Xenophon · Ways and Means §6.1-6.3

Summary of Reforms and Consulting the Oracles

Passage 9 of 9 · Greek

Summary

The author summarizes that implementing the proposed financial reforms will bring safety and prosperity to Athens, and advises consulting the oracles of Dodona and Delphi and seeking the gods' favor before starting the work.

§6.1ἀλλʼ εἴ γε μὴν τῶν εἰρημένων ἀδύνατον μὲν μηδέν ἐστι μηδὲ χαλεπόν, πραττομένων δὲ αὐτῶν προσφιλέστεροι μὲν τοῖς Ἕλλησι γενησόμεθα, ἀσφαλέστερον δὲ οἰκήσομεν, εὐκλεέστεροι δὲ ἐσόμεθα, καὶ ὁ μὲν δῆμος τροφῆς εὐπορήσει, οἱ δὲ πλούσιοι τῆς εἰς τὸν πόλεμον δαπάνης ἀπαλλαγήσονται, περιουσίας δὲ πολλῆς γενομένης μεγαλοπρεπέστερον μὲν ἔτι ἢ νῦν ἑορτὰς ἄξομεν, ἱερὰ δʼ ἐπισκευάσομεν, τείχη δὲ καὶ νεώρια ἀνορθώσομεν, ἱερεῦσι δὲ καὶ βουλῇ καὶ ἀρχαῖς καὶ ἱππεῦσι τὰ πάτρια ἀποδώσομεν, πῶς οὐκ ἄξιον ὡς τάχιστα τούτοις ἐγχειρεῖν, ἵνα ἔτι ἐφʼ ἡμῶν ἐπίδωμεν τὴν πόλιν μετʼ ἀσφαλείας εὐδαιμονοῦσαν;

But if, indeed, nothing of what has been said is either impossible or difficult, and if, when these things are being put into practice, we shall become more dear to the Greeks, dwell in greater safety, and be more renowned, and if the commons shall have an abundance of maintenance, while the rich shall be released from the expenditure for war, and if, when a great surplus is realized, we shall celebrate festivals even more magnificently than now, repair temples, rebuild walls and dockyards, and restore to the priests, the senate, the magistrates, and the cavalry their ancestral rights, how is it not worthwhile to lay hands on these things as quickly as possible, so that we may yet in our own time look upon the city prospering with safety?

§6.2εἴ γε μὴν ταῦτα δόξειεν ὑμῖν πράττειν, συμβουλεύσαιμʼ ἂν ἔγωγε πέμψαντας καὶ εἰς Δωδώνην καὶ εἰς Δελφοὺς ἐπερέσθαι τοὺς θεοὺς εἰ λῷον καὶ ἄμεινον εἴη ἂν τῇ πόλει οὕτω κατασκευαζομένῃ καὶ αὐτίκα καὶ εἰς τὸν ἔπειτα χρόνον.

If, indeed, it should seem good to you to do these things, I for my part would advise you to send to both Dodona and Delphi to inquire of the gods whether it would be better and more favorable for the city if it were thus organized, both immediately and for the time to come.

§6.3εἰ δὲ ταῦτα συναινοῖεν, τότʼ ἂν αὖ φαίην χρῆναι ἐπερωτᾶν τίνας θεῶν προσποιούμενοι ταῦτα κάλλιστα καὶ ἄριστα πράττοιμεν ἄν· οὓς δʼ ἀνέλοιεν θεούς, τούτοις εἰκὸς καλλιερήσαντας ἄρχεσθαι τοῦ ἔργου.

And if they should agree to these things, then again I would say that we ought to ask further, by joining which of the gods we might perform these things most beautifully and best; and whichever gods they might designate, it is fitting to begin the work after having offered favorable sacrifices to them.

σὺν γὰρ θεῷ πραττομένων εἰκὸς καὶ τὰς πράξεις προϊέναι ἐπὶ τὸ λῷον καὶ ἄμεινον ἀεὶ τῇ πόλει.

For when actions are performed with the help of God, it is natural that our undertakings also should proceed ever to what is better and more favorable for the city.

Notes

6.1τῶν εἰρημένων — Perfect passive participle, genitive neuter plural, used substantively to mean 'the things which have been said'. It functions as a partitive genitive depending on ἀδύνατον ... μηδέν (nothing is impossible).
6.1ἐφʼ ἡμῶν — The preposition ἐπί with the genitive denotes a period of time, meaning 'in our time' or 'during our lifetime'.
6.1ἐπίδωμεν — First-person plural aorist active subjunctive of ἐφοράω (to look upon, witness). It is introduced by the purpose particle ἵna and takes the supplementary participle εὐδαιμονοῦσαν, meaning 'so that we may witness the city prospering'.
6.2εἴ γε μὴν ταῦτα δόξειεν — The optative δόξειεν in the protasis, corresponding with the optative with ἄν (συμβουλεύσαιμʼ ἂν) in the apodosis, forms a future less vivid (potential) conditional construction, conveying a polite or tentative suggestion.
6.2πέμψαντας — Aorist active participle, accusative masculine plural of πέμπω. It functions as the subject accusative of the infinitive ἐπερέσθαι, agreeing with the unexpressed accusative object of συμβουλεύσαιμι ('I would advise [you] after having sent...').
6.3οὓς δʼ ἀνέλοιεν θεούς — An instance of relative attraction where the antecedent noun θεούς is incorporated into the relative clause οὓς δʼ ἀνέλοιεν. Structurally, it is equivalent to τούτοις τοῖς θεοῖς οὓς ἀνέλοιεν ('to those gods whom they might indicate'). The verb ἀνέλοιεν is the aorist active optative third-person plural of ἀναιρέω, meaning 'to declare or designate by oracle'.
6.3σὺν γὰρ θεῷ πραττομένων — Genitive absolute construction with the passive participle πραττομένων. The subject is implied, representing neuter plural things or actions in general ('when things are done with the help of God').

Cite this passage

Xenophon, Ways and Means §6.1-6.3. Humanitext Reader, https://reader.humanitext.ai/en/text/urn:cts:greekLit:tlg0032.tlg011.humanitext-grc2:6.1-6.3

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