Athenian Vote for the Expedition and Nicias' Speech — Thucydides, History of the Peloponnesian War Book 6 (6.8.1–6.8.4), Greek & English

§6.8.1

τοῦ δ’ ἐπιγιγνομένου θέρους ἅμα ἦρι οἱ τῶν Ἀθηναίων πρέσβεις ἧκον ἐκ τῆς Σικελίας καὶ οἱ Ἐγεσταῖοι μετ’ αὐτῶν ἄγοντες ἑξήκοντα τάλαντα ἀσήμου ἀργυρίου ὡς ἐς ἑξήκοντα ναῦς μηνὸς μισθόν, ἃς ἔμελλον δεήσεσθαι¹ πέμπειν.

At the very beginning of the following spring, at the start of summer, the Athenian envoys returned from Sicily, and with them the Egestaeans, bringing sixty talents of uncoined silver as a month’s pay for sixty ships, which they were going to request the Athenians to send.

§6.8.2

καὶ οἱ Ἀθηναῖοι ἐκκλησίαν ποιήσαντες καὶ ἀκούσαντες τῶν τε Ἐγεσταίων καὶ τῶν σφετέρων πρέσβεων τά τε ἄλλα ἐπαγωγὰ καὶ οὐκ ἀληθῆ καὶ περὶ τῶν χρημάτων ὡς εἴη ἑτοῖμα ἔν τε τοῖς ἱεροῖς πολλὰ καὶ ἐν τῷ κοινῷ, ἐψηφίσαντο ναῦς ἑξήκοντα πέμπειν ἐς Σικελίαν καὶ στρατηγοὺς αὐτοκράτορας Ἀλκιβιάδην τε τὸν Κλεινίου καὶ Νικίαν τὸν Νικηράτου καὶ Λάμαχον τὸν Ξενοφάνους, βοηθοὺς μὲν Ἐγεσταίοις πρὸς Σελινουντίους, ξυγκατοικίσαι δὲ καὶ Λεοντίνους, ἤν τι περιγίγνηται αὐτοῖς τοῦ πολέμου, καὶ τἆλλα τὰ ἐν τῇ Σικελίᾳ πρᾶξαι ὅπῃ ἂν γιγνώσκωσιν ἄριστα Ἀθηναίοις.

And the Athenians, having held an assembly and heard from the Egestaeans and their own envoys other seductive but untrue statements, and especially about the money, that a large amount was ready in the temples and the treasury, voted to send sixty ships to Sicily, and appointed as generals with full powers Alcibiades the son of Cleinias, Nicias the son of Niceratus, and Lamachus the son of Xenophanes, to assist the Egestaeans against the Selinuntines, and also to restore Leontini, if they should have any resources left over from the war, and to manage all other affairs in Sicily in such a manner as they should judge best for the Athenians.

§6.8.3

μετὰ δὲ τοῦτο ἡμέρᾳ πέμπτῃ ἐκκλησία αὖθις ἐγίγνετο, καθ’ ὅτι χρὴ τὴν παρασκευὴν ταῖς ναυσὶ τάχιστα γίγνεσθαι, καὶ τοῖς στρατηγοῖς, εἴ του προσδέοιντο, ψηφισθῆναι² ἐς τὸν ἔκπλουν.

Five days after this, an assembly was held again to consider how the preparations for the ships could be made most rapidly, and to vote the generals whatever they might further require for their departure.

§6.8.4

καὶ ὁ Νικίας ἀκούσιος μὲν ᾑρημένος ἄρχειν, νομίζων δὲ τὴν πόλιν οὐκ ὀρθῶς βεβουλεῦσθαι, ἀλλὰ προφάσει βραχείᾳ καὶ εὐπρεπεῖ τῆς Σικελίας ἁπάσης, μεγάλου ἔργου, ἐφίεσθαι,³ παρελθὼν ἀποτρέψαι ἐβούλετο, καὶ παρῄνει τοῖς Ἀθηναίοις τοιάδε.

And Nicias, who had been chosen to command against his will, thinking that the city had not resolved wisely, but on a slight and specious pretext was aiming at the conquest of the whole of Sicily, a great enterprise, came forward wishing to turn them from their purpose, and advised the Athenians as follows.

Syntax notes3 items

6.8.1δεήσεσθαι
δεήσεσθαι is the future middle (deponent) infinitive of δέομαι (to ask, request), here constructionally dependent on ἔμελλον (were about to). It governs the relative pronoun ἃς (referring to the sixty ships), meaning 'the sixty ships which they were going to request the Athenians to send.'
6.8.3ψηφισθῆναι
ψηφισθῆναι is the aorist passive infinitive of ψηφίζω (to vote). It functions here as an infinitive of purpose or result, dependent on ἐκκλησία αὖθις ἐγίγνετο (an assembly was held again), expressing the purpose of holding the assembly ('in order to vote...').
6.8.4νομίζων ... τῆς Σικελίας ἁπάσης, μεγάλου ἔργου, ἐφίεσθαι
The participle νομίζων governs two accusative-with-infinitive clauses: first, τὴν πόλιν οὐκ ὀρθῶς βεβουλεῦσθαι, and second, [tὴν πόλιν] ... ἐφίεσθαι (with the subject τὴν πόλιν omitted). The infinitive ἐφίεσθαι (to aim at, long for) takes the genitive object τῆς Σικελίας ἁπάσης (the whole of Sicily), with which μεγάλου ἔργου (a great enterprise) is in apposition.

Translated by Gemini 3.5 Flash (published 2026-05-25)urn:cts:greekLit:tlg0003.tlg001.humanitext-grc2:6.8.1-6.8.4