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Theophrastus · Fragments §138.1

Nicias Bribing the Lot for the Treaty

Passage 143 of 196 · Greek

Summary

The passage describes how, during the agreement between Athens and Sparta to restore territories and prisoners, Nicias secretly bribed the lottery so that the Lacedaemonians would make their restoration first.

§138.1Fr. 138 Γενομένων δὲ συνθηκῶν ὅπως τὰ χωρία καὶ τὰς πόλεις ἃς εἶχον ἀλλήλων καὶ τοὺς αἰχμαλώτους ἀποδιδῶσι πρότερον ἀποδιδόντων τῶν κλήρῳ λαχόντων ὠνήσατο τὸν κλῆρον ὁ Νικίας κρύφα χρήμασιν ὥστε προτέρους ἀποδιδόναι τοὺς Λακεδαιμονίους.
Fr. 138 When an agreement was made that they should restore the territories and cities which they held of each other, as well as the prisoners, although those who drew the lot were to restore them first, Nicias secretly bought the lot with money so that the Lacedaemonians should restore them first.
Καὶ τοῦτο ἱστορεῖ Θεόφραστος.
And Theophrastus records this.

Notes

  1. §138.1ὅπως ... ἀποδιδῶσι — A clause with ὅπως and the subjunctive ἀποδιδῶσι, functioning as an appositive clause that details the content of the preceding noun συνθηκῶν ('agreement').
  2. §138.1πρότερον ἀποδιδόντων τῶν κλήρῳ λαχόντων — A genitive absolute construction with τῶν κλήρῳ λαχόντων ('those who drew the lot') as the subject, expressing a concessive or contrasting background ('although those who drew the lot were supposed to restore [first]').
  3. §138.1ὥστε προτέρους ἀποδιδόναι τοὺς Λακεδαιμονίους — A clause of result or purpose introduced by ὥστε with an accusative subject (τοὺς Λακεδαιμονίους) and infinitive (ἀποδιδόναι). The adjective προτέρους is used predicatively ('the Lacedaemonians first').

Cite this passage

Theophrastus, Fragments §138.1. Humanitext Reader, https://reader.humanitext.ai/en/text/urn:cts:greekLit:tlg0093.tlg010x09.humanitext-grc1:138.1

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