Humanitext Reader

Thucydides · History of the Peloponnesian War §6.29.1-6.29.3

Alcibiades Demands Trial and His Enemies Delay It

Passage 645 of 917 · Greek

Summary

Alcibiades demanded to stand trial before his departure, but his political enemies, fearing the favorable attitude of the army and the citizens, delayed the trial and succeeded in making him set sail with the expedition.

§6.29.1ὁ δ’ ἔν τε τῷ παρόντι πρὸς τὰ μηνύματα ἀπελογεῖτο καὶ ἑτοῖμος ἦν πρὶν ἐκπλεῖν κρίνεσθαι, εἴ τι τούτων εἰργασμένος ἦν (ἤδη γὰρ καὶ τὰ τῆς παρασκευῆς ἐπεπόριστο), καὶ εἰ μὲν τούτων τι εἴργαστο, δίκην δοῦναι, εἰ δ’ ἀπολυθείη, ἄρχειν.
But he both defended himself at the present time against the charges and was ready to be tried before sailing, if he had done any of these things (for already the preparations had been completed), and if he had done any of these things, to pay the penalty, but if he should be acquitted, to hold command.
§6.29.2καὶ ἐπεμαρτύρετο μὴ ἀπόντος πέρι αὐτοῦ διαβολὰς ἀποδέχεσθαι, ἀλλ’ ἤδη ἀποκτείνειν, εἰ ἀδικεῖ, καὶ ὅτι σωφρονέστερον εἴη μὴ μετὰ τοιαύτης αἰτίας, πρὶν διαγνῶσι, πέμπειν αὐτὸν ἐπὶ τοσούτῳ στρατεύματι.
And he protested that they should not accept slanders against him in his absence, but put him to death at once if he was guilty, and that it would be more prudent not to send him out at the head of so great an army with such an accusation hanging over him before they had decided the case.
§6.29.3οἱ δ’ ἐχθροὶ δεδιότες τό τε στράτευμα μὴ εὔνουν ἔχῃ, ἢν ἤδη ἀγωνίζηται, ὅ τε δῆμος μὴ μαλακίζηται θεραπεύων ὅτι δι’ ἐκεῖνον οἵ τ’ Ἀργεῖοι ξυνεστράτευον καὶ τῶν Μαντινέων τινές, ἀπέτρεπον καὶ ἀπέσπευδον, ἄλλους ῥήτορας ἐνιέντες οἳ ἔλεγον νῦν μὲν πλεῖν αὐτὸν καὶ μὴ κατασχεῖν τὴν ἀναγωγήν, ἐλθόντα δὲ κρίνεσθαι ἐν ἡμέραις ῥηταῖς, βουλόμενοι ἐκ μείζονος διαβολῆς, ἣν ἔμελλον ῥᾷον αὐτοῦ ἀπόντος ποριεῖν, μετάπεμπτον κομισθέντα αὐτὸν ἀγωνίσασθαι.
But his enemies, fearing lest he should have the army well-disposed to him if he should stand trial immediately, and lest the people should grow soft, paying regard to the fact that because of him the Argives and some of the Mantineans were joining the campaign, tried to avert the trial and hasten his departure, putting forward other orators who said that he should sail now and not delay the departure, but should stand trial within a fixed number of days after his arrival, wishing to have him recalled and brought back to stand trial on the basis of a greater slander, which they would be able to prepare more easily in his absence.
καὶ ἔδοξε πλεῖν τὸν Ἀλκιβιάδην.
And so it was decided that Alcibiades should sail.

Notes

  1. 6.29.1εἰ μὲν τούτων τι εἴργαστο, δίκην δοῦναι, εἰ δ’ ἀπολυθείη, ἄρχειν — These conditional clauses are in apposition, depending on the infinitives linked to ἑτοῖμος ἦν. The first, εἰ ... εἴργαστο (pluperfect indicative), refers to a past fact, while the second, εἰ δ’ ἀπολυθείη (optative), presents a future possibility, showing an asymmetrical contrast in mood and tense.
  2. 6.29.2σωφρονέστερον εἴη μὴ μετὰ τοιαύτης αἰτίας, πρὶν διαγνῶσι, πέμπειν αὐτὸν ἐπὶ τοσούτῳ στρατεύματι — The optative σωφρονέστερον εἴη is an oblique optative in indirect speech (representing σωφρονέστερόν ἐστιν in direct speech). The negative μὴ negates the infinitive πέμπειν, making 'not sending him' the subject of the predicate σωφρονέστερον.
  3. 6.29.3τό τε στράτευμα μὴ εὔνουν ἔχῃ — An instance of prolepsis (anticipation), where τό στράτευμα, which is logically the subject of the μὴ clause, is pulled to the front of the structure as if it were the object of the participle δεδιότες.
  4. 6.29.3ἀπέτρεπον καὶ ἀπέσπευδον — The imperfects ἀπέτρεπον and ἀπέσπευδον are conative, representing the enemies' attempt to 'thwart the immediate trial' and 'hasten his departure' respectively.

Cite this passage

Thucydides, History of the Peloponnesian War §6.29.1-6.29.3. Humanitext Reader, https://reader.humanitext.ai/en/text/urn:cts:greekLit:tlg0003.tlg001.humanitext-grc2:6.29.1-6.29.3

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