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Thucydides · History of the Peloponnesian War §8.69.1-8.69.4

The Four Hundred Take Over the Council Chamber

Passage 877 of 917 · Greek

Summary

After the abolition of democracy is approved, the oligarchic Four Hundred, accompanied by armed supporters and young men, dismiss the traditional senators by paying their remaining salaries in advance and take control of the senate-house.

§8.69.1ἐπειδὴ δὲ ἡ ἐκκλησία οὐδενὸς ἀντειπόντος, ἀλλὰ κυρώσασα ταῦτα διελύθη, τοὺς τετρακοσίους ἤδη ὕστερον τρόπῳ τοιῷδε ἐς τὸ βουλευτήριον ἐσήγαγον.
When the assembly, with no one opposing but having ratified these measures, was dissolved, they then subsequently introduced the Four Hundred into the senate-house in the following manner.
ἦσαν [δ᾽] Ἀθηναῖοι πάντες αἰεὶ οἱ μὲν ἐπὶ τείχει, οἱ δ’ ἐν τάξει, τῶν ἐν Δεκελείᾳ πολεμίων ἕνεκα ἐφ’ ὅπλοις·
All the Athenians were constantly under arms, some on the walls and others in the ranks, on account of the enemy in Decelea.
§8.69.2τῇ οὖν ἡμέρᾳ ἐκείνῃ τοὺς μὲν μὴ ξυνειδότας εἴασαν ὥσπερ εἰώθεσαν ἀπελθεῖν, τοῖς δ’ ἐν τῇ ξυνωμοσίᾳ εἴρητο ἡσυχῇ μὴ ἐπ’ αὐτοῖς τοῖς ὅπλοις, ἀλλ’ ἄπωθεν περιμένειν, καὶ ἤν τις ἐνιστῆται τοῖς ποιουμένοις, λαβόντας τὰ ὅπλα μὴ ἐπιτρέπειν.
On that day, therefore, they allowed those who were not privy to the plot to depart as they were accustomed; but to those in the conspiracy, orders had been given to wait quietly, not close to the arms themselves, but at a little distance, and if anyone should oppose what was being done, to take up the arms and not permit it.
§8.69.3ἦσαν δὲ καὶ Ἄνδριοι καὶ Τήνιοι καὶ Καρυστίων τριακόσιοι καὶ Αἰγινητῶν τῶν ἐποίκων, οὓς Ἀθηναῖοι ἔπεμψαν οἰκήσοντας, ἐπ’ αὐτὸ τοῦτο ἥκοντες ἐν τοῖς ἑαυτῶν ὅπλοις, οἷς ταὐτὰ προείρητο.
There were also present Andrians, Tenians, three hundred Carystians, and some of the settlers from Aegina whom the Athenians had sent to inhabit it, who had come for this very purpose with their own arms, to whom the same orders had been previously given.
§8.69.4τούτων δὲ διατεταγμένων οὕτως ἐλθόντες οἱ τετρακόσιοι μετὰ ξιφιδίου ἀφανοῦς ἕκαστος, καὶ οἱ εἴκοσι καὶ ἑκατὸν μετ’ αὐτῶν [Ἕλληνες ] νεανίσκοι, οἷς ἐχρῶντο εἴ τί που δέοι χειρουργεῖν, ἐπέστησαν τοῖς ἀπὸ τοῦ κυάμου βουλευταῖς οὖσιν ἐν τῷ βουλευτηρίῳ καὶ εἶπον αὐτοῖς ἐξιέναι λαβοῦσι τὸν μισθόν· ἔφερον δὲ αὐτοῖς τοῦ ὑπολοίπου χρόνου παντὸς αὐτοὶ καὶ ἐξιοῦσιν ἐδίδοσαν.
When these matters had been thus arranged, the Four Hundred came, each with a concealed dagger, accompanied by the hundred and twenty young men whom they employed whenever there was any need for violent hands to be laid on anyone, and they confronted the senators chosen by the lot of the bean who were in the senate-house, and told them to go out, taking their pay; and they themselves brought the pay for all the remaining time of their office and gave it to them as they went out.

Notes

  1. §8.69.1ἐφ’ ὅπλοις — An idiomatic expression combining the preposition ἐπί with the dative, meaning "under arms" or "with weapons close at hand". It describes the regular state of the Athenian citizens who kept their weapons ready due to the Spartan threat from Decelea.
  2. §8.69.2τοῖς δ’ ἐν τῇ ξυνωμοσίᾳ εἴρητο — An impersonal passive perfect (or with an implied neuter subject), meaning "orders had been given to those in the conspiracy (to do something)". The infinitives περιμένειν and μὴ ἐπιτρέπειν represent the content of these orders.
  3. §8.69.4τοῖς ἀπὸ τοῦ κυάμου βουλευταῖς — Literally "the senators from the bean". It refers to the traditional democratic practice of selecting members of the Athenian Council of Five Hundred by lot using beans (κύαμος).
  4. §8.69.4χειρουργεῖν — From the literal meaning "to work with one's hands", it is used here as a euphemism or metaphorical expression for "to use force", "to commit acts of violence", or "to carry out physical executions/assassinations".
  5. §8.69.4τοῦ ὑπολοίπου χρόνου παντὸς — Genitive of time, specifying the duration—"all the remaining time"—for which the pay (μισθός) was due. By paying out the remaining salary of the senators' term in advance, the Four Hundred facilitated their peaceful eviction.

Cite this passage

Thucydides, History of the Peloponnesian War §8.69.1-8.69.4. Humanitext Reader, https://reader.humanitext.ai/en/text/urn:cts:greekLit:tlg0003.tlg001.humanitext-grc2:8.69.1-8.69.4

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