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Thucydides · History of the Peloponnesian War §4.121.1-4.121.2

Enthusiastic Reception of Brasidas and Preparations for Mende

Passage 486 of 917 · Greek

Summary

The Scionaeans enthusiastically welcome Brasidas, crowning him as a liberator and pledging to carry on the war, while Brasidas prepares to attack Mende and Potidaea with reinforcements and secret negotiations.

§4.121.1καὶ οἱ μὲν Σκιωναῖοι ἐπήρθησάν τε τοῖς λόγοις καὶ θαρσήσαντες πάντες ὁμοίως, καὶ οἷς πρότερον μὴ ἤρεσκε τὰ πρασσόμενα, τόν τε πόλεμον διενοοῦντο προθύμως οἴσειν καὶ τὸν Βρασίδαν τά τ’ ἄλλα καλῶς ἐδέξαντο καὶ δημοσίᾳ μὲν χρυσῷ στεφάνῳ ἀνέδησαν ὡς ἐλευθεροῦντα τὴν Ἑλλάδα, ἰδίᾳ δὲ ἐταινίουν τε καὶ προσήρχοντο ὥσπερ ἀθλητῇ. §4.121.2ὁ δὲ τό τε παραυτίκα φυλακήν τινα αὐτοῖς ἐγκαταλιπὼν διέβη πάλιν καὶ ὕστερον οὐ πολλῷ στρατιὰν πλείω ἐπεραίωσε, βουλόμενος μετ’ αὐτῶν τῆς τε Μένδης καὶ τῆς Ποτειδαίας ἀποπειρᾶσαι, ἡγούμενος καὶ τοὺς Ἀθηναίους βοηθῆσαι ἂν ὡς ἐς νῆσον καὶ βουλόμενος φθάσαι· καί τι αὐτῷ καὶ ἐπράσσετο ἐς τὰς πόλεις ταύτας προδοσίας πέρι.
\nOn their part, the Scionaeans were highly encouraged by his words, and all alike, even those who previously had not approved of what was being done, took courage and resolved to carry on the war with enthusiasm. They welcomed Brasidas with great honor in all other respects; publicly they crowned him with a golden crown as the liberator of Greece, and privately they decked him with fillets and flocked to him as if to an athlete.\n\nHe, however, after leaving a small garrison with them for the time being, sailed back, and not long afterwards ferried over a larger army, wishing in cooperation with them to make an attempt upon Mende and Potidaea. For he thought that the Athenians would also bring aid as if to an island, and wished to anticipate them; moreover, some negotiations were being carried on by him with these cities for their betrayal.

Notes

  1. §4.121.1καὶ οἷς — The antecedent (the demonstrative τούτοις) of the relative pronoun οἷς is omitted, meaning 'even to those who...'. The intensive καὶ ('even') emphasizes the complete unanimity of the citizens, including those who previously opposed the revolt.
  2. §4.121.1ὥσπερ ἀθλητῇ — Refers to the ancient Greek custom of crowning athletic victors with woolen fillets (ταινίαι) and crowding around them with congratulations. Here, Brasidas is metaphorically welcomed as a victorious hero.
  3. §4.121.2βοηθῆσαι ἂν — The infinitive βοηθῆσαι with the particle ἂν represents an indirect statement depending on ἡγούμενος, standing for a potential optative with ἂν in direct speech, expressing future likelihood ('that they would bring aid').
  4. §4.121.2αὐτῷ — A dative of agent (or of interest/advantage) used with the passive imperfect ἐπράσσετο ('was being negotiated by him' or 'for him').

Cite this passage

Thucydides, History of the Peloponnesian War §4.121.1-4.121.2. Humanitext Reader, https://reader.humanitext.ai/en/text/urn:cts:greekLit:tlg0003.tlg001.humanitext-grc2:4.121.1-4.121.2

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