Thucydides History of the Peloponnesian War 5.84

[1] The next summer went Alcibiades to Argos with twenty galleys and took thence the suspected Argives and such as seemed to savour of the Lacedaemonian faction, to the number of three hundred, and put them into the nearest of the islands subject to the Athenian state. The Athenians made war also against the isle of Melos, with thirty galleys of their own, six of Chios, and two of Lesbos. Wherein were of their own twelve hundred men of arms, three hundred archers, and twenty archers on horseback; and of their confederates and islanders, about fifteen hundred men of arms.

[2] The Melians are a colony of the Lacedaemonians, and therefore refused to be subject, as the rest of the islands were, unto the Athenians, but rested at the first neutral; and afterwards, when the Athenians put them to it by wasting of their land, they entered into open war.

[3] Now the Athenian commanders, Cleomedes, the son of Lycomedes, and Tisias, the son of Tisimachus, being encamped upon their land with these forces, before they would hurt the same sent ambassadors to deal with them first by way of conference. These ambassadors the Melians refused to bring before the multitude, but commanded them to deliver their message before the magistrates and the few; and they accordingly said as followeth:

[1] The next summer Alcibiades sailed with twenty ships to Argos and seized the suspected persons still left of the Lacedaemonian faction to the number of three hundred, whom the Athenians forthwith lodged in the neighboring islands of their empire. The Athenians also made an expedition against the isle of Melos with thirty ships of their own, six Chian, and two Lesbian vessels, sixteen hundred heavy infantry, three hundred archers, and twenty mounted archers from Athens , and about fifteen hundred heavy infantry from the allies and the islanders.

[2] The Melians are a colony of Lacedaemon that would not submit to the Athenians like the other islanders, and at first remained neutral and took no part in the struggle, but afterwards upon the Athenians using violence and plundering their territory, assumed an attitude of open hostility.

[3] Cleomedes, son of Lycomedes, and Tisias, son of Tisimachus, the generals, encamping in their territory with the above armament, before doing any harm to their land, sent envoys to negotiate. These the Melians did not bring before the people, but bade them state the object of their mission to the magistrates and the few; upon which the Athenian envoys spoke as follows:—

Im folgenden Sommer fuhr AlkibiadeS mit zwanzig
Schiffen nach Argos und ließ dort dreihundert Argeier ver­
haften, die noch im Verdacht lakedämonischer Gesinnung standen,
und die Athener brachten sie in der Nähe auf den von ihnen
beherrschten Inseln unter. Auch gegen die Insel Melos unter­
nahmen die Athener einen Zug mit dreißig eigenen, sechs
chiischen und zwei lesbischen Schiffen, zwölfhundert Hopliten,
dreihundert Bogenschützen und zwanzig reitenden Schützen aus
Athen selbst uud etwa fünfzehnhundert Hopliten ihrer Bundes­
genossen auf den Inseln. Melos ist eine lakedämonische Kolonie,
und die Bewohner wollten sich nicht wie die übrigen Inseln
den Athenern unterwerfen. Anfangs versuchten sie, neutral
zu bleiben; als dann aber die Athener sie zwingen wollten
und ihr Land verheerten, kam es zum offenen Kriege. Mit
jener Streitmacht legten sich nun die Feldherren Kleomedes,
Lykomedes' Sohn, und Tisias, Tisimachos' Sohn, auf ihre
Insel, schickten aber vor Beginn der Feindseligkeiten Gesandte
an sie, um zunächst mit ihnen zu unterhandeln. Die Melier
aber führten diese nicht vor das Volk, sondern forderten sie
auf, sich im engeren Kreise der Regierung und einiger vor­
nehmer Herren darüber zu äußern, in welcher Absicht sie kämen.
Da kam es dann zu folgender Aussprache zwischen den athe­
nischen Gesandten und den melischen Unterhändlern.

LXXXIV. L’été suivant, Alcibiade fit voile pour Argos avec vingt vaisseaux, et enlèva trois cents des habitants ^{1 2} qui passaient encore pour suspects et favorables aux Lacédémoniens. Les Athéniens les déposèrent dans les île s du voisinage qui leur étaient soumises. Ils firent aussi une expédition contre Mélos ³ , avec trentè vaisseaux athéniens, six de Chio et deux de Lesbos. Ils -avaient douze cents hoplites athéniens, trois cents archers, et vingt archers à cheval, sans compter au moins quinze cents hoplites fournis par leurs alliés et les insulaires. Les Méliens, qui sont une colonie lacé- -démonienne, se refusaient à subir, comme les autres insulaires, la domination d’Athènes; au commencement ils gardèrent la neutralité, et se tinrent en repos; mais ensuite, forcés par les ravages que les Athéniens exerçaient sur leur pays, ils en vinrent à une guerre ouverte. Les généraux athéniens,. Cléomèdes, fils de Lycomèdes, et Tisias, fils de Tisimachos, campèrent avec cette armée sur le territoire de Mélos; mais avant d’y exercer aucun ravage, ils envoyèrent des députés pour conférer. Les Méliens, au lieu de les introduire devant le peuple, les invitèrent à exposer l’objet de leur mission devant les magistrats et les principaux citoyens. Les ambassadeurs athéniens parlèrent ainsi :

L’été suivant (a), Alcibiade se rendit à Argos avec vingt vaisseaux. Il enleva trois cents Argiens, qui étaient encore suspects d’attachement pour Lacédémone, et les déposa dans les îles voisines qui dépendaient d’Athènes.

Les Athéniens firent une expédition contre l’île de Mélos avec trente de leurs vaisseaux, six de Ghios et deux de Lesbos. Ils avaient à bord douze cents hoplites athéniens, trois cents archers et vingt archers à cheval, indépendamment de quinze cents hoplites fournis par les alliés et par les insulaires. Les Méliens, colonie de Lacédémone, refusaient d’imiter les autres habitants des îles en s'avouant sujets d’Athènes. Au commencement, ils avaient gardé la neutralité et s’étaient tenus en repos ; mais ensuite, forcés par les dévastations que les Athéniens commettaient sur leurs terres, ils en étaient venus à une guerre ouverte. Les généraux athéniens, Cléomédès fils de Lycomédès et Tisias fils de Lysimachos, campèrent avec leur armée sur le territoire de Mélos ; mais, avant d’y exercer aucun ravage, ils envoyèrent des ambassadeurs chargés de parlementer. Les Méliens, au lieu de les introduire dans l'assemblée (") Seizième année de la guerre, an 446 av. J.-C. du peuple, les inyitèrent à s’expliquer sur l'objet de leur mission devant les magistrats et les principaux citoyens. Les députés athéniens parlèrent en ces termes :

[1] The next summer Alcibiades sailed to ¹ Argos with twenty ships and seized such Argives as seemed to be still open to suspicion and to favour the side of the Lacedaemonians, to the number of three hundred men; and these the Athenians deposited in the adjacent islands over which they had sway. The Athenians also made an expedition against the island of Melos ² with thirty ships of their own, six Chian and two Lesbian, and twelve hundred Athenian hoplites, three hundred bowmen, and twenty mounted archers, and from their allies and the islanders about

[2] fifteen hundred hoplites. Now the Melians are colonists of the Lacedaemonians, and were unwilling to obey the Athenians like the rest of the islanders. At first they remained quiet as neutrals; then when the Athenians tried to force them by ravaging their land, they went

[3] to war openly. Accordingly, having encamped in their territory with the forces just mentioned, the Athenian commanders, Cleomedes son of Lycomedes and Teisias son of Teisimachus, before doing any harm to the land, sent envoys to make proposals to the Melians. These envoys the Melians did not bring before the popular assembly, but bade them tell in the presence of the magistrates and the few ³ what they had come for. The Athenian envoys accordingly spoke as follows:

[1] The next summer, Alcibiades sailed to Argos with twenty ships, and seized three hundred men, who were still thought to be suspicious characters, and to favour the cause of the Lacedaemonians; and these the Athenians deposited in the neighbouring islands within their dominions. The Athenians also undertook an expedition against the island of Melos, with thirty ships of their own, six of the Chians, two of the Lesbians, sixteen hundred of their own heavy-armed, three hundred bowmen, twenty mounted archers, and about five thousand five hundred heavy-armed of the allies and the islanders.

[2] Now the Melians are a colony of the Lacedaemonians, and would not submit to the Athenians, like the rest of the islanders, but at first remained quiet as neutrals, and then, when the Athenians tried to compel them by devastating their land, went openly to war with them.

[3] The generals therefore, Cleomedes son of Lycomedes, and Tisias son of Tisimachus, ¹ having gone and encamped in their territory with this armament, before injuring any part of the land, first sent ambassadors to hold a conference with them. These the Melians did not introduce to their popular assembly, but desired them to state the objects of their mission before the magistrates and the few. The ambassadors of the Athenians then spoke as follows:

[1] Insequentis aestatis initio Alcibiades cum viginti navibus Argos profectus trecentos Argivos, qui adhuc su- specti erant et cum Lacedaemoniis sentire videbantur, comprehendit, et deposuerunt eos Athenienses in proximis insulis, quibus imperabant; et adversus Melum insulani Athenienses navigaverunt cum triginta suis navibus, et se* Chiis, et duabus Lesbiis, et cum militibus ex suis mille et ducentis gravis armaturae et trecentis sagittariis et viginti hippotoxotis, sociorum vero et iilorum, qui insulas incole bant, ferme mille et quingentorum armatorum manu.

[2] Sunt autem Melii Lacedaemoniorum coloni, et Atheniensi bus parere nolebant, ut ceteri insularum incolae, sed tnitiJi quidem neutris partibus adjuncti quiescebant; postea vero, quum Athenienses eos cogerent agrnm ipsorum vastantes, bellum aperte gerere coeperunt.

[3] Quum igitur Atheniensium duces Cleomedes Lycomedis et Tisias Tisimaclii filius cum hoc apparatu castra in eorum agro posuissent, antequam ullo maleficio agrum allicerent, legatos primum ad colloquia habenda miserunt. Quos Melii ad populum quidem non produxerunt, sed apnd magistratus et optimates ea dicere jubebant , quorum causa venissent. Atheniensium vero legati haec verba fecerunt.

Al principio della nuova estate Alcibiade navigò con venti navi ad Argo , ed arrestò trecento Argivi creduti sospetti e parteggianti dei Lacedemoni, e gli Ateniesi li depositarono nelle vicine isole di loro dominio. Quindi gli

Ateniesi andarono contro l’isola di Melo , con trenta delle loro navi, sei di Chio e due di Lesbo, mille dugento soldati di grave armatura, trecento arcieri e venti saettatori a cavallo , più mille cinquecento di grave armatura, tra de’ confederati e degl’ isolani. Quei di Melo , perchè colonia dei Lacedemoni, non volevano obbedire agli Ateniesi come gli altri isolani : e però sulle prime stavano tranquilli nella loro neutralità ; sino a che col guasto delle terre furono dagli Ateniesi costretti a pigliare scopertamente le armi. Adunque Cleomede di Licomede, e Tisia di Tisimaco capitani ateniesi, che col detto apparecchio si erano messi ad oste nel territorio di Melo, prima di danneggiarlo cominciarono ad inviare a parlamento dei legati, cui i Melii non condussero innanzi al popolo ; ma pregavanli ad esporre il motivo di loro venuta dinanzi ai magistrati ed ai magnati. Onde i legati ateniesi parlarono cosi :