Humanitext Reader

Thucydides · History of the Peloponnesian War §6.87.1-6.87.5

Athenian Deterrence and the Exhortation to Camarina

Passage 703 of 917 · Greek

Summary

Euphemus reaffirms the legitimacy of Athenian intervention, arguing that Athens' active involvement actually provides security and deterrence throughout Greece, and strongly urges Camarina to ally with Athens rather than submit to Syracuse.

§6.87.1‘ἀλλὰ μήτε ὑμεῖς, ὦ Καμαριναῖοι, ταῖς τῶνδε διαβολαῖς ἀναπείθεσθε μήτε οἱ ἄλλοι· εἰρήκαμεν δ’ ὑμῖν πᾶσαν τὴν ἀλήθειαν περὶ ὧν ὑποπτευόμεθα, καὶ ἔτι ἐν κεφαλαίοις ὑπομνήσαντες ἀξιώσομεν πείθειν.
"But let neither you, O Camarinaeans, be won over by the slanders of these men, nor the others; we have told you the whole truth about the things for which we are suspected, and by reminding you further of them in sum, we shall claim to persuade you.
§6.87.2φαμὲν γὰρ ἄρχειν μὲν τῶν ἐκεῖ, ἵνα μὴ ὑπακούωμεν ἄλλου, ἐλευθεροῦν δὲ τὰ ἐνθάδε, ὅπως μὴ ὑπ’ αὐτῶν βλαπτώμεθα, πολλὰ δ’ ἀναγκάζεσθαι πράσσειν, διότι καὶ πολλὰ φυλασσόμεθα, ξύμμαχοι δὲ καὶ νῦν καὶ πρότερον τοῖς ἐνθάδε ὑμῶν ἀδικουμένοις οὐκ ἄκλητοι, παρακληθέντες δὲ ἥκειν.
For we assert that we rule over the people there so that we may not obey another, and that we are liberating the people here so that we may not be harmed by them, and that we are forced to do many things because we also guard against many things, and that we have come as allies, both now and formerly, to those of you here who are wronged, not uninvited, but having been summoned.
§6.87.3καὶ ὑμεῖς μήθ’ ὡς δικασταὶ γενόμενοι τῶν ἡμῖν ποιουμένων μήθ’ ὡς σωφρονισταί, ὃ χαλεπὸν ἤδη, ἀποτρέπειν πειρᾶσθε, καθ’ ὅσον δέ τι ὑμῖν τῆς ἡμετέρας πολυπραγμοσύνης καὶ τρόπου τὸ αὐτὸ ξυμφέρει, τούτῳ ἀπολαβόντες χρήσασθε, καὶ νομίσατε μὴ πάντας ἐν ἴσῳ βλάπτειν αὐτά, πολὺ δὲ πλείους τῶν Ἑλλήνων καὶ ὠφελεῖν·
And do not attempt to turn us back, by acting either as judges of our actions or as our correctors—which is already a difficult task—but insofar as any part of our officiousness and character is equally advantageous to you, take and use that portion, and consider that these things do not harm all equally, but benefit far more of the Greeks.
§6.87.4ἐν παντὶ γὰρ πᾶς χωρίῳ, καὶ ᾧ μὴ ὑπάρχομεν, ὅ τε οἰόμενος ἀδικήσεσθαι καὶ ὁ ἐπιβουλεύων διὰ τὸ ἑτοίμην ὑπεῖναι ἐλπίδα τῷ μὲν ἀντιτυχεῖν ἐπικουρίας ἀφ’ ἡμῶν, τῷ δὲ εἰ ἥξομεν, μὴ ἀδεεῖ εἶναι κινδυνεύειν, ἀμφότεροι ἀναγκάζονται ὁ μὲν ἄκων σωφρονεῖν, ὁ δ’ ἀπραγμόνως σῴζεσθαι.
For in every place, even where we are not present, both he who thinks he will be wronged and he who is plotting, because of the ready hope that lies underneath—for the former to obtain assistance from us, and for the latter that, if we come, he will not be without fear in taking risks—are both compelled, the one to be moderate against his will, and the other to be saved without effort.
§6.87.5ταύτην οὖν τὴν κοινὴν τῷ τε δεομένῳ καὶ ὑμῖν νῦν παροῦσαν ἀσφάλειαν μὴ ἀπώσησθε, ἀλλ᾽ ἐξισώσαντες τοῖς ἄλλοις μεθ’ ἡμῶν τοῖς Συρακοσίοις, ἀντὶ τοῦ αἰεὶ φυλάσσεσθαι αὐτούς, καὶ ἀντεπιβουλεῦσαί ποτε ἐκ τοῦ ὁμοίου μεταλάβετε. ’
Do not, therefore, reject this safety which is now present and common to both the one who needs it and to you; but, placing yourselves on an equal footing with the others, along with us, against the Syracusans, instead of always guarding against them, take your turn in plotting back against them on equal terms."

Notes

  1. 6.87.1περὶ ὧν ὑποπτευόμεθα — The relative pronoun ὧν is attracted to the genitive from an original accusative ἅ dependent on the preposition περί (i.e., περὶ τούτων ἅ). The verb ὑποπτευόμεθα is passive: "about the things for which we are suspected" (by the Sicilians).
  2. 6.87.2ξύμμαχοι δὲ καὶ νῦν καὶ πρότερον τοῖς ἐνθάδε ὑμῶν ἀδικουμένοις οὐκ ἄκλητοι, παρακληθέντες δὲ ἥκειν — This is an infinitive clause depending on the main verb φαμέν. The infinitive is ἥκειν, and since its subject is the same as the subject of the main clause ("we"), the predicate noun ξύμμαχοι is in the nominative case (nominative with infinitive construction).
  3. 6.87.3ὃ χαλεπὸν ἤδη — The relative pronoun ὃ is a neuter singular referring back to the whole preceding idea of "becoming judges or correctors of our actions". ἤδη ("already" or "indeed") emphasizes the difficulty or presumption of such an endeavor.
  4. 6.87.4διὰ τὸ ἑτοίμην ὑπεῖναι ἐλπίδα — This causal clause is introduced by the preposition διά followed by the articular infinitive τὸ ὑπεῖναι, with ἐλπίδα as its subject in the accusative. The adjective ἑτοίμην is in a predicative position: "because the hope lies ready/underneath".
  5. 6.87.4τῷ μὲν ἀντιτυχεῖν ἐπικουρίας ἀφ’ ἡμῶν, τῷ δὲ εἰ ἥξομεν, μὴ ἀδεεῖ εἶναι κινδυνεύειν — The demonstrative datives τῷ μὲν ... τῷ δὲ refer respectively to ὅ τε οἰόμενος ἀδικήσεσθαι and ὁ ἐπιβουλεύων, functioning as datives of interest ("for the former... for the latter..."). The following infinitive clauses (ἀντιτυχεῖν and εἶναι) explain the content of the ἐλπίδα (hope/expectation) in apposition.
  6. 6.87.5ἐξισώσαντες τοῖς ἄλλοις μεθ’ ἡμῶν τοῖς Συρακοσίοις — The participle ἐξισώσαντες ("having made equal/on an equal footing") governs the dative τοῖς Συρακοσίοις ("against the Syracusans"). The phrase τοῖς ἄλλοις, referring to other allies of Athens or other states, means "having made yourselves equal to the others, along with us".

Cite this passage

Thucydides, History of the Peloponnesian War §6.87.1-6.87.5. Humanitext Reader, https://reader.humanitext.ai/en/text/urn:cts:greekLit:tlg0003.tlg001.humanitext-grc2:6.87.1-6.87.5

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.