- 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-grc2:7.17.1-7.17.4
- Generated
- Humanitext Reader · reader.humanitext.ai · 2026-11-08
Demosthenes prepares for his departure in spring while Athens sends patrol ships around the Peloponnese. Meanwhile, encouraged by the favorable news from Sicily, the Corinthians and Lacedaemonians prepare reinforcements and organize naval forces to counter the Athenian guard.
ὁ δὲ Δημοσθένης ὑπομένων παρεσκευάζετο τὸν ἔκπλουν ὡς ἅμα τῷ ἦρι ποιησόμενος,1 στρατιάν τε ἐπαγγέλλων ἐς τοὺς ξυμμάχους καὶ χρήματα αὐτόθεν καὶ ναῦς καὶ ὁπλίτας ἑτοιμάζων.
Demosthenes, remaining behind, made preparations for his departure, intending to sail at the beginning of spring, while sending requisitions for troops to the allies, and preparing money, ships, and hoplites from Athens itself.
πέμπουσι δὲ καὶ περὶ τὴν Πελοπόννησον οἱ Ἀθηναῖοι εἴκοσι ναῦς, ὅπως φυλάσσοιεν μηδένα ἀπὸ Κορίνθου καὶ τῆς Πελοποννήσου ἐς τὴν Σικελίαν περαιοῦσθαι.
The Athenians also dispatched twenty ships around the Peloponnese, to prevent anyone from crossing over from Corinth and the Peloponnese to Sicily.
οἱ γὰρ Κορίνθιοι, ὡς αὐτοῖς οἱ πρέσβεις ἧκον καὶ τὰ ἐν τῇ Σικελίᾳ βελτίω ἤγγελλον, νομίσαντες οὐκ ἄκαιρον καὶ τὴν προτέραν πέμψιν τῶν νεῶν ποιήσασθαι,2 πολλῷ μᾶλλον ἐπέρρωντο, καὶ ἐν ὁλκάσι παρεσκευάζοντο αὐτοί τε ἀποστελοῦντες ὁπλίτας ἐς τὴν Σικελίαν καὶ ἐκ τῆς ἄλλης Πελοποννήσου οἱ Λακεδαιμόνιοι τῷ αὐτῷ τρόπῳ πέμψοντες·
For the Corinthians, when their envoys arrived and reported that affairs in Sicily were better, thinking that even their previous dispatch of ships had not been inopportune, were much more encouraged; and they were preparing to send hoplites of their own to Sicily in merchant vessels, while the Lacedaemonians were to send others in the same manner from the rest of the Peloponnese.
ναῦς τε οἱ Κορίνθιοι πέντε καὶ εἴκοσιν ἐπλήρουν, ὅπως ναυμαχίας τε ἀποπειράσωσι πρὸς τὴν ἐν τῇ Ναυπάκτῳ φυλακήν, καὶ τὰς ὁλκάδας αὐτῶν ἧσσον οἱ ἐν τῇ Ναυπάκτῳ Ἀθηναῖοι κωλύοιεν ἀπαίρειν, πρὸς τὴν σφετέραν ἀντίταξιν τῶν τριήρων τὴν φυλακὴν ποιούμενοι.3
And the Corinthians manned twenty-five ships, in order to try a naval battle against the squadron on guard at Naupactus, and so that the Athenians at Naupactus might be less able to prevent their merchant vessels from putting out to sea, by having to direct their vigilance toward the triremes drawn up against them.
- 7.17.1ὡς ἅμα τῷ ἦρι ποιησόμενος
The future participle ποιησόμενος accompanied by the conjunction ὡς expresses the subjective intention or purpose of the subject (Demosthenes), meaning 'intending to make the departure at the very beginning of spring'.
- 7.17.3νομίσαντες οὐκ ἄκαιρον καὶ τὴν προτέραν πέμψιν τῶν νεῶν ποιήσασθαι
The structure features νομίσαντες taking the accusative with infinitive clause (τὴν προτέραν... ποιήσασθαι) as its object with the predicate adjective οὐκ ἄκαιρον. The double negation (litotes) emphasizes the highly opportune nature of their previous dispatch.
- 7.17.4πρὸς τὴν σφετέραν ἀντίταξιν τῶν τριήρων τὴν φυλακὴν ποιούμενοι
The prepositional phrase πρὸς τὴν σφετέραν ἀντίταξιν ('towards the confrontation with their triremes') modifies the noun phrase τὴν φυλακὴν (here representing 'vigilance' or 'watch'). The participle ποιούμενοι refers back to the Corinthians as the subject, expressing how they actively caused the Athenians to direct their guard against the Corinthians' triremes.