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Thucydides · History of the Peloponnesian War §1.119.1

Assembly of Allies and the Corinthian Speech

Passage 119 of 917 · Greek

Summary

Sparta decides to put the question of war to a vote by summoning their allies, and after various nations accuse Athens, the Corinthians speak last.

§1.119.1αὖθις δὲ τοὺς ξυμμάχους παρακαλέσαντες ψῆφον ἐβούλοντο ἐπαγαγεῖν εἰ χρὴ πολεμεῖν.
And having summoned the allies again, they wished to put it to the vote whether they should go to war.
καὶ ἐλθόντων τῶν πρέσβεων ἀπὸ τῆς ξυμμαχίας καὶ ξυνόδου γενομένης οἵ τε ἄλλοι εἶπον ἃ ἐβούλοντο, κατηγοροῦντες οἱ πλείους τῶν Ἀθηναίων καὶ τὸν πόλεμον ἀξιοῦντες γίγνεσθαι, καὶ οἱ Κορίνθιοι δεηθέντες μὲν καὶ κατὰ πόλεις πρότερον ἑκάστων ἰδίᾳ ὥστε ψηφίσασθαι τὸν πόλεμον, δεδιότες περὶ τῇ Ποτειδαίᾳ μὴ προδιαφθαρῇ, παρόντες δὲ καὶ τότε καὶ τελευταῖοι ἐπελθόντες ἔλεγον τοιάδε.
When the ambassadors from the alliance had arrived and the assembly had met, the others said what they wished, most of them accusing the Athenians and demanding that war should be made; and the Corinthians, who had previously entreated each of the cities individually to vote for war, fearing for Potidaea lest it should be destroyed beforehand, and being present also then and coming forward last, spoke as follows.

Notes

  1. 1.119.1ψῆφον ἐβούλοντο ἐπαγαγεῖν — An idiomatic expression meaning "to put to the vote" or "to bring to a vote". The infinitive ἐπαγαγεῖν is the aorist active of ἐπάγω.
  2. 1.119.1δεηθέντες μὲν καὶ κατὰ πόλεις πρότερον ἑκάστων ἰδίᾳ — The participle δεηθέντες is the aorist participle of the passive deponent verb δέομαι (to entreat, beg) with an active meaning. ἑκάστων (each of them/the cities) is the genitive object governed by δέομαι. κατὰ πόλεις functions adverbially as "city by city" or "individually by cities".
  3. 1.119.1δεδιότες περὶ τῇ Ποτειδαίᾳ μὴ προδιαφθαρῇ — A fear clause introduced by μή after the verb of fearing δεδιότες (perfect participle of δείδω), meaning "fearing lest...". The prefix προ- in προδιαφθαρῇ (aorist passive subjunctive third-person singular of προδιαφθείρω) implies being destroyed "beforehand" or "before help could arrive".

Cite this passage

Thucydides, History of the Peloponnesian War §1.119.1. Humanitext Reader, https://reader.humanitext.ai/en/text/urn:cts:greekLit:tlg0003.tlg001.humanitext-grc2:1.119.1

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