Thucydides History of the Peloponnesian War 4.66

[1] The same summer the Megareans in the city of Megara, pinched both by the war of the Athenians, who invaded their territory with their whole forces every year twice, and by their own outlaws from Pegae, who in a sedition driven out by the commons grievously afflicted them with robberies, began to talk one to another how it was fit to call them home again and not to let their city by both these means to be ruined.

[2] The friends of those without, perceiving the rumour, they also, more openly now than before, required to have it brought to council.

[3] But the patrons of the commons, fearing that they with the commons, by reason of the miseries they were in, should not be able to carry it against the other side, made an offer to Hippocrates, the son of Ariphon, and Demosthenes, the son of Alcisthenes, commanders of the Athenian army, to deliver them the city, as esteeming that course less dangerous for themselves than the reduction of those whom they had before driven out. And they agreed that first the Athenians should possess themselves of the long-walls (these were about eight furlongs in length, and reached from the city to Nisaea their haven), thereby to cut off the aid of the Peloponnesians in Nisaea, in which (the better to assure Megara to their side) there lay no other soldiers in garrison but they; and then afterwards, that these men would attempt to deliver them the city above, which would the more easily succeed if that were effected first.

[1] The same summer the Megarians in the city, pressed by the hostilities of the Athenians, who invaded their country twice every year with all their forces, and harassed by the incursions of their own exiles at Pegae, who had been expelled in a revolution by the popular party, began to ask each other whether it would not be better to receive back their exiles, and free the town from one of its two scourges.

[2] The friends of the emigrants perceiving the agitation, now more openly than before demanded the adoption of this proposition;

[3] and the leaders of the commons, seeing that the sufferings of the times had tired out the constancy of their supporters, entered in their alarm into correspondence with the Athenian generals, Hippocrates, son of Ariphron, and Demosthenes, son of Alcisthenes, and resolved to betray the town, thinking this less dangerous to themselves than the return of the party which they had banished. It was accordingly arranged that the Athenians should first take the long walls extending for nearly a mile from the city to the port of Nisaea , to prevent the Peloponnesians coming to the rescue from that place, where they formed the sole garrison to secure the fidelity of Megara ; and that after this the attempt should be made to put into their hands the upper town, which it was thought would then come over with less difficulty.

In Megara, wo man unter den Feindseligkeiten der
Athener, die dort alle Jahr zweimal mit ihrer ganzen Macht
inS Land fielen, und den Räubereien, welche die eigenen, bei
einem Aufstande vom Volke vertriebenen Landsleute von Pegai
aus verübten, schwer litt, wurde in diesem Sommer vielfach
erwogen, ob es nicht das beste sei, die Vertriebenen wieder
aufzunehmen, damit die Stadt nicht länger von zwei Seiten
heimgesucht würde. Als die Freunde der Flüchtlinge merkten.
was im Werke war, legten auch sie sich noch offener als vorher
dafür ins Zeug. Die Häupter der Volkspartei aber sahen ein,
daß sich nach deren Rückkehr die Demokratie in diesen schwie­
rigen Zeiten nicht würde behaupten können, und knüpften des­
halb mit den athenischen Feldherren, Hippokrates, Ariphrons
Sohn, und Demotshenes, Alkisthenes' Sohn, Verhandlungen an
in der Absicht, ihnen die Stadt zu übergeben, worin sie für
sich eine geringere Gefahr erblickten als in der Rückkehr ihrer
vertriebenen Mitbürger. Es wurde verabredet, die Athener
sollten sich zunächst der langen Mauern bemächtigen, die sich
ungefähr acht Stadien lang von der Stadt bis zum Hafen
Nisaia erstreckten, damit die Peloponnesier, welche Nisaia als
Schlüssel von Megara allein besetzt hielten, von dort nicht an
die Stadt kommen könnten. Darnach wolle man versuchen,
ihnen auch die obere Stadt zu übergeben, wozu man sich hier,
wenn das gelungen, schon eher verstehen würde.

LXVI. Le même été, ceux des Mégariens qui étaient restés dans la ville, harcelés d’un côté par les Athéniens, qui, deux fois l’an, venaient régulièrement envahir le pays avec toutes leurs forces, de l’autre, par leurs propres exilés qui, de Pèges ¹ , où ils s’étaient retirés, après avoir été chassés par une sédition populaire, mettaient la campagne au pillage, commencèrent à se dire entre eux qu’il serait bon d’accueillir les bannis, pour que la ville n’eût pas à souffrir de deux côtés à la fois. Les amis des exilés, informés de ces propos, se mirent eux-mêmes à insister sur cette question plus ouvertement qu’ils ne l’avaient fait jusque-là. Mais les chefs du parti populaire, voyant bien que le peuple, abattu par ses souffrances, ne tiendrait pas longtemps avec eux, furent saisis de crainte et entrèrent en pourparlers avec les généraux athéniens, Hippocrates, fils d’Ariphron, et Démosthènes, fils d’Alcesthènes. Ils songeaient à leur livrer la ville, dans la pensée que ce parti offrait moins de danger pour eux-mêmes que la rentrée de ceux qu’ils avaient fait exiler. Ils convinrent d’abord que les Athéniens s’empareraient des longs murs qui allaient de la ville à Nisée, port de Mégare, sur une étendue de huit stades ² . Le but de cette occupation était d’empêcher les Péloponnésiens d’apporter des secours de Nisée ; car ils formaient seuls la garnison de cette place, qui leur assurait Mégare. Ils devaient ensuite tenter de livrer aux Athéniens la ville haute, qui se soumettrait plus facilement après l’occupation des murs.

Le même été, les Mégariens de la ville, pressés d’un côté par les Athéniens, qui deux fois chaque année envahissaient en masse leur territoire, de l’autre par leurs propres exilés qui, de Pagæ où ils s’étaient retirés à la suite dune émeute ¹ , mettaient la campagne au pillage, se dirent qu’il fallait rappeler les bannis et ne pas laisser plus longtemps la ville exposée à ce double danger. Instruits de ces dispositions, les amis des exilés se mirent à parler plus haut qu’ils n’avaient encore osé le faire. Alors les chefs du parti démocratique, sentant que le peuple accablé par la souffrance ne tarderait pas à leur échapper, furent saisis de crainte et entrèrent en pourparlers avec les généraux athéniens, Hippocratès fils d’Ariphion et Démosthène fils d’Alcisthénès. Ils offraient de leur livrer la ville ; ce parti leur paraissait moins dangereux que le retour des citoyens qu’ils avaient fait bannir. Il fut convenu que les Athéniens s’empareraient d’abord deâ longs murs qui relient à la ville le port de Niséa, distant de huit stades. Par là on empêcherait lesPéloponésiens de sortir de Niséa, où ils tenaient garnison pour observer Mégare. Ensuite, on tâcherait de livrer aux Athéniens la ville haute, ce qui serait facile une fois le premier résultat obtenu.

[1] The same summer the people of the city of Megara, being harassed in the war by the Athenians, who regularly invaded their country in full force twice every year, and also by their own exiles in Pegae, who had been expelled in a revolution by the popular party and kept annoying them by raiding the country, began to say to one another that they ought to receive the fugitives back, so that the city should not be exposed to ruin from both directions at once.

[2] And the friends of the exiles, noticing the murmuring of the people, all began more openly than before to urge that this proposal be adopted.

[3] But the leaders of the popular party, realizing that the populace under the pressure of their distress would not be able to hold out with them, became frightened and made overtures to the Athenian generals, Hippocrates son of Ariphron and Demosthenes son of Alcisthenes, proposing to surrender the city to them; for they thought that this course would be less dangerous to themselves than the restoration of the citizens whom they had banished. They agreed, in the first place, that the Athenians should take possession of the long walls (the distance between the city and the harbour at Nisaea was about eight stadia), in order to prevent the Peloponnesians from sending reinforcements from Nisaea, where they formed the sole garrison to keep their hold on Megara, and, in the second place, that they would do their best to hand over to them the upper-town as well, believing that, as soon as this was done, their fellow-citizens would more readily go over to the Athenian side.

[1] The same summer, the Megareans in the city, pressed at once by the hostilities of the Athenians, who always invaded their country in full force twice a year, and by their own exiles in Pegae, who had been expelled during the strife of factions by the popular party, and harassed them by their forays, began to discuss amongst themselves the propriety of receiving back their exiles, and not ruining the city in both ways.

[2] The friends of the banished, when aware of such discussion, themselves begged them more openly than before to adopt this proposal.

[3] But the leaders of the commons, knowing that the populace would not be able under the pressure of their sufferings to hold out with them, in their fear entered into communication with the Athenian generals, Hippocrates son of Ariphron, and Demosthenes son of Alcisthenes, wishing to betray the city to them, and thinking that the danger to themselves would be less than from the return of those who had been banished by them. It was agreed then that in the first place the Athenians should take the long walls, (they were about eight stades in length, from the city to Nisaea their port,) that the Peloponnesians might not come to the rescue from Nisaea, where they alone formed the garrison to secure the good faith of Megara; and then that they should endeavour to put the upper town into their hands: and they thought the inhabitants would the more readily surrender when that had been done.

[1] Eadem aestate Megarenses, qui in urbe erant, quum et ab Atheniensibus bello premerentur, qui quotannis semper cum frequentibus copiis irruptionem in eorum agrum bis faciebant, et a suis exsulibus, qui propter civium seditionem a populo expulsi ex Pegis latrociniis urbanos graviter infestabant, consultabant inter se et censebant exsules recipiendos, ne utrinque civitas perderetur.

[2] Exsulum vero amici, quum istum rumorem sensissent, ipsi quoque apertius, quam ante, postulare coeperunt, ut in isto consilio perseverarent.

[3] Sed quum populi principes animadvertissent, populum malis afllictum secum nullo modo posse tolerare, metu compulsi, cum Hippocrate Ariphronis et Demosthene Alcistlienis filio, Atheniensium ducibus, agere instituebant, eo consilio ut urbem dederent et existimantes, minus periculum sibi sic impendere, quam si illi, qui ab iis ejecti erant, rediissent.

[4] Atque inter eos ita convenit, ut Athenienses primo quidem caperent muros longos (erant autem hi octo ferme stadiorum ab urbe ad Nisaeam ipsorum portum), ne Peloponnesii opem ex Nisaea ferrent, in qua ipsi soli praesidium habebant, ut Megara firmius tenerent; deinde vero et superiorem urbem dedere conarentur; hoc enim facto jam facilius deditionem facturi erant.

[1] Akanthier! Die Absicht Spartas bei Aussendung meines Heeres ist keine andere, als den Zweck unseres Krieges mit Athen, als welchen wir in der Kriegserklärung die Befreiung Griechenlands angekündigt, zur Wirklichkeit zu machen. An unserm späten Erscheinen aber ist die durch die bisherigen Feldzüge getäuschte Hoffnung schuld, euch den Kampf zu ersparen und in kurzer Zeit allein mit Athen fertig zu werden; und es kann uns dasselbe um so weniger zum Vorwurf gemacht werden, da wir jetzt die erste Gelegenheit ergreifen, hieher zu kommen und auch euch zur Theilnahme an dem Vernichtungskampfe einzuladen. Um so mehr befremdet es mich, aus dem Sperren der Thore auf eine unfreundliche Stimmung bei euch schliessen zu müssen. In dem guten Glauben, in euch längst, vor unserer Ankunft schon, entschiedene Bundesgenossen zu finden, denen wir nur willkommen sein würden, haben wir Lacedämonier die Gefahr nicht angesehen, die mit einem so weiten Marsch durch fremdes Gebiet verbunden war, und jedes mögliche Opfer gebracht, — und wie, ihr solltet ganz andere Gesinnungen hegen, solltet eurer eigenen und aller Griechen Befreiung euch widersetzen wollen? Denn nicht allein, dass ihr zu dem Feinde stehet, es müsste auch alle folgenden Städte zurückhaltend und besorgt machen, wenn gleich anfangs eine so ansehnliche und einflussreiche Stadt wie die eurige mich abwiese. Der Glaube an meine Sendung wäre dahin ¹ , man argwohnte nur Böses in der Freiheit, die ich bringe ² , oder sähe in meinem Heere einen zu schwachen und nichtssagenden Schutz gegen Athens drohende Rache. Zwar es war dasselbe Heer, mit dem ich vor Nisäa zog, wo die Athener trotz ihrer Uebermacht keinen Angriff wagten, und ein so zahlreiches Heer wie das nisäische würden sie ohnehin in keinem Fall gegen euch über's Meer schicken. ³

Nella medesima estate quei di Megara , stretti dagli Ateniesi che costantemente due volte l’anno assaltavano con tutto l’esercito le loro terre, e dai fuoruscili che nel bollore delle fazioni essendo stati cacciati dai popolani e raccoltisi a Pega riuscivano incomodi coi ladronecci , tenevano discorso fra loro del doversi levare il bando ai fuorusciti per non rovinare da due parti la città. A tal romore i fautori dei banditi più apertamente di prima aneli’essi insistevano non esser da trascurare tal proposta : ma i demagoghi temendo che il popolo , per le córrenti calamità , non vorrebbe tenere il fermo nella loro parte , vengono a parlamento con Ippocrate di Arifrone, e Demostene di Alcistene, capitani ateniesi, con intenzione di render la città perché giudicavano ciò meno a sè pericoloso , che il rimettere in patria quelli che avevano discacciati. Convennero aduuque per primo che gli Ateniesi occupassero le mura lunghe distanti circa otto stadii dalla città inverso Nisea loro porto , acciò i Peloponnesi non potessero correre in aiuto uscendo di Nisea stessa , ove soli stavano di presidio per tenere in rispetto Megera : quindi farebbero di tutto perchè si rendesse anche la cittadella ; e quando ciò fosse avvenuto y anche gli altri Megaresi più facilmente calerebbono agli accordi.