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Diodorus Siculus · Bibliotheca Historica §14.69.1-14.69.5

Speech of Theodorus Urging the Election of a New Leader

Passage 363 of 723 · Greek

Summary

Theodorus vehemently condemns Dionysius's incompetence and impiety, urging the Syracusans to replace him with a new leader chosen from among their citizens, Corinthians, or Spartans to reclaim their freedom.

§14.69.1ἀλλὰ τὸ μὲν Διονυσίου κατηγορεῖν ἐν Συρακοσίοις ἐπὶ πλεῖον οὐκ ἀναγκαῖον εἶναι νομίζω.
But I think it is not necessary to accuse Dionysius at greater length before the Syracusans.
εἰ γὰρ οἱ διʼ αὐτῶν τῶν ἔργων ἀνήκεστα παθόντες οὐκ ἐγείρονται τοῖς θυμοῖς, ἦπου τοῖς λόγοις προαχθήσονται πρὸς τὴν κατὰ τούτου τιμωρίαν, καὶ ταῦτʼ ἰδόντες αὐτὸν πολίτην μὲν γεγονότα πονηρότατον, τύραννον δὲ πικρότατον, στρατηγὸν δὲ πάντων ἀγενέστατον;
For if those who have suffered irreparable harms through the very deeds themselves are not roused in their anger, will they indeed be led by words to the punishment of this man—and that too, when they have seen him become the most wicked citizen, the most bitter tyrant, and the most ignoble general of all?
§14.69.2ὁσάκις μὲν γὰρ σὺν τούτῳ παρεταξάμεθα, τοσαυτάκις ἡττήθημεν· νυνὶ δὲ καθʼ αὑτοὺς ὀλίγαις ναυσὶ τὴν πᾶσαν τῶν πολεμίων δύναμιν κατεναυμαχήσαμεν.
For as many times as we drew up our forces with him, so many times we were defeated; but now, by ourselves with a few ships, we have defeated the entire power of the enemy in a sea-fight.
διόπερ ἕτερον ἡγεμόνα ζητητέον, ὅπως μὴ τὸν σεσυληκότα τοὺς τῶν θεῶν ναοὺς στρατηγὸν ἔχοντες ἐν τῷ πολέμῳ θεομαχῶμεν.
Therefore we must seek another leader, so that we may not fight against the gods in this war, having as our general the man who has plundered the temples of the gods.
§14.69.3φανερῶς γὰρ τὸ δαιμόνιον ἀντιπράττει τοῖς τὸν ἀσεβέστατον προχειρισαμένοις ἐπὶ τὴν ἡγεμονίαν.
For the divine power clearly opposes those who have chosen the most impious man for the leadership.
τὸ γὰρ μετὰ μὲν τούτου πάσας τὰς δυνάμεις ἡττῆσθαι, χωρὶς δὲ τούτου καὶ βραχὺ μέρος ἱκανὸν εἶναι καταπολεμῆσαι Καρχηδονίους, πῶς οὐ πᾶσιν ὁρατὴν ἔχει τὴν τῶν θεῶν ἐπιφάνειαν;
For as for the fact that with him all our forces are defeated, but without him even a small part is sufficient to conquer the Carthaginians, how does this not hold an appearance of the gods visible to all?
§14.69.4διόπερ, ὦ ἄνδρες, ἐὰν μὲν ἑκὼν ἀποτίθηται τὴν ἀρχήν, ἐάσωμεν αὐτὸν ἀπαλλάττεσθαι μετὰ τῶν ἰδίων ἐκ τῆς πόλεως· ἐὰν δὲ μὴ βούληται, καιρὸν ἔχομεν κάλλιστον τὸν παρόντα πρὸς τὸ τῆς ἐλευθερίας ἀντιλαμβάνεσθαι.
Therefore, men, if he voluntarily lays down his office, let us allow him to depart from the city with his own belongings; but if he does not wish to do so, we have the present moment as the finest opportunity to reclaim our freedom.
πάντες συνεληλύθαμεν, κύριοι τῶν ὅπλων ἐσμέν, συμμάχους ἔχομεν παρόντας οὐ μόνον τοὺς ἀπὸ τῆς Ἰταλίας Ἕλληνας, ἀλλὰ καὶ τοὺς ἀπὸ Πελοποννήσου.
We have all assembled, we are masters of our weapons, we have present as allies not only the Greeks from Italy, but also those from the Peloponnese.
§14.69.5τὴν δὲ ἡγεμονίαν δοτέον κατὰ τοὺς νόμους πολίταις ἢ τοῖς κατὰ τὴν μητρόπολιν οἰκοῦσι Κορινθίοις ἢ τοῖς ἀφηγουμένοις τῆς Ἑλλάδος Σπαρτιάταις.
And the leadership must be given, according to the laws, to citizens, or to the Corinthians who inhabit our mother-city, or to the Spartans who lead Greece.

Notes

  1. 14.69.1καὶ ταῦτʼ — The phrase `καὶ ταῦτα` (literally "and these things") is used adverbially with the participle `ἰδόντες` to mean "and that too, although..." or "especially when...", emphasizing the accompanying circumstance or concession.
  2. 14.69.3τὸ γὰρ μετὰ μὲν τούτου πάσας τὰς δυνάμεις ἡττῆσθαι, χωρὶς δὲ τούτου καὶ βραχὺ μέρος ἱκανὸν εἶναι — The articular infinitive clauses (`τὸ ... ἡττῆσθαι` and the implied `[τὸ] ... εἶναι`) are placed at the beginning to function as a nominative topic of the sentence. The main predicate `πῶς οὐ ... ἔχει...` takes this entire factual situation as its unexpressed subject or referent.
  3. 14.69.4καιρὸν ἔχομεν κάλλιστον τὸν παρόντα — The participle with the article `τὸν παρόντα` modifying `καιρόν` is placed in a predicative position. The syntax translates to "we have the present [moment] as the finest opportunity," where `κάλλιστον` acts as a predicative modifier or object complement.

Cite this passage

Diodorus Siculus, Bibliotheca Historica §14.69.1-14.69.5. Humanitext Reader, https://reader.humanitext.ai/en/text/urn:cts:greekLit:tlg0060.tlg001.humanitext-grc4:14.69.1-14.69.5

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