- 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
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- CTS URN
- urn:cts:greekLit:tlg0003.tlg001.humanitext-grc2:6.49.1-6.49.4
- Generated
- Humanitext Reader · reader.humanitext.ai · 2026-11-07
Lamachus advocates for a direct and immediate attack on Syracuse while the enemy is still panicked and unprepared, proposing the deserted Megara as their naval base.
Λάμαχος δὲ ἄντικρυς1 ἔφη χρῆναι πλεῖν ἐπὶ Συρακούσας καὶ πρὸς τῇ πόλει ὡς τάχιστα τὴν μάχην ποιεῖσθαι, ἕως ἔτι ἀπαράσκευοί τε εἰσὶ καὶ μάλιστα ἐκπεπληγμένοι.
But Lamachus said that they ought to sail directly against Syracuse and to deliver battle close to the city as quickly as possible, while the enemy were still unprepared and in the greatest state of consternation.
τὸ γὰρ πρῶτον πᾶν στράτευμα δεινότατον εἶναι· ἢν δὲ χρονίσῃ πρὶν ἐς ὄψιν ἐλθεῖν, τῇ γνώμῃ ἀναθαρσοῦντας ἀνθρώπους2 καὶ τῇ ὄψει καταφρονεῖν μᾶλλον. αἰφνίδιοι δὲ ἢν προσπέσωσιν, ἕως ἔτι περιδεεῖς προσδέχονται, μάλιστ’ ἂν σφεῖς περιγενέσθαι καὶ κατὰ πάντα ἂν αὐτοὺς ἐκφοβῆσαι, τῇ τε ὄψει (πλεῖστοι γὰρ ἂν νῦν φανῆναι)3 καὶ τῇ προσδοκίᾳ ὧν πείσονται, μάλιστα δ’ ἂν τῷ αὐτίκα κινδύνῳ τῆς μάχης.
For every army, he said, is most formidable at first; but if it delays before coming into sight, men recover their confidence in spirit and are more inclined to look down upon it when they actually see it. If, however, they should fall upon them suddenly, while they are still waiting in extreme fear, they would be most likely to prevail and would terrify them in every way—both by their appearance (for they would now appear in the greatest numbers) and by the expectation of what they would suffer, but most of all by the immediate danger of the battle.
εἰκὸς δὲ εἶναι καὶ ἐν τοῖς ἀγροῖς πολλοὺς ἀποληφθῆναι ἔξω διὰ τὸ ἀπιστεῖν σφᾶς μὴ ἥξειν,4 καὶ ἐσκομιζομένων αὐτῶν τὴν στρατιὰν οὐκ ἀπορήσειν χρημάτων, ἢν πρὸς τῇ πόλει κρατοῦσα καθέζηται.
And it was likely, he added, that many would be caught outside in the fields because of their disbelief that the Athenians would come; and while they were carrying in their property, the army, if it sat down victoriously near the city, would not lack money.
τούς τε ἄλλους Σικελιώτας οὕτως ἤδη μᾶλλον καὶ ἐκείνοις οὐ ξυμμαχήσειν καὶ σφίσι προσιέναι καὶ οὐ διαμελλήσειν περισκοποῦντας ὁπότεροι κρατήσουσιν. ναύσταθμον δὲ ἐπαναχωρήσαντας καὶ ἐφορμηθέντας Μέγαρα ἔφη χρῆναι ποιεῖσθαι, ἃ ἦν ἐρῆμα, ἀπέχοντα Συρακουσῶν οὔτε πλοῦν πολὺν οὔτε ὁδόν.5
The other Siceliots, moreover, would now be more likely not to ally themselves with the Syracusans but to come over to them, and they would not delay while looking around to see which side would win. And he said that they ought to make Megara their naval base, returning and anchoring there, which was deserted and was not a long voyage or march from Syracuse.
- 6.49.1ἄντικρυς
The adverb ἄντικρυς can either modify the verb ἔφη ('flatly/openly declared', in contrast to Alcibiades' roundabout proposal) or the infinitive πλεῖν ('to sail directly' against Syracuse). In this context, it is best understood as modifying πλεῖν, emphasizing the spatial and tactical directness of the immediate Athenian attack.
- 6.49.2τῇ γνώμῃ ἀναθαρσοῦντας ἀνθρώπους
ἀνθρώπους (accusative) is the subject of the infinitive καταφρονεῖν. The present participle ἀναθαρσοῦντας agrees with ἀνθρώπους, describing 'men recovering their confidence in spirit (τῇ γνώμῃ)' during the delay (ἢν δὲ χρονίσῃ) before the army comes into sight.
- 6.49.2πλεῖστοι γὰρ ἂν νῦν φανῆναι
The infinitive with ἄν (φανῆναι ἂν) represents an optative with ἄν (or a past indicative with ἄν) in indirect discourse, expressing potentiality ('they would appear'). The omitted subject refers to the Athenian forces (σφεῖς).
- 6.49.3διὰ τὸ ἀπιστεῖν σφᾶς μὴ ἥξειν
After verbs of negative meaning such as ἀπιστέω ('disbelieve', 'doubt'), a redundant negative μὴ is regularly added to the following infinitive. Therefore, the phrase means 'because of their disbelief that they (σφᾶς, the Athenians) would come (μὴ ἥξειν)', rather than 'not believing that they would not come'.
- 6.49.4ἀπέχοντα Συρακουσῶν οὔτε πλοῦν πολὺν οὔτε ὁδόν
ἀπέχοντα is a neuter plural participle agreeing with Μέγαρα (neuter plural). The accusatives οὔτε πλοῦν πολὺν οὔτε ὁδόν function as accusatives of extent of space (literally, 'neither a long voyage nor a long march'), expressing the distance of Megara from Syracuse.