- 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-grc2:3.30.1-3.30.4
- Generated
- Humanitext Reader · reader.humanitext.ai · 2026-10-25
Teutiaplus of Elis proposes to Alcidas and the commanders that they should immediately launch a surprise attack on Mytilene, taking advantage of the Athenians' lack of vigilance following their victory.
‘Ἀλκίδα καὶ Πελοποννησίων ὅσοι πάρεσμεν1 ἄρχοντες τῆς στρατιᾶς, ἐμοὶ δοκεῖ πλεῖν ἡμᾶς ἐπὶ Μυτιλήνην πρὶν ἐκπύστους γενέσθαι, ὥσπερ ἔχομεν.
”Alcidas, and all of us Peloponnesians who are present as commanders of the army, I think we should sail to Mytilene just as we are, before our arrival becomes known.
κατὰ γὰρ τὸ εἰκὸς ἀνδρῶν νεωστὶ πόλιν ἐχόντων2 πολὺ τὸ ἀφύλακτον εὑρήσομεν, κατὰ μὲν θάλασσαν καὶ πάνυ, ᾗ ἐκεῖνοί τε ἀνέλπιστοι ἐπιγενέσθαι ἄν τινα σφίσι πολέμιον καὶ ἡμῶν ἡ ἀλκὴ τυγχάνει μάλιστα οὖσα· εἰκὸς δὲ καὶ τὸ πεζὸν αὐτῶν κατ’ οἰκίας ἀμελέστερον ὡς κεκρατηκότων διεσπάρθαι.
For in all probability, since they are men who have newly captured a city, we shall find many parts unguarded, and by sea entirely so, where they do not expect any enemy would attack them and where our strength especially happens to lie; and it is likely that their land force also is scattered rather carelessly throughout the houses, as is natural for victors.
εἰ οὖν προσπέσοιμεν ἄφνω τε καὶ νυκτός, ἐλπίζω μετὰ τῶν ἔνδον, εἴ τις ἄρα ἡμῖν ἐστὶν ὑπόλοιπος εὔνους, καταληφθῆναι ἂν3 τὰ πράγματα.
Therefore, if we should fall upon them suddenly and by night, I expect that, with the help of those inside—if indeed there are any left who are well-disposed to us—the situation could be secured.
καὶ μὴ ἀποκνήσωμεν τὸν κίνδυνον, νομίσαντες οὐκ ἄλλο τι εἶναι τὸ κενὸν τοῦ πολέμου4 ἢ τὸ τοιοῦτον, ὃ εἴ τις στρατηγὸς ἔν τε αὑτῷ φυλάσσοιτο καὶ τοῖς πολεμίοις ἐνορῶν ἐπιχειροίη,5 πλεῖστ’ ἂν ὀρθοῖτο.’
And let us not shrink from the danger, realizing that the ‘surprises of war’ are nothing other than this sort of thing, which if a general should guard against in his own case, and should attack when seeing them in his enemies, he would meet with the greatest success.”
- 3.30.1ὅσοι πάρεσμεν
Although the antecedent of the relative pronoun ὅσοι is the third-person plural Πελοποννησίων, the verb in the relative clause is the first-person plural πάρεσμεν because the speaker includes himself among the Peloponnesians present.
- 3.30.2ἀνδρῶν νεωστὶ πόλιν ἐχόντων
A genitive noun phrase functioning as a possessive or limitive genitive modifying πολὺ τὸ ἀφύλακτον (the many unguarded parts), which is the direct object of εὑρήσομεν. Although it could be construed as a genitive absolute, treating it as attributive is more syntactically cohesive.
- 3.30.3καταληφθῆναι ἂν
An infinitive clause functioning as the object of ἐλπίζω (to expect/hope). While a future infinitive is typical here, the aorist passive infinitive καταληφθῆναι with the particle ἂν expresses a potential or conditional outcome ('that the situation would be secured').
- 3.30.4τὸ κενὸν τοῦ πολέμου
A nominalized neuter adjective (τὸ κενόν, literally 'the empty/void') combined with a genitive, a construction characteristic of Thucydides. It refers to the 'unforeseen opportunities' or 'surprises' of war, explained appositively by τὸ τοιοῦτον which acts as the antecedent of the relative pronoun ὃ.
- 3.30.4ὃ εἴ τις στρατηγὸς ἔν τε αὑτῷ φυλάσσοιτο καὶ τοῖς πολεμίοις ἐνορῶν ἐπιχειροίη
The relative pronoun ὃ (antecedent: τὸ τοιοῦτον) serves as the object for both verbs in the conditional clause: the middle φυλάσσοιτο and the active ἐπιχειροίη. It creates a contrast between 'guarding against it in one's own case' (ἔν τε αὑτῷ φυλάσσοιτο) and 'attacking when seeing it in the enemy' (τοῖς πολεμίοις ἐνορῶν ἐπιχειροίη).