Humanitext Reader

Demosthenes · The First Philippic §23-30

Size of the Force for Harassment and Cost Calculations

Passage 4 of 7 · Greek

Summary

Demosthenes explains that his proposed small citizen-based force is designed for guerrilla warfare rather than direct confrontation, provides a calculation for the necessary food rations, and proceeds to introduce the practical means of funding.

§23τοσαύτην μέν, ὦ ἄνδρες Ἀθηναῖοι, διὰ ταῦτα, ὅτι οὐκ ἔνι νῦν ἡμῖν πορίσασθαι δύναμιν τὴν ἐκείνῳ παραταξομένην, ἀλλὰ λῃστεύειν ἀνάγκη καὶ τούτῳ τῷ τρόπῳ τοῦ πολέμου χρῆσθαι τὴν πρώτην·
I propose a force of this size, men of Athens, for this reason: because it is not possible for us now to provide a force capable of meeting him in open battle, but we must engage in privateering and use this method of warfare at first.
οὐ τοίνυν ὑπέρογκον αὐτήν (οὐ γὰρ ἔστι μισθὸς οὐδὲ τροφή), οὐδὲ παντελῶς ταπεινὴν εἶναι δεῖ.
Therefore, the force must be neither excessively large (for there is no pay or maintenance) nor completely insignificant.
§24πολίτας δὲ παρεῖναι καὶ συμπλεῖν διὰ ταῦτα κελεύω, ὅτι καὶ πρότερόν ποτʼ ἀκούω ξενικὸν τρέφειν ἐν Κορίνθῳ τὴν πόλιν, οὗ Πολύστρατος ἡγεῖτο καὶ Ἰφικράτης καὶ Χαβρίας καὶ ἄλλοι τινές, καὶ αὐτοὺς ὑμᾶς συστρατεύεσθαι·
And I bid citizens to be present and sail with them for this reason: because I hear that formerly the city maintained a mercenary force in Corinth, which Polystratus commanded, and Iphicrates, and Chabrias, and some others, and that you yourselves served with them.
καὶ οἶδʼ ἀκούων ὅτι Λακεδαιμονίους παραταττόμενοι μεθʼ ὑμῶν ἐνίκων οὗτοι οἱ ξένοι καὶ ὑμεῖς μετʼ ἐκείνων.
And I know by report that these mercenaries, drawing up in battle array with you, and you with them, defeated the Lacedaemonians.
ἐξ οὗ δʼ αὐτὰ καθʼ αὑτὰ τὰ ξενικὰ ὑμῖν στρατεύεται, τοὺς φίλους νικᾷ καὶ τοὺς συμμάχους, οἱ δʼ ἐχθροὶ μείζους τοῦ δέοντος γεγόνασιν.
But ever since your mercenary forces have been campaigning by themselves, they defeat your friends and allies, while your enemies have become stronger than they should be.
καὶ παρακύψαντʼ ἐπὶ τὸν τῆς πόλεως πόλεμον, πρὸς Ἀρτάβαζον καὶ πανταχοῖ μᾶλλον οἴχεται πλέοντα, ὁ δὲ στρατηγὸς ἀκολουθεῖ, εἰκότως· οὐ γὰρ ἔστιν ἄρχειν μὴ διδόντα μισθόν.
And after merely glancing at the city's war, they sail away to Artabazus or anywhere else, and the general follows them, naturally; for it is not possible to command without giving pay.
§25τί οὖν κελεύω;
What then do I bid?
τὰς προφάσεις ἀφελεῖν καὶ τοῦ στρατηγοῦ καὶ τῶν στρατιωτῶν, μισθὸν πορίσαντας καὶ στρατιώτας οἰκείους ὥσπερ ἐπόπτας τῶν στρατηγουμένων παρακαταστήσαντας·
To take away all excuses both from the general and from the soldiers, by providing pay and placing citizen soldiers alongside them as observers, as it were, of the general's actions.
ἐπεὶ νῦν γε γέλως ἔσθʼ ὡς χρώμεθα τοῖς πράγμασιν.
For as things are now, our conduct of affairs is a laughing-stock.
εἰ γὰρ ἔροιτό τις ὑμᾶς, εἰρήνην ἄγετʼ, ὦ ἄνδρες Ἀθηναῖοι; μὰ Δίʼ οὐχ ἡμεῖς γʼ, εἴποιτʼ ἄν, ἀλλὰ Φιλίππῳ πολεμοῦμεν. §26οὐκ ἐχειροτονεῖτε δʼ ἐξ ὑμῶν αὐτῶν δέκα ταξιάρχους καὶ στρατηγοὺς καὶ φυλάρχους καὶ ἱππάρχους δύο;
If someone were to ask you, "Are you at peace, men of Athens?" "No, by Zeus," you would say, "we are at war with Philip." Did you not elect from among yourselves ten taxiarches and generals, and phylarches, and two hipparches?
τί οὖν οὗτοι ποιοῦσιν;
What then do these do?
πλὴν ἑνὸς ἀνδρός, ὃν ἂν ἐκπέμψητʼ ἐπὶ τὸν πόλεμον, οἱ λοιποὶ τὰς πομπὰς πέμπουσιν ὑμῖν μετὰ τῶν ἱεροποιῶν·
Except for one man whom you send out to the war, the rest conduct the processions for you along with the officers of sacrifice.
ὥσπερ γὰρ οἱ πλάττοντες τοὺς πηλίνους, εἰς τὴν ἀγορὰν χειροτονεῖτε τοὺς ταξιάρχους καὶ τοὺς φυλάρχους, οὐκ ἐπὶ τὸν πόλεμον.
For just like those who mold clay figures, you elect your taxiarches and phylarches for the marketplace, not for the war.
§27οὐ γὰρ ἐχρῆν, ὦ ἄνδρες Ἀθηναῖοι, ταξιάρχους παρʼ ὑμῶν, ἵππαρχον παρʼ ὑμῶν, ἄρχοντας οἰκείους εἶναι, ἵνʼ ἦν ὡς ἀληθῶς τῆς πόλεως ἡ δύναμις;
Ought there not to have been, men of Athens, taxiarches from among yourselves, a hipparch from among yourselves, and your own domestic officers, so that the force might truly belong to the city?
ἀλλʼ εἰς μὲν Λῆμνον τὸν παρʼ ὑμῶν ἵππαρχον δεῖ πλεῖν, τῶν δʼ ὑπὲρ τῶν τῆς πόλεως κτημάτων ἀγωνιζομένων Μενέλαον ἱππαρχεῖν.
But now the hipparch elected from among you must sail to Lemnos, while Menelaus acts as hipparch for those who are fighting for the possessions of our city.
καὶ οὐ τὸν ἄνδρα μεμφόμενος ταῦτα λέγω, ἀλλʼ ὑφʼ ὑμῶν ἔδει κεχειροτονημένον εἶναι τοῦτον, ὅστις ἂν ᾖ.
I do not say this to find fault with the man, but whoever he may be, he ought to have been elected by you.
§28ἴσως δὲ ταῦτα μὲν ὀρθῶς ἡγεῖσθε λέγεσθαι, τὸ δὲ τῶν χρημάτων, πόσα καὶ πόθεν ἔσται, μάλιστα ποθεῖτʼ ἀκοῦσαι.
Perhaps you think these things are said correctly, but you most of all long to hear about the money, how much it will be and from what source.
τοῦτο δὴ καὶ περαίνω.
I will proceed to finish this.
χρήματα τοίνυν· ἔστι μὲν ἡ τροφή, σιτηρέσιον μόνον, τῇ δυνάμει ταύτῃ τάλαντʼ ἐνενήκοντα καὶ μικρόν τι πρός, δέκα μὲν ναυσὶ ταχείαις τετταράκοντα τάλαντα, εἴκοσιν εἰς τὴν ναῦν μναῖ τοῦ μηνὸς ἑκάστου, στρατιώταις δὲ δισχιλίοις τοσαῦθʼ ἕτερα, ἵνα δέκα τοῦ μηνὸς ὁ στρατιώτης δραχμὰς σιτηρέσιον λαμβάνῃ, τοῖς δʼ ἱππεῦσι διακοσίοις οὖσιν, ἐὰν τριάκοντα δραχμὰς ἕκαστος λαμβάνῃ τοῦ μηνός, δώδεκα τάλαντα.
As for money, then: the maintenance, for food alone, for this force is ninety talents and a little more; forty talents for ten swift ships, which is twenty minae a month for each ship; and for two thousand soldiers, another forty talents, so that each soldier may receive ten drachmae a month for food; and for the two hundred cavalry, if each receives thirty drachmae a month, twelve talents.
§29εἰ δέ τις οἴεται μικρὰν ἀφορμὴν εἶναι, σιτηρέσιον τοῖς στρατευομένοις ὑπάρχειν, οὐκ ὀρθῶς ἔγνωκεν· ἐγὼ γὰρ οἶδα σαφῶς ὅτι, τοῦτʼ ἂν γένηται, προσποριεῖ τὰ λοιπὰ αὐτὸ τὸ στράτευμʼ ἀπὸ τοῦ πολέμου, οὐδένα τῶν Ἑλλήνων ἀδικοῦν οὐδὲ τῶν συμμάχων, ὥστʼ ἔχειν μισθὸν ἐντελῆ.
And if anyone thinks that it is a small starting fund for the soldiers to have only food provided, he is mistaken; for I know clearly that, if this is done, the army itself will provide the rest from the war, without doing injustice to any of the Greeks or allies, so as to have full pay.
ἐγὼ συμπλέων ἐθελοντὴς πάσχειν ὁτιοῦν ἕτοιμος, ἐὰν μὴ ταῦθʼ οὕτως ἔχῃ.
I am ready to sail with them as a volunteer and suffer any fate, if this is not so.
πόθεν οὖν ὁ πόρος τῶν χρημάτων, ἃ παρʼ ὑμῶν κελεύω γενέσθαι;
Whence then is the provision of money which I bid you provide?
τοῦτʼ ἤδη λέξω.
I will tell you now.
§30ΠΟΡΟΥ ΑΠΟΔΕΙΞΙΣ. ἃ μὲν ἡμεῖς, ὦ ἄνδρες Ἀθηναῖοι, δεδυνήμεθʼ εὑρεῖν ταῦτʼ ἐστίν·
PROOF OF FUNDS. These, men of Athens, are the funds we have been able to find.
ἐπειδὰν δʼ ἐπιχειροτονῆτε τὰς γνώμας, ἂν ὑμῖν ἀρέσκῃ, χειροτονήσετε, ἵνα μὴ μόνον ἐν τοῖς ψηφίσμασι καὶ ταῖς ἐπιστολαῖς πολεμῆτε Φιλίππῳ, ἀλλὰ καὶ τοῖς ἔργοις.
And when you vote on the proposals, if they please you, you will pass them, so that you may carry on war with Philip not only in your decrees and letters, but also in your deeds.

Notes

  1. §23τοσαύτην μέν — A verb or infinitive (such as φημὶ δεῖν εἶναι, "I say it must be") is omitted after τοσαύτην μέν. This structure introduces the explanation for the proposed size of the force mentioned in §22.
  2. §24ἐξ οὗ — A temporal prepositional phrase meaning "since the time when" (literal: "from which [time]"). It indicates the period since the mercenary forces began campaigning by themselves without Athenian citizens accompanying them.
  3. §24παρακύψαντʼ — First aorist active participle (neuter plural accusative) of παρακύπτω, meaning "to peep in" or "to glance at." It satirizes the irresponsible attitude of the mercenaries (τὰ ξενικὰ), who only give a cursory glance to Athens' war before sailing away.
  4. §27ἵνʼ ἦν — The conjunction ἵνα followed by the imperfect indicative (ἦν) expresses an unfulfilled purpose or an intention that remained contrary to past reality ("so that it might have been, though in fact it was not").
  5. §28τοσαῦθʼ ἕτερα — Refers to an equal amount to the previously mentioned forty talents (τετταράκοντα τάλαντα). It indicates that the food allowance for the two thousand infantry (10 drachmae per man per month, totaling 40 talents a year) is equivalent to the maintenance cost of the ten swift ships.
  6. §29μικρὰν ἀφορμὴν εἶναι — Accusative and infinitive construction where "for food allowance to be provided (ὑπάρχειν)" serves as the subject of the infinitive clause, with "small starting fund (μικρὰν ἀφορμὴν)" as the predicate accusative.

Cite this passage

Demosthenes, The First Philippic §23-30. Humanitext Reader, https://reader.humanitext.ai/en/text/urn:cts:greekLit:tlg0014.tlg004.humanitext-grc2:23-30

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