History of the Peloponnesian War

In the mean time, with regard to the party of Plataeans that were scaling the wall, when the first of them had mounted, and after putting the sentinels to the sword, had taken possession of each of the two towers, they posted themselves in them, and kept guard, to prevent any reinforcement coming through them; and when they had raised ladders to them from the wall, and sent up a considerable party of men, those at the towers kept in check with their missiles, [*]( i. e. from the top of the towers and from the wall at their base.) both from above and below, such as were coming to the rescue; while the other and greater part of them had in the mean time planted many ladders, and thrown down the battlements, and were passing over between the towers.

As each successively effected his passage, he took his stand on the edge of the ditch; and thence they used their bows and darts against any one that came to the rescue along the wall, and tried to stop the passage [of their comrades].

When all were over, those on the towers descended—the last of them with great difficulty— and proceeded to the ditch; and in the mean time the three hundred were coming against them with torches.

Now the Plataeans, as they stood in the dark on the edge of the ditch, had a better view of them, and discharged their arrows and darts against the exposed parts of their bodies; while they themselves, in the obscurity of their position, were the less acen for the torches; so that even the last of the Plataeans got clear over the ditch, though with difficulty and by a violent effort;

for ice had frozen over it, not strong enough to allow of their walking on it, but rather watery, as it usually is with a [*]( Arnold and Bloomfield, on the authority of the Scholiast, supply μᾶλλον before ἥ). Indeed, if both the east and north wind were rainy, from what quarter could a clear and dry frost be expected? For the character here attributed to the east wind, compare Horace, Epod. 16. 53, Ut neque largis Aquosus Eurus arva radat imbribus. In the words that follow, if the ὑπό in ὑπονειφομένη has the diminutive force which is generally attributed to it, the swelling of the water in the ditch must be referred to the general character of the night, as before described; for without the violent storms of rain it is evident that a little snow could have produced no such effect in so short a time.) wind more east than north; and the night being somewhat snowy in consequence of such a wind, had swollen the water in it, which they crossed with their heads barely above it. [*]( The force of the καί seems to be, that although the storm increased the difficulty of crossing the ditch, it also contributed very largely to the success of their plan in other respects.) But at the same time their escape was mainly effected through the violence of the storm.

Starting from the ditch, the Plataeans went in a body along the road leading to Thebes, keeping the chapel of the hero Androcrates on their right, thinking that the Peloponnesians would least suspect their taking that road, towards their enemies' country; and in the mean time they saw them in pursuit with torches along the road to Cithaeron and the Oak-heads, in the direction of Athens.

So after they had gone six or seven stades along the road to Thebes, they then turned off, and took that which leads to the mountain, to Erythrae, and Hysiae; and having reached the hills, they escaped to Athens, to the number of two hundred and twelve out of one originally greater; for some of them turned back again into the city before they passed over the wall, and one bowman was taken prisoner at the outer ditch. So the Peloponnesians gave up the pursuit and returned to their posts;