← Thucydides

History of the Peloponnesian War

§8.67.1-8.67.3

Assembly at Colonus and Proposal of the Four Hundred

Pisander and his associates appointed ten commissioners, convened the assembly at Colonus to guarantee freedom of speech under threat of severe penalties, and proposed the abolition of the existing offices and the establishment of a ruling body of Four Hundred with full powers.

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§8.67.1

ἐν τούτῳ οὖν τῷ καιρῷ οἱ περὶ τὸν Πείσανδρον ἐλθόντες εὐθὺς τῶν λοιπῶν εἴχοντο.1 καὶ πρῶτον μὲν τὸν δῆμον ξυλλέξαντες εἶπον γνώμην δέκα ἄνδρας ἑλέσθαι ξυγγραφέας αὐτοκράτορας, τούτους δὲ ξυγγράψαντας γνώμην ἐσενεγκεῖν ἐς τὸν δῆμον ἐς ἡμέραν ῥητὴν καθ’ ὅτι ἄριστα ἡ πόλις οἰκήσεται·

​At this critical juncture, therefore, Pisander and his associates, having arrived, immediately set to work on the remaining tasks. And first, having assembled the people, they proposed a motion to elect ten commissioners with full powers for drafting laws, and that these, after drafting a proposal, should present it to the people on a fixed day, stating how the city might be best governed.

§8.67.2

ἔπειτα ἐπειδὴ ἡ ἡμέρα ἐφῆκε,2 ξυνέκλῃσαν τὴν ἐκκλησίαν ἐς τὸν Κολωνόν (ἔστι δὲ ἱερὸν Ποσειδῶνος ἔξω πόλεως ἀπέχον σταδίους μάλιστα δέκα), καὶ ἐσήνεγκαν οἱ ξυγγραφῆς ἄλλο μὲν οὐδέν, αὐτὸ δὲ τοῦτο, ἐξεῖναι μὲν Ἀθηναίων ἀνατεὶ εἰπεῖν γνώμην ἣν ἄν τις βούληται· ἢν δέ τις τὸν εἰπόντα ἢ γράψηται παρανόμων ἢ ἄλλῳ τῳ τρόπῳ βλάψῃ, μεγάλας ζημίας ἐπέθεσαν.

​Afterward, when the day arrived, they enclosed the assembly in Colonus (this is a sanctuary of Poseidon outside the city, distant about ten stades), and the commissioners brought forward nothing else but this very proposal: that any Athenian should be allowed to express any opinion he pleased with impunity; and if anyone should prosecute the speaker for unconstitutional proposals, or harm him in any other way, they imposed heavy penalties.

§8.67.3

ἐνταῦθα δὴ λαμπρῶς ἐλέγετο ἤδη3 μήτε ἀρχὴν ἄρχειν μηδεμίαν ἔτι ἐκ τοῦ αὐτοῦ κόσμου μήτε μισθοφορεῖν προέδρους τε ἑλέσθαι πέντε ἄνδρας, τούτους δὲ ἑλέσθαι ἑκατὸν ἄνδρας, καὶ τῶν ἑκατὸν ἕκαστον πρὸς ἑαυτὸν τρεῖς·4 ἐλθόντας δὲ αὐτοὺς τετρακοσίους ὄντας ἐς τὸ βουλευτήριον ἄρχειν ὅπῃ ἂν ἄριστα γιγνώσκωσιν αὐτοκράτορας, καὶ τοὺς πεντακισχιλίους δὲ ξυλλέγειν ὁπόταν αὐτοῖς δοκῇ.

​Thereupon indeed it was already openly proposed that no office should any longer be held under the established system, nor any salary paid; and that they should elect five presidents, and these should choose one hundred men, and each of the hundred should choose three others to join him; and that these, being four hundred, should enter the council chamber and govern with full powers in whatever way they thought best, and should convene the Five Thousand whenever they saw fit.

Syntax notes4 items
  1. 8.67.1τῶν λοιπῶν εἴχοντο

    Meaning 'set to work on the remaining tasks.' The middle verb εἴχοντο (imperfect of ἔχομαι) takes the genitive τῶν λοιπῶν in the sense of 'clinging to' or 'laying hold of,' and thus 'setting about.'

  2. 8.67.2ἡ ἡμέρα ἐφῆκε

    Meaning 'when the day arrived.' The verb ἐφῆκε is the third-person singular imperfect of ἐφήκω ('to have arrived'), indicating that the appointed time had come.

  3. 8.67.3ἐνταῦθα δὴ λαμπρῶς ἐλέγετο ἤδη

    Meaning 'thereupon indeed it was already openly proposed.' The impersonal passive ἐλέγετο ('it was proposed') accompanied by the adverb λαμπρῶς ('brightly, openly, without disguise') marks the transition from underground conspiracy to open and explicit demands for constitutional change.

  4. 8.67.3πρὸς ἑαυτὸν τρεῖς

    Meaning 'three others in addition to himself.' The preposition πρὸς with the accusative reflexive pronoun ἑαυτόν means 'in addition to oneself,' indicating that each of the hundred was to choose three colleagues besides himself, resulting in 100 + (100 × 3) = 400 men.

Translated by Gemini 3.5 Flash (published 2026-05-25) · Revision history (1, latest 2026-09-21)
  • 2026-09-21 AI review — note 1
urn:cts:greekLit:tlg0003.tlg001.humanitext-grc2:8.67.1-8.67.3