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Thucydides · History of the Peloponnesian War §3.10.1-3.10.6

Mytilenaeans on Athens' Enslavement of the Allies

Passage 259 of 917 · Greek

Summary

The Mytilenaean envoys speak first of justice and virtue in requesting an alliance, explaining the historical origins of their alliance with Athens and exposing the Athenians' gradual enslavement of the other allies.

§3.10.1‘περὶ γὰρ τοῦ δικαίου καὶ ἀρετῆς πρῶτον ἄλλως τε καὶ ξυμμαχίας δεόμενοι τοὺς λόγους ποιησόμεθα, εἰδότες οὔτε φιλίαν ἰδιώταις βέβαιον γιγνομένην οὔτε κοινωνίαν πόλεσιν ἐς οὐδέν, εἰ μὴ μετ’ ἀρετῆς δοκούσης ἐς ἀλλήλους γίγνοιντο καὶ τἆλλα ὁμοιότροποι εἶεν· ἐν γὰρ τῷ διαλλάσσοντι τῆς γνώμης καὶ αἱ διαφοραὶ τῶν ἔργων καθίστανται.
'For, since we are requesting an alliance, we will first of all make our address concerning justice and virtue, knowing that neither does friendship become stable for individuals, nor any partnership for states in any respect, unless they should be formed with apparent virtue toward each other, and be like-minded in other respects; for in the difference of opinion the differences of deeds also arise.
§3.10.2ἡμῖν δὲ καὶ Ἀθηναίοις ξυμμαχία ἐγένετο πρῶτον ἀπολιπόντων μὲν ὑμῶν ἐκ τοῦ Μηδικοῦ πολέμου, παραμεινάντων δὲ ἐκείνων πρὸς τὰ ὑπόλοιπα τῶν ἔργων.
Now, an alliance first arose between us and the Athenians when you withdrew from the Persian war, while they remained for the rest of the undertakings.
§3.10.3ξύμμαχοι μέντοι ἐγενόμεθα οὐκ ἐπὶ καταδουλώσει τῶν Ἑλλήνων Ἀθηναίοις, ἀλλ’ ἐπ᾽ ἐλευθερώσει ἀπὸ τοῦ Μήδου τοῖς Ἕλλησιν.
However, we became allies, not for the enslavement of the Greeks to the Athenians, but for the liberation of the Greeks from the Mede.
§3.10.4καὶ μέχρι μὲν ἀπὸ τοῦ ἴσου ἡγοῦντο, προθύμως εἱπόμεθα· ἐπειδὴ δὲ ἑωρῶμεν αὐτοὺς τὴν μὲν τοῦ Μήδου ἔχθραν ἀνιέντας, τὴν δὲ τῶν ξυμμάχων δούλωσιν ἐπαγομένους, οὐκ ἀδεεῖς ἔτι ἦμεν.
And as long as they led us on an equal footing, we followed eagerly; but when we saw them relaxing their hostility toward the Mede, and bringing about the enslavement of the allies, we were no longer without fear.
§3.10.5ἀδύνατοι δὲ ὄντες καθ’ ἓν γενόμενοι διὰ πολυψηφίαν ἀμύνασθαι οἱ ξύμμαχοι ἐδουλώθησαν πλὴν ἡμῶν καὶ Χίων· ἡμεῖς δὲ αὐτόνομοι δὴ ὄντες καὶ ἐλεύθεροι τῷ ὀνόματι ξυνεστρατεύσαμεν.
But the allies, being unable to unite and defend themselves because of the multiplicity of votes, were enslaved except for us and the Chians; and we, being indeed independent and free in name, joined in their campaigns.
§3.10.6καὶ πιστοὺς οὐκέτι εἴχομεν ἡγεμόνας Ἀθηναίους, παραδείγμασι τοῖς προγιγνομένοις χρώμενοι· οὐ γὰρ εἰκὸς ἦν αὐτοὺς οὓς μὲν μεθ’ ἡμῶν ἐνσπόνδους ἐποιήσαντο καταστρέψασθαι, τοὺς δὲ ὑπολοίπους, εἴ ποτε ἄρα ἐδυνήθησαν, μὴ δρᾶσαι τοῦτο.
And we no longer considered the Athenians to be trustworthy leaders, using the prior examples as warnings; for it was not likely that they, having subjugated those with whom they had made treaties along with us, would not do this to the rest, if ever indeed they had the power.'

Notes

  1. 3.10.1εἰδότες οὔτε φιλίαν ἰδιώταις βέβαιον γιγνομένην οὔτε κοινωνίαν πόλεσιν ἐς οὐδέν — This is an indirect discourse construction led by the participle εἰδότες (knowing), in which the predicate participle γιγνομένην (and its ellipsis in the second clause) agrees with the accusative nouns φιλίαν and κοινωνίαν.
  2. 3.10.2ἀπολιπόντων μὲν ὑμῶν ... παραμεινάντων δὲ ἐκείνων — Two symmetrical genitive absolute constructions. ὑμῶν refers to the Spartans and their allies, while ἐκείνων refers to the Athenians.
  3. 3.10.3οὐκ ἐπὶ καταδουλώσει τῶν Ἑλλήνων Ἀθηναίοις — Ἀθηναίοις is a dative of agent or interest associated with the verbal noun καταδουλώσει (enslavement), meaning 'for the enslavement of the Greeks to/by the Athenians.'
  4. 3.10.6οὐ γὰρ εἰκὸς ἦν αὐτοὺς ... μὴ δρᾶσαι τοῦτο — An accusative and infinitive construction governed by εἰκὸς ἦν (it was likely), with αὐτοὺς as the subject and δρᾶσαι as the infinitive. The double negative οὐ and μή indicates a strong inference ('it was unlikely that they would not do this').

Cite this passage

Thucydides, History of the Peloponnesian War §3.10.1-3.10.6. Humanitext Reader, https://reader.humanitext.ai/en/text/urn:cts:greekLit:tlg0003.tlg001.humanitext-grc2:3.10.1-3.10.6

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