Thucydides History of the Peloponnesian War 5.17

[1] Being troubled with these imputations and considering with himself, there being no occasion of calamity in time of peace and the Lacedaemonians thereby recovering their men, that he also should cease to be obnoxious to the calumniations of his enemies whereas, in war, such as had charge could not but be quarrelled upon their losses—he was therefore forward to have the peace concluded.

[2] And this winter they fell to treaty, and withal the Lacedaemonians braved them with a preparation already making against the spring, sending to the cities about for that purpose, as if they meant to fortify in Attica, to the end that the Athenians might give them the better ear. When after many meetings and many demands on either side, it was at last agreed that peace should be concluded, each part rendering what they had taken in the war, save that the Athenians should hold Nisaea (for when they [likewise] demanded Plataea and the Thebans answered that it was neither taken by force nor by treason, but rendered voluntarily, the Athenians said that they also had Nisaea in the same manner), the Lacedaemonians calling together their confederates, and all but the Boeotians, Corinthians, Eleians, and Megareans, (for these disliked it) giving their votes for the ending of the war, they concluded the peace, and confirmed it to the Athenians with sacrifice, and swore it, and the Athenians again unto them, upon these articles:

[1] The smart of this accusation, and the reflection that in peace no disaster could occur, and that when Lacedaemon had recovered her men there would be nothing for his enemies to take hold of (whereas, while war lasted the highest station must always bear the scandal of everything that went wrong), made him ardently desire a settlement.

[2] Accordingly this winter was employed in conferences; and as spring rapidly approached, the Lacedaemonians sent round orders to the cities to prepare for a fortified occupation of Attica , and held this as a sword over the heads of the Athenians to induce them to listen to their overtures; and at last, after many claims had been urged on either side at the conferences, a peace was agreed on upon the following basis. Each party was to restore its conquests, but Athens was to keep Nisaea ; her demand for Plataea being met by the Thebans asserting that they had acquired the place not by force or treachery, but by the voluntary adhesion upon agreement of its citizens; and the same, according to the Athenian account, being the history of her acquisition of Nisaea . This arranged, the Lacedaemonians summoned their allies, and all voting for peace except the Boeotians, Corinthians, Eleans, and Megarians, who did not approve of these proceedings, they concluded the treaty and made peace, each of the contracting parties swearing to the following articles:—

Diese Verläumdung nun war ihm sehr lästig und dazu
glaubte er, daß wenn Frieden eintrete, den Staat kein Unglück mehr
betreffen könne, und auch zugleich die Lakedämonischen Gefangenen
zurückkommen würden, und dann wäre er seinen Feinden
unantastbar; so lange aber Krieg sei, wären die hervorragenden Männer in
Folge von Unglücksfällen nothwendig immer der Verläumdung
ausgesetzt; und deßhalb wünschte er eifrig den Frieden. Diesen Winter
über nun wurde beiderseits verhandelt, und gegen den Frühling hin
drohten bereits die Lakedämonier mit neuen Rüstungen, die sie durch
die Städte ansagen ließen, gleich als beabsichtigten sie eine
Belagerung, damit die Athener eher Gehör geben sollten. Bei den
Verhandlungen nun wurden beiderseits viele Ansprüche vorgebracht, doch
traf man 'eine Vereinbarung dahin, der Friede solle unter der
Bedingung geschlossen werden, daß beide Theile, was sie durch Kampf
gewonnen, zurückgäben. Nisäa aber sollten die Athener behalten; als
diese nämlich die Herausgabe von Platäa verlangten, erklärten die
Thebaner, sie hätten den Platz nicht durch Gewalt oder Verrath,
sondern durch freiwillige Uebergabe seitens der Platäer in ihren
Besitz gebracht, gerade wie die Athener Nisäa. Daraus riefen die
Lakedämonier ihre Bundesgenossen zusammen, und da mit Ausnahme
der Böotier und Korinther nnd Eleer und Megarer, welche nicht
einverstanden waren, die Andern für den Frieden stimmten, so
schlössen sie den Vertrag ab und bekräftigten ihn gegen die Athener, wie
diese gegen die Lakedämonier, durch Opfer und Eidschwur. Er
lautete aber so:

ΧVII. — Fatigué de ces attaques, songeant d’ailleurs qu’une fois la paix rétablie, l’absence de revers et le retour des prisonniers lacédémoniens ôteraient à ses ennemis toute prise contre lui, qu’en guerre au contraire tout échec devient nécessairement prétexte à accusation contre les chefs, Plistoanax souhaitait un accommodement. Des conférences eurent lieu pendant tout l’hiver jusqu’aux approches du printemps : en même temps les Lacédémoniens faisaient à l’avance sonner bien haut leurs préparatifs; le bruit se répandait de ville en ville qu’ils allaient élever des fortifications ¹ ; tout cela pour rendre les Athéniens plus imitables. Enfin, à la suite des conférences, et après de nombreuses prétentions élevées de part et d’autre, on convint de faire la paix, à la condition de restituer réciproquement tout ce que chacun avait pris les armes à la main; les Athéniens toutefois devaient garder Nisée. (Ils avaient réclamé Platée; mais les Thébains prétendirent être entrés en possession de cette place non de vive force, mais par le consentement des habitants, ceux-ci s’étant librement soumis sans qu’il ^{2 3 4} y eût trahison : Nisée devait au même titre rester aux Athéniens.)

Les Lacédémoniens convoquèrent alors leurs alliés; tous votèrent pour la paix, à l’exception des Béotiens, des Corinthiens, des Éléens et des Mégariens qui n’approuvaient pas le traité. La paix fut donc conclue, et les deux peuples s’engagèrent réciproquement l’un envers l’autre par des libations et des serments; le traité était ainsi conçu :

Pendant tout l’hiver et jusqu’à l’approche du printemps, les pourparlers continuèrent. En même temps, les Lacédémoniens, afin de rendre les Athéniens plus traitables, agitèrent l’épouvantait de préparatifs guerriers, et firent savoir à toutes les villes qu’ils allaient construire des forts en Àttique. Enfin, après maintes conférences, maintes prétentions élevées de part et d’autre , on tomba d’accord de faire la paix à condition que chacun restituerait ce qu'il avait acquis par les armes. Niséa seule resta aux Athéniens, et voici pourquoi. Lorsqu’il fut question de rendre Platée, les Thébaiüs soutinrent qu’elle s’était soumise de gré et non de force, en vertu d’une convention libre et non par trahison. Les Athéniens en dirent autant de Niséa.

Les Lacédémoniens convoquèrent leurs alliés. Tous votèrent pour la paix, excepté les Béotiens, les Corinthiens, les Éléens et les Mégariens, qui en désapprouvaient les conditions. Le traité fut conclu et ratifié par l’échange des libations et des serments, entre lés Athéniens et les Lacédémoniens. En voici la teneur :

[1] Vexed, therefore, by this calumny, and thinking that in time of peace, when no calamity would occur and, moreover, the Lacedaemonians would be recovering their men, he himself would not be exposed to the attack of his enemies, whereas so long as there was war it must always be that the leading men would be maligned in the event of any misfortunes, he became very ardent for the agreement.
  During this winter they kept attending conferences;

[2] and toward spring there was a menace of warlike preparation on the part of the Lacedaemonians, orders being sent to the cities as though for the erection of a fortress to overawe the territory of the Athenians, that they might be more inclined to listen to terms; and at the same time as the result of their conferences, in which each party had filed many claims against the other, an agreement was finally reached that they should make peace, each party to restore to the other the territories which they had gained by war, though the Athenians were to keep Nisaea. ¹ (For when they had demanded back Plataea, the Thebans protested that they had obtained possession of the place, not by force, but because the Plataeans had come over to them by agreement and not through betrayal ² ; and the Athenians claimed to have obtained Nisaea in the same way.) At this time the Lacedaemonians summoned their own allies, and when all the rest had voted to stop hostilities, except the Boeotians, Corinthians, Eleans, and Megarians—to whom the negotiations were displeasing—they made the agreement, ratifying it by libations and oaths with the Athenians, and the Athenians with them, on the following terms:—

[1] Being annoyed therefore by this calumny, and thinking that in time of peace, when no reverse was experienced, and when, moreover, the Lacedaemonians were recovering their men from the island, he too should give his enemies no handle against him; whereas, as long as there was war, the leading men must always be exposed to accusations from the occurrence of disasters; he was ardently desirous of the pacification.

[2] And so during this winter they were meeting in conference; and when it was now close upon spring, ¹ The terrors of an armament, for which orders were sent round to the different states, as though for the purpose of building forts, were held forth by the Lacedaemonians, that the Athenians might the more readily listen to them. And when, after these conferences had been held. and they had urged many claims against each other, it was agreed that they should make peace on restoring what they had respectively taken during the war; but that the Athenians should keep Nisaea; (for on their demanding back Plataea, the Thebans said that it was not by force that they held the place, but in consequence of the inhabitants themselves having surrendered on definite terms, and not betrayed it to them; and the Athenians maintained that in the same way had they got possession of Nisaea;) then the Lacedaemonians convened their allies; and when all the rest, except the Boeotians, Corinthians, Eleans, and Megareans, who were displeased with what was being done, had voted for putting an end to the war, they concluded the arrangement, and made a treaty and bound themselves by oaths to the Athenians, and they to them, to the following effect:

[1] Plistoanax igitur hanc criminationem graviter fe- rens, et existimans, in pace quidem nnlla calamitate inter-veniente et simul Lacedaemoniis suos recipientibus se quoque inimicorum criminationibus minus obnoxium fore, sed belli tempore semper necesse esse civitatis principes calamitatum nomine criminationibus obnoxios esse, ad compositionem animo fuit propenso.

[2] Atque per illam hiemem in colloquium ibant, et vere jam instante apparatus hostilis a Lacedaemoniis minaciter illis ante intemptatus est, qui nuntiis per civitates circummissis indicebatur ut ad munitiones obsidionis causa exstruendas pertinens, quo facilius Athenienses dicto audientes essent, et postquam in conciliis post multa postulata ultro citroque ab utrisque in medium prolata conveniebat, ut pax fieret ea conditione, ut utrique redderent ea, quae bello cepissent, Nisaeam vero Athenienses retinerent (qutfm enim Plataeam vicissim repeterent, Tlie-bani dixerunt, se hanc urbem tenere neque vi neque proditione, sed deditione ab ipsis facta, et Athenienses quoque eodem modo Nisaeam a se teneri dixerunt), tunc igitur Lacedaemonii , sociis suis advocatis, quum celeri omnes praeter Boeotos et Corinthios et Eleos et Megarenses (liis enim quae fiebant haud placebant) bellum finiendum censuissent, compositionem fecerunt et firdus cum Atheniensibus percusserunt, et jurejurando confirmarunt, et vicissim illi apud Lacedaemonios, haec.

Gravato adunque da tali diffamazioni, stimava che non occorrendo alcuna disgrazia in tempo di pace ed insieme riavendo i Lacedemoni i loro prigionieri, egli pure non darebbe presa a’ suoi nemici ; laddove in istato di guerra , se la fortuna è contraria, è inevitabile che chi presiede sia sempre vessato dalle maldicenze. Il perchè desiderava maggiormente l' accomodamento ; e nel mede sWno inverno venivano le due parti a parlamento tra loro. Verso la primavera i Lacedemoni, acciocché gli Ateniesi fossero meno ostinati, facevano minacciosa mostra di apparecchiamenti , e ordinavano a tutte le città che dovessero fabbricar munizioni contro l’Attica. Dopo alcuni congressi ove furono scambievolmefttie prodotte molte giuridiche requisizioni, si accordarono di far la pace, con patto che le due parti restituirebbero qnel che aveano occupato in guerra, ma che gli Ateniesi riterrebbero Nisea. Imperocché richiedendo essi Platea , i Tebani avevano risposto di tener quella città, perchè gli abitanti si erano resi per capitolazione e non per forza né per tradimento ; e nella stessa guisa gli Ateniesi dicevano di avere avuto Nisea. Allora pertanto i Lacedemoni convocarono i loro alleati, ed avendo tutti gli altri decretato di por fine alla guerra, ad eccezione de’ Beozii , dei Corintii, degli Elei e de9 Megaresi cui non piacevano questi trattati, fanno accordo con gli Ateniesi, e lo ratificano co’ riti consueti ; e gli Ateniesi giurarono ai Lacedemoni questi articoli.