- 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-grc2:6.89.1-6.89.6
- Generated
- Humanitext Reader · reader.humanitext.ai · 2026-11-08
Alcibiades begins his speech before the Spartan assembly, defending himself against prejudice by explaining his past efforts to serve Sparta, his family's traditional political role, and his stance toward the Athenian democracy.
‘ἀναγκαῖον περὶ τῆς ἐμῆς διαβολῆς πρῶτον ἐς ὑμᾶς εἰπεῖν, ἵνα μὴ χεῖρον τὰ κοινὰ τῷ ὑπόπτῳ μου1 ἀκροάσησθε.
’It is necessary for me to speak to you first concerning the prejudice against me, lest because of your suspicion of me you should listen to my proposals on public affairs more unfavorably.
τῶν δ’ ἐμῶν προγόνων τὴν προξενίαν ὑμῶν κατά τι ἔγκλημα ἀπειπόντων αὐτὸς ἐγὼ πάλιν ἀναλαμβάνων ἐθεράπευον ὑμᾶς ἄλλα τε καὶ περὶ τὴν ἐκ Πύλου ξυμφοράν. καὶ διατελοῦντός μου προθύμου ὑμεῖς πρὸς Ἀθηναίους καταλλασσόμενοι τοῖς μὲν ἐμοῖς ἐχθροῖς δύναμιν δι’ ἐκείνων2 πράξαντες, ἐμοὶ δὲ ἀτιμίαν περιέθετε.
My ancestors indeed renounced their proxeny of you because of some grievance, but I myself, taking it up again, sought your favor, especially in connection with the disaster from Pylos. Yet, while I continued to be zealous, you, in making peace with the Athenians, procured power for my enemies through those negotiations, while you cast dishonor upon me.
καὶ διὰ ταῦτα δικαίως ὑπ’ ἐμοῦ πρός τε τὰ Μαντινέων καὶ Ἀργείων τραπομένου3 καὶ ὅσα ἄλλα ἐνηντιούμην ὑμῖν ἐβλάπτεσθε· καὶ νῦν, εἴ τις καὶ τότε ἐν τῷ πάσχειν οὐκ εἰκότως ὠργίζετό μοι, μετὰ τοῦ ἀληθοῦς σκοπῶν ἀναπειθέσθω. ἢ εἴ τις, διότι καὶ τῷ δήμῳ προσεκείμην μᾶλλον, χείρω με ἐνόμιζε, μηδ’ οὕτως ἡγήσηται ὀρθῶς ἄχθεσθαι.
And for these reasons, you were justly harmed by me turning to the affairs of the Mantineans and Argives, and by whatever other ways I opposed you. And now, if anyone even then, while suffering, was angry with me without reason, let him, looking at the truth, be persuaded otherwise. Or if anyone, because I was rather attached to the democracy, thought worse of me, let him not even so think that he is rightly displeased.
τοῖς γὰρ τυράννοις αἰεί ποτε διάφοροί ἐσμεν (πᾶν δὲ τὸ ἐναντιούμενον τῷ δυναστεύοντι δῆμος ὠνόμασται), καὶ ἀπ’ ἐκείνου ξυμπαρέμεινεν ἡ προστασία ἡμῖν τοῦ πλήθους. ἅμα δὲ καὶ τῆς πόλεως δημοκρατουμένης τὰ πολλὰ ἀνάγκη ἦν τοῖς παροῦσιν ἕπεσθαι.
For we have always been at variance with tyrants—and everything that opposes a ruling power is called “demos”—and from that time on, the leadership of the multitude has remained with us. At the same time, as the city was under a democracy, it was necessary for the most part to conform to existing conditions.
τῆς δὲ ὑπαρχούσης ἀκολασίας4 ἐπειρώμεθα μετριώτεροι ἐς τὰ πολιτικὰ εἶναι.ἄλλοι δ’ ἦσαν καὶ ἐπὶ τῶν πάλαι καὶ νῦν οἳ ἐπὶ τὰ πονηρότερα ἐξῆγον τὸν ὄχλον· οἵπερ καὶ ἐμὲ ἐξήλασαν.
But we tried to be more moderate in political matters than the prevailing license. Yet there were others, both in the old days and now, who led the multitude to worse courses; and these are the very ones who also drove me out.
ἡμεῖς δὲ τοῦ ξύμπαντος προέστημεν, δικαιοῦντες ἐν ᾧ σχήματι μεγίστη ἡ πόλις ἐτύγχανε καὶ ἐλευθερωτάτη οὖσα καὶ ὅπερ ἐδέξατό τις, τοῦτο ξυνδιασῴζειν, ἐπεὶ δημοκρατίαν γε καὶ ἐγιγνώσκομεν οἱ φρονοῦντές τι, καὶ αὐτὸς οὐδενὸς ἂν χεῖρον, ὅσῳ καὶ λοιδορήσαιμι.5 ἀλλὰ περὶ ὁμολογουμένης ἀνοίας οὐδὲν ἂν καινὸν λέγοιτο· καὶ τὸ μεθιστάναι αὐτὴν οὐκ ἐδόκει ἡμῖν ἀσφαλὲς εἶναι ὑμῶν πολεμίων προσκαθημένων.
But we stood as leaders of the whole state, thinking it right to help preserve the state in that form of government in which it happened to be greatest and most free, and which one had inherited. For indeed, we who have some sense knew what democracy was, and I myself perhaps better than anyone, in proportion as I could also abuse it. But about an acknowledged folly, nothing new can be said; and to change it did not seem to us to be safe, while you, our enemies, were sitting close at hand.
- 6.89.1τῷ ὑπόπτῳ μου
Meaning "suspicion of me." The substantivized neuter adjective τὸ ὕποπτον functions as a noun, and μου is an objective genitive ("towards me"). The dative case denotes cause.
- 6.89.2δι’ ἐκείνων
Referring back to the reconciliation with the Athenians (πρὸς Ἀθηναίους καταλλασσόμενοι), meaning "through these (negotiations/treaties)." The pronoun refers to the context of the peace terms.
- 6.89.3ὑπ’ ἐμοῦ ... τραπομένου
ὑπ’ ἐμοῦ expresses the personal agent ("by me") of the passive verb ἐβλάπτεσθε ("you were harmed"), and the participle τραπομένου agrees with ἐμοῦ in the genitive. This is not a genitive absolute, but an attributive participle modifying the agent.
- 6.89.5τῆς δὲ ὑπαρχούσης ἀκολασίας
Genitive of comparison dependent on the comparative μετριώτεροι ("more moderate"), meaning "in comparison with the prevailing license."
- 6.89.6ὅσῳ καὶ λοιδορήσαιμι
ὅσῳ is the dative of measure of difference with the relative pronoun ("by as much as"). λοιδορήσαιμι is an optative without ἄν (expressing potentiality or a general case), meaning "in proportion as I might abuse it (the democracy)."