- Source
- Thucydides. Historiae, Vol 1-2. Jones, Henry Stuart, editor. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1910. (1942 printing).
- Translation
- AI-generated (gemini-3.5-flash) — machine translation; may contain errors
- Languages
- 日本語 · English · 简体中文 · 한국어
- CTS URN
- urn:cts:greekLit:tlg0003.tlg001.humanitext-grc2:1.128.1-1.128.7
- Generated
- Humanitext Reader · reader.humanitext.ai · 2026-10-23
Athens demands that Sparta drive out the curses of Taenarus and the Brazen House, introducing the secret letter of the Spartan general Pausanias, who offered to subjugate Greece in exchange for the Persian King's daughter.
ἀντεκέλευον δὲ καὶ οἱ Ἀθηναῖοι τοὺς Λακεδαιμονίους τὸ ἀπὸ Ταινάρου ἄγος ἐλαύνειν· οἱ γὰρ Λακεδαιμόνιοι ἀναστήσαντές ποτε ἐκ τοῦ ἱεροῦ τοῦ Ποσειδῶνος [ἀπὸ Ταινάρου] τῶν Εἱλώτων ἱκέτας1 ἀπαγαγόντες διέφθειραν, δι’ ὃ δὴ καὶ σφίσιν αὐτοῖς νομίζουσι τὸν μέγαν σεισμὸν γενέσθαι ἐν Σπάρτῃ.
The Athenians in their turn ordered the Lacedaemonians to drive out the curse of Taenarus; for the Lacedaemonians, having once removed some Helot suppliants from the temple of Poseidon and taken them away, had put them to death, for which reason they themselves believe the great earthquake to have occurred at Sparta.
ἐκέλευον δὲ καὶ τὸ τῆς Χαλκιοίκου ἄγος ἐλαύνειν αὐτούς· ἐγένετο δὲ τοιόνδε.
They also ordered them to drive out the curse of the Goddess of the Brazen House; which arose as follows.
ἐπειδὴ Παυσανίας ὁ Λακεδαιμόνιος τὸ πρῶτον μεταπεμφθεὶς ὑπὸ Σπαρτιατῶν ἀπὸ τῆς ἀρχῆς τῆς ἐν Ἑλλησπόντῳ καὶ κριθεὶς ὑπ’ αὐτῶν ἀπελύθη μὴ ἀδικεῖν,2 δημοσίᾳ μὲν οὐκέτι ἐξεπέμφθη, ἰδίᾳ δὲ αὐτὸς τριήρη λαβὼν Ἑρμιονίδα ἄνευ Λακεδαιμονίων ἀφικνεῖται ἐς Ἑλλήσποντον, τῷ μὲν λόγῳ ἐπὶ τὸν Ἑλληνικὸν πόλεμον, τῷ δὲ ἔργῳ τὰ πρὸς βασιλέα πράγματα πράσσειν, ὥσπερ καὶ τὸ πρῶτον ἐπεχείρησεν, ἐφιέμενος τῆς Ἑλληνικῆς ἀρχῆς.
When Pausanias the Lacedaemonian was first recalled by the Spartans from his command in the Hellespont and, having been tried by them, was acquitted of misconduct, he was no longer sent out in a public capacity, but privately on his own account he took a trireme of Hermione, without the consent of the Lacedaemonians, and arrived at the Hellespont, ostensibly for the Greek war, but in reality to carry on negotiations with the King, as he had indeed attempted to do at first, aiming at the dominion of Greece.
εὐεργεσίαν δὲ ἀπὸ τοῦδε πρῶτον ἐς βασιλέα κατέθετο3 καὶ τοῦ παντὸς πράγματος ἀρχὴν ἐποιήσατο·
He first laid up a store of favor with the King and made a beginning of the whole enterprise from the following circumstance.
Βυζάντιον γὰρ ἑλὼν τῇ προτέρᾳ παρουσίᾳ μετὰ τὴν ἐκ Κύπρου ἀναχώρησιν (εἶχον δὲ Μῆδοι αὐτὸ καὶ βασιλέως προσήκοντές τινες καὶ ξυγγενεῖς οἳ ἑάλωσαν ἐν αὐτῷ) τότε τούτους οὓς ἔλαβεν ἀποπέμπει βασιλεῖ κρύφα τῶν ἄλλων ξυμμάχων, τῷ δὲ λόγῳ ἀπέδρασαν αὐτόν.
Having captured Byzantium during his former presence there after the return from Cyprus (the place was held by the Medes, and some connections and kinsmen of the King who were captured in it), he then sent these whom he had taken back to the King, without the knowledge of the other allies, while giving out that they had escaped from him.
ἔπρασσε δὲ ταῦτα μετὰ Γογγύλου τοῦ Ἐρετριῶς, ᾧπερ ἐπέτρεψε τό τε Βυζάντιον καὶ τοὺς αἰχμαλώτους. ἔπεμψε δὲ καὶ ἐπιστολὴν τὸν Γόγγυλον φέροντα αὐτῷ· ἐνεγέγραπτο δὲ τάδε ἐν αὐτῇ, ὡς ὕστερον ἀνηυρέθη·
He managed this with the help of Gongylus the Eretrian, to whom he had committed both Byzantium and the prisoners. He also sent a letter which Gongylus carried to him; and in it was written the following, as was afterwards discovered:
‘Παυσανίας ὁ ἡγεμὼν τῆς Σπάρτης τούσδε τέ σοι χαρίζεσθαι βουλόμενος ἀποπέμπει δορὶ ἑλών, καὶ γνώμην ποιοῦμαι,4 εἰ καὶ σοὶ δοκεῖ, θυγατέρα τε τὴν σὴν γῆμαι καί σοι Σπάρτην τε καὶ τὴν ἄλλην Ἑλλάδα ὑποχείριον ποιῆσαι. δυνατὸς δὲ δοκῶ εἶναι ταῦτα πρᾶξαι μετὰ σοῦ βουλευόμενος. εἰ οὖν τί σε τούτων ἀρέσκει, πέμπε ἄνδρα πιστὸν ἐπὶ θάλασσαν δι’ οὗ τὸ λοιπὸν τοὺς λόγους ποιησόμεθα.’
”Pausanias, the general of Sparta, wishing to do you a favor, sends back to you these men whom he took with the spear; and I propose, if it seems good to you also, to marry your daughter and to make Sparta and the rest of Greece subject to you. I think that I am able to do this if I consult with you. If, therefore, any of these proposals please you, send a trustworthy man to the coast, through whom we may henceforth carry on our correspondence.”
- 1.128.1τῶν Εἱλώτων ἱκέτας
The genitive τῶν Εἱλώτων is a genitive of identity or description modifying ἱκέτας, designating that the suppliants belonged to the class of Helots.
- 1.128.3ἀπελύθη μὴ ἀδικεῖν
The infinitive ἀδικεῖν is preceded by the negative particle μή after the verb of acquittal (ἀπελύθη), adhering to the Greek grammatical idiom where verbs of negative import (like acquitting or releasing) are followed by a redundant negative.
- 1.128.4εὐεργεσίαν ... κατέθετο
The middle voice of κατατίθεμαι in this phrase carries the specific nuance of 'depositing' or 'laying up' a favor with someone, in anticipation of future reciprocity or advantage.
- 1.128.7γνώμην ποιοῦμαι
Meaning 'I make it my proposal/resolution.' The subsequent infinitives γῆμαι (to marry) and ποιῆσαι (to subject) serve as the objective complements detailing the content of his proposal.
Translated by Gemini 3.5 Flash (published 2026-05-25) · Revision history (1, latest 2026-09-22)
- 2026-09-22 AI review — source 1