Humanitext Reader

Thucydides · History of the Peloponnesian War §5.100.1

The Melians' Moral Duty to Resist Subjugation

Passage 600 of 917 · Greek

Summary

The Melians argue that if the Athenians and their subjects run such risks, it would be extreme cowardice for the still free Melians not to try everything before submitting to slavery.

§5.100.1ΜΗΛ. ἦ που ἄρα, εἰ τοσαύτην γε ὑμεῖς τε μὴ παυθῆναι ἀρχῆς καὶ οἱ δουλεύοντες ἤδη ἀπαλλαγῆναι τὴν παρακινδύνευσιν ποιοῦνται, ἡμῖν γε τοῖς ἔτι ἐλευθέροις πολλὴ κακότης καὶ δειλία μὴ πᾶν πρὸ τοῦ δουλεῦσαι ἐπεξελθεῖν.
MELIANS "Surely then, if you run such a risk so as not to be deprived of your empire, and those who are already enslaved do so to be set free, it would be the height of baseness and cowardice for us, who are still free, not to try everything before submitting to slavery."

Notes

  1. §5.100.1μὴ παυθῆναι ἀρχῆς — The infinitives μὴ παυθῆναι (and ἀπαλλαγῆναι that follows) modify the noun τὴν παρακινδύνευσιν, expressing its purpose or content ("running such a risk so as not to lose...").
  2. §5.100.1πολλὴ κακότης καὶ δειλία μὴ πᾶν πρὸ τοῦ δουλεῦσαι ἐπεξελθεῖν — The copula (such as ἂν εἴη or ἐστίν) is omitted after the predicate noun phrase πολλὴ κακότης καὶ δειλία. The negative infinitive clause μὴ ... ἐπεξελθεῖν functions as the subject. The verb ἐπεξέρχομαι with the object πᾶν here means "to go through everything" or "to try every means to the end."

Cite this passage

Thucydides, History of the Peloponnesian War §5.100.1. Humanitext Reader, https://reader.humanitext.ai/en/text/urn:cts:greekLit:tlg0003.tlg001.humanitext-grc2:5.100.1

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