Thucydides History of the Peloponnesian War 4.76

[1] The same summer likewise Demosthenes, general of the Athenians, with forty galleys, presently after his departure out of Megaris, sailed to Naupactus.

[2] For certain men in the cities thereabouts, desiring to change the form of the Boeotian government and to turn it into a democracy according to the government of Athens, practised with him and Hippocrates to betray unto him the estates of Boeotia, induced thereunto principally by Ptoeodorus, a Theban outlaw; and they ordered the design thus:

[3] Some had undertaken to deliver up Siphae (Siphae is a city of the territory of Thespiae, standing upon the seaside in the Crissaean gulf); and Chaeroneia, which was a town that paid duties to Orchomenus (called heretofore Orchomenus in Minyeia, but now Orchomenus in Boeotia), some others of Orchomenus were to surrender into their hands. And the Orchomenian outlaws had a principal hand in this and were hiring soldiers to that end out of Peloponnesus. This Chaeroneia is the utmost town of Boeotia towards Phanotis in the country of Phocis; and some Phoceans also dwelt in it.

[4] [On the other side], the Athenians were to seize on Delium, a place consecrated to Apollo in the territory of Tanagra, on the part toward Euboea. All this ought to have been done together upon a day appointed, to the end that the Boeotians might not oppose them with their forces united, but might be troubled every one to defend his own.

[5] And if the attempt succeeded, and that they once fortified Delium, they easily hoped, though no change followed in the state of the Boeotians for the present, yet being possessed of those places, and by that means continually fetching in prey out of the country, because there was for every one a place at hand to retire unto, that it could not stand long at a stay; but that the Athenians joining with such of them as rebelled, and the Boeotians not having their forces united, they might in time order the state to their own liking. Thus was the plot laid.

[1] The same summer the Athenian general, Demosthenes, arrived at Naupactus with forty ships immediately after the return from the Megarid.

[2] Hippocrates and himself had had overtures made to them by certain men in the cities in Boeotia , who wished to change the constitution and introduce a democracy as at Athens ; Ptoeodorus, a Theban exile, being the chief mover in this intrigue.

[3] The seaport town of Siphae , in the bay of Crisae, in the Thespian territory, was to be betrayed to them by one party; Chaeronea (a dependency of what was formerly called the Minyan, now the Boeotian, Orchomenus ), to be put into their hands by another from that town, whose exiles were very active in the business, hiring men in Peloponnese . Some Phocians also were in the plot, Chaeronea being the frontier town of Boeotia and close to Phanotis in Phocis .

[4] Meanwhile the Athenians were to seize Delium , the sanctuary of Apollo, in the territory of Tanagra looking towards Euboea ; and all these events were to take place simultaneously upon a day appointed, in order that the Boeotians might be unable to unite to oppose them at Delium , being everywhere detained by disturbances at home.

[5] Should the enterprise succeed, and Delium be fortified, its authors confidently expected that even if no revolution should immediately follow in Boeotia , yet with these places in their hands, and the country being harassed by incursions, and a refuge in each instance near for the partisans engaged in them, things would not remain as they were, but that the rebels being supported by the Athenians and the forces of the oligarchs divided, it would be possible after a while to settle matters according to their wishes.

In demselben Sommer kam auch Demotshenes, Feldherr
der Athener, mit vierzig Schiffen nach Naupaktos, sogleich nach dem
Abzug aus MegariS, denn mit ihm und Hippokrates wurden in
Betreff der Böotischen Verhältnisse Seitens einiger Männer auS den ^{1 2}
Städten Verhandlungen gepflogen, welche die dortige Ordnung ab--' ³
ändern und in eine Demokratie, wie die Athener sie hatten, umwan- (
deln wollten, und besonders auf Eingeben des Ptöodoros, eines
Flüchtlings aus Theben, wurden die folgenden Veranstaltungen
eingeleitet 2?*). Das Städtchen Siphä sollte durch Einige übergeben werden.
Siphä liegt aber am Meer auf Thespischem Gebiete im Busen von
Krisa. Chäronea aber, welches, früher das Minyeifche, jetzt
dasBöotische genannt, an Orchomenos Steuern zahlt, sollten Andere aus
Orchomenos übergeben. Die Flüchtlinge der Orchomenier waren
dabei am meisten thätig und mietheten Leute aus dem Peloponnes;
Ehäronea ist die äußerste Stadt Böotiens und stößt an die
Phanotidische Landschaft in Phokis, und es waren auch einige Phokier
Theilnehmer des Planes. Die Athener aber sollten Delion wegnehmen,
welches dem Apollo geweiht ist und auf dem Gebiet von Tanagra,
Euböa zugewendet, liegt. Dieß Alles sollte an einem bestimmten Tage
zu gleicher Zeit geschehen, damit nicht die Böotier vereinigt zur
Abwehr heranziehen könnten, sondern jede Stadt mit sich selbst genug
zu thun hätte. Und wenn der Versuch gelingen sollte und Delion
befestigt wäre, so möchten, hofften sie, wenn auch nicht gleich für den
Augenblick eine Umwälzung in den Böotischen Verfassungen
stattfände, doch die Dinge im Lande leicht eine Veränderung erleiden,
wenn jene Plätze besetzt gehalten und das Land verwüstet würde,
während sich auch Keiner weit von seinem Herde entfernen dürfte,
und so könnten sie mit der Zeit die Sachen dort sich nach Wunsche
einrichten, indem die Athener den Abgefallenen zu Hülfe zögen, und
jene ihre Macht nie an einem Ort bei einander hätten. ⁴

LXXVI. Le même été, Démosthènes, général athénien, se rendit à Nanpacte avec quarante vaisseaux, aussitôt après avoir quitté la Mégaride. Hippocrates et lui traitaient sous main des affaires de la Béotie avec quelques habitants des villes disposes à changer l’ordre établi, pour y substituer la démocratie comme à Athènes. C’était surtout Ptoeodore, exilé de Thèbes, qui dirigeait l’intrigue ; voici quelles étaient leurs dispositions : des affidés devaient livrer Siphé, place maritime, dans le territoire de Thespies ¹ , sur le golfe de Crisa. D’un autre côté, des habitants d’Orchomene devaient livrer Chéronée, ville tributaire d’Orchomène, (autrefois OrchomèneMinyéenne, et maintenant Orchomène de Béotie). Des bannis d’Orchomène s’employaient surtout à cette intrigue et soudoyaient des troupes du Péloponnèse. Chéronée est située à l’extrémité de la Béotie, et confine au territoire de Phanotée, en Phocide ; aussi quelques Phocéens prirent-ils part au complot.

Les Athéniens devaient occuper Délium, lieu consacré à Apollon, sur le territoire de Tanagrc, du côté de l’Euhée ; on devait agir en même temps sur tous les points, à jour fixe, afin que les Béotiens ne pussent se porter en masse au secours de Délium, chacun étant occupé parles mouvements qui se produiraient autour de lui. Si la tentative réussissait, et qu’on parvînt à fortifier Délium, à supposer même qu’il n’y eût pas immédiatement quelque révolution dans les constitutions de la Béotie, ils comptaient bien, avec ces places en leur pouvoir, être en mesure de ravager le pays et de trouver toujours, chacun de leur côté, un refuge à portée : il leur serait dès lors facile de changer la face des affaires dans le pays ; car les révoltés, étant secourus par les Athéniens, tandis que les Béotiens ne pourraient concentrer leurs forces, devaient finir avec le temps par arriver à leur but.

Dans le même été, le général athénien Démosthène, se rendit à Naupacte avec quarante vaisseaux, immédiatement après son retour de Mégaride. Quelques Béotiens avaient noué des intelligences avec lui et avec Hippocratès, dans le but d’opérer une révolution dans leur pays, et d'y établir la démocratie à l’imitation d’Athènes. L’agent le plus actif de cette intrigue était Ptéodoros, exilé thébain. Leur plan consistait à s’emparer de Siphæ, qui devait leur être livrée par trahison; c’est une ville du territoire de Thespies, située au fond du golfe de Grisa. Quelques Orchoméniens offraient aussi de leur remettre Chéronée, ville qui dépend d’Orchomène, dite jadis des Minyens ¹ et aujourd’hui de Béotie. Les bannis dOrchomène étaient les plus ardents instigateurs de ce projet; ils avaient même pris à leur solde quelques troupes du Péloponèse. Or Chéronée est la dernière place de Béotie, du côté de Phanotée, ville phocéenne. Le complot avait aussi des ramifications en Phocide. Il fallait enfin que les Athéniens occupassent Délion, endroit consacré à Apollon et situé sur le territoire de Tanagra, en face de l’Eubée. Tout cela devait s’exécuter de concert, dans un jour déterminé, afin que les Béotiens, retenus dans leurs foyers par les agitations locales, ne fussent pas en mesure de se concentrer à Délion. Si l’entreprise réussissait et que Délion fût fortifié, dût-il n’y avoir pour le moment aucune révolution en Béotie, on avait tout lieu de croire que ces divers points une fois occupés, le pays exposé au pillage, chacun ayant un asile à proximité, les affaires ne demeureraient pas longtemps dans le même état; mais qu’avec un peu de patience les insurgés, grâce au secours des Athéniens et à la dissémination de leurs adversaires, finiraient par établir en Béotie un gouvernement de leur choix. Telle était la conspiration qui se tramait.

[1] During the same summer, immediately after the Athenians retired from Megara, Demosthenes, the Athenian general, arrived with forty ships at Naupactus.

[2] For he and Hippocrates were engaged in negotiations about affairs in Boeotia, at the instance of certain men in several cities who wished to bring about a change in their form of government and to transform it into a democracy, such as the Athenians had. The leading spirit in these transactions was Ptoeodorus, an exile from Thebes, through whom Demosthenes and Hippocrates had brought about the following state of affairs.

[3] Siphae, a town on the shore of the Crisaean Gulf in the territory of Thespiae, was to be betrayed by certain men; and Chaeronea, a city which is tributary to Orchomenus—the city which was formerly called Minyan, but is now called Boeotian—was to be put into the hands of the Athenians by others, the fugitives from Orchomenus, who also took into their pay some Peloponnesians, being especially active in the conspiracy. Some Phocians also had a share in the plot, Chaeronea being on the borders of Boeotia, and adjacent to Phanotis, which is in Phocis.

[4] The Athenians were to occupy Delium, the sanctuary of Apollo which is in the territory of Tanagra and opposite Euboea; and all these events were to take place simultaneously on an appointed day, in order that the Boeotians might not concentrate their forces at Delium, but that the several states might be occupied with their own disaffected districts.

[5] And if the attempt should succeed and Delium should be fortified, they confidently expected, even if no immediate change occurred in the constitutions of the Boeotian states, nevertheless, so long as these places were in their possession, from which Boeotian territory could be ravaged and where everyone might find a convenient place of refuge, the situation would not remain as it was, but in time, when the Athenians should come to the support of the rebels and the forces of the oligarchs were scattered, they could settle matters to their own advantage.

[1] The same summer Demosthenes, the Athenian general, went to Naupactus with forty ships immediately after the return from the Megarid.

[2] For communications respecting the affairs of Boeotia were being carried on with Hippocrates and him by certain men in the cities, who wished to change the constitution, and to bring them under a democracy like that of Athens; it being especially under the direction of Ptoeodorus, an exile from Thebes, that these preparations were made by them.

[3] A party was to betray to them Siphae, a seaport town in the Thespian territory, on the Crisaean Bay; while Chaeronea, which was dependent on what was formerly called the Minyan, but now the Boeotian Orchomenus, was to be delivered up by another party in that city; the exiles from it also co-operating most warmly, and raising mercenary troops from the Peloponnese. Chaeronea is the frontier town too of Boeotia, near to Phanotis in Phocis, and a party of Phocians joined in the design. On the other hand, the Athenians were to seize Delium, the sanctuary of Apollo in the territory of Tanagra, looking towards Euboea;

[4] and these measures were to be simultaneously executed on the same day; that the Boeotians might not oppose them in a body at Delium, but have to attend to their own respective neighbourhoods that were being revolutionized.

[5] And should the attempt succeed, and Delium be fortified, they confidently hoped, that even if no change in their constitution were immediately made by the Boeotians, yet when these posts were occupied by Athenian garrisons, and the land was being plundered, and the several parties had a rallying place close at hand, that things would not remain in their present position, but that, in the course of time, when the Athenians supported the disaffected, and the power of the oligarchs was disunited, they would settle them to their own advantage. Such then was the design in preparation.

[1] Eadem autem aestate Demosthenes Atheniensium dux cum quadraginta navibus Naupactum se contulit, statim a discessu ex agro Megarensi.

[2] Nam quidam Boeoti, qui in civitatibus erant, illarum statum commutare, et in popularem, qualis erat is, quo Atheniensium respublica regebatur, convertere cupientes, eum Hippocrate et illo de rebus Boeotiis innovandis agebant, et maxime Ptoeodoro exsule Thebano auctore, hunc in modum res praeparatae sunt.

[3] Quidam Siphas per proditionem tradituri erant; Siphae autem sunt oppidum agri Thespici maritimum, in sinu Crisaeo situm. Chaeroneam vero, quffi accensetur Orchomeno, qui prius Minyeus, nunc vero Foeotius appellatur, alii ex Orchomeno dedituri erant, et Orchomenii exsules praecipue rem adjuvabant, et homines ex Peloponneso mercede conducebant; est autem Chaeronea oppidum in extremis Boeotiae finibus situm, Plianoti-dem versos, quae est in agro Pliocensi; et nonnulli Phocenses consilii participes erant.

[4] Athenienses autem oportebat occupare Delium, Apollinis templum in agro Tanagraeo situm, Euboeam versus, et haec simul fleri condicta die, ne Boeoti frequentibus copiis ad opem Delio ferendam undique concurrerent, sed ad suas quique ipsorum res motas proficiscerentur.

[5] Et si conatus iste feliciter successisset et Delium muro clausum esset, facile sperabant, etiam si non protinus aliquid innovaretur in rerumpublicarum Boeotiarum statu, si haec loca occupata essent et ager latrociniis infestaretur et singulis brevi locorum spatio perfugium esset, res in eodem statu non permansuras, sed temporis progressu Athenienses, si se adjunxissent iis, qui defecissent, illi vero non frequentes copias haberent, res illas in statum sibi commodum adducturos.

[6] Haec igitur consilia tali modo agitabantur;

[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 anche Demostene capitano degli Ateniesi partito appena dalla Megaride va con quaranta navi a Naupatto, avvegnaché alcuni delle città beozie tenessero segrete pratiche con lui e con Ippocrate sugli affari della Beozia, con intenzione di mutare lo stato e voltarlo, come gli Ateniesi, alla democrazia. Pertanto guidati principalmente da Pteodoro esule tebano avevano disposto la cosa in questo modo : che alcuni renderebbero per tradimento Sifa castello marittimo del territorio tespico in sul golfo di Crisa ; ed altri d’Orcomeno consegnerebbero Cheronea che è nel medesimo distretto d’Orcomeno denominato prima Minieo ed ora Beozio. Si erano uniti in queste pratiche più che altri i banditi orcomeniesi, e soldavano genti del Peloponneso ; e siccome Cheronea è su i confini della Beozia, così vi avevano le mani ancora alcuni Focesi. Gli Ateniesi poi occuperebbero Delio consacrato ad Apollo, che resta nel Tanagrese e guarda Eubea : e tutte queste cose dovevano farsi in un determinato giorno perchè i Beozii non potessero tutti accorrere in soccorso di Delio, ma ciascuno avesse di che darsi moto per i propri affari. Se il tentativo andasse bene e si potesse munir Delio, speravano agevolmente che, posto anche non nascesse subito qualche innovazione del governo beotico, nondimeno l’occupazione di questa terra dando abilità agli Ateniesi di corseggiar la campagna, ed essendo un vicino ricovero ai malcontenti, le cose de' Beozii non rimarrebbero tranquille ; e che gli Ateniesi unendosi ai ribelli, mentre i Beozii non potevano raccogliere insieme le loro forze, riuscirebbero col tempo a stabilirvi reggimento acconcio ai loro disegni. Queste erano le insidie che si tramavano.