Thucydides History of the Peloponnesian War 3.32

[1] Whereupon putting off from Embatus, he sailed by the shore to Myonnesus of the Teians and there slew most of the prisoners he had taken by the way.

[2] After this he put in at Ephesus; and thither came ambassadors to him from the Samians of Anaea and told him that it was but an ill manner of setting the Grecians at liberty to kill such as had not lift up their hands against him nor were indeed enemies to the Peloponnesians but confederates to the Athenians by constraint, and that, unless he gave over that course, he would make few of the enemies his friends but many now friends to become his enemies.

[3] Wherefore upon these words of the ambassadors he set the Chians and some others, all that he had left alive, at liberty. For when men saw their fleet, they never fled from it but came unto them as to Athenians, little imagining that the Athenians being masters of the sea, the Peloponnesians durst have put over to Ionia.

[1] Accordingly he put out from Embatum and proceeded along shore; and touching at the Teian town, Myonnesus, there butchered most of the prisoners that he had taken on his passage.

[2] Upon his coming to anchor at Ephesus , envoys came to him from the Samians at Anaia, and told him that he was not going the right way to free Hellas in massacring men who had never raised a hand against him, and who were not enemies of his, but allies of Athens against their will, and that if he did not stop he would turn many more friends into enemies than enemies into friends.

[3] Alcidas agreed to this, and let go all the Chians still in his hands and some of the others that he had taken; the inhabitants, instead of flying at the sight of his vessels, rather coming up to them, taking them for Athenian, having no sort of expectation that while the Athenians commanded the sea Peloponnesian ships would venture over to Ionia .

Er ging also von Embaton wieder in See und fuhr an
der Küste entlang nach Myonnesos im Gebiete der Tejer, wo er
die unterwegs gemachten Gefangenen größtenteils umbringen
ließ. Als er darauf bei EphesoS wieder vor Anker ging, er­
schienen bei ihm Gesandte der Samier aus Anaia und er­
klärten ihm, das sei eine schöne Befreiung von Griechenland,
Leute umbringen zu lassen, die keine Hand gegen ihn erhoben,
Leute, die gar nicht einmal seine Feinde seien, sondern es nur
gezwungen mit den Athenern hielten; wenn das so weiter-
ginge, so werde er schwerlich viel Feinde auf seine Seite ziehen,
wohl aber-sich viele alte Freunde zu Feinden machen. DaS
ließ er sich denn auch zur Lehre dienen und setzte eine Anzahl
Chier und einige andere, die er noch bei sich hatte, auf freien
Fuß. Denn wenn die Leute seine Schiffe kommen sahen, er­
griffen sie nicht etwa die Flucht, sondern gingen ganz un­
bedenklich an sie heran, weil sie sie für attische hielten und es
ihnen bei der Übermacht der Athener zur See gar nicht in
den Sinn kam, daß sich peloponnesische Schiffe nach Jonien
herübergewagt haben könnten.

XXXII. Il fit voile d’Embate et rangea la côte ¹ . Arrivé à Myonèse, ville des Téïens, il égorgea la plupart des prisonniers qu’il avait faits pendant sa navigation. Lorsqu’il eut mouillé à Éphèse, des députés envoyés par les Samiens d’Anéa ² vinrent lui dire qu’il ne prenait pas le bon moyen d’affranchir la Grèce, en égorgeant des hommes qui n’avaient pas porté les armes contre lui, qui n’étaient pas ses ennemis, et que la nécessité seule retenait dans l’alliance d’Athènes ; que, s’il continuait ainsi, il attirerait à lui peu d’ennemis, et verrait un bien plus grand nombre d’amis se changer en adversaires. Alcidas se rendit à ces raisons, et mit en liberté tous ceux des habitants de Chio qu’il retenait encore prisonniers, ainsi que quelques autres. Car, à la vue de ses vaisseaux, on ne fuyait pas ; on s’approchait plutôt, les croyant Athéniens ; on n’avait pas le moindre soupçon que jamais, les Athéniens étant maîtres de la mer, une flotte péloponnésienne pût aborder en Ionie.

Parti d’Embatos, il rangea la côte et prit terre à Myonnésos, place appartenant aux Téiens. Là il égorgea la plupart des prisonniers qu’il avait faits pendant la traversée ¹ ; après quoi il alla mouiller à Ëphèse. Alors des Samiens d’Anéa ² vinrent lui représenter qu’il s’y prenait bien mal pour affranchir la Grèce, en mettant à mort des hommes qui n’avaient pas porté les armes contre lui, qui ne lui étaient pas hostiles, et que la nécessité seule retenait dans l’alliance d’Athènes. Une telle conduite, disaient-ils, n’était guère propre à lui concilier ses ennemis, mais bien plutôt à lui aliéner ses amis. Alcidas prêta l’oreille à cette remontrance et relâcha les prisonniers qu’il avait encore, et qui étaient de Chios et d’autres endroits. En effet, loin de fuir à la vue de ses vaisseaux, on s’en approchait au contraire, parce qu’on les croyait d’Athènes ; on n’imaginait pas que jamais une flptte péloponésienne pût aborder en Ionie tant que les Athéniens auraient l’empire de la mer.

[1] So he set sail from Embatum and skirted the coast; and putting in at Myonnesus in the country of the Teians he butchered most of the captives whom he had taken on the voyage.

[2] Then he anchored at Ephesus, where he was visited by envoys of the Samians who were settled at Anaea, ¹ who said that it was an ill way he had of freeing Hellas, to destroy men who were not lifting their hands against him and were not enemies, but were merely allies of the Athenians under compulsion; and unless he abandoned this course he would win few enemies over into friendship and would turn far more friends into enemies.

[3] Alcidas was persuaded, and set free all the Chians whom he still held and some of the others. It should be explained that the people of the coast, ² when they saw the Peloponnesian ships, made no attempt to flee, but came near, supposing that they were Athenian ships; and they had not the slightest expectation that while the Athenians dominated the sea the Peloponnesian fleet would ever venture over to Ionia.

[1] Weighing therefore from Embatum, he coasted along, and having touched at Myonnesus, a place belonging to the Teians, he butchered most of the prisoners he had taken on his passage.

[2] On his coming to anchor at Ephesus ambassadors came from the Samians of Anaea, and told him that he was not liberating Greece in the right way, by destroying men who were neither raising their hands against him, nor were hostile to him, but allies of the Athenians through necessity; and if he did not cease, he would bring few of his enemies into friendship with him, but would find many more of his friends become his enemies.

[3] He was convinced [by these arguments], and set at liberty all the Chians he had still in his hands, and some of the others. [ ¹ And there had been very many taken by him]; for at the sight of his ships the men did not fly, but rather came to them, thinking they were from Athens; and they had not even the slightest expectation, that while the Athenians had command of the sea, Peloponnesian ships would dare to cross over to Ionia.

[1] Quamobrem Embato digressus littus legebat, et quum ad Teiorum Myonnesum appulisset, plerosque captivos , quos in navigationis cursu ceperat, trucidavit

[2] Et quum Ephesum appulisset, Samiorum, qui ex A nasis erant, legati ad eum venientes, non rite eum Graeciam in libertatem asserere dixerunt, si illos necaret, qui nec arma contra tulissent, nec hostes essent, sed ob necessitatem Atheniensium socii; et, nisi finem faceret, ipsum paucorum quidem hostium amicitiam sibi conciliaturum, longe vero plores ex amicis hostes habiturum.

[3] His ille persuasus, quotquot de Chiis adhuc penes se habebat, et ex aliis nonnullos dimisit. Nam homines, licet Peloponnesiarum naves conspicerent, non tamen fugiebant, sed potius, ut ad Atticas accedebant, et ne vel minimam quidem suspicionem habebant, quum Athenienses maris imperium obtinerent. Peloponnesiorum naves in Ioniam unquam trajecturas esse.

[1] Wenn es bisher bei den Rednern an dieser Stätte fast allgemeiner Brauch geworden, den Mann zu rühmen, der mit der Bestattung diese Rede verband, weil an dem Grabe gefallener Krieger ein ehrendes Wort sich zieme, so würde ich es für hinreichend gehalten haben, dass man Helden der That mit einer festlichen Handlung ehre, — wie das denn der Staat durch die Bestattung gethan hat, deren Zeugen ihr so eben gewesen — und würde die Verherrlichung so vieler Männer nicht einem Einzelnen und der zufälligen Wirkung seines Vortrags anheimgegeben haben.

Pertanto fatto Tela da Embato, rasentava la spiaggia ; e fermatosi a Mionneso de’ Teii scannò la maggior parte de' prigionieri presi durante la navigazione. Approdato che fu ad Efeso gli si fecero incontro i legati dei Samii di Anea, protestando non esser quello onesto modo di liberare la Grecia, mentre egli uccideva gente non contrastante , nè a lui nemica, ma di necessità legata con gli Ateniesi : se non ristesse di ciò fare pochi nemici attrarrebbe nella sua amicizia, e moltissimi degli amici li arebbe nemici. Queste ragioni mossero Alcida, il quale rilasciò tutti quei prigionieri che aveva di Chio , ed altri presi altrove ; essendoché la gente al veder la sua flotta non fuggiva, ma piuttosto le andava incontro credendola ateniese. Infatti non si aveva pure il menomo sospetto che mentre gli Ateniesi erano padroni del mare , navi peloponnesie si attentassero mai di tragittare nell’ Ionia.