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Thucydides · History of the Peloponnesian War §1.145.1

Athenian Vote and Reply to the Spartan Envoys

Passage 145 of 917 · Greek

Summary

Having heard Pericles' speech, the Athenians vote in accordance with his proposals and answer the Lacedaemonian envoys that they will do nothing under command but are ready for arbitration on equal terms. The envoys return home, and no further embassies are sent.

§1.145.1ὁ μὲν Περικλῆς τοιαῦτα εἶπεν, οἱ δὲ Ἀθηναῖοι νομίσαντες ἄριστα σφίσι παραινεῖν αὐτὸν ἐψηφίσαντο ἃ ἐκέλευε, καὶ τοῖς Λακεδαιμονίοις ἀπεκρίναντο τῇ ἐκείνου γνώμῃ, καθ’ ἕκαστά τε ὡς ἔφρασε καὶ τὸ ξύμπαν, οὐδὲν κελευόμενοι ποιήσειν, δίκῃ δὲ κατὰ τὰς ξυνθήκας ἑτοῖμοι εἶναι διαλύεσθαι περὶ τῶν ἐγκλημάτων ἐπὶ ἴσῃ καὶ ὁμοίᾳ.
Pericles spoke thus, and the Athenians, considering that he gave them the best advice, voted what he proposed, and answered the Lacedaemonians according to his opinion, both in detail as he had expressed it and as a whole: that they would do nothing on command, but were ready to settle their complaints by arbitration according to the treaty, on equal and like terms.
καὶ οἱ μὲν ἀπεχώρησαν ἐπ’ οἴκου καὶ οὐκέτι ὕστερον ἐπρεσβεύοντο·
And they departed for home, and did not send any more embassies thereafter.

Notes

  1. 1.145.1οὐδὲν κελευόμενοι ποιήσειν, δίκῃ δὲ ... ἑτοῖμοι εἶναι — Infinitive clauses in indirect discourse depending on the verb ἀπεκρίναντο ("they answered"). The future infinitive ποιήσειν and the present infinitive ἑτοῖμοι εἶναι are coordinated. Since the subject of the infinitives is the same as that of the main verb, the participle and adjective (κελευόμενοι, ἑτοῖμοι) are in the nominative case instead of the accusative.
  2. 1.145.1ἐπὶ ἴσῃ καὶ ὁμοίᾳ — An idiomatic dative phrase with the feminine singular adjectives ἴσῃ καὶ ὁμοίᾳ, where a noun like μοίρᾳ ("share, condition, footing") is omitted, meaning "on equal and like terms."
  3. 1.145.1ἐπρεσβεύοντο — Imperfect tense, indicating the cessation of an ongoing or repeated historical action: "they no longer kept sending embassies."

Cite this passage

Thucydides, History of the Peloponnesian War §1.145.1. Humanitext Reader, https://reader.humanitext.ai/en/text/urn:cts:greekLit:tlg0003.tlg001.humanitext-grc2:1.145.1

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