- 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-grc2:4.86.1-4.86.6
- Generated
- Humanitext Reader · reader.humanitext.ai · 2026-10-30
Brasidas reassures the people of Acanthos of their independence by citing the oaths of the Spartan authorities, denies any intention of taking sides in factional strife, and urges them to join the Spartan alliance with confidence.
αὐτός τε οὐκ ἐπὶ κακῷ, ἐπ’ ἐλευθερώσει δὲ τῶν Ἑλλήνων παρελήλυθα, ὅρκοις τε Λακεδαιμονίων καταλαβὼν τὰ τέλη τοῖς μεγίστοις1 ἦ μὴν οὓς ἂν ἔγωγε προσαγάγωμαι ξυμμάχους ἔσεσθαι αὐτονόμους, καὶ ἅμα οὐχ ἵνα ξυμμάχους ὑμᾶς ἔχωμεν ἢ βίᾳ ἢ ἀπάτῃ προσλαβόντες, ἀλλὰ τοὐναντίον ὑμῖν δεδουλωμένοις ὑπὸ Ἀθηναίων ξυμμαχήσοντες.
I myself have come not to do harm, but for the liberation of the Greeks, having bound the Lacedaemonian authorities by the most solemn oaths that indeed whatever allies I may bring over shall be independent; and at the same time, we have come not that we may have you as allies by winning you over through either force or deception, but on the contrary, to be allies to you who have been enslaved by the Athenians.
οὔκουν ἀξιῶ οὔτ’ αὐτὸς ὑποπτεύεσθαι, πίστεις γε διδοὺς τὰς μεγίστας, οὐδὲ τιμωρὸς ἀδύνατος νομισθῆναι, προσχωρεῖν τε ὑμᾶς θαρσήσαντας.
Therefore, I do not think it right that I should be suspected myself, since I offer the greatest assurances, nor that I should be deemed a powerless protector; and I ask that you should join us with confidence.
καὶ εἴ τις ἰδίᾳ τινὰ δεδιὼς ἄρα, μὴ ἐγώ τισι προσθῶ τὴν πόλιν, ἀπρόθυμός ἐστι, πάντων μάλιστα πιστευσάτω.
And if anyone is reluctant, perhaps because he fears some individual, lest I should hand the city over to some faction, let him trust me most of all.
οὐ γὰρ ξυστασιάσων ἥκω, οὐδὲ ἂν σαφῆ τὴν ἐλευθερίαν νομίζω ἐπιφέρειν, εἰ τὸ πάτριον παρεὶς τὸ πλέον τοῖς ὀλίγοις ἢ τὸ ἔλασσον τοῖς πᾶσι δουλώσαιμι.2
For I have not come to take sides in factional strife, nor do I think that I should be bringing a clear freedom, if, disregarding your ancestral constitution, I should enslave the many to the few, or the few to the many.
χαλεπωτέρα γὰρ ἂν τῆς ἀλλοφύλου ἀρχῆς εἴη, καὶ ἡμῖν τοῖς Λακεδαιμονίοις οὐκ ἂν ἀντὶ πόνων χάρις καθίσταιτο, ἀντὶ δὲ τιμῆς καὶ δόξης αἰτία μᾶλλον· οἷς τε τοὺς Ἀθηναίους ἐγκλήμασι καταπολεμοῦμεν, αὐτοὶ ἂν φαινοίμεθα ἐχθίονα ἢ ὁ μὴ ὑποδείξας ἀρετὴν κατακτώμενοι.3
For such a rule would be more oppressive than that of a foreign nation, and to us Lacedaemonians, instead of gratitude for our labors, no favor would be established, but rather blame instead of honor and glory; and we ourselves would appear to be acquiring, by even more hateful means than those who made no pretense of virtue, the very charges for which we are making war upon the Athenians.
ἀπάτῃ γὰρ εὐπρεπεῖ αἴσχιον τοῖς γε ἐν ἀξιώματι πλεονεκτῆσαι ἢ βίᾳ ἐμφανεῖ· τὸ μὲν γὰρ ἰσχύος δικαιώσει, ἣν ἡ τύχη ἔδωκεν, ἐπέρχεται, τὸ δὲ γνώμης ἀδίκου ἐπιβουλῇ.
For to men of high standing, it is more shameful to seek selfish advantage by plausible deceit than by open violence; for the latter proceeds with the justification of strength, which fortune has given, but the former by the intrigue of an unjust mind.
- 4.86.1ὅρκοις τε Λακεδαιμονίων καταλαβὼν τὰ τέλη τοῖς μεγίστοις
The direct object of the participle καταλαβών ('having bound') is τὰ τέλη, which refers here to the 'Lacedaemonian authorities/magistrates' (a collective noun) rather than abstract 'power.' τοῖς μεγίστοις modifies ὅρκοις, representing the instrument ('by the greatest/most solemn oaths').
- 4.86.4τὸ πλέον τοῖς ὀλίγοις ἢ τὸ ἔλασσον τοῖς πᾶσι δουλώσαιμι
The verb δουλόω ('enslave') takes an accusative of the person enslaved and a dative of the master. Here, it sets up two parallel, contrasting scenarios: enslaving τὸ πλέον (the majority/the many) to τοῖς ὀλίγοις (the few/oligarchs), or τὸ ἔλασσον (the minority) to τοῖς πᾶσι (the all/the democratic populace).
- 4.86.5οἷς τε τοὺς Ἀθηναίους ἐγκλήμασι καταπολεμοῦμεν, αὐτοὶ ἂν φαινοίμεθα ἐχθίονα ἢ ὁ μὴ ὑποδείξας ἀρετὴν κατακτώμενοι
οἷς ... ἐγκλήμασι shows attraction of the relative pronoun to the case of the noun, equivalent to τὰ ἐγκλήματα οἷς.... The main structure αὐτοὶ ἂν φαινοίμεθα... κατακτώμενοι uses the nominative participle with φαίνομαι to mean 'we ourselves would appear to be acquiring...' ὁ μὴ ὑποδείξας ἀρετὴν ('he who did not display virtue beforehand,' referring to the Athenians) serves as the object of comparison with the comparative ἐχθίονα.
Translated by Gemini 3.5 Flash (published 2026-05-25) · Revision history (1, latest 2026-09-21)
- 2026-09-21 AI review — translation 1