- 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-grc2:5.100.1
- Generated
- Humanitext Reader · reader.humanitext.ai · 2026-11-04
The Melians argue that if the Athenians and their subjects run such risks, it would be extreme cowardice for the still free Melians not to try everything before submitting to slavery.
ΜΗΛ. ἦ που ἄρα, εἰ τοσαύτην γε ὑμεῖς τε μὴ παυθῆναι ἀρχῆς1 καὶ οἱ δουλεύοντες ἤδη ἀπαλλαγῆναι τὴν παρακινδύνευσιν ποιοῦνται, ἡμῖν γε τοῖς ἔτι ἐλευθέροις πολλὴ κακότης καὶ δειλία μὴ πᾶν πρὸ τοῦ δουλεῦσαι ἐπεξελθεῖν.2
MELIANS “Surely then, if you run such a risk so as not to be deprived of your empire, and those who are already enslaved do so to be set free, it would be the height of baseness and cowardice for us, who are still free, not to try everything before submitting to slavery.”
- 5.100.1μὴ παυθῆναι ἀρχῆς
The infinitives μὴ παυθῆναι (and ἀπαλλαγῆναι that follows) modify the noun τὴν παρακινδύνευσιν, expressing its purpose or content ("running such a risk so as not to lose...").
- 5.100.1πολλὴ κακότης καὶ δειλία μὴ πᾶν πρὸ τοῦ δουλεῦσαι ἐπεξελθεῖν
The copula (such as ἂν εἴη or ἐστίν) is omitted after the predicate noun phrase πολλὴ κακότης καὶ δειλία. The negative infinitive clause μὴ ... ἐπεξελθεῖν functions as the subject. The verb ἐπεξέρχομαι with the object πᾶν here means "to go through everything" or "to try every means to the end."