Humanitext Reader

Plutarch · Life of Aristides §13.1-13.3

The Oligarchic Conspiracy and Aristides' Lenience

Passage 13 of 27 · Greek

Summary

Impoverished Athenian aristocrats at Plataea plot to overthrow the democracy and betray the state to the Persians, but Aristeides discovers the conspiracy. To prevent division in the army, he arrests only a few leaders, allowing some to escape and giving the others a chance to redeem themselves in battle.

§13.1οὔσης δὲ μετεώρου τῆς Ἑλλάδος καὶ μάλιστα τοῖς Ἀθηναίοις τῶν πραγμάτων ἐπισφαλῶς ἐχόντων, ἄνδρες ἐξ οἴκων ἐπιφανῶν καὶ χρημάτων μεγάλων πένητες ὑπὸ τοῦ πολέμου γεγονότες καὶ πᾶσαν ἅμα τῷ πλούτῳ τὴν ἐν τῇ πόλει δύναμιν αὑτῶν καὶ δόξαν οἰχομένην ὁρῶντες, ἑτέρων τιμωμένων καὶ ἀρχόντων, συνῆλθον εἰς οἰκίαν τινὰ τῶν ἐν Πλαταιαῖς κρύφα καὶ συνωμόσαντο καταλύσειν τὸν δῆμον· εἰ δὲ μὴ προχωροίη, λυμανεῖσθαι τὰ πράγματα καὶ τοῖς βαρβάροις προδώσειν.
While Greece was in suspense and affairs were in a particularly precarious state for the Athenians, certain men from illustrious families and of great wealth, who had been made poor by the war and saw all their power and reputation in the city vanishing along with their riches, while others were being honored and holding office, met secretly in a house at Plataea and conspired to overthrow the democracy; and if they should not succeed, to ruin their country's affairs and betray them to the barbarians.
§13.2πραττομένων δὲ τούτων ἐν τῷ στρατοπέδῳ καὶ συχνῶν ἤδη διεφθαρμένων, αἰσθόμενος ὁ Ἀριστείδης καὶ φοβηθεὶς τὸν καιρόν, ἔγνω μήτʼ ἐᾶν ἀμελούμενον τὸ πρᾶγμα μήθʼ ἅπαν ἐκκαλύπτειν, ἀγνοούμενον εἰς ὅσον ἐκβήσεται πλῆθος ὁ ἔλεγχος τὸν τοῦ δικαίου ζητῶν ὅρον ἀντὶ τοῦ συμφέροντος.
Since these things were being plotted in the camp and many had already been corrupted, Aristeides, perceiving it and becoming alarmed at the crisis, resolved neither to allow the matter to go neglected nor yet to disclose it entirely, since it was unknown to how large a number the scrutiny would extend, which sought the standard of justice instead of expediency.
§13.3ὀκτὼ δή τινας ἐκ πολλῶν συνέλαβε· καὶ τούτων δύο μέν, οἷς πρώτοις ἡ κρίσις προεγράφη, οἳ καὶ πλείστην αἰτίαν εἶχον, Αἰσχίνης Λαμπτρεὺς καὶ Ἀγησίας Ἀχαρνεύς, ᾤχοντο φεύγοντες ἐκ τοῦ στρατοπέδου, τοὺς δʼ ἄλλους ἀφῆκε, θαρσῆσαι διδοὺς καὶ μεταγνῶναι τοῖς ἔτι λανθάνειν οἰομένοις, ὑπειπὼν ὡς μέγα δικαστήριον ἔχουσι τὸν πόλεμον ἀπολύσασθαι τὰς αἰτίας ὀρθῶς καὶ δικαίως τῇ πατρίδι βουλευόμενοι.
He therefore arrested some eight out of many; and of these, the two against whom the charge was first drawn up and who bore the greatest guilt, Aeschines of Lampra and Agesias of Acharnae, fled and escaped from the camp, while he released the others, giving those who still thought they were undetected an opportunity to take courage and repent, suggesting that they had the war as a great tribunal to clear themselves of the charges by planning rightly and justly for their country.

Notes

  1. 13.1ἑτέρων τιμωμένων καὶ ἀρχόντων — A genitive absolute construction expressing a contrasting or causal circumstance ("while others were being honored and holding office") attendant on the visual loss of their own power and reputation.
  2. 13.2ἀγνοούμενον — An accusative absolute of an impersonal verb, taking the following indirect question clause "εἰς ὅσον ἐκβήσεται πλῆθος..." as its logical subject. It functions as an adverbial clause of reason ("since it was unknown...").
  3. 13.2τὸν τοῦ δικαίου ζητῶν ὅρον ἀντὶ τοῦ συμφέροντος — The present participle `ζητῶν` is masculine singular nominative, agreeing with the preceding noun `ὁ ἔλεγχος` (scrutiny, inquiry). It personifies the abstract noun as "seeking the standard of justice instead of expediency."
  4. 13.3θαρσῆσαι διδοὺς καὶ μεταγνῶναι — The verb `δίδωμι` (to give) is used with the infinitives `θαρσῆσαι` (to take courage) and `μεταγνῶναι` (to repent) in the sense of "giving an opportunity or room to do something."

Cite this passage

Plutarch, Life of Aristides §13.1-13.3. Humanitext Reader, https://reader.humanitext.ai/en/text/urn:cts:greekLit:tlg0007.tlg024.humanitext-grc2:13.1-13.3

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.