- 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-grc2:1.53.1-1.53.4
- Generated
- Humanitext Reader · reader.humanitext.ai · 2026-10-26
The Corinthians send envoys in a light boat without a herald's staff to test the Athenians, accusing them of breaking the treaty by blocking their way. The Athenians reply that they are not breaking the treaty but only defending their ally Corcyra, warning that they will block any attack on Corcyra or its territories.
ἔδοξεν οὖν αὐτοῖς ἄνδρας ἐς κελήτιον ἐσβιβάσαντας1 ἄνευ κηρυκείου προσπέμψαι τοῖς Ἀθηναίοις καὶ πεῖραν ποιήσασθαι. πέμψαντές τε ἔλεγον τοιάδε.
Therefore, they decided to put some men into a light boat and send them to the Athenians without a herald’s staff, to sound them out. Having sent them, they spoke as follows:
‘ἀδικεῖτε, ὦ ἄνδρες Ἀθηναῖοι, πολέμου ἄρχοντες καὶ σπονδὰς λύοντες· ἡμῖν γὰρ πολεμίους τοὺς ἡμετέρους τιμωρουμένοις2 ἐμποδὼν ἵστασθε ὅπλα ἀνταιρόμενοι. εἰ δ’ ὑμῖν γνώμη ἐστὶ κωλύειν τε ἡμᾶς ἐπὶ Κέρκυραν ἢ ἄλλοσε εἴ ποι βουλόμεθα πλεῖν καὶ τὰς σπονδὰς λύετε, ἡμᾶς τούσδε πρώτους λαβόντες χρήσασθε ὡς πολεμίοις.’
”You do wrong, men of Athens, in beginning war and breaking the treaty; for you stand in our way, taking up arms against us when we are punishing our own enemies. But if it is your intention to prevent us from sailing to Corcyra or wherever else we wish, and you are breaking the treaty, take us who are here first and treat us as enemies.”
οἱ μὲν δὴ τοιαῦτα εἶπον· τῶν δὲ Κερκυραίων τὸ μὲν στρατόπεδον ὅσον ἐπήκουσεν ἀνεβόησεν εὐθὺς λαβεῖν τε αὐτοὺς καὶ ἀποκτεῖναι, οἱ δὲ Ἀθηναῖοι τοιάδε ἀπεκρίναντο.
They indeed spoke thus; and as many of the Corcyraean army as heard them immediately cried out to take and kill them. But the Athenians answered as follows:
‘οὔτε ἄρχομεν πολέμου, ὦ ἄνδρες Πελοποννήσιοι, οὔτε τὰς σπονδὰς λύομεν, Κερκυραίοις δὲ τοῖσδε ξυμμάχοις οὖσι βοηθοὶ ἤλθομεν. εἰ μὲν οὖν ἄλλοσέ ποι βούλεσθε πλεῖν, οὐ κωλύομεν· εἰ δὲ ἐπὶ Κέρκυραν πλευσεῖσθε3 ἢ ἐς τῶν ἐκείνων τι χωρίων, οὐ περιοψόμεθα κατὰ τὸ δυνατόν.’
”We are neither beginning war, men of the Peloponnese, nor breaking the treaty, but we have come as helpers to these Corcyraeans who are our allies. If, therefore, you wish to sail to any other place, we do not prevent you; but if you sail against Corcyra or to any of their territories, we shall not look on with indifference, so far as lies in our power.”
- 1.53.1ἐσβιβάσαντας
Although the dative αὐτοῖς precedes, the participle modifying the subject of the infinitive προσπέμψαι is in the accusative (ἐσβιβάσαντας). This is a common construction where the logical subject of an infinitive depending on an impersonal expression like ἔδοξεν αὐτοῖς ("it seemed good to them") shifts to the accusative.
- 1.53.2ἡμῖν ... τιμωρουμένοις
The dative ἡμῖν and its agreeing present participle τιμωρουμένοις depend on ἐμποδὼν ἵστασθε ("you stand in our way"). The participle indicates the circumstance or time: "while we are punishing [our own enemies]."
- 1.53.4πλευσεῖσθε
The future indicative used in the conditional clause with εἰ expresses present intention or imminent resolve ("if you intend to sail" or "if you are going to sail") rather than a simple future contingency.