§12.40.1περὶ δὲ τοῦ πολέμου πεφροντισμένως ἀπολογισάμενος ἐξηριθμήσατο μὲν τὸ πλῆθος τῶν συμμάχων τῇ πόλει καὶ τὴν ὑπεροχὴν τῆς ναυτικῆς δυνάμεως, πρὸς δὲ τούτοις τὸ πλῆθος τῶν μετακεκομισμένων ἐκ Δήλου χρημάτων εἰς τὰς Ἀθήνας, ἃ συνέβαινεν ἐκ τῶν φόρων ταῖς πόλεσι κοινῇ συνηθροῖσθαι·
After calculating carefully concerning the war, he enumerated the number of allies for the city and the superiority of the naval force, and in addition to these, the amount of money transferred from Delos to Athens, which happened to have been collected in common from the tribute paid by the cities.
§12.40.2κοινῶν δʼ ὄντων τῶν μυρίων ταλάντων ἀπανήλωτο πρὸς τὴν κατασκευὴν τῶν προπυλαίων καὶ τὴν Ποτιδαίας πολιορκίαν τετρακισχίλια τάλαντα· καὶ καθʼ ἕκαστον ἐνιαυτὸν ἐκ τοῦ φόρου τῶν συμμάχων ἀνεφέρετο τάλαντα τετρακόσια ἑξήκοντα.
Of the ten thousand talents held in common, four thousand talents had been spent on the construction of the Propylaea and the siege of Potidaea; and every year four hundred and sixty talents were brought in from the tribute of the allies.
χωρὶς δὲ τούτων τά τε πομπεῖα καὶ τὰ Μηδικὰ σκῦλα πεντακοσίων ἄξια ταλάντων ἀπεφήνατο, §12.40.3ἔν τε τοῖς ἱεροῖς ἀπεδείκνυεν ἀναθημάτων τε πλῆθος καὶ τὸ τῆς Ἀθηνᾶς ἄγαλμα ἔχειν χρυσίου πεντήκοντα τάλαντα, ὡς περιαιρετῆς οὔσης τῆς περὶ τὸν κόσμον κατασκευῆς· καὶ ταῦτα, ἀναγκαία εἰ καταλάβοι χρεία, χρησαμένους παρὰ τῶν θεῶν πάλιν ἀποκαταστήσειν ἐν εἰρήνῃ· τούς τε τῶν πολιτῶν βίους διὰ τὴν πολυχρόνιον εἰρήνην πολλὴν ἐπίδοσιν εἰληφέναι πρὸς εὐδαιμονίαν.
Apart from these, he declared that the ceremonial vessels and the Persian spoils were worth five hundred talents, and he pointed out that in the temples there was a wealth of votive offerings, and that the statue of Athena had fifty talents of gold, on the ground that the gold of the decoration was removable; and he said that if urgent need should arise, they would use these, borrowing them from the gods, and would restore them again in time of peace; and that the lives of the citizens, because of the long peace, had made great progress towards prosperity.
§12.40.4χωρὶς δὲ τῶν χρημάτων τούτων στρατιώτας ἀπεδείκνυεν ὑπάρχειν τῇ πόλει χωρὶς συμμάχων καὶ τῶν ἐν τοῖς φρουρίοις ὄντων ὁπλίτας μὲν μυρίους καὶ δισχιλίους, τοὺς δʼ ἐν τοῖς φρουρίοις ὄντας καὶ τοὺς μετοίκους ὑπάρχειν πλείους τῶν μυρίων ἑπτακισχιλίων, τριήρεις τε τὰς παρούσας τριακοσίας.
Apart from this money, he pointed out that there were available to the city, exclusive of allies and those in the garrisons, twelve thousand hoplites, and that those in the garrisons and the metics amounted to more than seventeen thousand, and that the available triremes were three hundred.
§12.40.5τοὺς δὲ Λακεδαιμονίους χρημάτων τε σπανίζειν ἀπεδείκνυε καὶ ταῖς ναυτικαῖς δυνάμεσι πολὺ λείπεσθαι τῶν Ἀθηναίων.
He also pointed out that the Lacedaemonians were short of money and fell far behind the Athenians in naval forces.
ταῦτα διελθὼν καὶ παρορμήσας τοὺς πολίτας εἰς τὸν πόλεμον, ἔπεισε τὸν δῆμον μὴ προσέχειν τοῖς Λακεδαιμονίοις.
Having gone through these matters and having urged the citizens to war, he persuaded the people not to pay attention to the Lacedaemonians.
ταῦτα δὲ ῥᾳδίως συνετέλεσε διὰ τὴν δεινότητα τοῦ λόγου, διʼ ἣν αἰτίαν ὠνομάσθη Ὀλύμπιος.
He accomplished this easily because of the power of his eloquence, for which reason he was called Olympian.
§12.40.6μέμνηται δὲ τούτων καὶ Ἀριστοφάνης ὁ τῆς ἀρχαίας κωμῳδίας ποιητής, γεγονὼς κατὰ τὴν τοῦ Περικλέους ἡλικίαν, ἐν τοῖσδε τοῖς τετραμέτροις,
"
ὦ λιπερνῆτες γεωργοί, τἀμά τις ξυνιέτω
ῥήματʼ, εἰ βούλεσθʼ ἀκοῦσαι τήνδʼ ὅπως ἀπώλετο.
Aristophanes, the poet of the Old Comedy, who lived at the time of Pericles, also mentions these things in the following tetrameters: "O ruined farmers, understand my words, if you wish to hear how she was lost.
πρῶτα μὲν γὰρ αὐτῆς ἦρχε Φειδίας πράξας κακῶς,
εἶτα Περικλέης φοβηθεὶς μὴ μετάσχῃ τῆς τύχης,
ἐμβαλὼν σπινθῆρα μικρὸν Μεγαρικοῦ ψηφίσματος
ἐξεφύσησεν τοσοῦτον πόλεμον ὥστε τῷ καπνῷ
πάντας Ἕλληνας δακρῦσαι, τούς τʼ ἐκεῖ τούς τʼ ἐνθάδε·
For first, Phidias was the beginning of it, having fared badly, then Pericles, fearing that he might share his fate, casting in a tiny spark of the Megarian decree, blew up so great a war that with its smoke all the Greeks shed tears, both those over there and those here.
"
καὶ πάλιν ἐν ἄλλοις
"
Περικλέης οὑλύμπιος
ἤστραπτεν, ἐβρόντα, συνεκύκα τὴν Ἑλλάδα.
"And again in other lines: "Pericles the Olympian flashed lightning, thundered, and threw Greece into confusion.
"
Εὔπολις δʼ ὁ ποιητής
"
Πειθώ τις ἐπεκάθιζεν ἐπὶ τοῖς χείλεσιν·
"And the poet Eupolis says: "A certain Persuasion sat upon his lips; so did he charm, and alone of the orators did he leave his sting behind in those who listened.
οὕτως ἐκήλει καὶ μόνος τῶν ῥητόρων
τὸ κέντρον ἐγκατέλειπε τοῖς ἀκροωμένοις. "
"