- 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-grc2:8.46.1-8.46.5
- Generated
- Humanitext Reader · reader.humanitext.ai · 2026-11-09
Alcibiades advises Tissaphernes that keeping the Greek powers divided and letting them wear each other out is in the Persian King's best interest, suggesting the Athenians make better partners. Tissaphernes adopts this strategy, deliberately delaying the war and neglecting his Peloponnesian allies.
παρῄνει δὲ καὶ τῷ Τισσαφέρνει μὴ ἄγαν ἐπείγεσθαι τὸν πόλεμον διαλῦσαι, μηδὲ βουληθῆναι κομίσαντα1 ἢ ναῦς Φοινίσσας ἅσπερ παρεσκευάζετο ἢ Ἕλλησι πλέοσι μισθὸν πορίζοντα τοῖς αὐτοῖς τῆς τε γῆς καὶ τῆς θαλάσσης τὸ κράτος δοῦναι, ἔχειν δ᾽ ἀμφοτέρους ἐᾶν δίχα τὴν ἀρχήν, καὶ βασιλεῖ ἐξεῖναι αἰεὶ ἐπὶ τοὺς αὐτῷ λυπηροὺς τοὺς ἑτέρους ἐπάγειν.
He also advised Tissaphernes not to be in too great a hurry to end the war, nor to wish, either by bringing up the Phoenician ships which he was preparing or by providing pay for more Greeks, to give the dominion of both land and sea to the same people, but rather to allow both to hold the empire divided, and that it should always be possible for the King to lead the other party against those who were troublesome to him.
γενομένης δ’ ἂν2 καθ’ ἓν τῆς ἐς γῆν καὶ θάλασσαν ἀρχῆς ἀπορεῖν ἂν αὐτὸν οἷς3 τοὺς κρατοῦντας ξυγκαθαιρήσει, ἢν μὴ αὐτὸς βούληται μεγάλῃ δαπάνῃ καὶ κινδύνῳ ἀναστάς ποτε διαγωνίσασθαι. εὐτελέστερα δὲ τάδ’ εἶναι, βραχεῖ μορίῳ τῆς δαπάνης καὶ ἅμα μετὰ τῆς ἑαυτοῦ ἀσφαλείας αὐτοὺς περὶ ἑαυτοὺς τοὺς Ἕλληνας κατατρῖψαι.
For if the dominion over land and sea should become united in one, he would be at a loss as to by what means he might help overthrow the conquerors, unless he himself should wish at some time to rise up and fight it out at great expense and danger. But this alternative was cheaper: at a small fraction of the expense, and at the same time with his own safety, to wear out the Greeks themselves against one another.
ἐπιτηδειοτέρους τε ἔφη τοὺς Ἀθηναίους εἶναι κοινωνοὺς αὐτῷ τῆς ἀρχῆς· ἧσσον γὰρ τῶν κατὰ γῆν ἐφίεσθαι, τὸν λόγον τε ξυμφορώτατον καὶ τὸ ἔργον ἔχοντας πολεμεῖν· τοὺς μὲν γὰρ ξυγκαταδουλοῦν ἂν σφίσι τε αὐτοῖς τὸ τῆς θαλάσσης μέρος καὶ ἐκείνῳ ὅσοι ἐν τῇ βασιλέως Ἕλληνες οἰκοῦσι, τοὺς δὲ τοὐναντίον ἐλευθερώσοντας ἥκειν, καὶ οὐκ εἰκὸς εἶναι Λακεδαιμονίους ἀπὸ μὲν σφῶν τῶν Ἑλλήνων ἐλευθεροῦν νῦν τοὺς Ἕλληνας, ἀπὸ δ’ ἐκείνων [τῶν βαρβάρων], ἢν μή ποτε αὐτοὺς μὴ ἐξέλωσι,4 μὴ ἐλευθερῶσαι.
And he said that the Athenians were more suitable partners for him in his empire; for they aimed less at possessions on land, and they waged war with a principle and a practice most advantageous to him. For the former (Athenians) would help enslave, for themselves the maritime part, and for him (the King) as many Greeks as lived in the King’s territory; whereas the latter (Lacedaemonians) had come to do the opposite, namely to liberate them. And it was not likely that the Lacedaemonians, while liberating the Greeks now from their fellow Greeks, would not also liberate them from those [the barbarians], unless indeed they (the Persians) should at some time destroy them.
τρίβειν οὖν ἐκέλευε πρῶτον ἀμφοτέρους, καὶ ἀποτεμόμενον ὡς μέγιστα ἀπὸ τῶν Ἀθηναίων ἔπειτ’ ἤδη τοὺς Πελοποννησίους ἀπαλλάξαι ἐκ τῆς χώρας.
Therefore he urged him to wear out both first, and having cut off as much as possible from the power of the Athenians, then finally to rid the country of the Peloponnesians.
καὶ διενοεῖτο τὸ πλέον οὕτως ὁ Τισσαφέρνης, ὅσα γε ἀπὸ τῶν ποιουμένων ἦν εἰκάσαι. τῷ γὰρ Ἀλκιβιάδῃ διὰ ταῦτα ὡς εὖ περὶ τούτων παραινοῦντι προσθεὶς ἑαυτὸν ἐς πίστιν τήν τε τροφὴν κακῶς ἐπόριζε τοῖς Πελοποννησίοις καὶ ναυμαχεῖν οὐκ εἴα, ἀλλὰ καὶ τὰς Φοινίσσας φάσκων ναῦς ἥξειν καὶ ἐκ περιόντος ἀγωνιεῖσθαι ἔφθειρε τὰ πράγματα καὶ τὴν ἀκμὴν τοῦ ναυτικοῦ αὐτῶν ἀφείλετο γενομένην καὶ πάνυ ἰσχυράν, τά τε ἄλλα καταφανέστερον ἢ ὥστε λανθάνειν5 οὐ προθύμως ξυνεπολέμει.
And Tissaphernes intended to do so for the most part, so far at least as could be conjectured from his actions. For having given his trust to Alcibiades because of this, as one who gave good advice on these matters, he both provided supplies poorly to the Peloponnesians and did not allow them to fight at sea; moreover, by claiming that the Phoenician ships would come and they would contend with superabundant strength, he ruined their affairs and took away the vigor of their navy, which had been very strong; and in other respects he co-operated in the war unenthusiastically, too obviously to escape notice.
- 8.46.1κομίσαντα
Accusative participle agreeing with Tissaphernes, the unexpressed subject of the infinitive δοῦναι.
- 8.46.2γενομένης δ’ ἂν
Genitive absolute with the particle ἄν. Together with the subsequent infinitive with ἄν (ἀπορεῖν ἂν), it represents a potential condition in indirect discourse.
- 8.46.2οἷς
Dative of instrument or means. The relative pronoun refers to either persons or means, followed by the future indicative ξυγκαθαιρήσει expressing purpose or capability.
- 8.46.3ἢν μή ποτε αὐτοὺς μὴ ἐξέλωσι
A conditional clause introduced by ἢν μή with an additional negative μή. The subject of ἐξέλωσι is the Persians (implied by ἐκείνων), and the object αὐτούς refers to the Lacedaemonians ("unless the Persians should some day destroy them"). The multiple negatives emphasize that unless the Lacedaemonians are destroyed by the Persians, they will inevitably liberate the Greeks from Persian rule.
- 8.46.5καταφανέστερον ἢ ὥστε λανθάνειν
A comparative followed by ἢ ὥστε and an infinitive ("too obvious to escape notice"), expressing result or degree, indicating Tissaphernes' half-heartedness was too conspicuous to go unnoticed.