Thucydides History of the Peloponnesian War 1.68

[1] "Men of Lacedaemon, your own fidelity both in matter of estate and conversation maketh you the less apt to believe us when we accuse others of the contrary. And hereby you gain indeed a reputation of equity, but you have less experience in the affairs of foreign states.

[2] For although we have oftentimes foretold you that the Athenians would do us a mischief, yet from time to time when we told it you, you never would take information of it but have suspected rather that what we spake hath proceeded from our own private differences. And you have therefore called hither these confederates not before we had suffered but now when the evil is already upon us. Before whom our speech must be so much the longer by how much our objections are the greater in that we have both by the Athenians been injured and by you neglected.

[3] If the Athenians lurking in some obscure place had done these wrongs unto the Grecians, we should then have needed to prove the same before you as to men that knew it not. But now what cause have we to use long discourse when you see already that some are brought into servitude, and that they are contriving the like against others, and especially against our confederates, and are themselves, in case war should be made against them, long since prepared for it?

[4] For else they would never have taken Corcyra and holden it from us by force, nor have besieged Potidaea, whereof the one was most commodious for any action against Thrace, and the other had brought unto the Peloponnesians a most fair navy.

[1] ‘Lacedaemonians! the confidence which you feel in your constitution and social order, inclines you to receive any reflections of ours on other powers with a certain skepticism. Hence springs your moderation, but hence also the rather limited knowledge which you betray in dealing with foreign politics.

[2] Time after time was our voice raised to warn you of the blows about to be dealt us by Athens , and time after time, instead of taking the trouble to ascertain the worth of our communications, you contented yourselves with suspecting the speakers of being inspired by private interest. And so, instead of calling these allies together before the blow fell, you have delayed to do so till we are smarting under it; allies among whom we have not the worst title to speak, as having the greatest complaints to make, complaints of Athenian outrage and Lacedaemonian neglect.

[3] Now if these assaults on the rights of Hellas had been made in the dark you might be unacquainted with the facts, and it would be our duty to enlighten you. As it is, long speeches are not needed where you see servitude accomplished for some of us, meditated for others—in particular for our allies—and prolonged preparations in the aggressor against the hour of war.

[4] Or what, pray, is the meaning of their reception of Corcyra by fraud, and their holding it against us by force? what of the siege of Potidaea ?—places one of which lies most conveniently for any action against the Thracian towns; while the other would have contributed a very large navy to the Peloponnesians?

„Ehrlichkeit in Politik und Verkehr versteht sich bei euch
zu Lande so sehr von selbst, Lakedämonier, daß ihr immer un­
gläubig seid, wenn wir anderen uns über jemand beshcweren.
Allerdings schützt euch das vor Übereilungen, ist aber doch
auch wieder schuld daran, daß ihr über auswärtige Verhält­
nisse vielfach so schlecht unterrichtet seid. Wie oft haben wir
euch vorhergesagt, was die Athener gegen uns im Schilde
führten, aber niemals habt ihr es der Mühe wert gehalten,
die Richtigkeit unserer Behauptungen ernstlich zu prüfen, weil
ihr uns immer im Verdacht hattet, daß es nur kleinliche Sonder­
interessen seien, deretwegen man solche Rede führe. Deshalb
habt ihr auch diesmal die Bundesgenossen nicht beizeiten zu­
sammenberufen, sondern erst jetzt, wo es ihnen bereits an den
Kragen geht. Unter denen aber kommt es uns hier um so mehr
zu, das Wort zu nehmen, je mehr grade wir Ursache haben,
uns über den Übermut der Athener und über eure Gleichgültig­
keit zu beklagen. Wenn die Athener ihren Unfug in Griechen­
land im verborgenen getrieben hätten, dann müßte man frei­
lich denken, daß euch nichts davon bekannt geworden sei, und
euch darüber belehren. Aber bedarf es jetzt noch langer Reden?
Seht ihr doch selbst, wie sie die einen schon unterjocht haben
und im Begriff sind, es mit anderen, und zwar grade unseren
Bundesgenossen, ebenso zu machen, und auch für den Fall
eines Krieges mit ihren Rüstungen längst fertig sind. Sonst
hätten sie uns ja Kerkyra nicht mit Waffengewalt nehmen und
Potidäa nicht belagern können, von denen dies für die Aus­
nutzung deS thrakischen Küstenlandes so günstig liegt, jenes
aber den Peloponnesiern eine vortreffliche Flotte verschafft
haben würde.

LXVIII. « La bonne foi qui règne chez vous, Lacédémoniens, dans les affaires publiques et les relations privées, vous fait accueillir nos plaintes avec trop de défiance, lorsque nous mettons les autres en cause. Celle disposition vous rend prudents, il est vrai ; mais il en résulte aussi que vous êtes par trop mal informés de ce qui se passe au dehors. Souvent nous vous avons prédit le mal qu’allaient nous faire les Athéniens, et, chaque fois, vous n’avez rien vu, malgré nos avis ; vous aimiez mieux supposer nos plaintes dictées par un intérêt personnel. Aussi, loin de prévenir nos désastres, avez-vous attendu l’événement pour convoquer les alliés ici présents. C’est à nous surtout qu’il appartient d’élever la voix au milieu d’eux ; outragés par les Athéniens, négligés par vous, personne n’a de plus légitimes motifs de plainte.

« Si les violences des Athéniens contre la Grèce avaient été accomplies dans l’ombre, si vous les ignoriez, une démonstration serait nécessaire. Mais, maintenant, qu’est-il besoin de longs discourse ? Déjà les uns sont asservis, vous le voyez ; ils menacent les autres, nos alliés en particulier ; et, de longue main, ils font leurs préparatifs en vue de la guerre qu’ils auront à soutenir : sans cela ils n’auraient pas mis la main sur Corcyre, qu’ils retiennent à notre détriment·, ils n’assiégeraient pas Potidée, deux places importantes, l’une par sa position qui assure le concours de l'Épithrace, l’autre par la puissante marine qu’elle eût fournie aux Péloponnésiens.

« Lacédémoniens, la loyauté qui chez vous préside aux relations publiques et particulières fait que vous n’écoutez pas sans défiance les imputations dont on charge autrui. Si d’une part cette qualité est une marque de sagesse, de l'autre elle vous laisse dans une profonde ignorance des affaires du dehors. Bien que nous vous ayons plus d’une fois prévenus des torts que les Athéniens s’apprêtaient à nous faire, vous n’avez pas tenu compte de nos avertissements et vous les avez crus dictés par notre ressentiment personnel. Voilà pourquoi ce n’est pas avant l’offense reçue, mais seulement au moment où le mal s’accomplit, que vous avez convoqué les alliés ici présents, devant lesquels il nous appartient d’autant mieux de prendre la parole, que nous avons les plus justes motifs de plainte, nous qui sommes victimes à la fois des outrages d’Athènes et de votre indifférence,

« Si les injustices des Athéniens envers la Grèce étaient secrètes, il faudrait éclairer ceux qui pourraient les ignorer ; mais qu’est-il besoin de longs discours contre des gens qui, vous le voyez, ont déjà asservi les uns, dressent des embûches aux autres, surtout à nos alliés, et se sont préparés de longue main à la guerre? Autrement ils ne nous auraient pas enlevé Gorcyre et ils n’assiégeraient pas Potidée, deux places dont l’une est admirablement située pour favoriser toutes les entreprises sur le littoral de la Thrace, tandis que l’autre eût donné aux Péloponésiens une marine imposante.

[1] "That spirit of trust which marks your domestic policy, O Lacedaemonians, and your relations with one another, renders you more mistrustful if we bring any charge against others, and thus while this quality gives you sobriety, yet because of it you betray a want of understanding in dealing with affairs abroad.

[2] For example, although we warned you time and again of the injury the Athenians were intending to do us, you refused to accept the information we kept giving you, but preferred to direct your suspicions against the speakers, feeling that they were actuated by their own private interests. And this is the reason why you did not act before we got into trouble, but it is only when we are in the midst of it that you have summoned these allies, among whom it is especially fitting that we should speak, inasmuch as we have the gravest accusations to bring, insulted as we have long been by the Athenians and neglected by you.

[3] And if they were wronging Hellas in some underhand way, you might have needed additional information on the ground of your ignorance; but as the case stands, what need is there of a long harangue, when you see that they have enslaved some of us ¹ and are plotting against others, notably against your own allies, and that they have long been making their preparations with a view to the contingency of war?

[4] For otherwise they would not have purloined Corcyra, which they still hold in despite of us, and would not be besieging Potidaea—one of these being a most strategic point for operations on the Thracian coast, while the other would have furnished a very large fleet to the Peloponnesians.

[1] "The trustiness of your policy and intercourse amongst yourselves, Lacedaemonians, renders you the more distrustful with regard to others, if we say any thing [against them]; and from this you have a character for sober-mindedness, but betray too great ignorance with regard to foreign affairs.

[2] For though we often forewarned you what injuries we were going to receive from the Athenians, you did not gain information respecting what we told you from time to time, but rather suspected the speakers of speaking for their own private interests. And for this reason it was not before we suffered, but when we are in the very act of suffering, that you have summoned the allies here; amongst whom we may speak with the greatest propriety, inasmuch as we have also the greatest complaints to make, being insulted by the Athenians, and neglected by you. And if they were an obscure people any where ¹ who were injuring Greece, you might have required additional warning, as not being acquainted with them;

[3] but as it is, why need we speak at any great length, when you see that some of us are already enslaved, and that they are plotting against others, and especially against our allies, and have been for a long time prepared beforehand, in case they should ever go to war.

[4] For they would not else have stolen Corcyra from us, and kept it in spite of us, and besieged Potidaea; of which places, the one is the most convenient for their deriving the full benefit from their possessions Thrace-ward, ² and the other would have supplied the largest navy to the Peloponnesians.

[1] « Fides, quam vos, Lacedaemonii, publice privatimque inter vos ipsos servatis, facit, ut, si quid in alios dicamus, minus credatis. Atque hinc moderationis quidem laudem reportatis, sed majore rerum externarum inscitia laboratis.

[2] Nobis enim saepe praedicentibus detrimenta, quibus Athenienses nos erant affecturi, vos tamen non quae quoque tempore docebamus, cognoscere studebatis, sed potius de dicentibus suspicabamini, propter privatas controversias eos dicere, ideoque non antequam injuriam acciperemus, sed postquam in mediis rebus sumus, socios istos advocastis, apud quos aequum est nos praeter ceteros diligenter agere, quo etiam gravissimas querelas habemus, qui ab Atheniensibus quidem contumelia afficimur, a vobis vero negligimur.

[3] Quod si illi in aliquo obscuro loco delitescentes injuriam Graeciae facerent, ut ignari liecosse haberetis doceri; nunc vero quid longa oratione opus est nobis, quorum alios quidem m servitutem redactos videtis, aliis vero eos insidias struere, et praecipue nostris sociis, ipsosque, si forte unquam bello appetantur, jam pridem prapparatos esse ?

[4] Nec enim Corcyram subreptam invitis nobis retinerent, et Potidaeam obsiderent, quarum urbium altera quidem est opportunissima usu ad res Thraciae oblinendas, altera vero maximam classem Peloponnesiis in bello suppeditasset.

« La lealtà che regna tra voi, o Lacedemoni, nel civile govemamento e nel conversare privato, vi rende , anzi che no, tardi a prestar fede se qualche cosa vi diciamo degli altri ; e da ciò procede non solo la vostra moderazione, ma eziandio la più grande ignoranza in cui siete delle cose esterne. Conciossiachè noi vi abbiamo più fiate predetto i danni che ci aspettavamo dagli Ateniesi ; ma voi non pigliavate contezza alcuna de’ fatti di cui volta per volta vi informavamo ; sospettavate anzi che quei che li esponevano fossero mossi a parlare da private nimistà : e però non prima che ingiuriati fossimo, ma da che lo siamo di fatto , avete invitato questi confederati, tra’quali a noi più di tutti conviene far parola , in quanto che più gravi sono le nostre querele; trovandoci negletti da voi , mentre siamo oltraggiati dagli Ateniesi. I quali se nascosamente opprimessero eoi loro soprusi la Grecia, egli farebbe bisogno awertirvene , potendo voi ignorarli : ma qual prò adesso di molte parole per noi, alcuni dei quali vedete già sotto il giogo ; altri, e specialmente alleati nostri , insidiati da loro , i quali da gran tempo sono già apparecchiati alla guerra , caso che una volta dovessero sostenerla ? Perocché altrimenti non avrebbero soprappreso nè riterrebbero a nostro mal grado Corfù, nè assederebbero Potidea : questa opportunissima per fare in Tracia ciò che vogliono , laddove quella avrebbe somministrato ai Peloponnesi flotta considerevolissima.