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Thucydides · History of the Peloponnesian War §4.79.1-4.79.3

Reasons for the Northern Summons of Brasidas

Passage 444 of 917 · Greek

Summary

Brasidas successfully passed through Thessaly to reach Perdiccas and Chalcidice. His expedition was prompted by the northern allies and Perdiccas who feared Athenian expansion, and was facilitated by Sparta's current difficulties.

§4.79.1τούτῳ τῷ τρόπῳ Βρασίδας Θεσσαλίαν φθάσας διέδραμε πρίν τινα κωλύειν παρασκευάσασθαι, καὶ ἀφίκετο ὡς Περδίκκαν καὶ ἐς τὴν Χαλκιδικήν.
In this manner, Brasidas ran through Thessaly, anticipating any attempts to stop him before anyone could prepare to do so, and arrived at the court of Perdiccas and in Chalcidice.
§4.79.2ἐκ γὰρ τῆς Πελοποννήσου, ὡς τὰ τῶν Ἀθηναίων ηὐτύχει, δείσαντες οἵ τε ἐπὶ Θρᾴκης ἀφεστῶτες Ἀθηναίων καὶ Περδίκκας ἐξήγαγον τὸν στρατόν, οἱ μὲν Χαλκιδῆς νομίζοντες ἐπὶ σφᾶς πρῶτον ὁρμήσειν τοὺς Ἀθηναίους (καὶ ἅμα αἱ πλησιόχωροι πόλεις αὐτῶν αἱ οὐκ ἀφεστηκυῖαι ξυνεπῆγον κρύφα), Περδίκκας δὲ πολέμιος μὲν οὐκ ὢν ἐκ τοῦ φανεροῦ, φοβούμενος δὲ καὶ αὐτὸς τὰ παλαιὰ διάφορα τῶν Ἀθηναίων καὶ μάλιστα βουλόμενος Ἀρραβαῖον τὸν Λυγκηστῶν βασιλέα παραστήσασθαι.
For, as the affairs of the Athenians were prospering, those who had revolted from the Athenians in the direction of Thrace, and Perdiccas, became afraid and brought the army out of the Peloponnese; the Chalcidians thinking that the Athenians would first march against them (and at the same time their neighboring cities which had not revolted were secretly helping to bring them along), and Perdiccas, though not openly an enemy, being himself also afraid of his old differences with the Athenians, and wishing above all to reduce Arrhabaeus, the king of the Lyncestians.
§4.79.3ξυνέβη δὲ αὐτοῖς, ὥστε ῥᾷον ἐκ τῆς Πελοποννήσου στρατὸν ἐξαγαγεῖν, ἡ τῶν Λακεδαιμονίων ἐν τῷ παρόντι κακοπραγία.
And it happened to them, so as to bring the army out from the Peloponnese more easily, that the Lacedaemonians were at present in adversity.

Notes

  1. §4.79.1φθάσας διέδραμε — The combination of the verb φθάνω with a participle (here φθάσας accompanying the main verb διέδραμε) expresses the idea of anticipating or doing something before someone else. It means he ran through Thessaly before any preventive measures could be prepared.
  2. §4.79.2ἐξήγαγον — The verbs ἐξήγαγον (from ἐξάγω) and ξυνεπῆγον (from συνεπάγω) are used in a causative sense, meaning they "brought out" or "summoned" the army from the Peloponnese to their territory, rather than leading the army in person.
  3. §4.79.3ὥστε ῥᾷον ἐκ τῆς Πελοποννήσου στρατὸν ἐξαγαγεῖν — The consecutive clause with ὥστε + infinitive is embedded between the impersonal verb ξυνέβη and the grammatical subject of the sentence, ἡ ... κακοπραγία (the adversity). Syntactically, the misfortune of the Lacedaemonians turned out for them "so as to make it easier to bring out the army."

Cite this passage

Thucydides, History of the Peloponnesian War §4.79.1-4.79.3. Humanitext Reader, https://reader.humanitext.ai/en/text/urn:cts:greekLit:tlg0003.tlg001.humanitext-grc2:4.79.1-4.79.3

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