- 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-grc2:3.36.1-3.36.6
- Generated
- Humanitext Reader · reader.humanitext.ai · 2026-10-25
The Athenians immediately execute Salæthus and decree the death of all adult Mytilenaean males and the enslavement of women and children; however, they regret this cruel decision the next day and call another assembly, where Cleon rises to speak.
ἀφικομένων δὲ τῶν ἀνδρῶν καὶ τοῦ Σαλαίθου οἱ Ἀθηναῖοι τὸν μὲν Σάλαιθον εὐθὺς ἀπέκτειναν, ἔστιν ἃ1 παρεχόμενον τά τ’ ἄλλα καὶ ἀπὸ Πλαταιῶν (ἔτι γὰρ ἐπολιορκοῦντο) ἀπάξειν Πελοποννησίους·
When the men and Salæthus arrived, the Athenians immediately put Salæthus to death, although he made various offers, and among other things promised to lead the Peloponnesians away from Plataea (for they were still being besieged).
περὶ δὲ τῶν ἀνδρῶν γνώμας ἐποιοῦντο, καὶ ὑπὸ ὀργῆς ἔδοξεν αὐτοῖς οὐ τοὺς παρόντας μόνον ἀποκτεῖναι, ἀλλὰ καὶ τοὺς ἅπαντας Μυτιληναίους ὅσοι ἡβῶσι, παῖδας δὲ καὶ γυναῖκας ἀνδραποδίσαι, ἐπικαλοῦντες τήν τε ἄλλην ἀπόστασιν ὅτι οὐκ ἀρχόμενοι ὥσπερ οἱ ἄλλοι ἐποιήσαντο, καὶ προσξυνελάβοντο2 οὐκ ἐλάχιστον τῆς ὁρμῆς αἱ Πελοποννησίων νῆες ἐς Ἰωνίαν ἐκείνοις βοηθοὶ τολμήσασαι παρακινδυνεῦσαι· οὐ γὰρ ἀπὸ βραχείας διανοίας ἐδόκουν τὴν ἀπόστασιν ποιήσασθαι.
But regarding the other men, they held a debate; and in their anger they resolved to put to death not only those who were present, but all the Mytilenaeans who were of military age, and to enslave the women and children. They alleged against them both the general rebellion—that they had revolted without being subject like the others—and the fact that the Peloponnesian ships had dared to run the risk of crossing to Ionia to aid them contributed in no small degree to their fury; for they thought that they had not planned the revolt on a sudden impulse.
πέμπουσιν οὖν τριήρη ὡς Πάχητα ἄγγελον τῶν δεδογμένων, κατὰ τάχος κελεύοντες διαχρήσασθαι Μυτιληναίους.
They therefore sent a trireme to Paches as a messenger of their decision, ordering him to dispatch the Mytilenaeans with all speed.
καὶ τῇ ὑστεραίᾳ μετάνοιά τις εὐθὺς ἦν αὐτοῖς καὶ ἀναλογισμὸς ὠμὸν τὸ βούλευμα καὶ μέγα ἐγνῶσθαι, πόλιν ὅλην διαφθεῖραι μᾶλλον ἢ οὐ3 τοὺς αἰτίους.
On the next day, however, a feeling of repentance immediately came over them, and they began to reflect that the decree was cruel and monstrous, to destroy a whole city rather than only those who were guilty.
ὡς δ’ ᾔσθοντο τοῦτο τῶν Μυτιληναίων οἱ παρόντες πρέσβεις καὶ οἱ αὐτοῖς τῶν Ἀθηναίων ξυμπράσσοντες, παρεσκεύασαν τοὺς ἐν τέλει ὥστε αὖθις γνώμας προθεῖναι· καὶ ἔπεισαν ῥᾷον, διότι καὶ ἐκείνοις ἔνδηλον ἦν βουλόμενον τὸ πλέον τῶν πολιτῶν4 αὖθίς τινας σφίσιν ἀποδοῦναι βουλεύσασθαι.
When the Mytilenaean envoys who were present and the Athenians who cooperated with them perceived this, they induced the magistrates to bring the matter forward again for debate. And they persuaded them the more easily because it was obvious to the magistrates also that the majority of the citizens wished to be given another opportunity to deliberate.
καταστάσης δ’ εὐθὺς ἐκκλησίας ἄλλαι τε γνῶμαι ἀφ’ ἑκάστων ἐλέγοντο καὶ Κλέων ὁ Κλεαινέτου, ὅσπερ καὶ τὴν προτέραν ἐνενικήκει ὥστε ἀποκτεῖναι, ὢν καὶ ἐς τὰ ἄλλα βιαιότατος τῶν πολιτῶν τῷ τε δήμῳ παρὰ πολὺ ἐν τῷ τότε πιθανώτατος, παρελθὼν αὖθις ἔλεγε τοιάδε.
An assembly was immediately held, and various opinions were expressed by different speakers; and Cleon the son of Cleaenetus, who had carried the former proposal to put them to death, being in all other respects also the most violent of the citizens, and at that time by far the most influential with the people, came forward again and spoke as follows.
- 3.36.1ἔστιν ἃ
The impersonal ἔστι(ν) combined with the neuter plural accusative relative pronoun ἅ functions as an indefinite pronoun meaning 'some things'. Here, it serves as the direct object of the participle παρεχόμενον, which agrees with the subject Salæthus.
- 3.36.2ἐπικαλοῦντες τήν τε ἄλλην ἀπόστασιν... καὶ προσξυνελάβοντο
The nominative participle ἐπικαλοῦντες constitutes an anacoluthon, agreeing with the logical subject (the Athenians) of the impersonal main clause ἔδοξεν αὐτοῖς. Furthermore, instead of a coordinating participle expected after τε, the sentence shifts to the indicative verb προσξυνελάβοντο after καὶ.
- 3.36.4μᾶλλον ἢ οὐ
The negative particle οὐ following ἤ after the comparative μᾶλλον is a pleonastic negation, which strengthens the contrast between the two alternatives. It means 'to destroy a whole city rather than [only] those who were guilty'.
- 3.36.5βουλόμενον τὸ πλέον τῶν πολιτῶν
βουλόμενον is used here as an accusative absolute of an impersonal participle. Alternatively, it can be explained as part of an accusative with infinitive/participle construction depending on the adjective ἔνδηλον which acts as a predicate with ἦν ('it was clear that the majority of the citizens wished...').