- 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-grc2:2.83.1-2.83.5
- Generated
- Humanitext Reader · reader.humanitext.ai · 2026-10-23
The Peloponnesian allied fleet fails to join Cnemus and is forced into a naval battle by Phormio's Athenian fleet in the middle of the strait. The Peloponnesians arrange their ships in a large defensive circle to prepare for the engagement.
τὸ δ’ ἐκ τῆς Κορίνθου καὶ τῶν ἄλλων ξυμμάχων τῶν ἐκ τοῦ Κρισαίου κόλπου ναυτικόν, ὃ ἔδει παραγενέσθαι τῷ Κνήμῳ, ὅπως μὴ ξυμβοηθῶσιν οἱ ἀπὸ θαλάσσης ἄνω Ἀκαρνᾶνες, οὐ παραγίγνεται, ἀλλ’ ἠναγκάσθησαν1 περὶ τὰς αὐτὰς ἡμέρας τῆς ἐν Στράτῳ μάχης ναυμαχῆσαι πρὸς Φορμίωνα καὶ τὰς εἴκοσι ναῦς τῶν Ἀθηναίων αἳ ἐφρούρουν ἐν Ναυπάκτῳ.
But the fleet from Corinth and the other allies from the Crisean Gulf, which was supposed to join Cnemus so that the Acarnanians from the coast would not reinforce those inland, did not arrive, but they were forced, around the same days as the battle at Stratos, to fight a sea battle against Phormio and the twenty Athenian ships that were guarding Naupactus.
ὁ γὰρ Φορμίων παραπλέοντας αὐτοὺς ἔξω τοῦ κόλπου ἐτήρει, βουλόμενος ἐν τῇ εὐρυχωρίᾳ ἐπιθέσθαι.
For Phormio was watching them as they coasted along outside the gulf, wishing to attack them in the open water.
οἱ δὲ Κορίνθιοι καὶ οἱ ξύμμαχοι ἔπλεον μὲν οὐχ ὡς ἐπὶ ναυμαχίᾳ, ἀλλὰ στρατιωτικώτερον παρεσκευασμένοι ἐς τὴν Ἀκαρνανίαν καὶ οὐκ ἂν οἰόμενοι2 πρὸς ἑπτὰ καὶ τεσσαράκοντα ναῦς τὰς σφετέρας τολμῆσαι τοὺς Ἀθηναίους εἴκοσι ταῖς ἑαυτῶν ναυμαχίαν ποιήσασθαι· ἐπειδὴ μέντοι ἀντιπαραπλέοντάς τε ἑώρων αὐτούς, παρὰ γῆν σφῶν κομιζομένων, καὶ ἐκ Πατρῶν τῆς Ἀχαΐας πρὸς τὴν ἀντιπέρας ἤπειρον διαβάλλοντες ἐπ’ Ἀκαρνανίας κατεῖδον τοὺς Ἀθηναίους ἀπὸ τῆς Χαλκίδος καὶ τοῦ Εὐήνου ποταμοῦ προσπλέοντας σφίσι καὶ οὐκ ἔλαθον νυκτὸς ἀφορμισάμενοι,3 οὕτω δὴ ἀναγκάζονται ναυμαχεῖν κατὰ μέσον τὸν πορθμόν.
The Corinthians and their allies were sailing not as if for a sea battle, but prepared rather for military transport to Acarnania, and not thinking that the Athenians, with their twenty ships, would dare to offer battle against their own forty-seven. However, when they saw them sailing parallel to them while they themselves were coasting along the shore, and as they were crossing from Patrae in Achaea to the opposite mainland on their way to Acarnania, they descried the Athenians sailing against them from Chalcis and the river Evenus, and realized they had not escaped notice when they slipped away by night; thus they were indeed forced to fight in the middle of the strait.
στρατηγοὶ δὲ ἦσαν μὲν καὶ κατὰ πόλεις ἑκάστων οἳ παρεσκευάζοντο, Κορινθίων δὲ Μαχάων καὶ Ἰσοκράτης καὶ Ἀγαθαρχίδας.
There were generals for each of the cities that prepared the expedition, but those of the Corinthians were Machaon, Isocrates, and Agatharchidas.
καὶ οἱ μὲν Πελοποννήσιοι ἐτάξαντο κύκλον τῶν νεῶν ὡς μέγιστον οἷοί τ’ ἦσαν μὴ διδόντες διέκπλουν, τὰς πρῴρας μὲν ἔξω, ἔσω δὲ τὰς πρύμνας, καὶ τά τε λεπτὰ πλοῖα ἃ ξυνέπλει ἐντὸς ποιοῦνται καὶ πέντε ναῦς τὰς ἄριστα πλεούσας, ὅπως ἐκπλέοιεν διὰ βραχέος παραγιγνόμενοι, εἴ πῃ προσπίπτοιεν οἱ ἐναντίοι.
And the Peloponnesians formed their ships into a circle, as large as they could without leaving any space for the enemy to break through, with their prows facing outward and their sterns inward; they placed the light vessels sailing with them inside, as well as five of their fastest-sailing ships, so that they might emerge to help at short notice wherever the enemy might attack.
- 2.83.1ἠναγκάσθησαν
The verb is in the plural (ἠναγκάσθησαν) although the subject is the neuter singular noun τὸ ναυτικόν (the fleet). This is an example of 'constructio ad sensum' (construction according to sense), where the collective noun 'fleet' is treated as plural, referring to the men/crews composing it.
- 2.83.3οὐκ ἂν οἰόμενοι
The particle ἄν is attached to the participle οἰόμενοι, modifying the dependent infinitive τολμῆσαι to express potentiality ('not thinking that they would dare to offer battle').
- 2.83.3οὐκ ἔλαθον νυκτὸς ἀφορμισάμενοι
A construction of λανθάνω with a participle (ἀφορμισάμενοι). Combined with the negative οὐκ, it means 'they did not escape notice in putting to sea by night,' indicating that their nighttime departure was observed by the Athenians.