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Thucydides · History of the Peloponnesian War §8.65.1-8.65.3

Pisander Returns as Athenians Prepare for Oligarchy

Passage 873 of 917 · Greek

Summary

Pisander and his party overthrew democracies on their way back to Athens, where their domestic associates had already paved the way for oligarchy by assassinating Androcles and advocating for a government limited to five thousand citizens.

§8.65.1οἱ δὲ ἀμφὶ τὸν Πείσανδρον παραπλέοντές τε, ὥσπερ ἐδέδοκτο, τοὺς δήμους ἐν ταῖς πόλεσι κατέλυον, καὶ ἅμα ἔστιν ἀφ’ ὧν χωρίων καὶ ὁπλίτας ἔχοντες σφίσιν αὐτοῖς ξυμμάχους ἦλθον ἐς τὰς Ἀθήνας. §8.65.2καὶ καταλαμβάνουσι τὰ πλεῖστα τοῖς ἑταίροις προειργασμένα.
Meanwhile, Pisander and his companions, sailing along the coast, overthrew the democracies in the cities as had been decided, and at the same time they came to Athens, bringing with them heavy infantry from certain places as their allies. And they found that most of the work had already been done by their associates.
καὶ γὰρ Ἀνδροκλέα τέ τινα τοῦ δήμου μάλιστα προεστῶτα ξυστάντες τινὲς τῶν νεωτέρων κρύφα ἀποκτείνουσιν, ὅσπερ καὶ τὸν Ἀλκιβιάδην οὐχ ἥκιστα ἐξήλασε, καὶ αὐτὸν κατ’ ἀμφότερα, τῆς τε δημαγωγίας ἕνεκα καὶ οἰόμενοι τῷ Ἀλκιβιάδῃ ὡς κατιόντι καὶ τὸν Τισσαφέρνην φίλον ποιήσοντι χαριεῖσθαι, μᾶλλόν τι διέφθειραν· καὶ ἄλλους τινὰς ἀνεπιτηδείους τῷ αὐτῷ τρόπῳ κρύφα ἀνήλωσαν. §8.65.3λόγος τε ἐκ τοῦ φανεροῦ προείργαστο αὐτοῖς ὡς οὔτε μισθοφορητέον εἴη ἄλλους ἢ τοὺς στρατευομένους οὔτε μεθεκτέον τῶν πραγμάτων πλέοσιν ἢ πεντακισχιλίοις, καὶ τούτοις οἳ ἂν μάλιστα τοῖς τε χρήμασι καὶ τοῖς σώμασιν ὠφελεῖν οἷοί τε ὦσιν.
For some of the younger men, having formed a conspiracy, secretly assassinated a certain Androcles, who was the chief leader of the people and had also been foremost in driving Alcibiades into exile. They dispatched him for both reasons: because of his popular leadership, and because they thought they would gratify Alcibiades, who was expected to return and make Tissaphernes their friend; and some other inconvenient persons they made away with in the same secret manner. A public program had also been prepared beforehand by them, to the effect that no one should receive pay except those on active military service, and that no more than five thousand should share in the government, and these should be those who were best able to serve the state both with their property and their persons.

Notes

  1. 8.65.1ἔστιν ἀφ’ ὧν χωρίων — A variation of the idiom `ἔστιν οἵ` (meaning "some"), combined here with the preposition `ἀπό` and the noun `χωρίων`. The verb `ἔστιν` remains impersonal and indeclinable, meaning "from certain places."
  2. 8.65.2τοῖς ἑταίροις — Dative of agent used with the perfect passive participle `προειργασμένα` to indicate that the action had been performed "by their associates."
  3. 8.65.2ὡς κατιόντι — The conjunction `ὡς` is used here with the dative participles `κατιόντι` and `ποιήσοντι` to express a subjective reason or belief ("thinking or expecting that..."). The dative case agrees with `τῷ Ἀλκιβιάδῃ`, which is the dative object of `χαριεῖσθαι`.

Cite this passage

Thucydides, History of the Peloponnesian War §8.65.1-8.65.3. Humanitext Reader, https://reader.humanitext.ai/en/text/urn:cts:greekLit:tlg0003.tlg001.humanitext-grc2:8.65.1-8.65.3

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