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Thucydides · History of the Peloponnesian War §4.81.1-4.81.3

The Character of Brasidas and His Moderate Conduct

Passage 446 of 917 · Greek

Summary

The passage describes how Brasidas, due to his capability and just character, was dispatched to lead the expedition, and how his moderate policies successfully caused many cities to revolt. His actions became a decisive factor that facilitated subsequent peace negotiations and won the trust of the allies toward Sparta.

§4.81.1αὐτόν τε Βρασίδαν βουλόμενον μάλιστα Λακεδαιμόνιοι ἀπέστειλαν (προυθυμήθησαν δὲ καὶ οἱ Χαλκιδῆς), ἄνδρα ἔν τε τῇ Σπάρτῃ δοκοῦντα δραστήριον εἶναι ἐς τὰ πάντα καὶ ἐπειδὴ ἐξῆλθε πλείστου ἄξιον Λακεδαιμονίοις γενόμενον.
The Lacedaemonians dispatched Brasidas himself, who was most eager to go (and the Chalcidians also shared this eagerness), a man who was esteemed in Sparta as energetic in all things, and who, after he went out, proved to be of the highest value to the Lacedaemonians.
§4.81.2τό τε γὰρ παραυτίκα ἑαυτὸν παρασχὼν δίκαιον καὶ μέτριον ἐς τὰς πόλεις ἀπέστησε τὰ πολλά, τὰ δὲ προδοσίᾳ εἷλε τῶν χωρίων, ὥστε τοῖς Λακεδαιμονίοις γίγνεσθαι ξυμβαίνειν τε βουλομένοις, ὅπερ ἐποίησαν, ἀνταπόδοσιν καὶ ἀποδοχὴν χωρίων καὶ τοῦ πολέμου ἀπὸ τῆς Πελοποννήσου λώφησιν·
For at that immediate time, by showing himself just and moderate towards the cities, he caused most of them to revolt, and took others of the places by treachery, so that it became possible for the Lacedaemonians, when they wished to come to terms—as indeed they did—to have an exchange and recovery of territories and a relief from the war for the Peloponnese.
ἔς τε τὸν χρόνῳ ὕστερον μετὰ τὰ ἐκ Σικελίας πόλεμον ἡ τότε Βρασίδου ἀρετὴ καὶ ξύνεσις, τῶν μὲν πείρᾳ αἰσθομένων, τῶν δὲ ἀκοῇ νομισάντων, μάλιστα ἐπιθυμίαν ἐνεποίει τοῖς Ἀθηναίων ξυμμάχοις ἐς τοὺς Λακεδαιμονίους.
And in the war of a later time, after the events in Sicily, the virtue and wisdom which Brasidas showed at that time—experienced by some, and believed by others on hearsay—inspired the allies of the Athenians with the greatest desire for the Lacedaemonians.
§4.81.3πρῶτος γὰρ ἐξελθὼν καὶ δόξας εἶναι κατὰ πάντα ἀγαθὸς ἐλπίδα ἐγκατέλιπε βέβαιον ὡς καὶ οἱ ἄλλοι τοιοῦτοί εἰσιν.
For by being the first to go out, and by proving himself to be good in all respects, he left behind a firm hope that the others also were of the same character.

Notes

  1. §4.81.1αὐτόν τε Βρασίδαν βουλόμενον — The accusative pronoun αὐτόν is an intensive pronoun modifying Βρασίδαν ('Brasidas himself'). The participle βουλόμενον agrees with Βρασίδαν and functions adverbially, expressing the cause or circumstance of his dispatch, indicating his own eagerness to go.
  2. §4.81.2ὥστε τοῖς Λακεδαιμονίοις γίγνεσθαι ξυμβαίνειν τε βουλομένοις — A consecutive clause introduced by ὥστε with the infinitive γίγνεσθαι, whose logical subjects are the following nouns ἀνταπόδοσιν καὶ ἀποδοχὴν ... καὶ ... λώφησιν. The dative τοῖς Λακεδαιμονίοις is a dative of interest (for the Lacedaemonians), and the participle βουλομένοις agrees with it, expressing a temporal or conditional circumstance ('when/if they wished to come to terms').
  3. §4.81.2τῶν μὲν πείρᾳ αἰσθομένων, τῶν δὲ ἀκοῇ νομισάντων — A genitive absolute construction where the contrasting pronouns τῶν μὲν ... τῶν δὲ serve as the subjects of the participles. This clause explains the reactions of 'the allies of the Athenians' (τοῖς Ἀθηναίων ξυμμάχοις), dividing them into two groups: those who perceived his virtue by experience and those who believed it by hearsay.

Cite this passage

Thucydides, History of the Peloponnesian War §4.81.1-4.81.3. Humanitext Reader, https://reader.humanitext.ai/en/text/urn:cts:greekLit:tlg0003.tlg001.humanitext-grc2:4.81.1-4.81.3

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