- 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-grc2:3.48.1-3.48.2
- Generated
- Humanitext Reader · reader.humanitext.ai · 2026-10-26
Diodotus concludes his speech by urging the Athenians not to be swayed by emotion but to follow his proposal to try only the guilty Mytileneans sent by Paches and spare the rest, arguing that wise planning is far more powerful against enemies than brute force combined with folly.
‘ὑμεῖς δὲ γνόντες ἀμείνω τάδε εἶναι καὶ μήτε οἴκτῳ πλέον νείμαντες μήτ’ ἐπιεικείᾳ, οἷς οὐδὲ ἐγὼ ἐῶ προσάγεσθαι,1 ἀπ’ αὐτῶν δὲ τῶν παραινουμένων πείθεσθέ μοι Μυτιληναίων οὓς μὲν Πάχης ἀπέπεμψεν ὡς ἀδικοῦντας κρῖναι καθ’ ἡσυχίαν, τοὺς δ’ ἄλλους ἐᾶν2 οἰκεῖν.
’And do you, judging that this course is better, and yielding neither to pity nor to clemency—to which indeed I myself do not allow you to be drawn—but being persuaded by my recommendations themselves, obey me: try at leisure those Mytileneans whom Paches sent here as guilty, and let the others inhabit their city.
τάδε γὰρ ἔς τε τὸ μέλλον ἀγαθὰ καὶ τοῖς πολεμίοις ἤδη φοβερά· ὅστις γὰρ εὖ βουλεύεται πρὸς τοὺς ἐναντίους κρείσσων ἐστὶν ἢ μετ’ ἔργων ἰσχύος ἀνοίᾳ ἐπιών.’3
For this course is both good for the future and already terrifying to our enemies; for whoever plans well against his adversaries is stronger than he who attacks with the strength of deeds combined with folly.’
- 3.48.1οἷς οὐδὲ ἐγὼ ἐῶ προσάγεσθαι
The relative pronoun οἷς refers back to οἴκτῳ (pity) and ἐπιεικείᾳ (clemency). The infinitive προσάγεσθαι is middle or passive ("to be drawn to," "to be won over by"), so the clause means "to which indeed I myself do not allow you to be drawn," responding to Cleon's accusation that Diodotus is swayed by pity and clemency.
- 3.48.1κρῖναι ... ἐᾶν
The infinitives κρῖναι (to judge) and ἐᾶν (to let live) function to explain the specific content of the main imperative πείθεσθέ μοι (obey me), acting as explanatory or imperatival infinitives.
- 3.48.2μετ’ ἔργων ἰσχύος ἀνοίᾳ ἐπιών
The prepositional phrase μετ’ ἔργων ἰσχύος (with the strength of deeds, i.e., brute force) and the dative of manner/means ἀνοίᾳ (with folly) are coordinated to modify the participle ἐπιών (the one who attacks), contrasting raw physical force combined with stupidity against wise planning.