Humanitext Reader

Plutarch · Life of Aristides §23.1-23.6

Transfer of Hegemony from Sparta to Athens

Passage 23 of 27 · Greek

Summary

The passage describes how Aristides and Cimon won the allies' favor through their humility, transferring the hegemony of Greece from the arrogant Pausanias, and how Sparta voluntarily relinquished leadership to prevent its citizens from being corrupted by power.

§23.1ἐπεὶ δὲ στρατηγὸς ἐκπεμφθεὶς μετὰ Κίμωνος ἐπὶ τὸν πόλεμον ἑώρα τόν τε Παυσανίαν καὶ τοὺς ἄλλους ἄρχοντας τῶν Σπαρτιατῶν ἐπαχθεῖς καὶ χαλεποὺς τοῖς συμμάχοις ὄντας, αὐτός τε πρᾴως καὶ φιλανθρώπως ὁμιλῶν καὶ τὸν Κίμωνα παρέχων εὐάρμοστον αὐτοῖς καὶ κοινὸν ἐν ταῖς στρατείαις ἔλαθε τῶν Λακεδαιμονίων οὐχ ὅπλοις οὐδὲ ναυσὶν οὐδʼ ἵπποις, εὐγνωμοσύνῃ δὲ καὶ πολιτείᾳ τὴν ἡγεμονίαν παρελόμενος.
When Aristides, having been sent out as general with Cimon for the war, saw that Pausanias and the other Spartan commanders were burdensome and harsh to the allies, he himself associated with them mildly and humanely, and rendered Cimon adaptable and approachable to them during the campaigns, and thus, not by arms, nor by ships, nor by horses, but by consideration and diplomacy, he stealthily took away the hegemony from the Lacedaemonians.
§23.2προσφιλεῖς γὰρ ὄντας τοὺς Ἀθηναίους τοῖς Ἕλλησι διὰ τὴν Ἀριστείδου δικαιοσύνην καὶ τὴν Κίμωνος ἐπιείκειαν ἔτι μᾶλλον ἡ τοῦ Παυσανίου πλεονεξία καὶ βαρύτης ποθεινοὺς ἐποίει.
For though the Athenians were already beloved by the Greeks because of the justice of Aristides and the moderation of Cimon, the greed and arrogance of Pausanias made them still more longed for.
τοῖς τε γὰρ ἄρχουσι τῶν συμμάχων ἀεὶ μετʼ ὀργῆς ἐνετύγχανε καὶ τραχέως, τούς τε πολλοὺς ἐκόλαζε πληγαῖς ἢ σιδηρᾶν ἄγκυραν ἐπιτιθεὶς ἠνάγκαζεν ἑστάναι διʼ ὅλης τῆς ἡμέρας.
For he always met the commanders of the allies with anger and harshness, and punished the common soldiers with blows, or forced them to stand the whole day carrying an iron anchor.
§23.3στιβάδα δʼ οὐκ ἦν λαβεῖν οὐδὲ χόρτον οὐδὲ κρήνῃ προσελθεῖν ὑδρευόμενον οὐδένα πρὸ τῶν Σπαρτιατῶν, ἀλλὰ μάστιγας ἔχοντες ὑπηρέται τοὺς προσιόντας ἀπήλαυνον.
And it was not possible for anyone to get straw for bedding, nor fodder, nor to approach a spring to draw water before the Spartans; rather, attendants carrying whips drove away those who approached.
ὑπὲρ ὧν τοῦ Ἀριστείδου ποτὲ βουληθέντος ἐγκαλέσαι καὶ διδάξαι, συναγαγὼν τὸ πρόσωπον ὁ Παυσανίας οὐκ ἔφη σχολάζειν οὐδʼ ἤκουσεν.
When Aristides once wished to make a complaint and explain about these matters, Pausanias, knitting his brow, said he had no leisure, and did not listen.
§23.4ἐκ τούτου προσιόντες οἱ ναύαρχοι καὶ στρατηγοὶ τῶν Ἑλλήνων, μάλιστα δὲ Χῖοι καὶ Σάμιοι καὶ Λέσβιοι, τὸν Ἀριστείδην ἔπειθον ἀναδέξασθαι τὴν ἡγεμονίαν καὶ προσαγαγέσθαι τοὺς συμμάχους πάλαι δεομένους ἀπαλλαγῆναι τῶν Σπαρτιατῶν καὶ μετατάξασθαι πρὸς τοὺς Ἀθηναίους.
Consequently, the admirals and generals of the Greeks, especially the Chians, Samians, and Lesbians, came to Aristides and urged him to accept the hegemony and to win over the allies, who had long desired to be rid of the Spartans and to transfer their allegiance to the Athenians.
ἀποκριναμένου δʼ ἐκείνου τοῖς μὲν λόγοις αὐτῶν τό τε ἀναγκαῖον ἐνορᾶν καὶ τὸ δίκαιον, ἔργου δὲ δεῖσθαι τὴν πίστιν, ὃ πραχθὲν οὐκ ἐάσει πάλιν μεταβαλέσθαι τοὺς πολλούς, §23.5οὕτως οἱ περὶ τὸν Σάμιον Οὐλιάδην καὶ τὸν Χῖον Ἀνταγόραν συνομοσάμενοι περὶ Βυζάντιον ἐμβάλλουσιν εἰς τὴν τριήρη τοῦ Παυσανίου, προεκπλέουσαν ἐν μέσῳ λαβόντες.
And when he answered that he saw both the necessity and the justice in their words, but that proof required some deed which, once performed, would not allow the multitude to change back again, thereupon Uliades of Samos and Antagoras of Chios and their followers, having bound themselves by an oath, attacked the trireme of Pausanias near Byzantium, catching it in the middle as it was sailing out ahead.
ὡς δὲ κατιδὼν ἐκεῖνος ἐξανέστη καὶ μετʼ ὀργῆς ἠπείλησεν ὀλίγῳ χρόνῳ τοὺς ἄνδρας ἐπιδείξειν οὐκ εἰς τὴν αὐτοῦ ναῦν ἐμβεβληκότας, ἀλλʼ εἰς τὰς ἰδίας πατρίδας, ἐκέλευον αὐτὸν ἀπιέναι καὶ ἀγαπᾶν τὴν συναγωνισαμένην τύχην ἐν Πλαταιαῖς· ἐκείνην γὰρ ἔτι τοὺς Ἕλληνας αἰσχυνομένους μὴ λαμβάνειν ἀξίαν δίκην παρʼ αὐτοῦ·
And when he, seeing this, rose up and angrily threatened that in a short time he would show them that they had run not into his ship, but into their own native lands, they told him to go away and be content with the fortune that fought with him at Plataea; for they said that the Greeks, still respecting that fortune, refrained from taking fit punishment from him.
τέλος δʼ ἀποστάντες ᾤχοντο πρὸς τοὺς Ἀθηναίους.
Finally, they revolted and went over to the Athenians.
§23.6ἔνθα δὴ καὶ τὸ φρόνημα τῆς Σπάρτης διεφάνη θαυμαστόν.
Then indeed the high-mindedness of Sparta shone forth wonderfully.
ὡς γὰρ ᾔσθοντο τῷ μεγέθει τῆς ἐξουσίας διαφθειρομένους αὐτῶν τοὺς ἄρχοντας, ἀφῆκαν ἑκουσίως τὴν ἡγεμονίαν καὶ πέμποντες ἐπὶ τὸν πόλεμον ἐπαύσαντο στρατηγούς, μᾶλλον αἱρούμενοι σωφρονοῦντας ἔχειν καὶ τοῖς ἔθεσιν ἐμμένοντας τοὺς πολίτας ἢ τῆς Ἑλλάδος ἄρχειν ἁπάσης.
For when they perceived that their commanders were being corrupted by the greatness of their power, they voluntarily gave up the hegemony and ceased sending generals for the war, choosing rather to have their citizens live temperately and abide by their customs than to rule over the whole of Greece.

Notes

  1. 23.1ἔλαθε ... παρελόμενος — The construction of 'λανθάνω + participle.' Here, the verb ἔλαθε is paired with the nominative participle παρελόμενος, meaning 'he stealthily took away' or 'he took away without being noticed.'
  2. 23.2προσφιλεῖς γὰρ ὄντας τοὺς Ἀθηναίους ... ποθεινοὺς ἐποίει — A long sentence with a heavily inverted word order. The core structure is: 'the greed and arrogance of Pausanias (ἡ τοῦ Παυσανίου πλεονεξία καὶ βαρύτης: subject) made (ἐποίει: main verb) the Athenians (τοὺς Ἀθηναίους: object) still more longed for (ποθεινούς: object complement).' The participle phrase προσφιλεῖς ὄντας... modifying τοὺς Ἀθηναίους expresses concession or attendant circumstances ('although they were already beloved').
  3. 23.4ἔργου δὲ δεῖσθαι τὴν πίστιν, ὃ πραχθὲν οὐκ ἐάσει πάλιν μεταβαλέσθαι τοὺς πολλούς — Accusative with infinitive construction in indirect discourse. Following the genitive absolute participle ἀποκριναμένου, τὴν πίστιν (accusative) functions as the subject of the infinitive δεῖσθαι. Within the relative clause, the participle πραχθέν functions conditionally ('which, if performed, will not allow...'), modifying οὐκ ἐάσει.
  4. 23.5ἐκείνην γὰρ ἔτι τοὺς Ἕλληνας αἰσχυνομένους μὴ λαμβάνειν ἀξίαν δίκην παρʼ αὐτοῦ — Indirect discourse explaining the command (ἐκέλευον). The feminine accusative demonstrative ἐκείνην (referring to the τύχη at Plataea) is the object of the infinitive, and the subject accusative τοὺς Ἕλληνας is modified by the present participle αἰσχυνομένους. The phrase means 'for the Greeks, still respecting that fortune, do not take fit punishment from him (refrain from punishing him).' The negative infinitive μὴ λαμβάνειν means 'not to take/exact.'

Cite this passage

Plutarch, Life of Aristides §23.1-23.6. Humanitext Reader, https://reader.humanitext.ai/en/text/urn:cts:greekLit:tlg0007.tlg024.humanitext-grc2:23.1-23.6

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