Alcibiades' Defense of His Ambition and Qualifications — Thucydides, History of the Peloponnesian War Book 6 (6.16.1–6.16.6), Greek & English

§6.16.1

‘καὶ προσήκει μοι μᾶλλον ἑτέρων, ὦ Ἀθηναῖοι, ἄρχειν (ἀνάγκη γὰρ ἐντεῦθεν ἄρξασθαι, ἐπειδή μου Νικίας καθήψατο), καὶ ἄξιος ἅμα νομίζω εἶναι. ὧν γὰρ πέρι ἐπιβόητός εἰμι,¹ τοῖς μὲν προγόνοις μου καὶ ἐμοὶ δόξαν φέρει ταῦτα, τῇ δὲ πατρίδι καὶ ὠφελίαν.

”And it belongs to me more than others, Athenians, to rule (for it is necessary to begin from here, since Nicias has attacked me), and at the same time I consider myself worthy of it. For those things regarding which I am cried out against bring glory to my ancestors and myself, and at the same time benefit to my country.

§6.16.2

οἱ γὰρ Ἕλληνες καὶ ὑπὲρ δύναμιν μείζω ἡμῶν τὴν πόλιν ἐνόμισαν τῷ ἐμῷ διαπρεπεῖ τῆς Ὀλυμπίαζε θεωρίας,² πρότερον ἐλπίζοντες αὐτὴν καταπεπολεμῆσθαι, διότι ἅρματα μὲν ἑπτὰ καθῆκα, ὅσα οὐδείς πω ἰδιώτης πρότερον, ἐνίκησα δὲ καὶ δεύτερος καὶ τέταρτος ἐγενόμην καὶ τἆλλα ἀξίως τῆς νίκης παρεσκευασάμην. νόμῳ μὲν γὰρ τιμὴ τὰ τοιαῦτα, ἐκ δὲ τοῦ δρωμένου καὶ δύναμις ἅμα ὑπονοεῖται.

For the Greeks, who had previously hoped that our city was exhausted by war, came to believe that it was greater even than its actual power because of my splendid delegation to Olympia; because I entered seven chariots—more than any private individual had ever done before—and won the first prize, and came in second and fourth, and made all other preparations in a manner worthy of the victory. For by custom such things are indeed an honor, but from what is done, power also is at the same time inferred.

§6.16.3

καὶ ὅσα αὖ ἐν τῇ πόλει χορηγίαις ἢ ἄλλῳ τῳ λαμπρύνομαι, τοῖς μὲν ἀστοῖς φθονεῖται φύσει, πρὸς δὲ τοὺς ξένους καὶ αὕτη ἰσχὺς φαίνεται. καὶ οὐκ ἄχρηστος ἥδ’ ἡ ἄνοια, ὃς ἂν τοῖς ἰδίοις τέλεσι μὴ ἑαυτὸν μόνον ἀλλὰ καὶ τὴν πόλιν ὠφελῇ.

And again, in all those things in which I make a brilliant display in the city, with choruses or in any other way, though it is naturally envied by my fellow-citizens, to foreigners this too appears to be strength. And this ‘folly’ is not useless, when a man by his private expenses benefits not only himself but also the city.

§6.16.4

οὐδέ γε ἄδικον ἐφ’ ἑαυτῷ μέγα φρονοῦντα³ μὴ ἴσον εἶναι, ἐπεὶ καὶ ὁ κακῶς πράσσων πρὸς οὐδένα τῆς ξυμφορᾶς ἰσομοιρεῖ· ἀλλ’ ὥσπερ δυστυχοῦντες οὐ προσαγορευόμεθα, ἐν τῷ ὁμοίῳ τις ἀνεχέσθω καὶ ὑπὸ τῶν εὐπραγούντων ὑπερφρονούμενος, ἢ τὰ ἴσα νέμων τὰ ὁμοῖα ἀνταξιούτω.

Nor indeed is it unjust for one who thinks highly of himself not to be on an equality, since he who fares ill shares his misfortune with no one. But just as we are not addressed when we are unfortunate, so in like manner let a man submit to being looked down upon by those who prosper, or else let him give equal treatment to others and then demand the same in return.

§6.16.5

οἶδα δὲ τοὺς τοιούτους, καὶ ὅσοι ἔν τινος λαμπρότητι προέσχον, ἐν μὲν τῷ καθ’ αὑτοὺς βίῳ λυπηροὺς ὄντας, τοῖς ὁμοίοις μὲν μάλιστα, ἔπειτα δὲ καὶ τοῖς ἄλλοις ξυνόντας, τῶν δὲ ἔπειτα ἀνθρώπων προσποίησίν τε ξυγγενείας τισὶ καὶ μὴ οὖσαν καταλιπόντας, καὶ ἧς ἂν ὦσι πατρίδος, ταύτῃ⁴ αὔχησιν ὡς οὐ περὶ ἀλλοτρίων οὐδ’ ἁμαρτόντων, ἀλλ’ ὡς περὶ σφετέρων τε καὶ καλὰ πραξάντων.

But I know that such men, and all who have surpassed others in any kind of brilliance, though during their own lives they are offensive, especially to their equals and then also to those they associate with, yet leave to some posterity a claim of kinship even where none exists, and to whatever country they belong, they leave to it a source of boasting, as of men who were neither aliens nor wrongdoers, but their own people who had done noble deeds.

§6.16.6

ὧν ἐγὼ ὀρεγόμενος καὶ διὰ ταῦτα τὰ ἴδια ἐπιβοώμενος τὰ δημόσια σκοπεῖτε εἴ του χεῖρον μεταχειρίζω.⁵ Πελοποννήσου γὰρ τὰ δυνατώτατα ξυστήσας ἄνευ μεγάλου ὑμῖν κινδύνου καὶ δαπάνης Λακεδαιμονίους ἐς μίαν ἡμέραν κατέστησα ἐν Μαντινείᾳ περὶ τῶν ἁπάντων ἀγωνίσασθαι· ἐξ οὗ καὶ περιγενόμενοι τῇ μάχῃ οὐδέπω καὶ νῦν βεβαίως θαρσοῦσιν.

Aimed as I am at these things, and cried out against as I am because of these private matters, consider whether I manage public affairs any worse than anyone else. For having united the most powerful states of the Peloponnese without great danger or expense to you, I brought the Lacedaemonians at Mantinea to stake their all upon a single day; as a result of which, although they prevailed in the battle, they do not even now possess firm confidence.”

Syntax notes5 items

6.16.1ὧν γὰρ πέρι ἐπιβόητός εἰμι
The relative pronoun ὧν refers forward to the demonstrative ταῦτα in the main clause, which acts as the subject of the sentence. It means "those things regarding which (πέρι) I am cried out against..."
6.16.2τῷ ἐμῷ διαπρεπεῖ τῆς Ὀλυμπίαζε θεωρίας
The neuter adjective διαπρεπές is used substantively, with the genitive τῆς θεωρίας (the sending of a delegation/participation in the games) depending on it. The dative case expresses cause: "by the outstanding brilliance of my delegation to Olympia."
6.16.4ἐφ’ ἑαυτῷ μέγα φρονοῦντα
This accusative participle acts as the subject of the infinitive μὴ ἴσον εἶναι, expressing a general statement: "that one who thinks highly of himself should not be on an equality."
6.16.5ἧς ἂν ὦσι πατρίδος, ταύτῃ
This is an instance of relative attraction; the standard structure would be ταύτῃ τῇ πατρίδι ἧς ἂν ὦσι ("to that country of which they may be members"), but the antecedent is incorporated and attracted into the case of the relative clause.
6.16.6τὰ δημόσια σκοπεῖτε εἴ του χεῖρον μεταχειρίζω
A case of prolepsis (anticipation), where τὰ δημόσια (public affairs), which logically belongs to the indirect question εἴ... (whether I manage them...), is placed beforehand as the object of the main verb σκοπεῖτε.

Translated by Gemini 3.5 Flash (published 2026-05-25)urn:cts:greekLit:tlg0003.tlg001.humanitext-grc2:6.16.1-6.16.6