nor openly, for this was impossible when an enemy was blockading the harbour; but they made their way in secretly and in small companies.

οἱ μὲν οὖν στρατιῶται παρέλαβον τὴν ἀκρόπολιν καὶ τὰ τυραννεῖα μετὰ τῆς παρασκευῆς καὶ τῶν χρησίμων πρὸς τὸν πόλεμον·

These soldiers, then, took over the acropolis and the castle of the tyrant, together with his equipment and stores for the war;

ἵπποι τε γὰρ ἐνῆσαν οὐκ ὀλίγοι καὶ πᾶσα μηχανημάτων ἰδέα καὶ βελῶν πλῆθος, ὅπλων δʼ ἀπέκειντο μυριάδες ἑπτὰ τεθησαυρισμένων ἐκ παλαιοῦ,

for there were many horses there, all sorts of engines of war, and a great quantity of missiles, and armour for seventy thousand men had been stored up there for a long time.

στρατιῶται δὲ δισχίλιοι τῷ Διονυσίῳ παρῆσαν, οὓς ἐκεῖνος, ὡς τἆλλα, τῷ Τιμολέοντι παρέδωκεν, αὐτὸς δὲ χρήματα λαβὼν καὶ τῶν φίλων οὐ πολλοὺς ἔλαθεν ἐκπλεύσας τὸν Ἱκέτην.

Dionysius also had with him two thousand soldiers; these, as well as the supplies, he turned over to Timoleon, while he himself, with his treasure and a few of his friends, sailed off without the knowledge of Hicetas.

καὶ κομισθεὶς εἰς τὸ τοῦ Τιμολέοντος στρατόπεδον, τότε πρῶτον ἰδιώτης καὶ ταπεινὸς ὀφθείς, ἐπὶ μιᾶς νεὼς καὶ χρημάτων ὀλίγων εἰς Κόρινθον ἀπεστάλη,

And after he had been conveyed to the camp of Timoleon, where for the first time he was seen as a private person and in humble garb, he was sent off to Corinth with a single ship and a small treasure,

γεννηθεὶς μὲν καὶ τραφεὶς ἐν τυραννίδι τῇ πασῶν ἐπιφανεστάτῃ καὶ μεγίστῃ, κατασχὼν δὲ ταύτην ἔτη δέκα, δώδεκα δʼ ἄλλα μετὰ τὴν Δίωνος στρατείαν ἐν ἀγῶσι καὶ πολέμοις διαφορηθείς, ἃ δʼ ἔπραξε τυραννῶν οἷς ἔπαθεν ὑπερβαλόμενος,

having been born and reared in a tyranny which was the greatest and most illustrious of all tyrannies and having held this for ten years, and then for twelve other years, after the expedition of Dion, having been involved in harassing struggles and wars, and having surpassed in his sufferings all his acts of tyranny.

καὶ γὰρ υἱῶν ἐνηλίκων θανάτους καὶ θυγατέρων καταπορνεύσεις παρθένων ἐπεῖδε, καὶ τὴν αὐτὴν ἀδελφὴν καὶ γυναῖκα ζῶσαν μὲν εἰς τὸ σῶμα ταῖς ἀσελγεστάταις ὑπὸ τῶν πολεμίων ἡδοναῖς παρανομηθεῖσαν, βίᾳ δʼ ἀποθανοῦσαν μετὰ τῶν τέκνων, καταποντισθεῖσαν εἰς τὸ πέλαγος, ταῦτα μὲν οὖν ἐν τοῖς περὶ Δίωνος ἀκριβῶς γέγραπται.

For he lived to see the violent deaths of his grown-up sons and the violation of his maiden daughters, and the shameful abuse of the person of his wife, who was at the same time his sister, and who, while living, was subjected to the most wanton pleasures of his enemies, and after being murdered, together with her children, was cast into the sea. These things, then, have been fully described in my Life of Dion.

People and places in this passage

English translation by Bernadotte Perrin (1918). Original text: Bernadotte Perrin (ed. and trans.), Plutarch's Lives, vol. 6, Loeb Classical Library, Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press; London: William Heinemann, 1918 (Greek text as digitised by Perseus).

Greek text and translation from the Perseus Digital Library, Tufts University, CC BY-SA 4.0 (Perseus Digital Library); translation public domain. Introductions, summaries and notes © GreekMythology.com.