Thucydides · History of the Peloponnesian War §6.85.1-6.85.3

Imperial Self-Interest and Managing Allies against Syracuse

Passage 701 of 917 · Greek

Summary

The Athenian envoy argues that actions aligning with the empire's self-interest are rational, referencing how they manage Aegean allies differently to demonstrate that resisting Syracusan hegemony in Sicily serves the mutual benefit of both Athens and the local cities.

§6.85.1ἀνδρὶ δὲ τυράννῳ ἢ πόλει ἀρχὴν ἐχούσῃ οὐδὲν ἄλογον ὅτι ξυμφέρον οὐδ’ οἰκεῖον ὅτι μὴ πιστόν· πρὸς ἕκαστα δὲ δεῖ ἢ ἐχθρὸν ἢ φίλον μετὰ καιροῦ γίγνεσθαι.

'For a tyrant or a city holding empire, nothing is irrational if it is expedient, nor is anyone a kinsman who is not trustworthy; but on each occasion, one must become either an enemy or a friend according to the opportune moment.

καὶ ἡμᾶς τοῦτο ὠφελεῖ ἐνθάδε, οὐκ ἢν τοὺς φίλους κακώσωμεν, ἀλλ’ ἢν οἱ ἐχθροὶ διὰ τὴν τῶν φίλων ῥώμην ἀδύνατοι ὦσιν.

And this benefits us here, not if we harm our friends, but if our enemies are rendered powerless through the strength of our friends.

§6.85.2ἀπιστεῖν δὲ οὐ χρή· καὶ γὰρ τοὺς ἐκεῖ ξυμμάχους ὡς ἕκαστοι χρήσιμοι ἐξηγούμεθα, Χίους μὲν καὶ Μηθυμναίους νεῶν παροκωχῇ αὐτονόμους, τοὺς δὲ πολλοὺς χρημάτων βιαιότερον φορᾷ, ἄλλους δὲ καὶ πάνυ ἐλευθέρως ξυμμαχοῦντας, καίπερ νησιώτας ὄντας καὶ εὐλήπτους, διότι ἐν χωρίοις ἐπικαίροις εἰσὶ περὶ τὴν Πελοπόννησον.

And you must not disbelieve this; for we lead our allies there also in such a manner as each is useful to us: the Chians and Methymnaeans as independent on the condition of supplying ships, the majority under a more compulsory payment of money, and others, though they are islanders and easy to capture, as entirely free allies, because they are situated in advantageous positions around the Peloponnese.

§6.85.3ὥστε καὶ τἀνθάδε εἰκὸς πρὸς τὸ λυσιτελοῦν, καὶ ὃ λέγομεν, ἐς Συρακοσίους δέος καθίστασθαι.

So it is reasonable that here too we should arrange things for our advantage, and, as we say, in accordance with our fear of the Syracusans.

ἀρχῆς γὰρ ἐφίενται ὑμῶν καὶ βούλονται ἐπὶ τῷ ἡμετέρῳ ξυστήσαντες ὑμᾶς ὑπόπτῳ, βίᾳ ἢ καὶ κατ’ ἐρημίαν, ἀπράκτων ἡμῶν ἀπελθόντων, αὐτοὶ ἄρξαι τῆς Σικελίας.

For they desire empire over you, and they want to unite you under themselves by making us suspected, so that when we have departed without achieving anything, they themselves may rule Sicily by force or through your isolation.

ἀνάγκη δέ, ἢν ξυστῆτε πρὸς αὐτούς· οὔτε γὰρ ἡμῖν ἔτι ἔσται ἰσχὺς τοσαύτη ἐς ἓν ξυστᾶσα εὐμεταχείριστος, οὔθ’ οἵδ’ ἀσθενεῖς ἂν ἡμῶν μὴ παρόντων πρὸς ὑμᾶς εἶεν.

And this is bound to happen if you unite with them; for neither will we any longer have so great a force, once combined, easy to manage, nor would these men be weak against you in our absence.'

Notes

6.85.1οὐδὲν ἄλογον ὅτι ξυμφέρον — The pronoun ὅτι is interpreted as the indefinite relative pronoun ὅ,τι, meaning 'whatever is advantageous.' While it could theoretically be taken as the conjunction ὅτι ('that'), this would disrupt the syntactic symmetry with the following parallel clause οὐδ’ οἰκεῖον ὅτι μὴ πιστόν.
6.85.2νεῶν παροκωχῇ — The dative of the noun παροκωχή (supply, provision) functions as a dative of means or condition, meaning 'by/on the condition of the supplying of ships.' It stands in structural parallel with the subsequent dative phrase χρημάτων φορᾷ (by the paying of tribute).
6.85.3ἀνάγκη δέ, ἢν ξυστῆτε πρὸς αὐτούς — An elliptical construction where the copula ἐστί and an infinitive representing the logical consequence (such as γενέσθαι, 'to happen' or δουλωθῆναι, 'to be enslaved') are omitted after the noun ἀνάγκη. It expresses that the Syracusan domination is inevitable if the Siceliots unite with them.

Cite this passage

Thucydides, History of the Peloponnesian War §6.85.1-6.85.3. Humanitext Reader, https://reader.humanitext.ai/en/text/urn:cts:greekLit:tlg0003.tlg001.humanitext-grc2:6.85.1-6.85.3

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