- 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-grc2:3.13.1-3.13.7
- Generated
- Humanitext Reader · reader.humanitext.ai · 2026-10-25
The envoys from Lesbos explain the justification for their revolt and the weakened state of Athens, urging the Lacedaemonians and their allies to seize this unprecedented opportunity by accepting them as allies and sending immediate aid.
‘τοιαύτας ἔχοντες προφάσεις καὶ αἰτίας, ὦ Λακεδαιμόνιοι καὶ ξύμμαχοι, ἀπέστημεν, σαφεῖς μὲν τοῖς ἀκούουσι γνῶναι ὡς εἰκότως ἐδράσαμεν,1 ἱκανὰς δὲ ἡμᾶς ἐκφοβῆσαι καὶ πρὸς ἀσφάλειάν τινα τρέψαι, βουλομένους μὲν καὶ πάλαι, ὅτε ἔτι ἐν τῇ εἰρήνῃ ἐπέμψαμεν ὡς ὑμᾶς περὶ ἀποστάσεως, ὑμῶν δὲ οὐ προσδεξαμένων κωλυθέντας· νῦν δὲ ἐπειδὴ Βοιωτοὶ προυκαλέσαντο εὐθὺς ὑπηκούσαμεν, καὶ ἐνομίζομεν ἀποστήσεσθαι διπλῆν ἀπόστασιν,2 ἀπό τε τῶν Ἑλλήνων μὴ ξὺν κακῶς ποιεῖν αὐτοὺς μετ’ Ἀθηναίων ἀλλὰ ξυνελευθεροῦν, ἀπό τε Ἀθηναίων μὴ αὐτοὶ διαφθαρῆναι ὑπ’ ἐκείνων ἐν ὑστέρῳ ἀλλὰ προποιῆσαι.
’Lacedaemonians and allies, having such pleas and reasons, we revolted, which are clear for our hearers to know that we acted with good reason, and sufficient to terrify us and turn us to some security. We had indeed wished to do so long ago, when we even sent envoys to you concerning revolt while peace still lasted, but we were prevented because you did not receive us. But now, when the Boeotians invited us, we immediately listened, and we thought we should make a double revolt: on the one hand, from the Greeks, so as not to do them harm in company with the Athenians but to join in freeing them; on the other hand, from the Athenians, so as not to be destroyed by them ourselves later, but to act beforehand.
ἡ μέντοι ἀπόστασις ἡμῶν θᾶσσον γεγένηται καὶ ἀπαράσκευος· ᾗ καὶ μᾶλλον χρὴ ξυμμάχους δεξαμένους ἡμᾶς διὰ ταχέων βοήθειαν ἀποστέλλειν, ἵνα φαίνησθε ἀμύνοντές τε οἷς δεῖ καὶ ἐν τῷ αὐτῷ τοὺς πολεμίους βλάπτοντες.
However, our revolt has occurred too quickly and without preparation; which is all the more reason why you ought to receive us as allies and send aid quickly, so that you may be seen both defending those whom you ought and at the same time harming your enemies.
καιρὸς δὲ ὡς οὔπω πρότερον. νόσῳ τε γὰρ ἐφθάραται Ἀθηναῖοι καὶ χρημάτων δαπάνῃ, νῆές τε αὐτοῖς αἱ μὲν περὶ τὴν ὑμετέραν εἰσίν, αἱ δ’ ἐφ’ ἡμῖν τετάχαται.
The opportunity is such as never before. For the Athenians are ruined by disease and expenditure of money, and of their ships, some are around your territory, and others are stationed against us.
ὥστε οὐκ εἰκὸς αὐτοὺς περιουσίαν νεῶν ἔχειν, ἢν ὑμεῖς ἐν τῷ θέρει τῷδε ναυσί τε καὶ πεζῷ ἅμα ἐπεσβάλητε τὸ δεύτερον, ἀλλ’ ἢ ὑμᾶς οὐκ ἀμυνοῦνται ἐπιπλέοντας ἢ ἀπ᾽ ἀμφοτέρων ἀποχωρήσονται.
Therefore, it is not likely that they will have a surplus of ships, if you, in this very summer, make a second invasion with both fleet and army at the same time; but either they will not defend themselves against you as you sail against them, or they will withdraw from both positions.
νομίσῃ τε μηδεὶς ἀλλοτρίας γῆς πέρι οἰκεῖον κίνδυνον ἕξειν. ᾧ γὰρ δοκεῖ μακρὰν ἀπεῖναι ἡ Λέσβος, τὴν ὠφελίαν αὐτῷ ἐγγύθεν παρέξει. οὐ γὰρ ἐν τῇ Ἀττικῇ ἔσται ὁ πόλεμος, ὥς τις οἴεται, ἀλλὰ δι’ ἣν ἡ Ἀττικὴ ὠφελεῖται.3
And let no one think that he will face danger of his own for a foreign land. For to whomsoever Lesbos seems to be far away, it will provide benefit to him from close at hand. For the war will not be in Attica, as someone thinks, but in that land through which Attica is benefited.
ἔστι δὲ τῶν χρημάτων ἀπὸ τῶν ξυμμάχων ἡ πρόσοδος, καὶ ἔτι μείζων ἔσται, εἰ ἡμᾶς καταστρέψονται· οὔτε γὰρ ἀποστήσεται ἄλλος τά τε ἡμέτερα προσγενήσεται, πάθοιμέν τ’ ἂν δεινότερα ἢ οἱ πρὶν δουλεύοντες.
And their revenue of money is from their allies, and it will be still greater if they subjugate us; for neither will anyone else revolt, and our resources will be added to theirs, and we should suffer more terrible things than those who were enslaved before.
βοηθησάντων δὲ ὑμῶν προθύμως πόλιν τε προσλήψεσθε ναυτικὸν ἔχουσαν μέγα, οὗπερ ὑμῖν μάλιστα προσδεῖ, καὶ Ἀθηναίους ῥᾷον καθαιρήσετε ὑφαιροῦντες αὐτῶν τοὺς ξυμμάχους (θρασύτερον γὰρ πᾶς τις προσχωρήσεται), τήν τε αἰτίαν ἀποφεύξεσθε ἣν εἴχετε μὴ βοηθεῖν τοῖς ἀφισταμένοις. ἢν δ’ ἐλευθεροῦντες φαίνησθε, τὸ κράτος τοῦ πολέμου βεβαιότερον ἕξετε.
But if you help zealously, you will gain a city that has a great navy, of which you have the greatest need, and you will more easily overthrow the Athenians by drawing away their allies (for everyone will join you more boldly), and you will escape the charge you had of not helping those who revolt. And if you are seen freeing them, you will have the control of the war more securely.’
- 3.13.1σαφεῖς μὲν τοῖς ἀκούουσι γνῶναι ὡς εἰκότως ἐδράσαμεν
The infinitive γνῶναι modifying the adjective σαφεῖς ('clear') is an epexegetic (explanatory) infinitive denoting respect or result ('clear for the hearers to know...'). A parallel structure is found in the following clause where ἐκφοβῆσαι and τρέψαι modify ἱκανὰς ('sufficient').
- 3.13.1ἀποστήσεσθαι διπλῆν ἀπόστασιν
The cognate accusative διπλῆν ἀπόστασιν ('a double revolt') is used with the future infinitive of the intransitive verb ἀποστήσεσθαι ('to revolt'), emphasizing and specifying the action.
- 3.13.5δι’ ἣν ἡ Ἀττικὴ ὠφελεῖται
The antecedent of the relative pronoun ἣν is a feminine singular noun understood from the context, such as γῆ (land, referring to Lesbos or the allied territories). The preposition διά with the accusative here expresses agency, means, or cause ('by means of which / thanks to which Attica is benefited').