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Thucydides · History of the Peloponnesian War §2.85.1-2.85.6

Spartan Naval Preparations and Delayed Athenian Reinforcements

Passage 231 of 917 · Greek

Summary

The Lacedaemonians dispatch advisers to Cnemus to prepare for another naval battle, while Phormio requests reinforcements from Athens. Athens sends a fleet, but it is delayed after being diverted to Crete for a local campaign.

§2.85.1πέμπουσι δὲ καὶ οἱ Λακεδαιμόνιοι τῷ Κνήμῳ ξυμβούλους ἐπὶ τὰς ναῦς Τιμοκράτη καὶ Βρασίδαν καὶ Λυκόφρονα, κελεύοντες ἄλλην ναυμαχίαν βελτίω παρασκευάζεσθαι καὶ μὴ ὑπ’ ὀλίγων νεῶν εἴργεσθαι τῆς θαλάσσης.
The Lacedaemonians also sent Timocrates, Brasidas, and Lycophron to Cnemus as advisers for the fleet, ordering him to prepare for another and better sea-fight, and not to be kept off the sea by a few ships.
§2.85.2ἐδόκει γὰρ αὐτοῖς ἄλλως τε καὶ πρῶτον ναυμαχίας πειρασαμένοις πολὺς ὁ παράλογος εἶναι, καὶ οὐ τοσούτῳ ᾤοντο σφῶν τὸ ναυτικὸν λείπεσθαι, γεγενῆσθαι δέ τινα μαλακίαν, οὐκ ἀντιτιθέντες τὴν Ἀθηναίων ἐκ πολλοῦ ἐμπειρίαν τῆς σφετέρας δι’ ὀλίγου μελέτης.
For to them, especially as they had made their first trial of a sea-fight, the unexpected defeat seemed a great matter, and they did not think their navy was so far inferior, but rather that some lack of spirit had shown itself, not contrasting the long experience of the Athenians with their own short practice.
ὀργῇ οὖν ἀπέστελλον.
Therefore they dispatched them in anger.
§2.85.3οἱ δὲ ἀφικόμενοι μετὰ τοῦ Κνήμου ναῦς τε προσπεριήγγειλαν κατὰ πόλεις καὶ τὰς προϋπαρχούσας ἐξηρτύοντο ὡς ἐπὶ ναυμαχίαν.
When they arrived, they, together with Cnemus, sent round to the states for more ships, and equipped those they already had, as if for a battle.
§2.85.4πέμπει δὲ καὶ ὁ Φορμίων ἐς τὰς Ἀθήνας τήν τε παρασκευὴν αὐτῶν ἀγγελοῦντας καὶ περὶ τῆς ναυμαχίας ἣν ἐνίκησαν φράσοντας, καὶ κελεύων αὑτῷ ναῦς ὅτι πλείστας διὰ τάχους ἀποστεῖλαι, ὡς καθ’ ἡμέραν ἑκάστην ἐλπίδος οὔσης αἰεὶ ναυμαχήσειν.
Phormio also sent messengers to Athens to announce their preparations and to tell of the sea-fight which they had won, and bidding them send him as many ships as possible as quickly as possible, since there was always an expectation of fighting a battle every day.
§2.85.5οἱ δὲ ἀποπέμπουσιν εἴκοσι ναῦς αὐτῷ, τῷ δὲ κομίζοντι αὐτὰς προσεπέστειλαν ἐς Κρήτην πρῶτον ἀφικέσθαι.
The Athenians dispatched twenty ships to him, but gave additional instructions to the commander of them to go first to Crete.
Νικίας γὰρ Κρὴς Γορτύνιος πρόξενος ὢν πείθει αὐτοὺς ἐπὶ Κυδωνίαν πλεῦσαι, φάσκων προσποιήσειν αὐτὴν οὖσαν πολεμίαν· ἐπῆγε δὲ Πολιχνίταις χαριζόμενος ὁμόροις τῶν Κυδωνιατῶν.
For Nicias, a Cretan of Gortyn who was their proxenus, persuaded them to sail against Cydonia, declaring that he would win over that city, which was hostile; but he brought them there to gratify the Polichnitai, who were neighbors of the Cydonians.
§2.85.6καὶ ὁ μὲν λαβὼν τὰς ναῦς ᾤχετο ἐς Κρήτην, καὶ μετὰ τῶν Πολιχνιτῶν ἐδῄου τὴν γῆν τῶν Κυδωνιατῶν, καὶ ὑπ’ ἀνέμων καὶ ἀπλοίας ἐνδιέτριψεν οὐκ ὀλίγον χρόνον·
He, therefore, taking the ships, went to Crete, and in cooperation with the Polichnitai ravaged the territory of the Cydonians, and owing to winds and stress of weather, he wasted no little time there.

Notes

  1. §2.85.2ἄλλως τε καὶ πρῶτον ναυμαχίας πειρασαμένοις — The dative participle πειρασαμένοις agrees with αὐτοῖς (the Lacedaemonians) from the previous clause, restrictively qualifying them. The phrase ἄλλως τε καί means 'especially' or 'particularly'.
  2. §2.85.2γεγενῆσθαι δέ τινα μαλακίαν — An accusative with infinitive construction dependent on ᾤοντο (they thought). It stands in contrast with the preceding οὐ ... λείπεσθαι (they did not think they were inferior), introducing a positive assertion: 'but rather that some lack of spirit had shown itself'.
  3. §2.85.4ὡς καθ’ ἡμέραν ἑκάστην ἐλπίδος οὔσης αἰεὶ ναυμαχήσειν — The particle ὡς expresses subjective reason or expectation, accompanying the genitive absolute ἐλπίδος οὔσης ('there being an expectation'). The future infinitive ναυμαχήσειν functions as an appositive to or explanation of the noun ἐλπίδος, representing 'the expectation of fighting a battle'.
  4. §2.85.5φάσκων προσποιήσειν αὐτὴν οὖσαν πολεμίαν — The subject of the future infinitive προσποιήσειν ('that he would win over') is omitted as it is identical to the subject of the participle φάσκων (Nicias). The accusative αὐτήν refers to Cydonia, while the present participle οὖσαν expresses the state of 'being', with πολεμίαν as its complement.

Cite this passage

Thucydides, History of the Peloponnesian War §2.85.1-2.85.6. Humanitext Reader, https://reader.humanitext.ai/en/text/urn:cts:greekLit:tlg0003.tlg001.humanitext-grc2:2.85.1-2.85.6

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