- 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-grc2:5.63.1-5.63.4
- Generated
- Humanitext Reader · reader.humanitext.ai · 2026-11-03
The Spartans, furious with King Agis for missing a prime opportunity to conquer Argos and angered further by the loss of Orchomenus, sought to fine him and demolish his house. Agis successfully pleaded for a reprieve by promising to redeem himself in future campaigns, prompting the Spartans to pass a new law appointing ten advisers without whose consent he could not lead an army out.
Λακεδαιμόνιοι δὲ ἐπειδὴ ἀνεχώρησαν ἐξ Ἄργους τὰς τετραμήνους σπονδὰς ποιησάμενοι, Ἆγιν ἐν μεγάλῃ αἰτίᾳ εἶχον οὐ χειρωσάμενον σφίσιν Ἄργος, παρασχὸν1 καλῶς ὡς οὔπω πρότερον αὐτοὶ ἐνόμιζον· ἁθρόους γὰρ τοσούτους ξυμμάχους καὶ τοιούτους οὐ ῥᾴδιον εἶναι2 λαβεῖν.
And when the Lacedaemonians returned from Argos after making the four-months’ truce, they held Agis in great blame for not having subdued Argos for them, although a favorable opportunity had presented itself such as they thought had never occurred before; for they thought it was not easy to capture so many and such allies assembled in one body.
ἐπειδὴ δὲ καὶ περὶ Ὀρχομενοῦ ἠγγέλλετο ἑαλωκέναι,3 πολλῷ δὴ μᾶλλον ἐχαλέπαινον καὶ ἐβούλευον εὐθὺς ὑπ’ ὀργῆς παρὰ τὸν τρόπον τὸν ἑαυτῶν ὡς χρὴ τήν τε οἰκίαν αὐτοῦ κατασκάψαι καὶ δέκα μυριάσι δραχμῶν ζημιῶσαι.
But when news also came about Orchomenus, that it had been captured, they were much more angry still and in their wrath, contrary to their usual character, immediately deliberated that they ought to raze his house to the ground and fine him one hundred thousand drachmas.
ὁ δὲ παρῃτεῖτο μηδὲν τούτων δρᾶν· ἔργῳ γὰρ ἀγαθῷ ῥύσεσθαι4 τὰς αἰτίας στρατευσάμενος, ἢ τότε ποιεῖν αὐτοὺς ὅτι βούλονται.
But he begged them to do none of these things; for, he said, by marching out he would wipe out the charges against him by some good service, or else they might then do to him whatever they wished.
οἱ δὲ τὴν μὲν ζημίαν καὶ τὴν κατασκαφὴν ἐπέσχον, νόμον δὲ ἔθεντο ἐν τῷ παρόντι, ὃς οὔπω πρότερον ἐγένετο αὐτοῖς· δέκα γὰρ ἄνδρας Σπαρτιατῶν προσείλοντο αὐτῷ ξυμβούλους, ἄνευ ὧν μὴ κύριον εἶναι5 ἀπάγειν στρατιὰν ἐκ τῆς πόλεως.
So they withheld the fine and the razing of his house, but they enacted a law for the present, which had never existed among them before; for they chose ten Spartan men as advisers for him, without whose consent he should not have authority to lead an army out of the city.
- 5.63.1παρασχὸν
Accusative absolute of the neuter singular aorist participle παρασχὸν from the impersonal verb παρέχει ('to afford opportunity'), used here in a concessive sense ('although a favorable opportunity had presented itself').
- 5.63.1εἶναι
Infinitive in indirect discourse within a clause introduced by the conjunction γάρ ('for'), expressing the subjective reasoning of the Spartans ('for they thought that...'), with the subject of εἶναι being the infinitive clause itself.
- 5.63.2ἑαλωκέναι
Perfect infinitive of the verb ἁλίσκομαι ('to be captured'), serving as the subject clause of the impersonal passive verb ἠγγέλλετο ('it was reported'), with the subject matter introduced by the prepositional phrase περὶ Ὀρχομενοῦ.
- 5.63.3ῥύσεσθαι
Future infinitive of ῥύομαι ('to clear, redeem'), used in the γάρ clause following the verb of pleading (παρῃτεῖτο) to report Agis's own statement of future intention ('for he said he would...').
- 5.63.4κύριον εἶναι
The infinitive εἶναι with its predicate adjective κύριον ('having authority'), functioning as an infinitive of definition to express the content of the new law (νόμον), with the subject (Agis) omitted.
Translated by Gemini 3.5 Flash (published 2026-05-25) · Revision history (2, latest 2026-09-21)
- 2026-09-21 AI review — note 1
- 2026-09-21 AI review — translation 1