- 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-grc2:4.87.1-4.87.6
- Generated
- Humanitext Reader · reader.humanitext.ai · 2026-10-30
Brasidas argues that the alignment of Spartan words and actions provides the ultimate assurance, and warns the Acanthians that if they refuse and seek neutrality, Sparta will be compelled by practical necessity and the cause of Greek liberation to force their compliance, urging them to make a wise decision.
οὕτω πολλὴν περιωπὴν τῶν ἡμῖν ἐς τὰ μέγιστα διαφόρων ποιούμεθα, καὶ οὐκ ἂν μείζω πρὸς τοῖς ὅρκοις βεβαίωσιν λάβοιτε ἢ οἷς1 τὰ ἔργα ἐκ τῶν λόγων ἀναθρούμενα δόκησιν ἀναγκαίαν παρέχεται ὡς καὶ ξυμφέρει ὁμοίως ὡς εἶπον.
Thus we exercise great caution regarding what is most disadvantageous to us, and you could not receive a greater assurance in addition to our oaths than from those whose deeds, when examined in light of their words, provide a necessary conviction that it is indeed equally advantageous to both, just as I have said.
‘εἰ δ’ ἐμοῦ ταῦτα προϊσχομένου ἀδύνατοι μὲν φήσετε εἶναι, εὖνοι δ’ ὄντες ἀξιώσετε μὴ κακούμενοι διωθεῖσθαι καὶ τὴν ἐλευθερίαν μὴ ἀκίνδυνον ὑμῖν φαίνεσθαι,2 δίκαιόν τε εἶναι, οἷς καὶ δυνατὸν δέχεσθαι αὐτήν, τούτοις καὶ ἐπιφέρειν, ἄκοντα δὲ μηδένα προσαναγκάζειν, μάρτυρας μὲν θεοὺς καὶ ἥρως τοὺς ἐγχωρίους ποιήσομαι ὡς ἐπ’ ἀγαθῷ ἥκων οὐ πείθω, γῆν δὲ τὴν ὑμετέραν δῃῶν πειράσομαι βιάζεσθαι, καὶ οὐκ ἀδικεῖν ἔτι νομιῶ, προσεῖναι δέ τί μοι καὶ κατὰ δύο ἀνάγκας τὸ εὔλογον, τῶν μὲν Λακεδαιμονίων,3 ὅπως μὴ τῷ ὑμετέρῳ εὔνῳ, εἰ μὴ προσαχθήσεσθε, τοῖς ἀπὸ ὑμῶν χρήμασι φερομένοις παρ’ Ἀθηναίους βλάπτωνται, οἱ δὲ Ἕλληνες ἵνα μὴ κωλύωνται ὑφ’ ὑμῶν δουλείας ἀπαλλαγῆναι.
”But if, when I offer these terms, you say that you are unable to accept them, yet, claiming to be well-disposed, you demand to be allowed to reject them without suffering harm, and assert that freedom does not appear to you to be free from danger, and that it is just to bring it only to those who are also able to receive it, but to force no one against their will, I shall make the local gods and heroes my witnesses that I have come for your good but fail to persuade you, and I shall attempt to constrain you by laying waste to your land. And I will no longer consider myself to be doing wrong, but rather that some justification is on my side under two compelling necessities: on the part of the Lacedaemonians, so that they may not be harmed, if you are not won over, through your goodwill, by the tribute sent from you to the Athenians; and on the part of the Greeks, so that they may not be prevented by you from being delivered from slavery.
οὐ γὰρ δὴ εἰκότως γ’ ἂν τάδε πράσσοιμεν, οὐδὲ ὀφείλομεν οἱ Λακεδαιμόνιοι μὴ κοινοῦ τινὸς ἀγαθοῦ αἰτίᾳ τοὺς μὴ βουλομένους ἐλευθεροῦν·
For indeed we should not be acting reasonably in this, nor are we Lacedaemonians bound to liberate those who do not wish it, except for the sake of some common good.
οὐδ’ αὖ ἀρχῆς ἐφιέμεθα, παῦσαι δὲ μᾶλλον ἑτέρους σπεύδοντες τοὺς πλείους4 ἂν ἀδικοῖμεν, εἰ ξύμπασιν αὐτονομίαν ἐπιφέροντες ὑμᾶς τοὺς ἐναντιουμένους περιίδοιμεν.
Nor, on the other hand, do we aim at empire; rather, in our eagerness to stop the rule of others, we should be doing wrong to the majority if, while bringing autonomy to all, we should overlook you who oppose us.
πρὸς ταῦτα βουλεύεσθε εὖ, καὶ ἀγωνίσασθε τοῖς τε Ἕλλησιν ἄρξαι πρῶτοι ἐλευθερίας καὶ ἀίδιον δόξαν καταθέσθαι, καὶ αὐτοὶ τά τε ἴδια μὴ βλαφθῆναι καὶ ξυμπάσῃ τῇ πόλει τὸ κάλλιστον ὄνομα περιθεῖναι.’
Therefore, deliberate well on these matters, and strive to be the first to lead the Greeks toward freedom and to lay up for yourselves eternal glory, and at the same time to avoid harm to your private property and to bestow the fairest name upon your entire city.”
- 4.87.1οἷς
In the phrase ἢ οἷς following the comparative μείζω, the relative pronoun οἷς stands for the omitted antecedent τούτοις (functioning as an ablative-dative of source, 'from those who...'). Within the relative clause, τὰ ἔργα is the subject and παρέχεται is the verb: 'those whose deeds, when examined in light of their words, provide a necessary conviction.'
- 4.87.2φαίνεσθαι
Within the conditional clause introduced by εἰ δ’, the infinitive φαίνεσθαι is coordinate with διωθεῖσθαι, εἶναι, and προσαναγκάζειν, all depending on ἀξιώσετε ('you claim/demand'). The phrase τὴν ἐλευθερίαν μὴ ἀκίνδυνον ὑμῖν φαίνεσθαι means 'and you assert that freedom does not appear to you to be without danger (i.e., that it is dangerous).'
- 4.87.3τῶν μὲν Λακεδαιμονίων
In specifying the 'two necessities' (κατὰ δύο ἀνάγκας), a striking anacoluthon occurs: the first necessity is expressed by the genitive τῶν μὲν Λακεδαιμονίων followed by a purpose clause ὅπως μὴ ... βλάπτωνται, while the second changes to the nominative οἱ δὲ Ἕλληνες followed by ἵνα μὴ κωλύωνται. In the latter, the logical subject of the purpose clause is anticipated in the nominative.
- 4.87.5τοὺς πλείους
The term τοὺς πλείους ('the majority' or 'the greater number') refers not to the democratic majority within Acanthus, but to the majority of the Greeks as a whole whom Sparta intends to liberate. Contrasted with the preceding phrase ξύμπασιν αὐτονομίαν ἐπιφέροντες ('bringing autonomy to all'), the argument is that allowing Acanthus to remain neutral would compromise the liberation of all Greece, thereby doing wrong to the majority of Greeks.
Translated by Gemini 3.5 Flash (published 2026-05-25) · Revision history (1, latest 2026-09-21)
- 2026-09-21 AI review — note 1