- 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-grc2:5.109.1
- Generated
- Humanitext Reader · reader.humanitext.ai · 2026-11-05
The Athenians argue that security in an alliance depends on active power rather than goodwill, pointing out that the Lacedaemonians' distrust of their own forces makes them rely heavily on allies, making it highly unlikely they would cross over to an island while Athens commands the sea.
ΑΘ. τὸ δ’ ἐχυρόν1 γε τοῖς ξυναγωνιουμένοις οὐ τὸ εὔνουν τῶν ἐπικαλεσαμένων φαίνεται, ἀλλ’ ἢν τῶν ἔργων τις δυνάμει πολὺ προύχῃ· ὃ Λακεδαιμόνιοι καὶ πλέον τι τῶν ἄλλων σκοποῦσιν (τῆς γοῦν οἰκείας παρασκευῆς ἀπιστίᾳ2 καὶ μετὰ ξυμμάχων πολλῶν τοῖς πέλας ἐπέρχονται), ὥστε οὐκ εἰκὸς ἐς νῆσόν γε αὐτοὺς ἡμῶν ναυκρατόρων ὄντων3 περαιωθῆναι.
ATH. But the security for those who are to fight as allies is shown to lie not in the goodwill of those who call them in, but in whether one is far superior in active power. This is what the Lacedaemonians look to even more than others (at any rate, out of distrust of their own resources, they attack their neighbors only with many allies), so that it is not likely that they will cross over to an island while we are masters of the sea.
- 5.109.1τὸ δ’ ἐχυρόν
A neuter adjective used as a noun, meaning 'security' or 'guarantee of reliability.' It is modified by the dative τοῖς ξυναγωνιουμένοις ('for those who are to fight as allies'). The conditional clause ἢν... προύχῃ ('if one is superior...') is contrasted with οὐ τὸ εὔνουν... ('not the goodwill...') and functions practically as a predicate nominative indicating what constitutes the security.
- 5.109.1τῆς γοῦν οἰκείας παρασκευῆς ἀπιστίᾳ
ἀπιστίᾳ ('distrust', 'lack of confidence') is a dative of cause. The genitive τῆς ... παρασκευῆς functions as an objective genitive dependent on ἀπιστίᾳ, meaning 'distrust of their own military preparation'.
- 5.109.1ἡμῶν ναυκρατόρων ὄντων
A genitive absolute construction. To show that the Athenian mastery of the sea (ναυκρατόρων) constitutes a barrier to the Lacedaemonian crossing (περαιωθῆναι), it is interpreted with a concessive ('although we are masters of the sea') or circumstantial ('while we are...') force.