- 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-grc2:6.19.1-6.19.2
- Generated
- Humanitext Reader · reader.humanitext.ai · 2026-11-06
After hearing Alcibiades' speech and the pleas of the exiles, the Athenians are further resolved on the expedition. Realizing that arguments cannot stop them, Nicias decides to demand massive preparations in hopes of changing their minds and steps forward to speak again.
τοιαῦτα μὲν ὁ Ἀλκιβιάδης εἶπεν· οἱ δ’ Ἀθηναῖοι ἀκούσαντες ἐκείνου1 τε καὶ τῶν Ἐγεσταίων καὶ Λεοντίνων φυγάδων, οἳ παρελθόντες ἐδέοντό τε καὶ τῶν ὁρκίων ὑπομιμνῄσκοντες ἱκέτευον βοηθῆσαι σφίσι, πολλῷ μᾶλλον ἢ πρότερον ὥρμηντο στρατεύειν.
Such were the words of Alcibiades. The Athenians, having heard both him and the Egestaean and Leontine exiles, who came forward and entreated them, reminding them of their oaths and imploring them to help them, were much more eager to campaign than before.
καὶ ὁ Νικίας γνοὺς ὅτι ἀπὸ μὲν τῶν αὐτῶν λόγων οὐκ ἂν ἔτι ἀποτρέψειε, παρασκευῆς δὲ πλήθει, εἰ πολλὴν ἐπιτάξειε,2 τάχ’ ἂν μεταστήσειεν αὐτούς, παρελθὼν αὐτοῖς αὖθις ἔλεγε τοιάδε.
And Nicias, realizing that he could no longer turn them back with the same arguments, but that he might perhaps change their minds by the sheer scale of the preparation, if he were to demand a large one, came forward again and spoke to them as follows.
- 6.19.1ἀκούσαντες ἐκείνου
The verb ἀκούω takes the genitive case, governing both ἐκείνου (Alcibiades) and φυγάδων (the exiles). It implies not merely hearing their voices, but hearing their arguments or pleas.
- 6.19.2εἰ πολλὴν ἐπιτάξειε
πολλήν is the feminine singular accusative form of the adjective modifying the omitted noun παρασκευήν (corresponding to the preceding παρασκευῆς). The subject is Nicias: "if he (Nicias) were to demand a large preparation." The condition (potential optative, εἰ + optative) with the apodosis (τάχ’ ἂν μεταστήσειεν, ἄν + optative) represents Nicias's subjective expectation within the indirect discourse introduced by ὅτι.