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Thucydides · History of the Peloponnesian War §4.105.1-4.105.2

Brasidas' Moderate Terms of Surrender to Amphipolis

Passage 470 of 917 · Greek

Summary

Brasidas, fearing Thucydides' wealth and influence, hastened to secure Amphipolis and issued a highly moderate proclamation of surrender to the citizens.

§4.105.1ἐν τούτῳ δὲ ὁ Βρασίδας δεδιὼς καὶ τὴν ἀπὸ τῆς Θάσου τῶν νεῶν βοήθειαν καὶ πυνθανόμενος τὸν Θουκυδίδην κτῆσίν τε ἔχειν τῶν χρυσείων μετάλλων ἐργασίας ἐν τῇ περὶ ταῦτα Θρᾴκῃ καὶ ἀπ’ αὐτοῦ δύνασθαι ἐν τοῖς πρώτοις τῶν ἠπειρωτῶν, ἠπείγετο προκατασχεῖν, εἰ δύναιτο, τὴν πόλιν, μὴ ἀφικνουμένου αὐτοῦ τὸ πλῆθος τῶν Ἀμφιπολιτῶν, ἐλπίσαν ἐκ θαλάσσης ξυμμαχικὸν καὶ ἀπὸ τῆς Θρᾴκης ἀγείραντα αὐτὸν περιποιήσειν σφᾶς, οὐκέτι προσχωροίη.
In the meantime, Brasidas, fearing the assistance of the ships from Thasos, and hearing that Thucydides possessed the working of the gold mines in that part of Thrace and consequently had great influence among the leading men of the mainland, was eager to secure the city beforehand, if he could, lest, if he should arrive, the multitude of the Amphipolitans, hoping that he would save them by bringing an allied force from the sea and by collecting troops from Thrace, should no longer come over to him.
§4.105.2καὶ τὴν ξύμβασιν μετρίαν ἐποιεῖτο, κήρυγμα τόδε ἀνειπών, Ἀμφιπολιτῶν καὶ Ἀθηναίων τῶν ἐνόντων τὸν μὲν βουλόμενον ἐπὶ τοῖς ἑαυτοῦ τῆς ἴσης καὶ ὁμοίας μετέχοντα μένειν, τὸν δὲ μὴ ἐθέλοντα ἀπιέναι τὰ ἑαυτοῦ ἐκφερόμενον πέντε ἡμερῶν.
And he made the terms of agreement moderate, making the following proclamation: that of the Amphipolitans and Athenians in the city, any one who wished might remain, keeping his own property and enjoying equal and similar rights; while any one who did not wish to do so might depart, taking his property with him, within five days.

Notes

  1. §4.105.1τὸ πλῆθος τῶν Ἀμφιπολιτῶν, ἐλπίσαν ... οὐκέτι προσχωροίη — The participle ἐλπίσαν agrees in gender and number with the neuter singular collective noun τὸ πλῆθος. The future infinitive περιποιήσειν within this participle clause (with its subject accusative αὐτόν referring to Thucydides) expresses the object of hope. The optative οὐκέτι προσχωροίη introduced by μὴ is an optative of indirect discourse (or fear) dependent on the historical past tense ἠπείγετο (or the participle δεδιώς), expressing apprehension.
  2. §4.105.2Ἀμφιπολιτῶν καὶ Ἀθηναίων τῶν ἐνόντων τὸν μὲν βουλόμενον ... τὸν δὲ μὴ ἐθέλοντα — The genitive Ἀμφιπολιτῶν καὶ Ἀθηναίων τῶν ἐνόντων is a partitive genitive, which is partitioned by the subsequent accusatives (tòn mèn boulómenon ... tòn dè mḕ ethélonta). These accusatives function as the subject accusatives of the infinitives ménein and apiénai in the indirect discourse of the proclamation introduced by aneipṓn.

Cite this passage

Thucydides, History of the Peloponnesian War §4.105.1-4.105.2. Humanitext Reader, https://reader.humanitext.ai/en/text/urn:cts:greekLit:tlg0003.tlg001.humanitext-grc2:4.105.1-4.105.2

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