Thucydides History of the Peloponnesian War 2.18

[1] The army of the Peloponnesians marching forward came first to Oenoe, a town of Attica, the place where they intended to break in, and encamping before it, prepared with engines and by other means to assault the wall.

[2] For Oenoe, lying on the confines between Attica and Boeotia, was walled about; and the Athenians kept a garrison in it for defence of the country when at any time there should be war.

[3] For which cause they made preparation for the assault of it, and also spent much time about it otherwise. And Archidamus for this was not a little taxed as thought to have been both slow in gathering together the forces for the war and also to have favoured the Athenians in that he encouraged not the army to a forwardness in it. And afterwards likewise his stay in the isthmus and his slowness in the whole journey was laid to his charge, but especially his delay at Oenoe.

[4] For in this time the Athenians retired into the city: whereas it was thought that the Peloponnesians, marching speedily, might but for this delay have taken them all without.

[5] So passionate was the army of Archidamus for his stay before Oenoe. But expecting that the Athenians, whilst their territory was yet unhurt, would relent and not endure to see it wasted, for that cause (as it is reported) he held his hand.

[1] Meanwhile the army of the Peloponnesians was advancing. The first town they came to in Attica was Oenoe, where they were to enter the country. Sitting down before it, they prepared to assault the wall with engines and otherwise.

[2] Oenoe, standing upon the Athenian and Boeotian border, was of course a walled town, and was used as a fortress by the Athenians in time of war. So the Peloponnesians prepared for their assault, and wasted some valuable time before the place.

[3] This delay brought the gravest censure upon Archidamus. Even during the levying of the war he had gained credit for weakness and Athenian sympathies by the half measures he had advocated; and after the army had assembled he had further injured himself in public estimation by his loitering at the Isthmus and the slowness with which the rest of the march had been conducted. But all this was as nothing to the delay at Oenoe.

[4] During this interval the Athenians were carrying in their property; and it was the belief of the Peloponnesians that a quick advance would have found everything still out, had it not been for his procrastination.

[5] Such was the feeling of the army towards Archidamus during the siege. But he, it is said, expected that the Athenians would shrink from letting their land be wasted, and would make their submission while it was still uninjured; and this was why he waited.

Das Heer der Peloponnesier rückte auf seinem Marsche in
Attika zuerst vor Oenoe, in welcher Gegend sie den Einfall machen
wollten. Dort lagerten sie und trafen Vorbereitungen, um mit
Sturmmaschinen und in anderer Art gegen die Befestigungen vorzugehen;
denn das auf der Gränze zwischen Attika und Böotien gelegene Oenoe
hatte Mauern, und die Athener hielten zu Kriegszeiten dort eine
Besatzung. Die Vorbereitungen zum Sturm wurden langsam betrieben,
und auch sonst ging die Zeit unbenutzt hin, und hieraus entstand gegen
den Archidamos kein geringer Verdachtgrund, denn schien er schon in
den Zurüstungen zum Kriege unentschlossen und den Athenern
förderlich zu sein, indem er nicht entschieden für den Krieg stimmte, so
schadete ihm jetzt, als das Heer beisammen war, die auf dem Jsthmos
eingetretene Verzögerung und die Langsamkeit im weiteren Vorgehen
noch mehr, vorzüglich aber der Aufenthalt vor Oenoe, denn unterdessen
brachten die Athener Alles ein, und es schien, als ob die
Peloponnesier bei schnellem Vor-dringen noch Alles hätten außerhalb
überraschen können, hätte nicht des Archidamos Zögerung dies verhindert.
Deshalb zürnte ihm das Heer wegen dieses Aufenthaltes. Er aber
hielt zurück, wie man sagt, in der Meinung, daß die Athener doch in
etwas nachgeben und sich besinnen würden, ihr Land der Plünderung
preiszugeben.

XVIII. L’armée des Péloponnésiens s’avançait ; la première ville de l’Attique qu’ils rencontrèrent fut oenoé ¹ , qui devait servir de base à l’armée d’invasion. Après avoir assis leur camp, ils se disposèrent à battre les remparts avec des machines et à faire un siége en règle. Car oenoé, située sur les confins de l’Attique et de la Béotie, était fortifiée et servait de place forte en temps de guerre. Les Lacédémoniens préparèrent donc leurs moyens d’attaque et perdirent ainsi un temps précieux autour de cette place. Ce ne fut pas là un des moindres griefs contre Archidamus ; on trouvait qu’il avait montré de la mollesse à réunir les alliés, lorsqu’il s’agissait de décider la guerre et qu’il s’était montré favorable aux Athéniens en ne conseillant pas de la commencer incontinent. Depuis le rassemblement des troupes, son séjour prolongé sur l’isthme, la lenteur de la marche, et surtout le temps perdu devant oenoé, excitaient les rumeurs. Car les Athéniens avaient profité de ce délai pour tout rentrer dans la ville ; et il était présumable au contraire que, sans ces temporisations, les Lacédémoniens, en s’avançant vivement, auraient trouvé tout dehors. Tel était le mécontentement de l’armée, pendant qu’Archidamus séjournait devant oenoé. Quant à lui, il temporisait dans l’espoir, disait-on, que les Athéniens pourraient faire quelques concessions tant que leur territoire ne serait pas entamé et qu’ils redouteraient d’y voir, sous leurs yeux, porter le ravage.

Pendant ces préparatifs, l’armée des Péloponésiens, continuant sa marche, arriva devant OEnoé, première ville de l’Attique du côté où ils voulaient opérer l’invasion. Après avoir assis leur camp, ils se disposèrent à attaquer la muraille avec des machines ¹ et par d’autres moyens. OEnoé, située sur les confins de l’Attique et de la Béotie, était fortifiée et servait aux Athéniens de place d’armes en temps de guerre. Les Péloponésiens firent le siège de cette ville et y perdirent beaucoup de temps. L’armée en prit occasion de murmurer contre Archi damos. On lui reprochait son irrésolution, toute en faveur des. Athéniens, lorsqu’on avait agité la question de la guerre, son séjour prolongé à l'Isthme, la lenteur de sa marche, enfin sa temporisation devant OEnoé. Les Athéniens, disait-on, en avaient profité pour retirer leurs effets dans la ville, au lieu que, par un mouvement rapide, les Péloponésiens auraient tout surpris hors des murs. Sans s’émouvoir de ce mécontentement, Archi-damos patientait, dans l’espoir que les Athéniens seraient plus traitables, leur territoire étant encore intact, et qu’ils ne se résigneraient pas à en contempler froidement le ravage.

[1] Meanwhile the army of the Peloponnesians was advancing and the first point it reached in Attica was Oenoe, where they intended to begin the invasion. And while they were establishing their camp there, they prepared to assault the wall with engines and otherwise;

[2] for Oenoe, which was on the border between Attica and Boeotia, was a walled town, and was used as a fortress by the Athenians whenever war broke out. So the Lacedaemonians went on with their preparations to assault the place, and in this and other ways wasted time.

[3] And it was for his conduct here that Archidamus was most severely censured, though it was thought that in the levying of the war, too, he had been slack and had played into the hands of the Athenians when he did not advise the Peloponnesians to make war with vigour. Again, when the army was being collected, he was criticized for the delay which occurred at the Isthmus, and afterwards for the leisurely way in which the march was made, but most of all for the halt at Oenoe.

[4] For in the interval the Athenians continued to bring their property into the city and the Peloponnesians believed that but for his procrastination they could have advanced quickly and found everything still outside.

[5] Such was the resentment felt by the army toward Archidamus while they were sitting still. But the reason, it is said, whiy he kept holding back was that he expected the Athenians would make some concession while their territory was still unravaged and would be loath to see it laid waste.

[1] As for the army of the Peloponnesians, on the other hand, the first town it came to in Attica was Oenoe, at which point they intended to make their inroad.

[2] And having sat down before it, they prepared to make assaults on the wall, both with engines and in every other way. For Oenoe, as lying on the frontiers of Attica and Boeotia, had been surrounded with a wall, and the Athenians used it as a garrisoned fort, whenever any war befell them.

[3] They prepared then for assaulting it, and wasted their time about it to no purpose. And from this delay, Archidamus incurred the greatest censure: though he had, even ¹ while the war was gathering, been thought to show a want of spirit, and to favour the Athenians, by not heartily recommending hostilities. And again, after the army was mustered, the stay that was made at the Isthmus, and his slowness on the rest of the march, gave occasion for charges against him, but most of all his stopping at Oenoe.

[4] For the Athenians during this time were carrying in their property, and the Peloponnesians thought that by advancing against them quickly they would have found every thing still out, but for his dilatoriness.

[5] Such resentment did the army feel towards Archidamus during the siege. But he, it is said, was waiting in expectation that the Athenians would give in, while their land was still unravaged, and would shrink from enduring to see it wasted.

[1] Exercitus vero Peloponnesiorum procedens tetigit Atticam primum ad CEnoen, qua erant irrupturi. Et ut considebant, ad oppugnandos sese parabant muros machinis, et alio modo.

[2] Nam CEnoe, quae est in Atticae et Bmotiae finibus, muris erat cincta, et Athenienses hoc propugnaculo utebantur, quoties bellum incidisset. Hujus igitur et oppugnationem parabant et alioqui circum ipsam tempus triverunt.

[3] Et invidiam haud minimam Archidamus sibi conilavit ex hac re, quod videbatur et in movendo bello mollis esse et Atheniensium studiosus, qui ad bellum alacriter gerendum non adhortaretur; ac postquam copiae in unum coactae sunt, commoratio, qua ad Isthmum erat usus et in reliquo itinere faciendo tarditas in suspicionem adduxit eum, maxime vero ad CEnoen cunctatio.

[4] Atlie · nienses enim hoc temporis spatio res suas in urbem importabant, et Peloponnesii, si celeriter eo ivissent, res omnes adhuc extra urbem deprehendere potuisse videbantur, si non per illius cunctationem stetisset.

[5] Tali modo igitur exercitus Archidamo in illa mora succensebat. Ille vero, quum speraret, ut fertur, Athenienses, agro adhuc intacto, aliquid de pertinacia remissuros, ejusque vastationem tergiversanter passuros, inhibebat bellum.

[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.

Ma l9 esercito dei Peloponnesi proseguendo il cammino, arrivò primieramente sotto Enoa dell’Àttica, per dove volevano aprirsi, armata mano, la strada : e fatto alto si preparavano ad assaltare con macchine e con altre maniere le mura, onde era stata cinta Enoa situata sulla frontiera dell’Attica e della Beozia ; e di essa usavano gli Ateniesi come di un propugnacolo quando insorgesse la guerra. Disponevano adunque l’oppugnazione di quella terra , ma si trattennero qualche tempo senza prò intorno ad essa ; di che era principalmente accagionato Archidamo , che anche quando si trattava di riunirsi per la guerra si era mostrato poco sollecito e mal disposto a consigliarla , ed affezionato per gli Ateniesi. Inoltre, posciachè l’esercito si fu riunito, l’averlo trattenuto sull’ istmo ed il lento marciare nel resto del cammino , lo avevano messo in discredito. Ma soprattutto nocque alla reputazione d’Archidamo la fermata sotto Enoa: conciossiachè in questo stante gli Ateniesi introducevano in città le cose loro ; onde pareva che se i Peloponnesi, tolto di mezzo questo indugio, si fossero spinti innanzi sollecitamente, avrebbodo trovato tutto ancor fuori di città : tale era il inai talento dell' esercito contro Archidamo per questa sua fermata. Egli però soprassedeva aspettandosi, come si dice, die gli Ateniesi, essendo tuttora intatte le loro campagne, cederebbero in qualche cosa, mossi dal rincrescimento di vederle disertare,