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Thucydides · History of the Peloponnesian War §5.8.1-5.8.4

Brasidas's Plan for a Surprise Attack

Passage 508 of 917 · Greek

Summary

Upon observing the Athenian movements, Brasidas enters Amphipolis and plans a surprise attack to keep the enemy from realizing his military weaknesses. He then gathers his forces to encourage them and explain his plan.

§5.8.1ὁ δὲ Βρασίδας εὐθὺς ὡς εἶδε κινουμένους τοὺς Ἀθηναίους, καταβὰς καὶ αὐτὸς ἀπὸ τοῦ Κερδυλίου ἐσέρχεται ἐς τὴν Ἀμφίπολιν. §5.8.2καὶ ἐπέξοδον μὲν καὶ ἀντίταξιν οὐκ ἐποιήσατο πρὸς τοὺς Ἀθηναίους, δεδιὼς τὴν αὑτοῦ παρασκευὴν καὶ νομίζων ὑποδεεστέρους εἶναι, οὐ τῷ πλήθει (ἀντίπαλα γάρ πως ἦν), ἀλλὰ τῷ ἀξιώματι (τῶν γὰρ Ἀθηναίων ὅπερ ἐστράτευε καθαρὸν ἐξῆλθε καὶ Λημνίων καὶ Ἰμβρίων τὸ κράτιστον), τέχνῃ δὲ παρεσκευάζετο ἐπιθησόμενος. §5.8.3εἰ γὰρ δείξειε τοῖς ἐναντίοις τό τε πλῆθος καὶ τὴν ὅπλισιν ἀναγκαίαν οὖσαν τῶν μεθ᾽ ἑαυτοῦ, οὐκ ἂν ἡγεῖτο μᾶλλον περιγενέσθαι ἢ ἄνευ προόψεώς τε αὐτῶν καὶ μὴ ἀπὸ τοῦ ὄντος καταφρονήσεως. §5.8.4ἀπολεξάμενος οὖν αὐτὸς πεντήκοντα καὶ ἑκατὸν ὁπλίτας καὶ τοὺς ἄλλους Κλεαρίδᾳ προστάξας ἐβουλεύετο ἐπιχειρεῖν αἰφνιδίως πρὶν ἀπελθεῖν τοὺς Ἀθηναίους, οὐκ ἂν νομίζων αὐτοὺς ὁμοίως ἀπολαβεῖν αὖθις μεμονωμένους, εἰ τύχοι ἐλθοῦσα αὐτοῖς ἡ βοήθεια.
Meanwhile Brasidas, as soon as he saw the Athenians in motion, descended himself also from Cerdylium and entered Amphipolis. And he did not make a sally or draw up his forces against the Athenians, because he feared his own equipment and believed his men to be inferior, not in numbers (for they were more or less equal), but in quality (for the force which the Athenians had sent out was the flower of their army, along with the best of the Lemnians and Imbrians); but he prepared to attack them by stratagem. For he thought that, if he should show the enemy the number and the poor equipment of his men, he would not be so likely to prevail as he would without their having a prior view of them, and from a contempt not based on the reality. Selecting therefore himself one hundred and fifty hoplites, and committing the rest to Clearidas, he planned to make a sudden attack before the Athenians should withdraw, not thinking that he would be able to catch them thus isolated again if their reinforcements should happen to arrive.
ξυγκαλέσας δὲ τοὺς πάντας στρατιώτας καὶ βουλόμενος παραθαρσῦναί τε καὶ τὴν ἐπίνοιαν φράσαι, ἔλεγε τοιάδε.
And having called all his soldiers together, wishing to encourage them and explain his plan, he spoke as follows.

Notes

  1. §5.8.2ὑποδεεστέρους εἶναι — In the accusative-and-infinitive construction, the subject accusative of the infinitive εἶναι is omitted in the context but refers to Brasidas' own forces (αὑτοῦ παρασκευή or τοὺς μεθ' αὑτοῦ).
  2. §5.8.3ἀναγκαίαν οὖσαν — The participle οὖσαν is predicative to τὴν ὅπλισιν. The adjective ἀναγκαῖος here does not mean "necessary" but carries a negative nuance regarding military equipment, meaning "barely sufficient", "scanty", or "poor".
  3. §5.8.3οὐκ ἂν ἡγεῖτο μᾶλλον περιγενέσθαι ἢ... — A comparative construction using μᾶλλον ... ἤ, which contrasts the hypothetical condition "if he should show..." (εἰ δείξειε) with the alternative "without a prior view... and from a contempt not based on the reality" (ἄνευ προόψεως... καὶ μὴ ἀπὸ τοῦ ὄντος καταφρονήσεως). It implies that he believed he would be less likely to prevail if he showed them than if he kept them hidden and let the enemy underestimate them based on false impressions.
  4. §5.8.4οὐκ ἂν νομίζων — The particle ἂν goes with the participle νομίζων (or the infinitive ἀπολαβεῖν dependent on it), giving it a potential or conditional force ("thinking that he would not [be able to]...").

Cite this passage

Thucydides, History of the Peloponnesian War §5.8.1-5.8.4. Humanitext Reader, https://reader.humanitext.ai/en/text/urn:cts:greekLit:tlg0003.tlg001.humanitext-grc2:5.8.1-5.8.4

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