[12,19] πρὸς ἅπαντα δὴ ταῦτα ἀμηχάνως ἔχων ἀφικόμην εἰς ἄνδρας οὐ νωθροὺς οὐδὲ σχολὴν ἄγοντας ἀκροᾶσθαι λόγων, ἀλλὰ μετεώρους καὶ ἀγωνιῶντας καθάπερ ἵππους ἀγωνιστὰς ἐπὶ τῶν ὑσπλήγων, οὐκ ἀνεχομένους τὸν χρόνον, ὑπὸ σπουδῆς δὲ καὶ προθυμίας κόπτοντας τὸ ἔδαφος ταῖς ὁπλαῖς· ἔνθα γε ἦν ὁρᾶν πανταχοῦ μὲν ξίφη, πανταχοῦ δὲ θώρακας, πανταχοῦ δὲ δόρατα, πάντα δὲ ἵππων, {πάντα δὲ ὅπλων} πάντα δὲ ὡπλισμένων ἀνδρῶν μεστά· μόνος δὴ ἐν τοσούτοις φαινόμενος ῥᾴθυμος ἀτεχνῶς

[12,19] I, who was useless for all such things, came among men who were not dullards, and yet had no leisure to listen to speeches, but were high-strung and tense like race-horses at the starting barriers, fretting at the delay and in their excitement and eagerness pawing the ground with their hoofs. There one could see everywhere swords, everywhere corselets, everywhere spears, and the whole place was crowded with horses, with arms, and with armed men. Quite alone I appeared in the midst of this mighty host, perfectly undisturbed

[12,20] σφόδρα τε εἰρηνικὸς πολέμου θεατής, τὸ μὲν σῶμα ἐνδεής, τὴν δὲ ἡλικίαν προήκων, οὐ χρυσοῦν σκῆπτρον φέρων οὐδὲ στέμματα ἱερὰ θεοῦ τινος, ἐπὶ λύσει θυγατρὸς ἥκων εἰς τὸ στρατόπεδον ἀναγκαίαν ὁδόν, ἀλλ´ ἐπιθυμῶν ἰδεῖν ἄνδρας ἀγωνιζομένους ὑπὲρ ἀρχῆς καὶ δυνάμεως, τοὺς δὲ ὑπὲρ ἐλευθερίας τε καὶ πατρίδος· ἔπειτα οὐ τὸν κίνδυνον ἀποκνήσας, μὴ τοῦτο ἡγησάσθω μηδείς, ἀλλ´ εὐχῆς τινος μνησθεὶς παλαιᾶς δεῦρο ἀπετράπην πρὸς ὑμᾶς, ἀεὶ τὰ θεῖα κρείττω καὶ προυργιαίτερα νομίζων τῶν ἀνθρωπίνων, ἡλίκα ἂν ᾖ.

[12,20] and a most peaceful observer of war, weak in body and advanced in years, not bearing a golden sceptre or the sacred fillets of any god and arriving at the camp on an enforced journey to gain a daughter's release, but desiring to see strong men contending for empire and power, and their opponents for freedom and native land. Then, not because I shrank from the danger—let no one think this—but because I recalled to mind an old vow, I turned my course hither to you, ever considering that things divine have the greater claim and are more profitable than things human, however important these may be.