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Thucydides · History of the Peloponnesian War §3.3.1-3.3.6

Athenian Fleet Dispatched to Mytilene and Defense Preparations

Passage 252 of 917 · Greek

Summary

At first hesitant upon hearing of Mytilene's preparations for revolt, Athens dispatches a fleet of forty ships once persuasion fails. However, a messenger from Athens informs the Mytilaeneans of the attack, allowing them to prepare their defense.

§3.3.1οἱ δ’ Ἀθηναῖοι (ἦσαν γὰρ τεταλαιπωρημένοι ὑπό τε τῆς νόσου καὶ τοῦ πολέμου ἄρτι καθισταμένου καὶ ἀκμάζοντος) μέγα μὲν ἔργον ἡγοῦντο εἶναι Λέσβον προσπολεμώσασθαι ναυτικὸν ἔχουσαν καὶ δύναμιν ἀκέραιον, καὶ οὐκ ἀπεδέχοντο τὸ πρῶτον τὰς κατηγορίας, μεῖζον μέρος νέμοντες τῷ μὴ βούλεσθαι ἀληθῆ εἶναι· ἐπειδὴ μέντοι καὶ πέμψαντες πρέσβεις οὐκ ἔπειθον τοὺς Μυτιληναίους τήν τε ξυνοίκισιν καὶ τὴν παρασκευὴν διαλύειν, δείσαντες προκαταλαβεῖν ἐβούλοντο.
The Athenians (for they had been distressed by the plague and by the war which was only recently established and at its height) thought it a major task to make war on Lesbos which possessed a navy and unimpaired strength, and at first they would not receive the accusations, assigning a greater weight to their wish that they might not be true; when, however, even after sending ambassadors they could not persuade the Mytilaeneans to dissolve the union and the preparations, they became afraid and wished to forestall them.
§3.3.2καὶ πέμπουσιν ἐξαπιναίως τεσσαράκοντα ναῦς αἳ ἔτυχον περὶ Πελοπόννησον παρεσκευασμέναι πλεῖν· Κλεϊππίδης δὲ ὁ Δεινίου τρίτος αὐτὸς ἐστρατήγει.
And they suddenly dispatched forty ships which happened to have been prepared to sail around the Peloponnese; Cleippides son of Deinias commanded them, himself one of three.
§3.3.3ἐσηγγέλθη γὰρ αὐτοῖς ὡς εἴη Ἀπόλλωνος Μαλόεντος ἔξω τῆς πόλεως ἑορτή, ἐν ᾗ πανδημεὶ Μυτιληναῖοι ἑορτάζουσι, καὶ ἐλπίδα εἶναι ἐπειχθέντας ἐπιπεσεῖν ἄφνω, καὶ ἢν μὲν ξυμβῇ ἡ πεῖρα· εἰ δὲ μή, Μυτιληναίοις εἰπεῖν ναῦς τε παραδοῦναι καὶ τείχη καθελεῖν, μὴ πειθομένων δὲ πολεμεῖν.
For it was reported to them that there was a festival of Apollo Maloeis outside the city, at which all the Mytilaeneans kept festival together, and that there was a hope that by making haste they might fall upon them suddenly, and if the attempt succeeded, well and good; if not, they were to tell the Mytilaeneans to surrender their ships and demolish their walls, and if they did not obey, to make war.
§3.3.4καὶ αἱ μὲν νῆες ᾤχοντο· τὰς δὲ τῶν Μυτιληναίων δέκα τριήρεις, αἳ ἔτυχον βοηθοὶ παρὰ σφᾶς κατὰ τὸ ξυμμαχικὸν παροῦσαι, κατέσχον οἱ Ἀθηναῖοι καὶ τοὺς ἄνδρας ἐξ αὐτῶν ἐς φυλακὴν ἐποιήσαντο.
And so the ships departed; but the Athenians detained the ten triremes of the Mytilaeneans, which happened to be present as auxiliaries according to the treaty of alliance, and put the men from them under guard.
§3.3.5τοῖς δὲ Μυτιληναίοις ἀνὴρ ἐκ τῶν Ἀθηνῶν διαβὰς ἐς Εὔβοιαν καὶ πεζῇ ἐπὶ Γεραιστὸν ἐλθών, ὁλκάδος ἀναγομένης ἐπιτυχών, πλῷ χρησάμενος καὶ τριταῖος ἐκ τῶν Ἀθηνῶν ἐς Μυτιλήνην ἀφικόμενος ἀγγέλλει τὸν ἐπίπλουν.
But a man went over from Athens to Euboea and, going on foot to Geraestus, met with a merchant vessel just putting to sea, and making a quick voyage, arrived at Mytilene on the third day from Athens and reported the coming attack to the Mytilaeneans.
οἱ δὲ οὔτε ἐς τὸν Μαλόεντα ἐξῆλθον, τά τε ἄλλα τῶν τειχῶν καὶ λιμένων περὶ τὰ ἡμιτέλεστα φαρξάμενοι ἐφύλασσον.
And they did not go out to the festival of Maloeis, but guarded the rest of their walls and harbours, barricading them around the unfinished parts.
§3.3.6οἱ δὲ οὔτε ἐς τὸν Μαλόεντα ἐξῆλθον, τά τε ἄλλα τῶν τειχῶν καὶ λιμένων περὶ τὰ ἡμιτέλεστα φαρξάμενοι ἐφύλασσον.
And they did not go out to the festival of Maloeis, but guarded the rest of their walls and harbours, barricading them around the unfinished parts.

Notes

  1. §3.3.1μεῖζον μέρος νέμοντες τῷ μὴ βούλεσθαι ἀληθῆ εἶναι — The articular infinitive in the dative, `τῷ μὴ βούλεσθαι`, functions as a dative of cause ('by reason of wishing not'). `ἀληθῆ εἶναι` is the subject accusative and infinitive clause depending on `βούλεσθαι`. The phrase `μεῖζον μέρος νέμοντες` (literally 'assigning a greater share') is an idiomatic expression meaning 'assigning greater weight to' or 'preferring' a particular belief.
  2. §3.3.2τρίτος αὐτός — A classical Greek idiom where the nominative pronoun `αὐτός` is combined with an ordinal number to mean 'himself with [number minus one] others' or 'himself as one of [number]'. Here, it indicates that Cleippides held the command with two other colleagues.
  3. §3.3.3καὶ ἢν μὲν ξυμβῇ ἡ πεῖρα· εἰ δὲ μή — The apodosis of the first conditional clause, `ἢν μὲν ξυμβῇ ἡ πεῖρα` ('if the attempt succeeds'), is omitted by ellipsis (to be understood as something like 'well and good'), and the sentence immediately passes to the alternative `εἰ δὲ μή` ('but if not'). The apodosis for the latter is then expressed by the infinitives `εἰπεῖν` and `πολεμεῖν`, acting as indirect commands.
  4. §3.3.5τριταῖος — The adjective indicating a period of days is used predicatively in agreement with the subject (`ἀνήρ`), functioning adverbially to mean 'on the third day'. It specifies the elapsed time of his travel since leaving Athens.

Cite this passage

Thucydides, History of the Peloponnesian War §3.3.1-3.3.6. Humanitext Reader, https://reader.humanitext.ai/en/text/urn:cts:greekLit:tlg0003.tlg001.humanitext-grc2:3.3.1-3.3.6

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