Spartan Ultimatum and the Athenian Assembly — Thucydides, History of the Peloponnesian War Book 1 (1.139.1–1.139.4), Greek & English

§1.139.1

Λακεδαιμόνιοι δὲ ἐπὶ μὲν τῆς πρώτης πρεσβείας τοιαῦτα ἐπέταξάν τε καὶ ἀντεκελεύσθησαν περὶ τῶν ἐναγῶν τῆς ἐλάσεως· ὕστερον δὲ φοιτῶντες παρ᾽ Ἀθηναίους Ποτειδαίας τε ἀπανίστασθαι ἐκέλευον καὶ Αἴγιναν αὐτόνομον ἀφιέναι, καὶ μάλιστά γε πάντων καὶ ἐνδηλότατα προύλεγον τὸ περὶ Μεγαρέων ψήφισμα καθελοῦσι¹ μὴ ἂν γίγνεσθαι² πόλεμον, ἐν ᾧ εἴρητο αὐτοὺς μὴ χρῆσθαι τοῖς λιμέσι τοῖς ἐν τῇ Ἀθηναίων ἀρχῇ μηδὲ τῇ Ἀττικῇ ἀγορᾷ.

The Lacedaemonians on their first embassy gave such orders and received such counter-demands regarding the expulsion of the accursed. But afterwards they came repeatedly to the Athenians and ordered them to raise the siege of Potidaea and to leave Aegina independent; and most of all and most clearly they declared that there would be no war if they rescinded the decree concerning the Megarians, in which it was forbidden for them to use the harbors in the Athenian empire or the Attic market.

§1.139.2

οἱ δὲ Ἀθηναῖοι οὔτε τἆλλα ὑπήκουον οὔτε τὸ ψήφισμα καθῄρουν, ἐπικαλοῦντες ἐπεργασίαν Μεγαρεῦσι τῆς γῆς τῆς ἱερᾶς καὶ τῆς ἀορίστου καὶ ἀνδραπόδων ὑποδοχὴν τῶν ἀφισταμένων.

But the Athenians neither complied in other matters nor did they rescind the decree, accusing the Megarians of cultivating the sacred land and the land without boundaries, and of receiving runaway slaves.

§1.139.3

τέλος δὲ ἀφικομένων τῶν τελευταίων πρέσβεων ἐκ Λακεδαίμονος, Ῥαμφίου τε καὶ Μελησίππου καὶ Ἀγησάνδρου, καὶ λεγόντων ἄλλο μὲν οὐδὲν ὧν πρότερον εἰώθεσαν, αὐτὰ δὲ τάδε ὅτι ‘Λακεδαιμόνιοι βούλονται τὴν εἰρήνην εἶναι, εἴη δ’ ἂν³ εἰ τοὺς Ἕλληνας αὐτονόμους ἀφεῖτε,’ ποιήσαντες ἐκκλησίαν οἱ Ἀθηναῖοι γνώμας σφίσιν αὐτοῖς προυτίθεσαν, καὶ ἐδόκει ἅπαξ περὶ ἁπάντων βουλευσαμένους ἀποκρίνασθαι.

At last, when the final ambassadors from Lacedaemon, Ramphias, Melesippus, and Agesander, arrived and said nothing of what they were previously accustomed to say, but only this: “The Lacedaemonians wish there to be peace, and there would be if you were to leave the Greeks independent,” the Athenians held an assembly and proposed opinions among themselves, and it seemed best to them to deliberate once and for all on all matters and then reply.

§1.139.4

καὶ παριόντες ἄλλοι τε πολλοὶ ἔλεγον ἐπ’ ἀμφότερα γιγνόμενοι ταῖς γνώμαις καὶ ὡς χρὴ πολεμεῖν καὶ ὡς μὴ ἐμπόδιον εἶναι τὸ ψήφισμα εἰρήνης, ἀλλὰ καθελεῖν, καὶ παρελθὼν Περικλῆς ὁ Ξανθίππου, ἀνὴρ κατ’ ἐκεῖνον τὸν χρόνον πρῶτος Ἀθηναίων, λέγειν τε καὶ πράσσειν δυνατώτατος, παρῄνει τοιάδε.

And many others came forward and spoke, dividing their opinions on both sides, some saying that they ought to go to war, and others that the decree should not be an obstacle to peace but should be rescinded. Then Pericles the son of Xanthippus, the first man of the Athenians at that time and the most powerful in speech and action, came forward and advised them as follows.

Syntax notes3 items

1.139.1καθελοῦσι
Dative plural aorist active participle of καθαιρέω. It stands for the condition "if they should rescind" (originally ἐὰν καθέλωσιν in direct speech), agreeing with the Athenian people (... Ἀθηναίοις), the implicit indirect object of the main verb προύλεγον.
1.139.1μὴ ἂν γίγνεσθαι
An infinitive in indirect discourse introduced by προύλεγον. With ἂν, it represents the potential optative οὐκ ἂν γίγνοιτο ("war would not happen") in direct speech.
1.139.3εἴη δ’ ἂν
Potential optative. The subject is the omitted ἡ εἰρήνη (peace) mentioned in the previous clause. It forms the apodosis corresponding to the protasis εἰ ... ἀφεῖτε ("if you were to leave...").

Translated by Gemini 3.5 Flash (published 2026-05-25) · Revision history (1, latest 2026-09-21)

2026-09-21 AI review — note 1

urn:cts:greekLit:tlg0003.tlg001.humanitext-grc2:1.139.1-1.139.4