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Thucydides · History of the Peloponnesian War §4.46.1-4.46.5

Surrender of Corcyraean Oligarchs and Democratic Trap

Passage 411 of 917 · Greek

Summary

The Athenian forces under Eurymedon and Sophocles arrive at Corcyra, forcing the oligarchs on Mount Istone to surrender and placing them on Ptychia. Fearing that they might escape execution, the democratic leaders of Corcyra scheme to trap them.

§4.46.1κατὰ δὲ τὸν αὐτὸν χρόνον, καθ’ ὃν ταῦτα ἐγίγνετο, καὶ Εὐρυμέδων καὶ Σοφοκλῆς, ἐπειδὴ ἐκ τῆς Πύλου ἀπῆραν ἐς τὴν Σικελίαν ναυσὶν Ἀθηναίων, ἀφικόμενοι ἐς Κέρκυραν ἐστράτευσαν μετὰ τῶν ἐκ τῆς πόλεως ἐπὶ τοὺς ἐν τῷ ὄρει τῆς Ἰστώνης Κερκυραίων καθιδρυμένους, οἳ τότε μετὰ τὴν στάσιν διαβάντες ἐκράτουν τε τῆς γῆς καὶ πολλὰ ἔβλαπτον.
At about the same time that these things were taking place, Eurymedon and Sophocles, after they had set sail from Pylos for Sicily with the Athenian ships, arrived at Corcyra and made an expedition, together with those from the city, against the Corcyraeans who had established themselves on Mount Istone, who at that time, having crossed over after the sedition, were dominating the country and doing much damage.
§4.46.2προσβαλόντες δὲ τὸ μὲν τείχισμα εἷλον, οἱ δὲ ἄνδρες καταπεφευγότες ἁθρόοι πρὸς μετέωρόν τι ξυνέβησαν ὥστε τοὺς μὲν ἐπικούρους παραδοῦναι, περὶ δὲ σφῶν τὰ ὅπλα παραδόντων τὸν Ἀθηναίων δῆμον διαγνῶναι.
And having attacked, they took the fortification, but the men, having fled in a body to a certain high place, came to an agreement on the condition that they should surrender their auxiliaries, but concerning themselves, upon surrendering their arms, the Athenian people should decide their fate.
§4.46.3καὶ αὐτοὺς ἐς τὴν νῆσον οἱ στρατηγοὶ τὴν Πτυχίαν ἐς φυλακὴν διεκόμισαν ὑποσπόνδους, μέχρι οὗ Ἀθήναζε πεμφθῶσιν, ὥστ᾽, ἐάν τις ἁλῷ ἀποδιδράσκων, ἅπασι λελύσθαι τὰς σπονδάς.
And the generals conveyed them under truce to the island of Ptychia for safe-keeping, until they should be sent to Athens, on the condition that, if anyone should be caught running away, the truce would be void for all of them.
§4.46.4οἱ δὲ τοῦ δήμου προστάται τῶν Κερκυραίων, δεδιότες μὴ οἱ Ἀθηναῖοι τοὺς ἐλθόντας οὐκ ἀποκτείνωσι, μηχανῶνται τοιόνδε τι· §4.46.5τῶν ἐν τῇ νήσῳ πείθουσί τινας ὀλίγους, ὑποπέμψαντες φίλους καὶ διδάξαντες ὡς κατ᾽ εὔνοιαν δὴ λέγειν ὅτι κράτιστον αὐτοῖς εἴη ὡς τάχιστα ἀποδρᾶναι, πλοῖον δέ τι αὐτοὶ ἑτοιμάσειν· μέλλειν γὰρ δὴ τοὺς στρατηγοὺς τῶν Ἀθηναίων παραδώσειν αὐτοὺς τῷ δήμῳ τῶν Κερκυραίων.
But the leaders of the people of the Corcyraeans, fearing that the Athenians might not put to death those who went there, devised the following scheme: They persuaded a few of those on the island, having secretly sent friends and instructed them to say, as if out of goodwill, that it would be best for them to escape as quickly as possible, and that they themselves would prepare a boat; for the Athenian generals were about to deliver them up to the people of the Corcyraeans.

Notes

  1. 4.46.2ὥστε — The conjunction ὥστε with the infinitives (παραδοῦναι and διαγνῶναι) introduces the terms of the agreement, meaning 'on condition that.'
  2. 4.46.2τὰ ὅπλα παραδόντων — A genitive absolute construction with the subject implied from the preceding pronoun σφῶν, expressing the condition 'upon surrendering their arms.'
  3. 4.46.4δεδιότες μὴ οἱ Ἀθηναῖοι τοὺς ἐλθόντας οὐκ ἀποκτείνωσι — The construction μὴ οὐ with the subjunctive (ἀποκτείνωσι) after a verb of fearing (δεδιότες) expresses a negative apprehension ('fearing that they might not put them to death').
  4. 4.46.5διδάξαντες ὡς κατ᾽ εὔνοιαν δὴ λέγειν — While the verb διδάσκω typically takes a simple infinitive, here ὡς with the infinitive λέγειν expresses the content of the instructions given ('instructing them to say...').
  5. 4.46.5μέλλειν γὰρ δὴ — The infinitive μέλλειν is used inside a causal clause introduced by γάρ, which is a feature of indirect discourse where subordinate verbs are attracted into the infinitive under the influence of the leading verb of speaking.

Cite this passage

Thucydides, History of the Peloponnesian War §4.46.1-4.46.5. Humanitext Reader, https://reader.humanitext.ai/en/text/urn:cts:greekLit:tlg0003.tlg001.humanitext-grc2:4.46.1-4.46.5

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