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Demosthenes · On the Peace §18-25

The Peril of Provoking a Collective War over Delphi

Passage 3 of 3 · Greek

Summary

Demosthenes analyzes the current situation where various Greek states act out of their own private grievances and interests, warning Athens against the danger of provoking a collective war with all of Greece. He argues that it is foolish to fight everyone over an empty honor in Delphi when Athens has already compromised on more vital, individual issues.

§18εἰ γὰρ Ἀργεῖοι μὲν καὶ Μεσσήνιοι καὶ Μεγαλοπολῖται καί τινες τῶν λοιπῶν Πελοποννησίων, ὅσοι ταὐτὰ τούτοις φρονοῦσι, διὰ τὴν πρὸς Λακεδαιμονίους ἡμῖν ἐπικηρυκείαν ἐχθρῶς σχήσουσι καὶ τὸ δοκεῖν ἐκδέχεσθαί τι τῶν ἐκείνοις πεπραγμένων, Θηβαῖοι δʼ ἔχουσι μέν, ὡς λέγουσιν, ἀπεχθῶς, ἔτι δʼ ἐχθροτέρως σχήσουσιν, ὅτι τοὺς παρʼ ἐκείνων φεύγοντας σῴζομεν καὶ πάντα τρόπον τὴν δυσμένειαν ἐνδεικνύμεθʼ αὐτοῖς, §19Θετταλοὶ δʼ, ὅτι τοὺς Φωκέων φυγάδας σῴζομεν, Φίλιππος δʼ, ὅτι κωλύομεν αὐτὸν κοινωνεῖν τῆς ἀμφικτυονίας, φοβοῦμαι μὴ πάντες περὶ τῶν ἰδίων ἕκαστος ὀργιζόμενος κοινὸν ἐφʼ ἡμᾶς ἀγάγωσι τὸν πόλεμον, τὰ τῶν Ἀμφικτυόνων δόγματα προστησάμενοι, εἶτʼ ἐπισπασθῶσιν ἕκαστοι πέρα τοῦ συμφέροντος ἑαυτοῖς, ὥσπερ καὶ περὶ Φωκέας.
For if the Argives, Messenians, Megalopolitans, and some of the other Peloponnesians who share their views, will be hostilely disposed on account of our negotiation with Lacedaemonians and the appearance that we accept something of their actions, and if the Thebans have a hostile attitude, as they say, and will be still more hostilely disposed because we are saving the refugees from them and in every way showing our ill-will towards them, and the Thessalians because we save the Phocian refugees, and Philip because we prevent him from sharing in the Amphictyonic Council, I fear lest all, each being angry about their private matters, should bring a common war upon us, putting forward the decrees of the Amphictyons, and then each be drawn beyond what is advantageous for themselves, just as also occurred concerning the Phocians.
§20ἴστε γὰρ δήπου τοῦθʼ ὅτι νῦν Θηβαῖοι καὶ Φίλιππος καὶ Θετταλοί, οὐχὶ ταὔθʼ ἕκαστοι μάλιστʼ ἐσπουδακότες, ταὐτὰ πάντες ἔπραξαν·
For you surely know this, that now the Thebans, Philip, and Thessalians, although each did not desire the same things most, all did the same things.
οἷον Θηβαῖοι τὸν μὲν Φίλιππον παρελθεῖν καὶ λαβεῖν τὰς παρόδους οὐκ ἐδύναντο κωλῦσαι, οὐδέ γε τῶν αὑτοῖς πεπονημένων ὕστατον ἐλθόντα τὴν δόξαν ἔχειν·
For instance, the Thebans could not prevent Philip from coming through and seizing the passes, nor indeed from having the glory of their own labors, arriving last.
§21νυνὶ γὰρ Θηβαίοις πρὸς μὲν τὸ τὴν χώραν κεκομίσθαι πέπρακταί τι, πρὸς δὲ τιμὴν καὶ δόξαν αἴσχιστα· εἰ γὰρ μὴ παρῆλθε Φίλιππος, οὐδὲν ἂν αὐτοῖς κέρδος εἶναι.
For now, for the Thebans, something has been accomplished toward recovering their territory, but toward honor and glory, it is most shameful; for if Philip had not come through, there would have been no benefit to them.
ταῦτα δʼ οὐκ ἐβούλοντο, ἀλλὰ τῷ τὸν Ὀρχομενὸν καὶ τὴν Κορώνειαν λαβεῖν ἐπιθυμεῖν, μὴ δύνασθαι δέ, πάντα ταῦθʼ ὑπέμειναν.
But they did not wish this, but because of desiring to take Orchomenus and Coroneia, and not being able to do so, they endured all these things.
§22Φίλιππον τοίνυν τινὲς μὲν δήπου τολμῶσι λέγειν ὡς οὐδʼ ἐβούλετο Θηβαίοις Ὀρχομενὸν καὶ Κορώνειαν παραδοῦναι, ἀλλʼ ἠναγκάσθη·
Now, some indeed dare to say that Philip did not even wish to hand over Orchomenus and Coroneia to the Thebans, but was forced.
ἐγὼ δὲ τούτοις μὲν ἐρρῶσθαι λέγω, ἐκεῖνο δʼ οἶδʼ, ὅτι οὐ μᾶλλόν γε ταῦτʼ ἔμελʼ αὐτῷ ἢ τὰς παρόδους λαβεῖν ἐβούλετο καὶ τὴν δόξαν τοῦ πολέμου τοῦ δοκεῖν διʼ αὑτὸν κρίσιν εἰληφέναι, καὶ τὰ Πύθια θεῖναι διʼ αὑτοῦ, καὶ ταῦτʼ ἦν ὧν μάλιστʼ ἐγλίχετο.
But I say "goodbye" to these people, but I know this, that he cared no more for these things than he wished to take the passes and to have the glory of the war appearing to have taken its decision through him, and to hold the Pythian games through himself, and these were what he most longed for.
§23Θετταλοὶ δέ γʼ οὐδέτερʼ ἐβούλοντο τούτων, οὔτε Θηβαίους οὔτε τὸν Φίλιππον μέγαν γίγνεσθαι (ταῦτα γὰρ πάντʼ ἐφʼ ἑαυτοὺς ἡγοῦντο), τῆς πυλαίας δʼ ἐπεθύμουν καὶ τῶν ἐν Δελφοῖς, πλεονεκτημάτων δυοῖν, κύριοι γενέσθαι·
And the Thessalians wished for neither of these things, neither that the Thebans nor that Philip should become great (for they thought all these things were against themselves), but they desired to become masters of the Pylaea and of the things in Delphi, two advantages.
τῷ δὲ τούτων γλίχεσθαι τάδε συγκατέπραξαν.
And by longing for these, they co-operated in these things.
τῶν τοίνυν ἰδίων ἕνεχʼ εὑρήσεθʼ ἕκαστον πολλὰ προηγμένον ὧν οὐδὲν ἐβούλετο πρᾶξαι.
You will find, therefore, that each, for the sake of their private interests, was led on to do many things they did not wish to do.
τοῦτο μέντοι, τοῦτʼ ἔστιν φυλακτέον ἡμῖν.
This indeed, this is what we must guard against.
§24τὰ κελευόμενʼ ἡμᾶς ἄρα δεῖ ποιεῖν ταῦτα φοβουμένους;
Must we then, fearing these things, do what is ordered?
καὶ σὺ ταῦτα κελεύεις;
And do you command this?
πολλοῦ γε καὶ δέω.
Far from it!
ἀλλʼ ὡς οὔτε πράξομεν οὐδὲν ἀνάξιον ἡμῶν αὐτῶν οὔτʼ ἔσται πόλεμος, νοῦν δὲ δόξομεν πᾶσιν ἔχειν καὶ τὰ δίκαια λέγειν, τοῦτʼ οἶμαι δεῖν ποιεῖν.
But that we shall do nothing unworthy of ourselves, nor will there be war, but we shall seem to all to have sense and to say what is just, this I think we must do.
πρὸς δὲ τοὺς θρασέως ὁτιοῦν οἰομένους ὑπομεῖναι δεῖν καὶ μὴ προορωμένους τὸν πόλεμον, ἐκεῖνα βούλομαι λογίσασθαι.
But to those who think we should boldly endure anything and do not look forward to war, I wish to consider those things.
ἡμεῖς Θηβαίους ἐῶμεν ἔχειν Ὠρωπόν· καὶ εἴ τις ἔροιθʼ ἡμᾶς, κελεύσας εἰπεῖν τἀληθῆ, διὰ τί; ἵνα μὴ πολεμῶμεν, φαῖμεν ἄν.
We let the Thebans have Oropus; and if someone should ask us, commanding us to speak the truth, "Why?", "In order that we might not make war," we would say.
§25καὶ Φιλίππῳ νυνὶ κατὰ τὰς συνθήκας Ἀμφιπόλεως παρακεχωρήκαμεν, καὶ Καρδιανοὺς ἐῶμεν ἔξω Χερρονησιτῶν τῶν ἄλλων τετάχθαι, καὶ τὸν Κᾶρα τὰς νήσους καταλαμβάνειν, Χίον καὶ Κῶν καὶ Ῥόδον, καὶ Βυζαντίους κατάγειν τὰ πλοῖα, δῆλον ὅτι τὴν ἀπὸ τῆς εἰρήνης ἡσυχίαν πλειόνων ἀγαθῶν αἰτίαν εἶναι νομίζοντες ἢ τὸ προσκρούειν καὶ φιλονικεῖν περὶ τούτων.
And we have now yielded Amphipolis to Philip according to the treaty, and we allow the Cardians to be stationed outside the other Chersonesites, and the Carian to seize the islands, Chios, Cos, and Rhodes, and the Byzantines to bring in the ships, clearly believing that the peace and quietness is the cause of more goods than clashing and contending over these things.
οὐκοῦν εὔηθες καὶ κομιδῇ σχέτλιον, πρὸς ἑκάστους καθʼ ἕνʼ οὕτω προσενηνεγμένους περὶ τῶν οἰκείων καὶ ἀναγκαιοτάτων, πρὸς πάντας περὶ τῆς ἐν Δελφοῖς σκιᾶς νυνὶ πολεμῆσαι.
It is therefore foolish and utterly wretched, having behaved in this way towards each individually concerning our own and most necessary matters, to fight now against all for the shadow in Delphi.

Notes

  1. §18εἰ γὰρ Ἀργεῖοι μὲν ... — The conditional clause starting with `εἰ γὰρ` at the beginning of §18 extends all the way through the middle of §19 (`κοινωνεῖν τῆς ἀμφικτυονίας`), followed finally by the main clause `φοβοῦμαι μὴ...` ('I fear lest...'). Multiple subjects (Argives etc., Thebans, Thessalians, Philip) are coordinated with their respective reasons (expressed by `ὅτι` clauses or `διὰ` phrases), requiring a careful grasp of the overarching sentence structure.
  2. §21πρὸς μὲν τὸ τὴν χώραν κεκομίσθαι — The preposition `πρὸς` governs the articular infinitive `τὸ ... κεκομίσθαι` (perfect middle), meaning 'with regard to having recovered...'. `τὴν χώραν` is placed in the accusative as the object of the middle-voice infinitive `κεκομίσθαι` (from `κομίζω`, 'to recover/regain for oneself').
  3. §22ἐρρῶσθαι λέγω — Literally meaning 'I tell them to be strong/healthy,' this is an idiomatic expression derived from the formulaic farewell greeting `ἔρρωσο` ('farewell'), used here to mean 'I say goodbye to them' or 'let them say what they will,' conveying dismissal or disregard.
  4. §25περὶ τῆς ἐν Δελφοῖς σκιᾶς — Literally 'over the shadow in Delphi.' This plays on the Greek proverb 'to fight over the shadow of an ass' (`περὶ ὄνου σκιᾶς`), an idiom meaning to dispute over trivial, unsubstantial matters. Demosthenes uses it to highlight the foolishness of fighting all of Greece over a mere empty honor (the 'shadow') associated with the Sacred War and the Amphictyonic Council.

Cite this passage

Demosthenes, On the Peace §18-25. Humanitext Reader, https://reader.humanitext.ai/en/text/urn:cts:greekLit:tlg0014.tlg005.humanitext-grc2:18-25

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