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Thucydides · History of the Peloponnesian War §7.68.1-7.68.3

Syracusan Leaders on the Justice of Revenge and Victory

Passage 789 of 917 · Greek

Summary

The Syracusan generals inspire their men to attack the enemy with anger, exploiting their disorder and desperation, while reminding them of the severe threats posed by the Athenians and emphasizing the immense benefits of victory with minimal risk.

§7.68.1πρὸς οὖν ἀταξίαν τε τοιαύτην καὶ τύχην ἀνδρῶν ἑαυτὴν παραδεδωκυῖαν πολεμιωτάτων ὀργῇ προσμείξωμεν, καὶ νομίσωμεν ἅμα μὲν νομιμώτατον εἶναι πρὸς τοὺς ἐναντίους οἳ ἂν ὡς ἐπὶ τιμωρίᾳ τοῦ προσπεσόντος δικαιώσωσιν ἀποπλῆσαι τῆς γνώμης τὸ θυμούμενον, ἅμα δὲ ἐχθροὺς ἀμύνασθαι ἐκγενησόμενον ἡμῖν καὶ τὸ λεγόμενόν που ἥδιστον εἶναι.
Therefore, let us advance with anger against such disorder and against the fortune of men who are our bitterest enemies and have abandoned themselves to it; and let us believe, on the one hand, that to satisfy the anger of our hearts against enemies, for those who think it right to do so as a punishment for the aggressor, is most lawful, and on the other hand, that to avenge ourselves on our enemies will be possible for us, and that this is, as the saying goes, the sweetest thing of all.
§7.68.2ὡς δὲ ἐχθροὶ καὶ ἔχθιστοι, πάντες ἴστε, οἵ γε ἐπὶ τὴν ἡμετέραν ἦλθον δουλωσόμενοι, ἐν ᾧ, εἰ κατώρθωσαν, ἀνδράσι μὲν ἂν τἄλγιστα προσέθεσαν, παισὶ δὲ καὶ γυναιξὶ τὰ ἀπρεπέστατα, πόλει δὲ τῇ πάσῃ τὴν αἰσχίστην ἐπίκλησιν.
And that they are enemies and the bitterest of enemies, you all know, who came to our land to enslave it; and if they had succeeded, they would have inflicted the most painful sufferings upon our men, the most disgraceful treatment upon our children and women, and the most shameful name upon our entire city.
§7.68.3ἀνθ’ ὧν μὴ μαλακισθῆναί τινα πρέπει μηδὲ τὸ ἀκινδύνως ἀπελθεῖν αὐτοὺς κέρδος νομίσαι.
Therefore, it is not fitting for anyone to show weakness, nor to consider it a gain that they should depart without danger.
τοῦτο μὲν γὰρ καὶ ἐὰν κρατήσωσιν ὁμοίως δράσουσιν· τὸ δὲ πραξάντων ἐκ τοῦ εἰκότος ἃ βουλόμεθα τούσδε τε κολασθῆναι καὶ τῇ πάσῃ Σικελίᾳ καρπουμένῃ καὶ πρὶν ἐλευθερίαν βεβαιοτέραν παραδοῦναι, καλὸς ὁ ἀγών.
For they will do this very thing just the same even if they conquer; but if we achieve what we reasonably desire—that these men be punished and that we hand over a more secure freedom to the whole of Sicily, which is already enjoying it—then the struggle is a glorious one.
καὶ κινδύνων οὗτοι σπανιώτατοι οἳ ἂν ἐλάχιστα ἐκ τοῦ σφαλῆναι βλάπτοντες πλεῖστα διὰ τὸ εὐτυχῆσαι ὠφελῶσιν. ’
And those dangers are rarest which, while causing the least harm from failure, bring the greatest benefit from success.

Notes

  1. 7.68.1οἳ ἂν ... δικαιώσωσιν — Determination of the antecedent of the relative clause. The subject of this relative clause is not the preceding `τοὺς ἐναντίους` (the enemies), but rather the implied subject of the infinitive `ἀποπλῆσαι` (the Syracusans). The structure is: "for those (us) who think it right to satisfy the anger of their mind as a punishment for the aggressor, against the enemies."
  2. 7.68.1ἐκγενησόμενον — Accusative absolute construction of the neuter singular future participle of the impersonal verb `ἐκγίγνεται` (it is possible). It means "since it will be possible for us," functioning in parallel with the accusative-and-infinitive clauses governed by `νομίσωμεν`.
  3. 7.68.2εἰ κατώρθωσαν ... ἂν ... προσέθεσαν — A past contrary-to-fact conditional construction. The protasis consists of `εἰ` with the aorist indicative (`κατώρθωσαν`), and the apodosis consists of `ἄν` with the aorist indicative (`προσέθεσαν`), meaning "if they had succeeded, they would have inflicted...". The particle `ἂν` goes with `προσέθεσαν` and also applies to the subsequent parallel clauses.
  4. 7.68.3πραξάντων — Genitive absolute construction with the subject (we) omitted. It is the aorist active participle plural genitive of `πράσσω`, expressing a hypothetical condition: "if we should achieve what we desire."

Cite this passage

Thucydides, History of the Peloponnesian War §7.68.1-7.68.3. Humanitext Reader, https://reader.humanitext.ai/en/text/urn:cts:greekLit:tlg0003.tlg001.humanitext-grc2:7.68.1-7.68.3

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