Humanitext Reader

Thucydides · History of the Peloponnesian War §6.78.1-6.78.4

The Peril of Neutrality and the Appeal to Camarina

Passage 694 of 917 · Greek

Summary

Hermocrates argues that the Athenian invasion of Syracuse threatens the safety of other states as well, warning against the danger of remaining neutral out of envy or fear, and urges the Camarinaeans to join in active support.

§6.78.1καὶ εἴ τῳ ἄρα παρέστηκε τὸν μὲν Συρακόσιον, ἑαυτὸν δ’ οὒ πολέμιον εἶναι τῷ Ἀθηναίῳ, καὶ δεινὸν ἡγεῖται ὑπέρ γε τῆς ἐμῆς κινδυνεύειν, ἐνθυμηθήτω οὐ περὶ τῆς ἐμῆς μᾶλλον, ἐν ἴσῳ δὲ καὶ τῆς ἑαυτοῦ ἅμα ἐν τῇ ἐμῇ μαχούμενος, τοσούτῳ δὲ καὶ ἀσφαλέστερον ὅσῳ οὐ προδιεφθαρμένου ἐμοῦ, ἔχων δὲ ξύμμαχον ἐμὲ καὶ οὐκ ἐρῆμος ἀγωνιεῖται· τόν τε Ἀθηναῖον μὴ τὴν τοῦ Συρακοσίου ἔχθραν κολάσασθαι, τῇ δ’ ἐμῇ προφάσει τὴν ἐκείνου φιλίαν οὐχ ἧσσον βεβαιώσασθαι βούλεσθαι. §6.78.2εἴ τέ τις φθονεῖ μὲν ἢ καὶ φοβεῖται (ἀμφότερα γὰρ τάδε πάσχει τὰ μείζω) διὰ δὲ αὐτὰ τὰς Συρακούσας κακωθῆναι μὲν ἵνα σωφρονισθῶμεν βούλεται, περιγενέσθαι δὲ ἕνεκα τῆς αὑτοῦ ἀσφαλείας, οὐκ ἀνθρωπίνης δυνάμεως βούλησιν ἐλπίζει· οὐ γὰρ οἷόν τε ἅμα τῆς τε ἐπιθυμίας καὶ τῆς τύχης τὸν αὐτὸν ὁμοίως ταμίαν γενέσθαι. §6.78.3καὶ εἰ γνώμῃ ἁμάρτοι, τοῖς αὑτοῦ κακοῖς ὀλοφυρθεὶς τάχ’ ἂν ἴσως καὶ τοῖς ἐμοῖς ἀγαθοῖς ποτὲ βουληθείη αὖθις φθονῆσαι.
\nAnd if indeed it occurs to anyone that the Syracusan is an enemy to the Athenian, but that he himself is not, and thinks it a terrible thing to run risks on behalf of my land, let him reflect that he will be fighting in my land not more on behalf of mine, but equally and at the same time on behalf of his own, and by so much the more safely as, since I have not been previously destroyed, he will fight having me as an ally and not being desolate; and let him reflect that the Athenian wishes not to punish the enmity of the Syracusan, but under my pretext to secure no less the friendship of that other.\n\nAnd if anyone envies or even fears us (for greater powers suffer both of these passions), and for these very reasons wishes Syracuse to be harmed indeed so that we may be brought to our senses, but to survive for the sake of his own safety, he is hoping for a wish that is beyond human power; for it is not possible for the same man to be equally the dispenser both of his own desire and of fortune.\n\nAnd if he should err in judgment, lamenting his own misfortunes he might perhaps some day wish to envy my prosperity again.
ἀδύνατον δὲ προεμένῳ καὶ μὴ τοὺς αὐτοὺς κινδύνους οὐ περὶ τῶν ὀνομάτων, ἀλλὰ περὶ τῶν ἔργων, ἐθελήσαντι προσλαβεῖν· λόγῳ μὲν γὰρ τὴν ἡμετέραν δύναμιν σῴζοι ἄν τις, ἔργῳ δὲ τὴν αὑτοῦ σωτηρίαν. §6.78.4καὶ μάλιστα εἰκὸς ἦν ὑμᾶς, ὦ Καμαριναῖοι, ὁμόρους ὄντας καὶ τὰ δεύτερα κινδυνεύσοντας προορᾶσθαι αὐτὰ καὶ μὴ μαλακῶς ὥσπερ νῦν ξυμμαχεῖν, αὐτοὺς δὲ πρὸς ἡμᾶς μᾶλλον ἰόντας, ἅπερ ἂν εἰ ἐς τὴν Καμαριναίαν πρῶτον ἀφίκοντο οἱ Ἀθηναῖοι δεόμενοι ἂν ἐπεκαλεῖσθε, ταῦτα ἐκ τοῦ ὁμοίου καὶ νῦν παρακελευομένους ὅπως μηδὲν ἐνδώσομεν φαίνεσθαι.
But it is impossible for one who has abandoned us and has not been willing to take upon himself the same dangers—not in words, but in deeds—to secure his safety; for though in word one might be saving our power, in deed he would be saving his own safety.\n\nAnd it was especially natural for you, Camarinaeans, being neighbors and likely to face the danger next, to foresee these things and not to ally with us half-heartedly as you do now, but rather coming to us yourselves, to appear now encouraging us on equal terms—so that we may not yield in anything—the very things which you would have begged and called upon us to do if the Athenians had come first against the Camarinaean territory.
ἀλλ’ οὔθ᾽ ὑμεῖς νῦν γέ πω οὔθ’ οἱ ἄλλοι ἐπὶ ταῦτα ὥρμησθε.
But neither you, at least up to now, nor the others have set yourselves to this.

Notes

  1. 6.78.1εἴ τῳ ἄρα παρέστηκε — παρέστηκε is used impersonally with τῳ (dative of the indefinite pronoun τις) to mean 'it occurs to someone.' Its content is expressed by the following accusative-with-infinitive clause (τὸν μὲν Συρακόσιον... ἑαυτὸν δ' οὐ... πολέμιον εἶναι).
  2. 6.78.1τὴν ἐκείνου φιλίαν — The demonstrative pronoun ἐκείνου refers in this context neither to the Athenians (the subject of the main clause) nor to the Syracusan (Συρακόσιος), but to the third party indicated by the conditional clause εἴ τῳ ('if to anyone...'), i.e., those who believe they are not enemies of the Athenians (such as the Camarinaeans).
  3. 6.78.2οὐκ ἀνθρωπίνης δυνάμεως βούλησιν — The genitive ἀνθρωπίνης δυνάμεως is a genitive of quality or characteristic ('within the scope of human power'), meaning 'a wish that is not within the limits of human power.'
  4. 6.78.3ἀδύνατον δὲ προεμένῳ καὶ μὴ τοὺς αὐτοὺς κινδύνους οὐ περὶ τῶν ὀνομάτων, ἀλλὰ περὶ τῶν ἔργων, ἐθελήσαντι προσλαβεῖν — An object such as 'to secure one's safety' (τὴν σωτηρίαν or τὸ σῴζεσθαι) is understood as omitted with ἀδύνατον (it is impossible). The logical subjects are the dative participles προεμένῳ (one who has abandoned) and μὴ... ἐθελήσαντι (one who is unwilling to take upon himself). The structure implies: 'It is impossible for someone who has abandoned us, and who has been unwilling to share the actual dangers, to secure his own safety.'
  5. 6.78.4ἅπερ ἂν εἰ ἐς τὴν Καμαριναίαν πρῶτον ἀφίκοντο οἱ Ἀθηναῖοι δεόμενοι ἂν ἐπεκαλεῖσθε — A past contrafactual conditional construction (εἰ + past indicative ἀφίκοντο, with past imperfect indicative ἐπεκαλεῖσθε + ἂν in the apodosis). The particle ἂν is doubled, appearing once immediately after the relative pronoun ἅπερ and again after the participle δεόμενοι just before the verb, emphasizing the conditional force of the apodosis.

Cite this passage

Thucydides, History of the Peloponnesian War §6.78.1-6.78.4. Humanitext Reader, https://reader.humanitext.ai/en/text/urn:cts:greekLit:tlg0003.tlg001.humanitext-grc2:6.78.1-6.78.4

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