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Thucydides · History of the Peloponnesian War §2.73.1-2.73.3

Plataea's Mission to Athens and Promise of Support

Passage 219 of 917 · Greek

Summary

The Plataean envoys arrange a temporary truce to consult with the Athenians, who urge them to maintain the alliance and promise their assistance.

§2.73.1οἱ δ’ ἀκούσαντες ἐσῆλθον αὖθις ἐς τὴν πόλιν, καὶ βουλευσάμενοι μετὰ τοῦ πλήθους ἔλεξαν ὅτι βούλονται ἃ προκαλεῖται Ἀθηναίοις κοινῶσαι πρῶτον, καὶ ἢν πείθωσιν αὐτούς, ποιεῖν ταῦτα· μέχρι δὲ τούτου σπείσασθαι σφίσιν ἐκέλευον καὶ τὴν γῆν μὴ δῃοῦν.
Having heard this, they went back into the city, and after deliberating with the multitude, they answered that they wished first to communicate his proposals to the Athenians, and if they could persuade them, to do these things; in the meantime, they requested him to make a truce with them and not to ravage their land.
ὁ δὲ ἡμέρας τε ἐσπείσατο ἐν αἷς εἰκὸς ἦν κομισθῆναι, καὶ τὴν γῆν οὐκ ἔτεμνεν.
He then granted a truce for as many days as they were likely to take to return, and did not ravage their land.
§2.73.2ἐλθόντες δὲ οἱ [Πλαταιῆς ] πρέσβεις ὡς τοὺς Ἀθηναίους καὶ βουλευσάμενοι μετ’ αὐτῶν πάλιν ἦλθον ἀπαγγέλλοντες τοῖς ἐν τῇ πόλει τοιάδε· §2.73.3‘οὔτ’ ἐν τῷ πρὸ τοῦ χρόνῳ, ὦ ἄνδρες Πλαταιῆς, ἀφ’ οὗ ξύμμαχοι ἐγενόμεθα, Ἀθηναῖοί φασιν ἐν οὐδενὶ ὑμᾶς προέσθαι ἀδικουμένους οὔτε νῦν περιόψεσθαι, βοηθήσειν δὲ κατὰ δύναμιν.
And the Plataean envoys went to the Athenians, and after deliberating with them, they came back and reported to those in the city as follows: ‘Plataeans, the Athenians say that neither in the past, since we became allies, have they ever abandoned you when you were being wronged, nor will they overlook you now, but they will assist you to the best of their power.
ἐπισκήπτουσί τε ὑμῖν πρὸς τῶν ὅρκων οὓς οἱ πατέρες ὤμοσαν μηδὲν νεωτερίζειν περὶ τὴν ξυμμαχίαν. ’
And they adjure you, by the oaths which your fathers swore, to make no change in respect to the alliance.’

Notes

  1. 2.73.1ποιεῖν — Present infinitive in indirect discourse dependent on the verb of speaking `ἔλεξαν`, serving as the apodosis to the conditional clause `ἢν πείθωσιν`. It represents a future intention ('we will do these things') in direct speech.
  2. 2.73.1κομισθῆναι — Aorist passive infinitive of `κομίζω` (to carry, bring), here used in an intransitive or middle sense meaning 'to return' (referring to the envoys). It depends on the impersonal expression `εἰκὸς ἦν` ('it was likely').
  3. 2.73.3προέσθαι — Second aorist middle infinitive of `προΐημι` (to abandon, betray), taking `ὑμᾶς` (you) as its direct object, which is modified by the present passive participle `ἀδικουμένους` (being wronged).

Cite this passage

Thucydides, History of the Peloponnesian War §2.73.1-2.73.3. Humanitext Reader, https://reader.humanitext.ai/en/text/urn:cts:greekLit:tlg0003.tlg001.humanitext-grc2:2.73.1-2.73.3

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