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Thucydides · History of the Peloponnesian War §1.95.1-1.95.7

Pausanias' Conduct and Transfer of Leadership to Athens

Passage 95 of 917 · Greek

Summary

Resenting Pausanias' tyrannical behavior, the allies request Athens to take the leadership. While Lacedaemon recalls and investigates him, the allies transfer their allegiance to Athens, leading Lacedaemon to withdraw from the war.

§1.95.1ἤδη δὲ βιαίου ὄντος αὐτοῦ οἵ τε ἄλλοι Ἕλληνες ἤχθοντο καὶ οὐχ ἥκιστα οἱ Ἴωνες καὶ ὅσοι ἀπὸ βασιλέως νεωστὶ ἠλευθέρωντο· φοιτῶντές τε πρὸς τοὺς Ἀθηναίους ἠξίουν αὐτοὺς ἡγεμόνας σφῶν γίγνεσθαι κατὰ τὸ ξυγγενὲς καὶ Παυσανίᾳ μὴ ἐπιτρέπειν, ἤν που βιάζηται.
As he was already acting violently, the other Hellenes were offended, and not least the Ionians and all those who had recently been liberated from the King; and frequently visiting the Athenians, they requested them to become their leaders on the ground of their common kinship, and not to submit to Pausanias if he should attempt any violence.
§1.95.2οἱ δὲ Ἀθηναῖοι ἐδέξαντό τε τοὺς λόγους καὶ προσεῖχον τὴν γνώμην ὡς οὐ περιοψόμενοι τἆλλά τε καταστησόμενοι ᾗ φαίνοιτο ἄριστα αὐτοῖς.
The Athenians accepted these proposals and applied their minds to the matter, with the intention of not overlooking it and of settling all other things as might seem best to them.
§1.95.3ἐν τούτῳ δὲ οἱ Λακεδαιμόνιοι μετεπέμποντο Παυσανίαν ἀνακρινοῦντες ὧν πέρι ἐπυνθάνοντο· καὶ γὰρ ἀδικία πολλὴ κατηγορεῖτο αὐτοῦ ὑπὸ τῶν Ἑλλήνων τῶν ἀφικνουμένων, καὶ τυραννίδος μᾶλλον ἐφαίνετο μίμησις ἢ στρατηγία.
In the meantime, the Lacedaemonians sent for Pausanias to examine him concerning the reports they were hearing; for much injustice was charged against him by the Hellenes who arrived, and his command appeared to be an imitation of tyranny rather than a generalship.
§1.95.4ξυνέβη τε αὐτῷ καλεῖσθαί τε ἅμα καὶ τοὺς ξυμμάχους τῷ ἐκείνου ἔχθει παρ’ Ἀθηναίους μετατάξασθαι πλὴν τῶν ἀπὸ Πελοποννήσου στρατιωτῶν.
And it happened that at the same time he was being recalled, the allies, out of hatred for him, transferred themselves to the side of the Athenians, except for the soldiers from the Peloponnese.
§1.95.5ἐλθὼν δὲ ἐς Λακεδαίμονα τῶν μὲν ἰδίᾳ πρός τινα ἀδικημάτων ηὐθύνθη, τὰ δὲ μέγιστα ἀπολύεται μὴ ἀδικεῖν· κατηγορεῖτο δὲ αὐτοῦ οὐχ ἥκιστα μηδισμὸς καὶ ἐδόκει σαφέστατον εἶναι.
On coming to Lacedaemon, he was convicted of private wrongs against individuals, but was acquitted of the greatest charges; not least among the charges against him was Medism, and this seemed to be clearest of all.
§1.95.6καὶ ἐκεῖνον μὲν οὐκέτι ἐκπέμπουσιν ἄρχοντα, Δόρκιν δὲ καὶ ἄλλους τινὰς μετ’ αὐτοῦ στρατιὰν ἔχοντας οὐ πολλήν· οἷς οὐκέτι ἐφίεσαν οἱ ξύμμαχοι τὴν ἡγεμονίαν.
And him they no longer sent out as commander, but rather Dorcis and some others with him, having no large army; to whom the allies would no longer yield the leadership.
§1.95.7οἱ δὲ αἰσθόμενοι ἀπῆλθον, καὶ ἄλλους οὐκέτι ὕστερον ἐξέπεμψαν οἱ Λακεδαιμόνιοι, φοβούμενοι μὴ σφίσιν οἱ ἐξιόντες χείρους γίγνωνται, ὅπερ καὶ ἐν τῷ Παυσανίᾳ ἐνεῖδον, ἀπαλλαξείοντες δὲ καὶ τοῦ Μηδικοῦ πολέμου καὶ τοὺς Ἀθηναίους νομίζοντες ἱκανοὺς ἐξηγεῖσθαι καὶ σφίσιν ἐν τῷ τότε παρόντι ἐπιτηδείους.
Perceiving this, they departed, and the Lacedaemonians did not send out others after them, fearing lest those who went abroad should deteriorate, which was indeed what they had observed in the case of Pausanias; and also because they wished to be rid of the Persian war, and believed the Athenians to be competent to lead and friendly to themselves at that present time.

Notes

  1. §1.95.2ὡς οὐ περιοψόμενοι — The combination of the particle ὡς with the future participle περιοψόμενοι (from περιοράω, 'to overlook') expresses the subjective intention or resolution of the subject of the main clause (the Athenians), meaning 'with the intention of not overlooking.'
  2. §1.95.4ξυνέβη — An impersonal verb meaning 'it happened that.' Its grammatical subjects are the two subsequent infinitive clauses connected by ἅμα... τε... καί...: καλεῖσθαί τε (with the omitted accusative subject αὐτόν referring to Pausanias) and τοὺς ξυμμάχους... μετατάξασθαι. The dative αὐτῷ depends on ξυνέβη ('it happened to him that...').
  3. §1.95.5ἀπολύεται μὴ ἀδικεῖν — The passive of ἀπολύω ('to acquit') is followed by an infinitive. In Greek, verbs of negative meaning (like acquitting or denying) are regularly accompanied by an infinitive with a redundant negative μή. Thus, it literally means 'he was acquitted so as not to have done wrong,' meaning 'he was acquitted of the greatest charges.'
  4. §1.95.7ἀπαλλαξείοντες — A present participle of the desiderative verb ἀπαλλαξείω (formed with the desiderative suffix -σείω from ἀπαλλάσσω, 'to rid of, deliver'), meaning 'wishing to be rid of.' It agrees with the subject of the main verb οὐκέτι ἐξέπεμψαν (the Lacedaemonians) and stands in parallel with the other causal participles, φοβούμενοι and νομίζοντες.

Cite this passage

Thucydides, History of the Peloponnesian War §1.95.1-1.95.7. Humanitext Reader, https://reader.humanitext.ai/en/text/urn:cts:greekLit:tlg0003.tlg001.humanitext-grc2:1.95.1-1.95.7

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