Thucydides · History of the Peloponnesian War §6.36.1-6.36.4

Athenagoras' Speech Dismissing Rumors of Invasion

Passage 652 of 917 · Greek

Summary

Athenagoras denounces those spreading rumors of an Athenian invasion as conspirators trying to cover their own fears, arguing that the Athenians are unlikely to seek another major war while their conflict at home remains unresolved.

§6.36.1‘τοὺς μὲν Ἀθηναίους ὅστις μὴ βούλεται οὕτω κακῶς φρονῆσαι καὶ ὑποχειρίους ἡμῖν γενέσθαι ἐνθάδε ἐλθόντας, ἢ δειλός ἐστιν ἢ τῇ πόλει οὐκ εὔνους· τοὺς δὲ ἀγγέλλοντας τὰ τοιαῦτα καὶ περιφόβους ὑμᾶς ποιοῦντας τῆς μὲν τόλμης οὐ θαυμάζω, τῆς δὲ ἀξυνεσίας, εἰ μὴ οἴονται ἔνδηλοι εἶναι.

'Whoever does not wish the Athenians to be so ill-advised and to fall into our hands by coming here is either a coward or ill-disposed to the city; but as for those who bring such reports and throw you into a panic, I do not wonder at their boldness, but rather at their folly, if they think they are not seen through.

§6.36.2οἱ γὰρ δεδιότες ἰδίᾳ τι βούλονται τὴν πόλιν ἐς ἔκπληξιν καθιστάναι, ὅπως τῷ κοινῷ φόβῳ τὸν σφέτερον ἐπηλυγάζωνται.

For those who are afraid on some private account wish to throw the city into a state of panic, so that they may screen their own [fear] by the common fear.

καὶ νῦν αὗται αἱ ἀγγελίαι τοῦτο δύνανται· οὐκ ἀπὸ ταὐτομάτου, ἐκ δὲ ἀνδρῶν οἵπερ αἰεὶ τάδε κινοῦσι ξύγκεινται.

And now these reports have just this meaning; they do not come by chance, but have been concocted by men who are always stirring up these matters.

§6.36.3ὑμεῖς δὲ ἢν εὖ βουλεύησθε, οὐκ ἐξ ὧν οὗτοι ἀγγέλλουσι σκοποῦντες λογιεῖσθε τὰ εἰκότα, ἀλλ’ ἐξ ὧν ἂν ἄνθρωποι δεινοὶ καὶ πολλῶν ἔμπειροι, ὥσπερ ἐγὼ Ἀθηναίους ἀξιῶ, δράσειαν.

But if you take good counsel, you will estimate the probabilities not by looking at what these men report, but from what clever and highly experienced men, such as I deem the Athenians to be, would do.

§6.36.4οὐ γὰρ αὐτοὺς εἰκὸς Πελοποννησίους τε ὑπολιπόντας καὶ τὸν ἐκεῖ πόλεμον μήπω βεβαίως καταλελυμένους ἐπ’ ἄλλον πόλεμον οὐκ ἐλάσσω ἑκόντας ἐλθεῖν, ἐπεὶ ἔγωγε ἀγαπᾶν οἴομαι αὐτοὺς ὅτι οὐχ ἡμεῖς ἐπ’ ἐκείνους ἐρχόμεθα, πόλεις τοσαῦται καὶ οὕτω μεγάλαι.

For it is not likely that they, leaving the Peloponnesians behind them and not yet having firmly brought to an end the war there, should voluntarily come to embark on another war of no less magnitude; since for my part, I think they must be well pleased that we are not going against them, we who are so many and so great cities.'

Notes

6.36.1τοὺς μὲν Ἀθηναίους — Anticipatory accusative (prolepsis). Positioned at the beginning of the sentence for emphasis, it functions as the subject accusative of the infinitives φρονῆσαι and γενέσθαι within the relative clause introduced by ὅστις μὴ βούλεται.
6.36.1τοὺς δὲ ἀγγέλλοντας ... τῆς μὲν τόλμης οὐ θαυμάζω, τῆς δὲ ἀξυνεσίας — Double construction of the verb θαυμάζω, which takes an accusative of the person (τοὺς ἀγγέλλοντας) as direct object and a genitive of cause (τῆς τόλμης, τῆς ἀξυνεσίας), meaning 'to wonder at someone for something'. In the second clause, θαυμάζω is understood with τῆς δὲ ἀξυνεσίας.
6.36.2τὸν σφέτερον — Omission of the noun after the possessive pronoun. Guided by the preceding participle δεδιότες ('those who fear') and the dative φόβῳ ('fear'), the noun φόβον ('their own fear') must be supplied to complete the sense.
6.36.3ἐξ ὧν — Attraction of the relative pronoun. The relative pronoun, which would logically be the accusative plural neuter ἅ as the direct object of δράσειαν, is attracted into the genitive ὧν by the influence of the omitted antecedent governed by the preposition ἐκ. The combination ἂν δράσειαν represents a potential optative.
6.36.4πόλεις τοσαῦται καὶ οὕτω μεγάλαι — Nominative in apposition (nominative pendens). It stands in apposition to the implied subject pronoun ἡμεῖς of the verb ἐρχόμεθα inside the ὅτι clause, remaining in the nominative case. It carries a causal or concessive force: 'we, who are so many and so great cities'.

Cite this passage

Thucydides, History of the Peloponnesian War §6.36.1-6.36.4. Humanitext Reader, https://reader.humanitext.ai/en/text/urn:cts:greekLit:tlg0003.tlg001.humanitext-grc2:6.36.1-6.36.4

Please note the AI-draft status of the translation and the date accessed.

Translation, notes and summary are AI-generated drafts, revised through reader feedback.