- 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-grc2:4.68.1-4.68.6
- Generated
- Humanitext Reader · reader.humanitext.ai · 2026-10-30
Fearing betrayal upon the entry of the Athenian forces, the Peloponnesian garrison retreats to Nisaea. The pro-Athenian conspirators in Megara attempt to open the city gates, but their plot is exposed and thwarted by the opposing faction.
ἔπειτα δὲ καὶ τῶν Ἀθηναίων ἤδη ὁ αἰεὶ ἐντὸς γιγνόμενος ἐχώρει ἐπὶ τὸ τεῖχος.
Then, those of the Athenians who successively made their way inside proceeded immediately to the wall.
καὶ οἱ Πελοποννήσιοι φρουροὶ τὸ μὲν πρῶτον ἀντίσχοντες ἠμύνοντο ὀλίγοι, καὶ ἀπέθανόν τινες αὐτῶν, οἱ δὲ πλείους ἐς φυγὴν κατέστησαν, φοβηθέντες ἐν νυκτί τε πολεμίων προσπεπτωκότων καὶ τῶν προδιδόντων Μεγαρέων ἀντιμαχομένων, νομίσαντες τοὺς ἅπαντας σφᾶς Μεγαρέας προδεδωκέναι.1
And the Peloponnesian guards at first resisted and defended themselves, though they were few, and some of them were killed; but the majority fled, being terrified both because enemies had fallen upon them in the night and because the treacherous Megarians were fighting against them, and believing that the Megarians as a body had betrayed them.
ξυνέπεσε γὰρ καὶ τὸν τῶν Ἀθηναίων κήρυκα ἀφ’ ἑαυτοῦ γνώμης κηρύξαι τὸν βουλόμενον ἰέναι Μεγαρέων μετὰ Ἀθηναίων θησόμενον τὰ ὅπλα.2 οἱ δ’ ὡς ἤκουσαν, οὐκέτι ἀνέμενον, ἀλλὰ τῷ ὄντι νομίσαντες κοινῇ πολεμεῖσθαι κατέφυγον ἐς τὴν Νίσαιαν.
For it also happened that the Athenian herald on his own initiative proclaimed that any of the Megarians who wished should go and ground their arms with the Athenians. And when they heard this, they no longer stood their ground, but, believing that they were in truth being made war upon by all in common, they fled for refuge to Nisaea.
ἅμα δὲ ἕῳ ἑαλωκότων ἤδη τῶν τειχῶν καὶ τῶν ἐν τῇ πόλει Μεγαρέων θορυβουμένων οἱ πρὸς τοὺς Ἀθηναίους πράξαντες καὶ ἄλλο μετ’ αὐτῶν πλῆθος, ὃ ξυνῄδει, ἔφασαν χρῆναι ἀνοίγειν τὰς πύλας καὶ ἐπεξιέναι ἐς μάχην.
At dawn, the walls having already been captured and the Megarians in the city being in an uproar, those who had negotiated with the Athenians, and another multitude with them who were privy to the plot, urged that they ought to open the gates and go out to battle.
ξυνέκειτο δὲ αὐτοῖς τῶν πυλῶν ἀνοιχθεισῶν ἐσπίπτειν τοὺς Ἀθηναίους, αὐτοὶ δὲ διάδηλοι ἔμελλον ἔσεσθαι (λίπα γὰρ ἀλείψεσθαι), ὅπως μὴ ἀδικῶνται. ἀσφάλεια δὲ αὐτοῖς μᾶλλον ἐγίγνετο τῆς ἀνοίξεως·3 καὶ γὰρ οἱ ἀπὸ τῆς Ἐλευσῖνος κατὰ τὸ ξυγκείμενον τετρακισχίλιοι ὁπλῖται τῶν Ἀθηναίων καὶ ἱππῆς ἑξακόσιοι [οἱ] τὴν νύκτα πορευόμενοι παρῆσαν.
It had been agreed between them that when the gates were opened the Athenians should rush in, and they themselves were to be distinguished (for they were to anoint themselves with oil) so that they might receive no harm. And the opening of the gates was rendered all the safer for them because the Athenian forces—four thousand hoplites and six hundred cavalry, who had marched during the night from Eleusis according to the agreement—were already present.
ἀληλιμμένων δὲ αὐτῶν4 καὶ ὄντων ἤδη περὶ τὰς πύλας καταγορεύει τις ξυνειδὼς τοῖς ἑτέροις τὸ ἐπιβούλευμα. καὶ οἳ ξυστραφέντες ἁθρόοι ἦλθον καὶ οὐκ ἔφασαν χρῆναι οὔτε ἐπεξιέναι (οὐδὲ γὰρ πρότερόν πω τοῦτο ἰσχύοντες μᾶλλον τολμῆσαι) οὔτε ἐς κίνδυνον φανερὸν τὴν πόλιν καταγαγεῖν· εἴ τε μὴ πείσεταί τις, αὐτοῦ τὴν μάχην ἔσεσθαι. ἐδήλουν δὲ οὐδὲν ὅτι ἴσασι τὰ πρασσόμενα, ἀλλὰ ὡς τὰ βέλτιστα βουλεύοντες ἰσχυρίζοντο, καὶ ἅμα περὶ τὰς πύλας παρέμενον φυλάσσοντες, ὥστε οὐκ ἐγένετο τοῖς ἐπιβουλεύουσι πρᾶξαι ὃ ἔμελλον.
But when they had anointed themselves and were already about the gates, one of their accomplices who was in the secret betrayed the plot to the other party. Whereupon they banded together and came in a body, declaring that they ought not to go out (for not even before, when they were stronger, had they ever ventured on this) nor to bring the city into manifest danger; and they added that if anyone disobeyed, the battle would have to be fought on the spot. They gave no sign that they knew what was being done, but insisted that they were advising what was best, and at the same time they remained on guard about the gates, so that it was impossible for the conspirators to carry out what they had intended.
- 4.68.2νομίσαντες τοὺς ἅπαντας σφᾶς Μεγαρέας προδεδωκέναι
The subject of the infinitive προδεδωκέναι is the accusative phrase τοὺς ἅπαντας ... Μεγαρέας (all the Megarians), whereas σφᾶς is the indirect reflexive pronoun in the accusative plural, functioning as the direct object meaning 'themselves' (referring to the Peloponnesian garrison).
- 4.68.3μετὰ Ἀθηναίων θησόμενον τὰ ὅπλα
The idiom τίθεσθαι τὰ ὅπλα can mean 'to ground arms (surrender)' or 'to stand under arms (in battle array)'. Combined with μετὰ Ἀθηναίων (with the Athenians), it means to array themselves under arms with the Athenians, i.e., to join their camp. The future participle θησόμενον expresses purpose.
- 4.68.5ἀσφάλεια δὲ αὐτοῖς μᾶλλον ἐγίγνετο τῆς ἀνοίξεως
The genitive τῆς ἀνοίξεως (of opening) functions as an objective genitive dependent on the noun ἀσφάλεια (security for/of opening), while μᾶλλον means 'all the more'. It means that the opening of the gates became a matter of greater safety for them than before.
- 4.68.6ἀληλιμμένων δὲ αὐτῶν
A genitive absolute construction utilizing the perfect passive (or middle) participle of ἀλείφω. This refers back to the conspirators' plan to anoint themselves (ἀλείψεσθαι) mentioned in §4.68.5, describing the moment when they had already anointed themselves.
Translated by Gemini 3.5 Flash (published 2026-05-25) · Revision history (1, latest 2026-09-21)
- 2026-09-21 AI review — note 1