History of the Peloponnesian War

At the very commencement of the following winter, when the towns in Boeotia were to be delivered up to Hippocrates and Demosthenes, the Athenian generals, and Demosthenes was to repair with his ships to Siphae, Hippocrates to Delium; a mistake having been made in the days on which they were both to take the field, Demosthenes sailed first to Siphae, with the Acarnanians and many allies from those parts on board, but did not succeed in his undertaking, through information of the design having been given by Nicomachus, a Phocian of Phanoteus, who told the Lacedaemonians, and they the Boeotians.

Accordingly, succours being brought by all the Boeotians, (for Hippocrates was not yet in their country to [*]( This is, I think, the true force of παρελύπει in this passage; and it has a somewhat similar one, Xen. Anab. II. 5. 29, ἐβούλετο δὲ καὶ ὁ κλέαρχοςἅπαν τὸ στράτευμα πρὸς ἑαυτὸν ἔχειν τὴν γνώμην, καὶ τοὺς παραλυποῦντας ἐκποδὼν εἶναι.) make a diversion,) Siphae and Chaeronea were secured by surprise; and when the conspirators were aware of the mistake, they attempted no movement in the cities.

But Hippocrates, having drawn out the whole population of Athens, citizens, resident aliens, and all the foreigners then in the city, afterwards arrived at Delium, when the Boeotians had now returned from Siphae; and having encamped his army, proceeded to fortify Delium, the sanctuary of Apollo, in the following manner.

They dug a trench all round the sacred precinct and the fane, and from the ground thus excavated threw up the earth in a mound, as a substitute for a wall; and fixing stakes on it, cut down the vines that were round the sanctuary and threw them in, taking down also at the same time stones and brick-work from the neighbouring houses; and so they ran up the work in every way. They also erected wooden towers where there was occasion for them, and where there was not already any building belonging to the temple:

for [on one side] the gallery that once existed had fallen down. Having begun the work on the third day after setting out from home, they continued it that day, the fourth, and till dinner-time of the fifth.

Then. as the main part of it was finished, the army went forward from Delium about ten stades on its way home; whence most of the light-armed proceeded straight on, but the heavy-armed halted, and remained stationary; while Hippocrates was still staying behind, and arranging the guards, and how they should complete such parts of the out-works as remained to be finished.

Now during the days thus employed, the Boeotians were mustering at Tanagra; and when they were come from all the cities, and found the Athenians on their progress homeward, the rest of the Boeotarchs, (who were eleven in number,) not consenting to an engagement, since the Athenians were no longer in Boeotia, (for they were just within the borders of the Oropian territory when they halted,) Pagondas son of Aeoladas, being Boeotarch of Thebes together with Arianthidas son of Lysimachidas, and having the command at the time, wished to fight the battle, and thought it best to run the risk; and so, calling the men to him separately, in their different battalions, that they might not all at once leave the arms that were piled, he tried to persuade the Boeotians to march against the Athenians and bring on the contest, by speaking to this effect: