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Thucydides · History of the Peloponnesian War §3.69.1-3.69.2

Peloponnesian Fleet at Cyllene Prepares for Corcyra

Passage 318 of 917 · Greek

Summary

The Peloponnesian fleet returning from Lesbos arrives at Cyllene and joins Brasidas. They prepare to sail to Corcyra, which is in revolution, before Athenian reinforcements can arrive.

§3.69.1αἱ δὲ τεσσαράκοντα νῆες τῶν Πελοποννησίων αἱ Λεσβίοις βοηθοὶ ἐλθοῦσαι, ὡς τότε φεύγουσαι διὰ τοῦ πελάγους ἔκ τε τῶν Ἀθηναίων ἐπιδιωχθεῖσαι καὶ πρὸς τῇ Κρήτῃ χειμασθεῖσαι καὶ ἀπ’ αὐτῆς σποράδες πρὸς τὴν Πελοπόννησον κατηνέχθησαν, καταλαμβάνουσιν ἐν τῇ Κυλλήνῃ τρεῖς καὶ δέκα τριήρεις Λευκαδίων καὶ Ἀμπρακιωτῶν καὶ Βρασίδαν τὸν Τέλλιδος ξύμβουλον Ἀλκίδᾳ ἐπεληλυθότα.
The forty Peloponnesian ships which had gone to the aid of the Lesbians—as they were then fleeing across the open sea, pursued by the Athenians, and after being storm-tossed near Crete and driven from there in a scattered state back to the Peloponnese—found at Cyllene thirteen triremes of the Leucadians and Ambraciots, and Brasidas the son of Tellis, who had come as an advisor to Alcidas.
§3.69.2ἐβούλοντο γὰρ οἱ Λακεδαιμόνιοι, ὡς τῆς Λέσβου ἡμαρτήκεσαν, πλέον τὸ ναυτικὸν ποιήσαντες ἐς τὴν Κέρκυραν πλεῦσαι στασιάζουσαν, δώδεκα μὲν ναυσὶ μόναις παρόντων Ἀθηναίων περὶ Ναύπακτον, πρὶν δὲ πλέον τι ἐπιβοηθῆσαι ἐκ τῶν Ἀθηνῶν ναυτικόν, ὅπως προφθάσωσι, καὶ παρεσκευάζοντο ὅ τε Βρασίδας καὶ ὁ Ἀλκίδας πρὸς ταῦτα.
For the Lacedaemonians, since they had failed in regard to Lesbos, wished to increase their fleet and sail to Corcyra, which was in a state of revolution; for since the Athenians were near Naupactus with only twelve ships, they wished to anticipate them before any larger fleet could come as reinforcement from Athens. Therefore, both Brasidas and Alcidas were preparing for this.

Notes

  1. 3.69.1ὡς... κατηνέχθησαν — The conjunction ὡς governs the indicative aorist verb κατηνέχθησαν to form a temporal or causal clause ('when' or 'since'). It embeds a series of participles (present φεύγουσαι and aorist ἐπιδιωχθεῖσαι, χειμασθεῖσαι) describing the circumstances experienced by the subject of the main clause (αἱ δὲ τεσσαράκοντα νῆες).
  2. 3.69.2παρόντων Ἀθηναίων — A genitive absolute construction consisting of the present participle παρόντων and the noun Ἀθηναίων, describing the background circumstances ('while the Athenians were present'). The preceding dative phrase δώδεκα μὲν ναυσὶ μόναις ('with only twelve ships') is a dative of accompaniment/manner modifying this participial phrase.
  3. 3.69.2πρὶν... ἐπιβοηθῆσαι — The conjunction πρὶν is used with the aorist infinitive ἐπιβοηθῆσαι to express the temporal limit ('before ... should come as reinforcement'). The accusative phrase πλέον τι ... ναυτικόν ('any larger fleet') functions as the subject of the infinitive.

Cite this passage

Thucydides, History of the Peloponnesian War §3.69.1-3.69.2. Humanitext Reader, https://reader.humanitext.ai/en/text/urn:cts:greekLit:tlg0003.tlg001.humanitext-grc2:3.69.1-3.69.2

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