Thucydides · History of the Peloponnesian War §5.28.1-5.28.3

Argos Appoints Commissioners to Form a Peloponnesian Alliance

Passage 528 of 917 · Greek

Summary

The Argives accepted the proposal of the Corinthians and chose twelve commissioners to negotiate alliances with any Greek states except Athens and Lacedaemon, hoping to gain the leadership of the Peloponnese as Sparta's prestige declined.

§5.28.1οἱ δὲ τῶν Ἀργείων ἄνδρες ἀκούσαντες ἐπειδὴ ἀνήνεγκαν τοὺς λόγους ἔς τε τὰς ἀρχὰς καὶ τὸν δῆμον, ἐψηφίσαντο Ἀργεῖοι καὶ ἄνδρας εἵλοντο δώδεκα, πρὸς οὓς τὸν βουλόμενον τῶν Ἑλλήνων ξυμμαχίαν ποιεῖσθαι πλὴν Ἀθηναίων καὶ Λακεδαιμονίων· τούτων δὲ μηδετέροις ἐξεῖναι ἄνευ τοῦ δήμου τοῦ Ἀργείων σπείσασθαι.

The Argive men, after hearing this, when they had reported the proposal to the authorities and the people, the Argives passed a decree and chose twelve men, with whom any of the Hellenes who wished might make an alliance, except the Athenians and Lacedaemonians; and that it should not be permitted for either of these two to make a treaty without the consent of the Argive people.

§5.28.2ἐδέξαντό τε ταῦτα οἱ Ἀργεῖοι μᾶλλον ὁρῶντες τόν τε Λακεδαιμονίων σφίσι πόλεμον ἐσόμενον (ἐπ’ ἐξόδῳ γὰρ πρὸς αὐτοὺς αἱ σπονδαὶ ἦσαν) καὶ ἅμα ἐλπίσαντες τῆς Πελοποννήσου ἡγήσεσθαι· κατὰ γὰρ τὸν χρόνον τοῦτον ἥ τε Λακεδαίμων μάλιστα δὴ κακῶς ἤκουσε καὶ ὑπερώφθη διὰ τὰς ξυμφοράς, οἵ τε Ἀργεῖοι ἄριστα ἔσχον τοῖς πᾶσιν, οὐ ξυναράμενοι τοῦ Ἀττικοῦ πολέμου, ἀμφοτέροις δὲ μᾶλλον ἔνσπονδοι ὄντες ἐκκαρπωσάμενοι.

And the Argives accepted these proposals the more readily because they saw that a war with the Lacedaemonians would come upon them (for their treaty with them was on the point of expiring), and at the same time because they hoped to gain the leadership of the Peloponnese; for at this time Lacedaemon was in very bad repute and held in contempt on account of her disasters, while the Argives were in the best condition in every way, not having taken part in the Attic war, but rather having reaped the fruits of peace by being on terms of treaty with both sides.

§5.28.3οἱ μὲν οὖν Ἀργεῖοι οὕτως ἐς τὴν ξυμμαχίαν προσεδέχοντο τοὺς ἐθέλοντας τῶν Ἑλλήνων,

So the Argives in this way were ready to receive into alliance any of the Hellenes who wished,

Notes

5.28.1οἱ δὲ τῶν Ἀργείων ἄνδρες ἀκούσαντες — The phrase starts in the nominative, but after the insertion of the temporal clause ἐπειδὴ ἀνήνεγκαν..., the new subject Ἀργεῖοι is introduced with the main verb ἐψηφίσαντο, resulting in an anacoluthon (grammatical inconsistency).
5.28.1πρὸς οὓς τὸν βουλόμενον τῶν Ἑλλήνων ξυμμαχίαν ποιεῖσθαι — The infinitive ποιεῖσθαι can be interpreted either as expressing purpose depending on the preceding verb εἵλοντο ('they chose them so that anyone might make...'), or as an independent infinitive (imperative/decretive) of decision, parallel to the following ἐξεῖναι.
5.28.2μᾶλλον ὁρῶντες — The comparative adverb μᾶλλον ('more', 'the more readily') modifies the main verb ἐδέξαντο rather than the participle ὁρῶντες, meaning they accepted these proposals more readily because they saw what was coming.
5.28.2ἐκκαρπωσάμενοι — The participle is an adverbial participle of result or means, indicating that by remaining at peace with both sides (ἔνσπονδοι ὄντες), they had reaped the benefits of their neutrality.

Cite this passage

Thucydides, History of the Peloponnesian War §5.28.1-5.28.3. Humanitext Reader, https://reader.humanitext.ai/en/text/urn:cts:greekLit:tlg0003.tlg001.humanitext-grc2:5.28.1-5.28.3

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