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Thucydides · History of the Peloponnesian War §4.70.1-4.70.2

Brasidas Advances to Relieve Megara

Passage 435 of 917 · Greek

Summary

While preparing for his Thracian expedition, Brasidas learns of the danger to Nisaea, summons Boeotian aid, and advances with his own forces. Upon hearing of Nisaea's surrender, he approaches Megara with a select force without being noticed by the Athenians to request entry and propose its recovery.

§4.70.1Βρασίδας δὲ ὁ Τέλλιδος Λακεδαιμόνιος κατὰ τοῦτον τὸν χρόνον ἐτύγχανε περὶ Σικυῶνα καὶ Κόρινθον ὤν, ἐπὶ Θρᾴκης στρατείαν παρασκευαζόμενος.
At this same time, Brasidas, son of Tellis, a Lacedaemonian, happened to be in the neighborhood of Sicyon and Corinth, preparing for an expedition to Thrace.
καὶ ὡς ᾔσθετο τῶν τειχῶν τὴν ἅλωσιν, δείσας περί τε τοῖς ἐν τῇ Νισαίᾳ Πελοποννησίοις καὶ μὴ τὰ Μέγαρα ληφθῇ, πέμπει ἔς τε τοὺς Βοιωτοὺς κελεύων κατὰ τάχος στρατιᾷ ἀπαντῆσαι ἐπὶ Τριποδίσκον (ἔστι δὲ κώμη τῆς Μεγαρίδος ὄνομα τοῦτο ἔχουσα ὑπὸ τῷ ὄρει τῇ Γερανείᾳ), καὶ αὐτὸς ἔχων ἦλθεν ἑπτακοσίους μὲν καὶ δισχιλίους Κορινθίων ὁπλίτας, Φλειασίων δὲ τετρακοσίους, Σικυωνίων δὲ ἑξακοσίους, καὶ τοὺς μεθ’ αὑτοῦ ὅσοι ἤδη ξυνειλεγμένοι ἦσαν, οἰόμενος τὴν Νίσαιαν ἔτι καταλήψεσθαι ἀνάλωτον.
When he heard of the capture of the walls, fearing for the Peloponnesians in Nisaea and lest Megara should be taken, he sent to the Boeotians, bidding them meet him quickly with their army at Tripodiscus (this is a village of Megaris bearing this name, situated under Mount Geraneia); and he himself came, bringing two thousand seven hundred Corinthian hoplites, four hundred Phliasians, six hundred Sicyonians, and all those who had already been assembled with him, thinking that he would still find Nisaea untaken.
§4.70.2ὡς δὲ ἐπύθετο (ἔτυχε γὰρ νυκτὸς ἐπὶ τὸν Τριποδίσκον ἐξελθών), ἀπολέξας τριακοσίους τοῦ στρατοῦ, πρὶν ἔκπυστος γενέσθαι, προσῆλθε τῇ τῶν Μεγαρέων πόλει λαθὼν τοὺς Ἀθηναίους ὄντας περὶ τὴν θάλασσαν, βουλόμενος μὲν τῷ λόγῳ καὶ ἅμα, εἰ δύναιτο, ἔργῳ τῆς Νισαίας πειρᾶσαι, τὸ δὲ μέγιστον, τὴν τῶν Μεγαρέων πόλιν ἐσελθὼν βεβαιώσασθαι.
But when he learned the truth (for he happened to have marched out to Tripodiscus by night), having selected three hundred men from his army, before his coming became known, he approached the city of the Megarians, eluding the Athenians who were near the sea. He wished, on the one hand, in word and at the same time, if possible, in deed to make an attempt on Nisaea, but above all, to enter the city of the Megarians and secure it.
καὶ ἠξίου δέξασθαι σφᾶς, λέγων ἐν ἐλπίδι εἶναι ἀναλαβεῖν Νίσαιαν.
And he requested them to receive them, saying that there was hope of recovering Nisaea.

Notes

  1. §4.70.1καταλήψεσθαι — Future middle infinitive of καταλαμβάνω (to find, capture) with an active meaning. Brasidas (the subject of the main clause) is the implied subject, taking τὴν Νίσαιαν as its object and ἀνάλωτον as a secondary predicate ('in an untaken state').
  2. §4.70.2λαθὼν τοὺς Ἀθηναίους ὄντας — The aorist participle λαθών from λανθάνω (to escape notice) is used with the accusative object τοὺς Ἀθηναίους and its supplementary participle ὄντας, forming the idiomatic construction meaning 'without being noticed by the Athenians who were...'.
  3. §4.70.2ἐν ἐλπίδι εἶναι — An infinitive construction in indirect discourse introduced by λέγων. It represents the impersonal expression ἐν ἐλπίδι ἐστί ('there is hope that...'), meaning literally 'to recover [Nisaea] is in hope', i.e., 'there was hope of recovering [it]'.

Cite this passage

Thucydides, History of the Peloponnesian War §4.70.1-4.70.2. Humanitext Reader, https://reader.humanitext.ai/en/text/urn:cts:greekLit:tlg0003.tlg001.humanitext-grc2:4.70.1-4.70.2

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