- 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-grc2:5.46.1-5.46.5
- Generated
- Humanitext Reader · reader.humanitext.ai · 2026-11-02
Nicias persuaded the Athenians to send an embassy to Lacedaemon, but their demands to break the alliance with the Boeotians were rejected, resulting only in a renewal of oaths. Upon their fruitless return, the disappointed Athenians concluded an alliance with Argos and its allies under Alcibiades's guidance.
τῇ δ’ ὑστεραίᾳ ἐκκλησίᾳ ὁ Νικίας, καίπερ τῶν Λακεδαιμονίων αὐτῶν ἠπατημένων καὶ αὐτὸς ἐξηπατημένος1 περὶ τοῦ μὴ αὐτοκράτορας ὁμολογῆσαι ἥκειν,2 ὅμως τοῖς Λακεδαιμονίοις ἔφη χρῆναι φίλους μᾶλλον γίγνεσθαι, καὶ ἐπισχόντας τὰ πρὸς Ἀργείους πέμψαι ἔτι ὡς αὐτοὺς καὶ εἰδέναι ὅτι διανοοῦνται, λέγων ἐν μὲν τῷ σφετέρῳ καλῷ, ἐν δὲ τῷ ἐκείνων ἀπρεπεῖ τὸν πόλεμον ἀναβάλλεσθαι· σφίσι μὲν γὰρ εὖ ἑστώτων τῶν πραγμάτων ὡς ἐπὶ πλεῖστον ἄριστον εἶναι διασώσασθαι τὴν εὐπραγίαν, ἐκείνοις δὲ δυστυχοῦσιν ὅτι τάχιστα εὕρημα εἶναι διακινδυνεῦσαι.
At the assembly on the following day, Nicias, although the Lacedaemonians themselves had been deceived and he himself had also been deceived regarding their denial of having come with full powers, nevertheless said that they ought to become friends with the Lacedaemonians rather than others, and that, suspending the negotiations with the Argives, they should send envoys to them once more and find out what they intended. He argued that it was to their own honor, but to the Lacedaemonians’ discredit, to postpone the war; for while their own affairs were in a good posture, it was best to preserve their prosperity as long as possible, but for the Lacedaemonians, who were in misfortune, it was a godsend to run the risk as quickly as possible.
ἔπεισέ τε πέμψαι πρέσβεις, ὧν καὶ αὐτὸς ἦν, κελεύσοντας Λακεδαιμονίους, εἴ τι δίκαιον διανοοῦνται, Πάνακτόν τε ὀρθὸν3 ἀποδιδόναι καὶ Ἀμφίπολιν, καὶ τὴν Βοιωτῶν ξυμμαχίαν ἀνεῖναι, ἢν μὴ ἐς τὰς σπονδὰς ἐσίωσι, καθάπερ εἴρητο ἄνευ ἀλλήλων μηδενὶ ξυμβαίνειν.
And he persuaded them to send envoys, of whom he himself was one, to demand that the Lacedaemonians, if they had any honest intentions, should restore Panactum in an upright state and Amphipolis, and give up their alliance with the Boeotians if they would not enter into the treaty, just as it had been agreed that neither should make a treaty with anyone without the consent of the other.
εἰπεῖν τε ἐκέλευον ὅτι καὶ σφεῖς, εἰ ἐβούλοντο ἀδικεῖν, ἤδη ἂν Ἀργείους ξυμμάχους πεποιῆσθαι,4 ὡς παρεῖναί γ’ αὐτοὺς αὐτοῦ τούτου ἕνεκα. εἴ τέ τι ἄλλο ἐνεκάλουν, πάντα ἐπιστείλαντες ἀπέπεμψαν τοὺς περὶ τὸν Νικίαν πρέσβεις.
They also instructed the envoys to say that they themselves, if they had wished to act unjustly, would have already made the Argives their allies, since they were present for this very purpose. Having given them instructions on everything else they complained of, they dispatched the embassy under Nicias.
καὶ ἀφικομένων αὐτῶν καὶ ἀπαγγειλάντων τά τε ἄλλα καὶ τέλος εἰπόντων ὅτι εἰ μὴ τὴν ξυμμαχίαν ἀνήσουσι Βοιωτοῖς μὴ ἐσιοῦσιν ἐς τὰς σπονδάς, ποιήσονται καὶ αὐτοὶ Ἀργείους καὶ τοὺς μετ’ αὐτῶν ξυμμάχους, τὴν μὲν ξυμμαχίαν οἱ Λακεδαιμόνιοι Βοιωτοῖς οὐκ ἔφασαν ἀνήσειν, ἐπικρατούντων τῶν περὶ τὸν Ξενάρη τὸν ἔφορον5 ταῦτα γίγνεσθαι καὶ ὅσοι ἄλλοι τῆς αὐτῆς γνώμης ἦσαν, τοὺς δὲ ὅρκους δεομένου Νικίου ἀνενεώσαντο· ἐφοβεῖτο γὰρ μὴ πάντα ἀτελῆ ἔχων ἀπέλθῃ καὶ διαβληθῇ, ὅπερ καὶ ἐγένετο, αἴτιος δοκῶν εἶναι τῶν πρὸς Λακεδαιμονίους σπονδῶν.
When they arrived and reported other matters, and finally declared that if they would not give up their alliance with the Boeotians who did not enter into the treaty, they themselves would make the Argives and those with them their allies, the Lacedaemonians refused to give up the alliance with the Boeotians, as the party of the ephor Xenares and all those of the same opinion prevailed; but they renewed the oaths at Nicias’ request. For Nicias was afraid that he would return with nothing accomplished and be discredited, which indeed happened, since he was considered to be the author of the treaty with the Lacedaemonians.
ἀναχωρήσαντός τε αὐτοῦ ὡς ἤκουσαν οἱ Ἀθηναῖοι οὐδὲν ἐκ τῆς Λακεδαίμονος πεπραγμένον, εὐθὺς δι’ ὀργῆς εἶχον, καὶ νομίζοντες ἀδικεῖσθαι (ἔτυχον γὰρ παρόντες οἱ Ἀργεῖοι καὶ οἱ ξύμμαχοι) παραγαγόντος Ἀλκιβιάδου ἐποιήσαντο σπονδὰς καὶ ξυμμαχίαν πρὸς αὐτοὺς τήνδε.
When he had returned and the Athenians heard that nothing had been accomplished at Lacedaemon, they immediately fell into a passion; and, believing themselves to be wronged (as the Argives and their allies happened to be present), they made a treaty and alliance with them as follows, Alcibiades introducing them.
- 5.46.1καὶ αὐτὸς ἐξηπατημένος
The nominative participle ἐξηπατημένος is parallel to the preceding genitive absolute τῶν Λακεδαιμονίων αὐτῶν ἠπατημένων and shares the concessive force of the particle καίπερ. It is in the nominative because it refers directly to Nicias (ὁ Νικίας), the subject of the main clause.
- 5.46.1τοῦ μὴ αὐτοκράτορας ὁμολογῆσαι ἥκειν
An articular infinitive in the genitive case (τοῦ ὁμολογῆσαι) governed by the preposition περί, negated by μὴ. The negation represents their failure to admit that they had come with full powers. ἥκειν serves as the complementary infinitive of ὁμολογῆσαι.
- 5.46.2ὀρθὸν
The adjective ὀρθός is used predicatively with the accusative noun Πάνακτον, meaning 'intact' or 'without being demolished'. This reflects the Athenian demand in response to the Boeotians' attempt to restore the fortress only after dismantling it.
- 5.46.3ἤδη ἂν Ἀργείους ξυμμάχους πεποιῆσθαι
The particle ἂν with the perfect infinitive πεποιῆσθαι in indirect discourse, representing a past contrary-to-fact apodosis in direct discourse (equivalent to ἤδη ἂν ... ἐπεποίηντο, 'would have already made them allies'). The protasis is the preceding condition εἰ ἐβούλοντο ἀδικεῖν ('if they had wished to act unjustly').
- 5.46.4ἐπικρατούντων τῶν περὶ τὸν Ξενάρη τὸν ἔφορον
A genitive absolute construction. The phrase οἱ περὶ τὸν Ξενάρη is an idiomatic expression meaning 'Xenares and his party' or 'those around Xenares'.