Humanitext Reader

Thucydides · History of the Peloponnesian War §2.60.1-2.60.7

The Primacy of the State and Pericles' Qualifications

Passage 206 of 917 · Greek

Summary

Pericles begins his assembly speech by stating that he anticipated the citizens' anger, arguing that the fortune of the state as a whole determines individual well-being. He assets his own unparalleled qualifications as a leader and reminds them of their own responsibility for choosing the war.

§2.60.1‘καὶ προσδεχομένῳ μοι τὰ τῆς ὀργῆς ὑμῶν ἔς με γεγένηται (αἰσθάνομαι γὰρ τὰς αἰτίας) καὶ ἐκκλησίαν τούτου ἕνεκα ξυνήγαγον, ὅπως ὑπομνήσω καὶ μέμψωμαι εἴ τι μὴ ὀρθῶς ἢ ἐμοὶ χαλεπαίνετε ἢ ταῖς ξυμφοραῖς εἴκετε.
"And the manifestation of your anger against me has occurred to me as I was expecting it (for I perceive the reasons for your complaints), and for this reason I have called this assembly, so that I may remind you and censure you if you are in any way wrongly either angry with me or yielding to your misfortunes.
§2.60.2ἐγὼ γὰρ ἡγοῦμαι πόλιν πλείω ξύμπασαν ὀρθουμένην ὠφελεῖν τοὺς ἰδιώτας ἢ καθ’ ἕκαστον τῶν πολιτῶν εὐπραγοῦσαν, ἁθρόαν δὲ σφαλλομένην.
For I hold that a state which is sound as a whole benefits its individual citizens more than one which, though its citizens individually prosper, is collectively failing.
§2.60.3καλῶς μὲν γὰρ φερόμενος ἀνὴρ τὸ καθ’ ἑαυτὸν διαφθειρομένης τῆς πατρίδος οὐδὲν ἧσσον ξυναπόλλυται, κακοτυχῶν δὲ ἐν εὐτυχούσῃ πολλῷ μᾶλλον διασῴζεται.
For a man who is doing well in his private affairs is none the less destroyed together with his country if it is ruined, whereas one who is unfortunate in a successful country is far more easily preserved.
§2.60.4ὁπότε οὖν πόλις μὲν τὰς ἰδίας ξυμφορὰς οἵα τε φέρειν, εἷς δ’ ἕκαστος τὰς ἐκείνης ἀδύνατος, πῶς οὐ χρὴ πάντας ἀμύνειν αὐτῇ, καὶ μὴ ὃ νῦν ὑμεῖς δρᾶτε·
Since, therefore, a state is able to bear the misfortunes of individuals, while each individual is unable to bear hers, how is it not necessary for all to defend her, and not to do what you are now doing?
ταῖς κατ’ οἶκον κακοπραγίαις ἐκπεπληγμένοι τοῦ κοινοῦ τῆς σωτηρίας ἀφίεσθε, καὶ ἐμέ τε τὸν παραινέσαντα πολεμεῖν καὶ ὑμᾶς αὐτοὺς οἳ ξυνέγνωτε δι’ αἰτίας ἔχετε.
You, being panic-stricken by your domestic misfortunes, are abandoning the safety of the commonweal, and you hold in blame both me who advised you to make war and yourselves who agreed to it.
§2.60.5καίτοι ἐμοὶ τοιούτῳ ἀνδρὶ ὀργίζεσθε ὃς οὐδενὸς ἥσσων οἴομαι εἶναι γνῶναί τε τὰ δέοντα καὶ ἑρμηνεῦσαι ταῦτα, φιλόπολίς τε καὶ χρημάτων κρείσσων.
And yet, you are angry with such a man as me, who believe myself to be second to none in knowing what is necessary and in explaining it, being both a lover of my city and superior to money.
§2.60.6ὅ τε γὰρ γνοὺς καὶ μὴ σαφῶς διδάξας ἐν ἴσῳ καὶ εἰ μὴ ἐνεθυμήθη· ὅ τε ἔχων ἀμφότερα, τῇ δὲ πόλει δύσνους, οὐκ ἂν ὁμοίως τι οἰκείως φράζοι· προσόντος δὲ καὶ τοῦδε, χρήμασι δὲ νικωμένου, τὰ ξύμπαντα τούτου ἑνὸς ἂν πωλοῖτο.
For he who knows but does not teach clearly is in the same position as if he had never thought of it; and he who has both qualities but is ill-disposed to the city would not speak with the same domestic affection; and even if this quality too is present, but he is vanquished by money, everything would be sold for this one thing.
§2.60.7ὥστ’ εἴ μοι καὶ μέσως ἡγούμενοι μᾶλλον ἑτέρων προσεῖναι αὐτὰ πολεμεῖν ἐπείσθητε, οὐκ ἂν εἰκότως νῦν τοῦ γε ἀδικεῖν αἰτίαν φεροίμην.
Therefore, if you were persuaded by me to make war because you thought that these qualities belonged to me more than to others, even if only in a moderate degree, it would not be reasonable now for me at least to bear the blame of doing wrong."

Notes

  1. 2.60.1προσδεχομένῳ μοι — A dative participle functioning as a dative of interest or judgement ("to me who was expecting it"). It emphasizes that the manifestation of the citizens' anger was fully anticipated by Pericles himself.
  2. 2.60.2πόλιν πλείω ξύμπασαν ὀρθουμένην ὠφελεῖν τοὺς ἰδιώτας ἢ καθ’ ἕκαστον τῶν πολιτῶν εὐπραγοῦσαν, ἁθρόαν δὲ σφαλλομένην — An accusative with infinitive construction dependent on the main verb `ἡγοῦμαι`. It compares two states of the city: one that is sound as a whole (`πόλιν ξύμπασαν ὀρθουμένην`) and one whose citizens individually prosper but collectively fail (`(πόλιν) καθ’ ἕκαστον τῶν πολιτῶν εὐπραγοῦσαν, ἁθρόαν δὲ σφαλλομένην`). The participles function circumstantially, describing the temporal or conditional state.
  3. 2.60.4ὃ νῦν ὑμεῖς δρᾶτε· — To be understood with the omission of the infinitive `δρᾶν` dependent on `μὴ`. The relative clause with an implicit antecedent `ὃ` ("what you are now doing") serves as its object. The entire sentence following the colon is in apposition, explaining the specific content of this action.
  4. 2.60.6προσόντος δὲ καὶ τοῦδε — A genitive absolute construction. The demonstrative pronoun `τοῦδε` refers back to the previously mentioned `φιλόπολις` (patriotism). It is used concessively: "even if this quality too were present."
  5. 2.60.7καὶ μέσως ἡγούμενοι μᾶλλον ἑτέρων προσεῖναι αὐτὰ — The participle `ἡγούμενοι` ("thinking/believing") expresses the ground within the conditional clause `εἰ... ἐπείσθητε`. The pronoun `αὐτὰ` refers to the four qualities Pericles claimed in 2.60.5, acting as the subject of the infinitive `προσεῖναι` (to belong to). `καὶ μέσως` ("even in a moderate degree") modifies the comparative `μᾶλλον` ("more than others").

Cite this passage

Thucydides, History of the Peloponnesian War §2.60.1-2.60.7. Humanitext Reader, https://reader.humanitext.ai/en/text/urn:cts:greekLit:tlg0003.tlg001.humanitext-grc2:2.60.1-2.60.7

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