[7,6] Ὁ δ´ Ἀριστόδημος τοσοῦτον εἰπὼν μόνον, ὡς οὐ λέληθεν αὐτὸν ἡ διάνοια τῶν ἐχθρῶν, ὅτι λόγῳ μὲν ἐπὶ συμμαχίαν αὐτὸν ἀποστέλλουσιν, ἔργῳ δ´ εἰς προὖπτον ὄλεθρον, δέχεται μὲν τὴν στρατηγίαν, ἀναχθεὶς δ´ ἅμα τοῖς πρέσβεσι τῶν Ἀρικηνῶν διὰ ταχέων καὶ τὸ μεταξὺ πέλαγος ἐπιπόνως καὶ κινδυνωδῶς διανύσας ὁρμίζεται κατὰ τοὺς ἔγγιστα τῆς Ἀρικείας αἰγιαλούς· καὶ καταλιπὼν ἐν ταῖς ναυσὶ φυλακὴν ἀποχρῶσαν ἐν τῇ πρώτῃ νυκτὶ τὴν ἀπὸ θαλάσσης ὁδὸν οὐ πολλὴν οὖσαν διανύσας ἐπιφαίνεται τοῖς Ἀρικηνοῖς περὶ τὸν ὄρθρον ἀπροσδόκητος. θέμενος δὲ πλησίον αὐτῶν τὸν χάρακα καὶ τοὺς καταπεφευγότας εἰς τὰ τείχη πείσας προελθεῖν εἰς ὕπαιθρον προὐκαλεῖτο τοὺς Τυρρηνοὺς εὐθὺς εἰς μάχην. γενομένου δ´ ἐκ παρατάξεως ἀγῶνος καρτεροῦ οἱ μὲν Ἀρικηνοὶ βραχὺν πάνυ διαμείναντες χρόνον ἐνέκλιναν ἀθρόοι, καὶ γίνεται πάλιν εἰς· τὸ τεῖχος αὐτῶν φυγή· ὁ δ´ Ἀριστόδημος σὺν τοῖς περὶ αὐτὸν λογάσι Κυμαίων ὀλίγοις οὖσι πᾶν τὸ τοῦ πολέμου βάρος ὑποστὰς καὶ τὸν ἡγεμόνα τῶν Τυρρηνῶν αὐτοχειρίᾳ κτείνας τρέπει τοὺς ἄλλους εἰς φυγὴν καὶ νίκην ἀναιρεῖται πασῶν λαμπροτάτην. διαπραξάμενος δὲ ταῦτα καὶ τιμηθεὶς ὑπὸ τῶν Ἀρικηνῶν πολλαῖς δωρεαῖς ἀπέπλει διὰ ταχέων αὐτὸς ἄγγελος τοῖς Κυμαίοις τῆς αὑτοῦ νίκης βουλόμενος γενέσθαι· εἵποντο δ´ αὐτῷ πολλαὶ πάνυ τῶν Ἀρικηνῶν ὁλκάδες τὰ λάφυρα καὶ τοὺς αἰχμαλώτους τῶν Τυρρηνῶν ἄγουσαι. ὡς δὲ πλησίον ἐγένοντο τῆς Κύμης, ὁρμίσας τὰς ναῦς ἐκκλησίαν τοῦ στρατοῦ ποιεῖται, καὶ πολλὰ μὲν τῶν προεστηκότων τῆς πόλεως κατηγορήσας, πολλοὺς δὲ τῶν ἀνδραγαθησάντων κατὰ τὴν μάχην ἐπαίνους διελθὼν ἀργύριόν τε διαδοὺς αὐτοῖς κατ´ ἄνδρα καὶ τὰς παρὰ τῶν Ἀρικηνῶν δωρεὰς εἰς κοινὸν ἅπασι καταθεὶς ἠξίου μεμνῆσθαι τῶν εὐεργεσιῶν, ἂν καταπλεύσωσιν εἰς τὴν πατρίδα, καὶ ἄν τις αὐτῷ ποτε συμβαίνῃ κίνδυνος ἐκ τῆς ὀλιγαρχίας ὡς δύναμις ἑκάστῳ βοηθεῖν. ἁπάντων δὲ πολλὰς ὁμολογούντων αὐτῷ χάριτας εἰδέναι τῆς τ´ ἀνελπίστου σωτηρίας, ἣν δι´ ἐκεῖνον ἔσχον, καὶ τῆς ἐπὶ τὰ οἰκεῖα οὐ σὺν κεναῖς χερσὶν ἀφίξεως, καὶ τὰς ἑαυτῶν ψυχὰς θᾶττον ἢ τὴν ἐκείνου προήσεσθαι τοῖς ἐχθροῖς ἐπαγγειλαμένων, ἐπαινέσας αὐτοὺς ἀπέλυσε τὴν ἐκκλησίαν. καὶ μετὰ τοῦτο καλῶν εἰς τὴν αὑτοῦ σκηνὴν τοὺς πονηροτάτους ἐξ αὐτῶν καὶ κατὰ χεῖρα γενναιοτάτους δωρεῶν τε δόσει καὶ λόγων φιλανθρωπίᾳ καὶ ταῖς ἅπαντας ἐξαπατώσαις ἐλπίσι διαφθείρας, ἑτοίμους ἔσχε συγκαταλῦσαι τὴν καθεστῶσαν πολιτείαν.

[7,6] Aristodemus, merely remarking that he was not ignorant of the purpose of his enemies, namely, that in word they were sending him to the assistance of the Aricians, but in fact to manifest destruction, accepted the command, and hastily setting sail with the ambassadors of the Aricians, and accomplishing the voyage over the intervening sea with great difficulty and danger, came to anchor at points along the coast nearest to Aricia. And leaving a sufficient number of men on board to guard the ships, on the first night he made the march, which was not a long one, from the sea to the city and appeared unexpectedly to the inhabitants at dawn. Then, encamping near the city and persuading the citizens who had fled for refuge inside the walls to come out into the open, he promptly challenged the Tyrrhenians to battle. And a sharp engagement ensuing, the Aricians after a very short resistance all gave way and again fled inside the walls. But Aristodemus with a small body of chosen Cumaeans sustained the united shock of the enemy, and having slain the general of the Tyrrhenians with his own hand, put the rest to flight and gained the most glorious of all victories. After he had performed these achievements and been honoured with many presents by the Aricians, he sailed home immediately, desiring to be himself the messenger to the Cumaeans of his (p163) victory. He was followed by a great number of merchantmen belonging to the Aricians, laden with the spoils and prisoners taken from the Tyrrhenians. When they arrived near Cumae, he brought his ships to shore, and assembling his army, inveighed vehemently against the chief men of the city and bestowed many praises upon the soldiers who had distinguished themselves in the battle; and having given money to every one of them man by man and placed at the joint disposal of all of them the presents he had received from the Aricians, he asked that they should remember these favours when they returned home, and if he should be threatened with any danger from the oligarchy, that every one of them should assist him to the utmost of his power. Then, when all acknowledged themselves to be under great obligations to him, not only for their unexpected preservation which they owed to him, but also for their not returning home with empty hands, and promised to sacrifice their own lives sooner than to abandon him to their enemies, he commended them and dismissed the assembly. After this he called into his tent those among them who were the most unprincipled and the most daring in action, and by means of largesses, fair words, and hopes which seduce all men, he bribed them in readiness to assist him in overthrowing the established government.