- Source
- Aristides. Vol. 1. Dindorf, Wilhelm, editor. Leipzig: Reimer, 1829.
- 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:tlg0284.tlg029.humanitext-grc2:373
- Generated
- Humanitext Reader · reader.humanitext.ai · 2026-10-27
The speaker compares the self-preserving nature of empire to the mutual check among numerous slaves, warns that withdrawing the Sicilian expeditionary force will invite enemies to invade the Athenian homeland, and argues for maintaining the defense abroad rather than at home.
ὡς θεῖον τὸ χρῆμα τῆς ἀρχῆς·1 αὐτὴ γὰρ ἑαυτὴν σώζει. ὥσπερ γὰρ ἐν τοῖς ἰδίοις οἴκοις ἑνὶ μὲν καὶ δυοῖν οἰκέταιν χαλεπὸν χρήσασθαι, οἱ δὲ πολλοὶ κατὰ ἀλλήλων ὑπάρχουσιν, οὕτω κἀν ταῖς δυναστείαις τὸ πλῆθος τῶν δεδουλωμένων βεβαιοῖ τὴν ἰσχὺν τοῖς προειληφόσι· πάντες γὰρ ἐν κύκλῳ δεδίασιν ἀλλήλους. οὕτω δὴ καὶ ἡ Σικελία τοῖς ἐνταῦθʼ ἡμῖν οὖσι προσγενομένη αὐτή τε διὰ τούτων σωθήσεται καὶ τἀνταῦθα ἀκριβώσει καὶ σύνδεσμος, εἰ χρὴ τἀληθὲς εἰπεῖν, τῆς ἀρχῆς καθεστήξει. χειρωθέντες γὰρ ἄνθρωποι πολλοὶ καὶ παντοδαποὶ γένος, οὐχ ἕξουσιν ἀποστροφὴν, ἀλλὰ πᾶν τὸ μὴ περαιτέρω τοῦ παρόντος κακὸν ὥσπερ ἕρμαιον ἡγήσονται τοῖς ὅλοις ἀπειπόντες. ἀλλʼ ἐνταῦθα γὰρ ἤδη τῶν φόβων εἴημεν·2 ἐγὼ δὲ ἑτέρους ἐγγυτέρω τούτων ὁρῶ, τὸ ναυτικὸν εἰ κινήσαιμεν, ὦ Ἀθηναῖοι, νῦν ἐκ Σικελίας. καὶ οὐκ ἐκ τῶν Βάκιδος χρησμῶν οὐδʼ Ἀμφιλύτου μαθεῖν δεῖ με, ἀλλʼ αὐτὸς εὖ εἰδὼς ὑμῖν προλέγω Συρακοσίους καὶ Σελινουντίους καὶ πάντας τοὺς ἐκεῖθεν πολεμίους δεῦρʼ ἥξοντας, ἂν αὐτοὺς καλέσωμεν. τούτους γὰρ οὐχ ἧττον καλοῦμεν ἢ τοὺς ἡμετέρους αὐτῶν, ἂν ἅ τινες κελεύουσι ψηφιζώμεθα. οὐ γὰρ ἐξαρκέσει Συρακοσίοις, εἴ γε μηδὲν πεπόνθασιν, ἀλλὰ τοῦτο μὲν τῇ τύχῃ καὶ Λακεδαιμονίοις λογιοῦνται τοῖς ἀφῃρημένοις, ἡμᾶς δὲ ἐχθροὺς μὲν ὁμοίως ὥσπερ ἂν εἰ παρεστησάμεθα αὐτοὺς, δυνατὸν δʼ εἶναι νῦν μόνως ἀμύνασθαι, κρινοῦσι. καίτοι θαυμαστὸν εἴ τις, ὦ Ἀθηναῖοι, τὸ μὲν ἐν τῷ Συρακοσίων λιμένι τριήρεις ἡμετέρας εἶναι φοβερὸν κρίνει τῇ πόλει, τὸ δὲ τὰς τῶν Συρακοσίων καὶ τῶν συμμάχων εἰς τὸν Πειραιᾶ καταπλεῦσαι, τοῦθʼ ὥσπερ σωτήριον τοῖς πράγμασι προσδοκᾷ. εἰ μὲν γὰρ ἔστι τις ἡμῖν ἐγγυητὴς, ὡς ἐκεῖνοι τὴν ἡσυχίαν ἄξουσι, καὶ οὐκ ἐθελήσουσι τὴν αὐτὴν ἀποδοῦναι χάριν Λακεδαιμονίοις ἧσπερ οὗτοι νῦν ὑπῆρξαν εἰς αὐτοὺς, ἐφʼ ἡμῖν εἶναι νομίζωμεν ὁπότερʼ ἂν βουλώμεθα τούτων. εἰ δʼ οὐχ οὕτω φευξόμεθα αὐτοὺς, ὡς μὴ ὅποι ποτʼ ἂν ἡμῖν ἐπίωσιν, ἐνταῦθα ἀναγκαίως ἔχειν ἀμύνασθαι,3 τί τὴν Ἀττικὴν ταραχῆς ἐμπίπλαμεν ἀμελήσαντες τῆς Σικελίας; καὶ τί μεθίσταμεν ἐνταῦθα τὸν πόλεμον, ἐξὸν κατέχειν ἐκείνους, ὅπως μήθʼ ἑκόντες μήτʼ ἄκοντες προΐωσι τῆς αὑτῶν; ἢ τὸ μὲν ἡμᾶς βουλεύεσθαι περὶ ἐκείνων δυσχερὲς, τὸ δʼ
How divine a thing is empire! For it preserves itself. For just as in private households it is difficult to manage one or two servants, but many exist in mutual check against one another, so also in sovereignties the multitude of the enslaved secures the strength for those who have taken it beforehand; for all in a circle fear one another. Thus indeed, Sicily also, being added to us who are here, will both itself be preserved through these, and will make things here secure, and, if one must speak the truth, will become a bond of the empire. For many men of every kind of race, having been subdued, will have no refuge, but having despaired in everything, they will consider every evil that is not worse than the present as a godsend. But indeed, we might already be in those fears; but I, O Athenians, see others closer than these, if we should now move our navy from Sicily. And I do not need to learn it from the oracles of Bacis or Amphilytus, but knowing it well myself, I foretell to you that the Syracusans, Selinuntines, and all the enemies from there will come here, if we summon them. For we summon them no less than our own men, if we vote for what some advise. For it will not be sufficient for the Syracusans even if they have suffered nothing, but they will attribute this to fortune and to the Lacedaemonians who took us away, while they will judge us to be enemies just as if we had subdued them, and that it is now only possible to defend themselves. And yet it is wonderful, O Athenians, if someone judges the presence of our triremes in the harbor of the Syracusans as fearful for the city, but expects the sailing of those of the Syracusans and their allies into the Piraeus as if it were salvation for our affairs. For if there is some guarantor for us that they will keep peace, and will not wish to return the same favor to the Lacedaemonians which these have now initiated toward them, let us believe that whichever of these we wish is in our power. But if we cannot flee them so as not to have to defend ourselves of necessity here, wherever they may attack us, why do we fill Attica with confusion, neglecting Sicily? And why do we transfer the war here, when it is possible to hold them down so that they may not advance from their own land, whether willingly or unwillingly? Or is it that for us to deliberate about them is difficult, while...
- 373ὡς θεῖον τὸ χρῆμα τῆς ἀρχῆς
ὡς modifies the adjective θεῖον to express exclamation ("how...!"). τὸ χρῆμα τῆς ἀρχῆς is an emphatic expression meaning "the thing of empire" or "empire itself," where χρῆμα with a genitive points to the essence or reality of the noun.
- 373ἀλλʼ ἐνταῦθα γὰρ ἤδη τῶν φόβων εἴημεν
ἀλλὰ... γάρ involves an ellipse (e.g., "but [this is not so], for...") used to transition or dismiss a premise. The optative εἴημεν expresses a potential or concessive sense ("we might already be in...").
- 373ὡς μὴ ὅποι ποτʼ ἂν ἡμῖν ἐπίωσιν, ἐνταῦθα ἀναγκαίως ἔχειν ἀμύνασθαι
A correlative structure: οὐχ οὕτω φευξόμεθα αὐτοὺς ὡς μὴ... The particle ὡς introduces a result clause: "we shall not flee them in such a way as not to..." meaning we cannot avoid them and must defend ourselves. ἀναγκαίως ἔχειν functions impersonally like ἀνάγκη εἶναι ("it is necessary"), appearing here as an infinitive in an indirect discourse or accusative with infinitive construction.