Passage 4.5.9
ταῦτα προομόσαντες ἔξοδον νύκτωρ ἐποιοῦντο ἐπὶ Ἄμφειαν, Ἀλκαμένην τὸν Τηλέκλου τῆς στρατιᾶς ἡγεμόνα ἀποδείξαντες. ἡ δὲ Ἄμφεια πρὸς τῇ Λακωνικῇ πόλισμα ἦν ἐν τῇ Μεσσηνίᾳ, μεγέθει μὲν οὐ μέγα, ἐπὶ λόφου δὲ ὑψηλοῦ κείμενον, καὶ ὑδάτων πηγὰς εἶχεν ἀφθόνους· ἐδόκει δὲ καὶ ἄλλως ἐς τὸν πάντα πόλεμον ὁρμητήριόν σφισιν ἐπιτήδειον ἡ Ἄμφεια εἶναι. καὶ τό τε πόλισμα αἱροῦσι πυλῶν ἀνεῳγμένων καὶ φυλακῆς οὐκ ἐνούσης καὶ τῶν Μεσσηνίων τοὺς ἐγκαταληφθέντας φονεύουσι, τοὺς μὲν ἔτι ἐν ταῖς εὐναῖς, τοὺς δὲ ὡς ᾔσθοντο πρός τε ἱερὰ θεῶν καὶ βωμοὺς καθημένους ἱκέτας· ὀλίγοι δὲ καὶ οἱ διαφυγόντες ἐγένοντο.
Having sworn these oaths beforehand, they made a sortie by night against Ampheia, appointing Alcamenes son of Teleclus as leader of the army. Ampheia was a town in Messenia bordering Laconia, not large in size, but situated upon a high hill and possessing abundant springs of water. For other reasons, too, Ampheia seemed to them a fitting point of departure for the whole war. They captured the town while its gates lay open and without any guard present, and slew the Messenians caught within; some were killed still in their beds, while others, realizing the attack, seated themselves as suppliants before the altars and shrines of the gods. Only a few managed to escape.