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Thucydides · History of the Peloponnesian War §4.58.1

Congress at Gela and the Speech of Hermocrates

Passage 423 of 917 · Greek

Summary

In Sicily, a truce between Camarina and Gela leads to a general congress of all Siceliot cities at Gela to negotiate peace, where Hermocrates of Syracuse delivers a speech.

§4.58.1τοῦ δ’ αὐτοῦ θέρους ἐν Σικελίᾳ Καμαριναίοις καὶ Γελῴοις ἐκεχειρία γίγνεται πρῶτον πρὸς ἀλλήλους·
During the same summer in Sicily, a truce was first made between the Camarinaeans and the Gelaeans.
εἶτα καὶ οἱ ἄλλοι Σικελιῶται ξυνελθόντες ἐς Γέλαν, ἀπὸ πασῶν τῶν πόλεων πρέσβεις, ἐς λόγους κατέστησαν ἀλλήλοις, εἴ πως ξυναλλαγεῖεν.
Afterwards, the other Siceliots also, sending envoys from all the cities, assembled at Gela and entered into negotiations with one another, to see if they could somehow come to terms.
καὶ ἄλλαι τε πολλαὶ γνῶμαι ἐλέγοντο ἐπ’ ἀμφότερα, διαφερομένων καὶ ἀξιούντων, ὡς ἕκαστοί τι ἐλασσοῦσθαι ἐνόμιζον, καὶ Ἑρμοκράτης ὁ Ἕρμωνος Συρακόσιος, ὅσπερ καὶ ἔπεισε μάλιστα αὐτούς, ἐς τὸ κοινὸν τοιούτους δὴ λόγους εἶπεν.
Many different opinions were expressed on both sides, as they disagreed and made demands according as each party felt they were being disadvantaged; and Hermocrates the son of Hermon, a Syracusan, who was indeed the one who most persuaded them, spoke to the assembly as follows.

Notes

  1. §4.58.1εἴ πως ξυναλλαγεῖεν — The optative with εἴ πως after a past main verb expresses an indirect deliberative question or an expectation ('to see if they could somehow come to terms').
  2. §4.58.1διαφερομένων καὶ ἀξιούντων — Genitive absolute construction. The logical subject is not explicitly expressed but contextually refers to the envoys of the various cities.
  3. §4.58.1ἐλασσοῦσθαι — Present passive infinitive of ἐλασσόω, meaning 'to be disadvantaged' or 'to get the worst of it', serving as the complement of ἐνόμιζον ('they thought').

Cite this passage

Thucydides, History of the Peloponnesian War §4.58.1. Humanitext Reader, https://reader.humanitext.ai/en/text/urn:cts:greekLit:tlg0003.tlg001.humanitext-grc2:4.58.1

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