§6.1Magnus hoc bello Themistocles fuit neque minor in pace.
Themistocles was great in this war, nor was he less so in peace.
cum enim Phalerico portu neque magno neque bono Athenienses uterentur, huius consilio triplex Piraei portus constitutus est iisque moenibus circumdatus, ut ipsam urbem dignitate aequiperaret, utilitate superaret.
For since the Athenians had used the Phaleric harbor, which was neither large nor good, by his advice the triple harbor of Piraeus was established and surrounded with such walls that it equaled the city itself in grandeur and surpassed it in utility.
§6.2idem muros Atheniensium restituit praecipuo suo periculo.
He also restored the walls of the Athenians at his own particular risk.
namque Lacedaemonii causam idoneam nacti propter barbarorum excursiones, qua negarent oportere extra Peloponnesum ullam urbem muros habere, ne essent loca munita, quae hostes possiderent, Athenienses aedificantes prohibere sunt conati.
For the Lacedaemonians, having found a suitable pretext because of the incursions of the barbarians, by which they might assert that no city outside the Peloponnese ought to have walls, lest there should be fortified strongholds for the enemy to occupy, attempted to prevent the Athenians from building.
hoc longe alio spectabat atque videri volebant.
This had a far different object than what they wished to make it appear.
§6.3Athenienses enim duabus victoriis, Marathonia et Salaminia, tantam gloriam apud omnes gentes erant consecuti, ut intellegerent Lacedaemonii de principatu sibi cum iis certamen fore.
For the Athenians, by their two victories at Marathon and Salamis, had acquired such great glory among all nations that the Lacedaemonians understood that they would have a contest with them for the supremacy.
§6.4quare eos quam infirmissimos esse volebant.
For this reason, they wished them to be as weak as possible.
postquam autem audierunt muros strui, legatos Athenas miserunt, qui id fieri vetarent.
But after they heard that the walls were being built, they sent ambassadors to Athens to forbid this being done.
his praesentibus desierunt ac se de ea re legatos ad eos missuros dixerunt.
While these were present, the Athenians suspended their work and said that they would send ambassadors to them concerning that matter.
§6.5hanc legationem suscepit Themistocles et solus primo profectus est: reliqui legati ut tum exirent, cum satis alti tuendo muri exstructi viderentur, praecepit: interim omnes, servi atque liberi, opus facerent neque ulli loco parcerent, sive sacer sive privatus esset sive publicus, et undique, quod idoneum ad muniendum putarent, congererent.
Themistocles undertook this embassy and at first set out alone; he instructed that the remaining ambassadors should depart only when the walls seemed to have been built high enough for defense; meanwhile, everyone, both slaves and free, should work and spare no place, whether it were sacred, private, or public, and should collect from all sides whatever they thought suitable for building fortifications.
quo factum est ut Atheniensium muri ex sacellis sepulcrisque constarent.
Thus it came about that the walls of the Athenians were constructed from small shrines and tombs.