Thucydides, History of the Peloponnesian War, Theodor Braun (Translator), 6.20

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„Da ich wohl sehe, Athener, daß ihr unbedingt für den
Krieg seid, mit dem eS unS hoffentlich nach Wunsche geht,
will ich euch auch sagen, waS ich unter diesen Umständen für
nötig halte. Wir stehen vor einem Kriege gegen eine Anzahl
meines Wissens großer und mächtiger, völlig unabhängiger
Städte, die sich durchaus nicht nach Änderungen sehnen, wie
man sie, um eine drückende Herrschaft loszuwerden, willkommen
heißt, Städte, die gewiß keine Lust haben, ihre Freiheit mit
unserer Herrschaft zu vertauschen, darunter für die eine Insel
eine Menge griechische. Denn außer NaxoS und Katana, die
bei ihrer Verwandtschaft mit den Leontinern hoffentlich mit
unS gehen werden, sind da sieben andere, die für den Krieg
gradeso gut gerüstet sind wie wir, vor allem Selinus und
Syrakus, auf die eS bei unserem Zuge hauptsächlich abgesehen
ist. Sie haben schweres Fußvolk, Bogen- und Speerschützen
die Menge, zahlreiche Kriegsschiffe und Leute genug, sie zu
bemannen. Geld haben sie auch, teils selbst, teils in den
Tempeln von Selinus, die Syrakuser außerdem durch Steuern,
welche verschiedene barbarische Völker von alterS her an sie
zahlen. WaS sie aber besonders vor unS voraus haben, ist
der Reichtum an Pferden, und daß sie ihr Getreide im eigenen
Lande erzeugen und nicht von auswärts einzuführen brauchen.

History of the Peloponnesian War. Thucydides. Theodor Braun (Translator). Leipzig. 1917.

Current edition First1KGreek

Geschichte des Peloponnesischen Kriegs (German) (Thucydides. Geschichte des Peloponnesischen Kriegs. Braun, Theodor, translator. Leipzig: Insel-Verlag, 1917.)

Editions (1)

Ἱστορίαι Perseus (Thucydides. Historiae, Vol 1-2. Jones, Henry Stuart, editor. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1910. (1942 printing).) — 6.20.1 focus

[1] ‘ἐπειδὴ πάντως ὁρῶ ὑμᾶς, ὦ Ἀθηναῖοι, ὡρμημένους στρατεύειν, ξυνενέγκοι μὲν ταῦτα ὡς βουλόμεθα, ἐπὶ δὲ τῷ παρόντι ἃ γιγνώσκω σημανῶ.

[2] ἐπὶ γὰρ πόλεις, ὡς ἐγὼ ἀκοῇ αἰσθάνομαι, μέλλομεν ἰέναι μεγάλας καὶ οὔθ’ ὑπηκόους ἀλλήλων οὔτε δεομένας μεταβολῆς, ᾗ ἂν ἐκ βιαίου τις δουλείας ἄσμενος ἐς ῥᾴω μετάστασιν χωροίη, οὐδ’ ἂν τὴν ἀρχὴν τὴν ἡμετέραν εἰκότως ἀντ’ ἐλευθερίας προσδεξαμένας, τό τε πλῆθος ὡς ἐν μιᾷ νήσῳ πολλὰς τὰς Ἑλληνίδας.

[3] πλὴν γὰρ Νάξου καὶ Κατάνης, ἃς ἐλπίζω ἡμῖν κατὰ τὸ Λεοντίνων ξυγγενὲς προσέσεσθαι, ἄλλαι εἰσὶν ἑπτά, καὶ παρεσκευασμέναι τοῖς πᾶσιν ὁμοιοτρόπως μάλιστα τῇ ἡμετέρᾳ δυνάμει, καὶ οὐχ ἥκιστα ἐπὶ ἃς μᾶλλον πλέομεν, Σελινοῦς καὶ Συράκουσαι.

[4] πολλοὶ μὲν γὰρ ὁπλῖται ἔνεισι καὶ τοξόται καὶ ἀκοντισταί, πολλαὶ δὲ τριήρεις καὶ ὄχλος ὁ πληρώσων αὐτάς. χρήματά τ’ ἔχουσι τὰ μὲν ἴδια, τὰ δὲ καὶ ἐν τοῖς ἱεροῖς ἐστὶ Σελινουντίοις, Συρακοσίοις δὲ καὶ ἀπὸ βαρβάρων τινῶν ἀπαρχὴ ἐσφέρεται· ᾧ δὲ μάλιστα ἡμῶν προύχουσιν, ἵππους τε πολλοὺς κέκτηνται καὶ σίτῳ οἰκείῳ καὶ οὐκ ἐπακτῷ χρῶνται.

Translations (9)

The History of the Grecian War Perseus (Thucydides. The English works of Thomas Hobbes of Malmesbury. Hobbes, Thomas. translator. London: John Bohn, 1843.) — 6.20.1 focus

[1] "Men of Athens, forasmuch as I see you violently bent on this expedition, such effect may it take as is desired. Nevertheless I shall now deliver my opinion upon the matter as it yet standeth.

[2] As far as we understand by report, we set out against great cities, not subject one to another, nor needing innovation, whereby they should be glad, out of hard servitude, to admit of easier masters, nor such as are likely to prefer our government before their own liberty; but many (as for one island), and those Greek cities.

[3] For besides Naxos and Catana (which too I hope will join with us for their affinity with the Leontines), there are other seven, furnished in all respects after the manner of our own army, and especially those two against which we bend our forces most, Selinus and Syracuse.

[4] For there are in them many men of arms, many archers, many darters, besides many galleys and a multitude of men to man them. They have also store of money, both amongst private men and in their temples. This have the Selinuntians. The Syracusians have a tribute beside, coming in from some of the barbarians. But that wherein they exceed us most is this: that they abound in horses, and have corn of their own, not fetched in from other places.

History of the Peloponnesian War Perseus (Thucydides. History of the Peloponnesian War. Crawley, Richard, translator. London and Toronto: J. M. Dent and Sons Ltd.; New York: E. P. Dutton and Co., 1914.) — 6.20.1 focus

[1] ‘I see, Athenians, that you are thoroughly bent upon the expedition, and therefore hope that all will turn out as we wish, and proceed to give you my opinion at the present juncture.

[2] From all that I hear we are going against cities that are great and not subject to one another, or in need of change, so as to be glad to pass from enforced servitude to an easier condition, or in the least likely to accept our rule in exchange for freedom; and, to take only the Hellenic towns, they are very numerous for one island.

[3] Besides Naxos and Catana , which I expect to join us from their connection with Leontini, there are seven others armed at all points just like our own power, particularly Selinus and Syracuse , the chief objects of our expedition.

[4] These are full of heavy infantry, archers, and darters, have galleys in abundance and crowds to man them; they have also money, partly in the hands of private persons, partly in the temples at Selinus , and at Syracuse first-fruits from some of the barbarians as well. But their chief advantage over us lies in the number of their horses, and in the fact that they grow their corn at home instead of importing it.

Geschichte des Peloponnesischen Kriegs First1KGreek (Thucydides. Geschichte des Peloponnesischen Kriegs. Wahrmund, Adolf, translator. Stuttgart: Krais and Hoffmann, 1864.) — 6.20 focus

„Da ich nun einmal sehe, ihr Athener, daß ihr auf jede
Weise den Kriegszug wollt, so möge er uns denn gelingen, wie wir
es wünschen! Was ich nun den Umständen gemäß für nöthig erachte,
will ich angeben. Wir sind im Begriff gegen Staaten zu ziehen, ¹²³
die — wie Ich ans mündlichem Berichte weiß — groß und von
einander unabhängig find und sich durchaus nicht nach einer Ver.
fassungSänderung sehnen, wie sie Einer wohl annehmen möchte, der
aus harter Abhängigkeit gern in einen erleichterten Zustand
übertritt, und die höchst wahrscheinlich wohl auch nicht ihre Freiheit mit
unserer Herrschaft vertauschen mochten; und dann ist auch die Zahl
der ^Hellenischen^ Staaten für diese Eine Insel sehr groß. Denn
außer Naxos und Katana, die — wie ich hoffe — gemäß ihrer
Verwandtschaft mit den Leontinern auf unsere Seite treten werden, find
noch sieben 4') andere da, welche in jeder Art der Kriegsrüstung so
versehen sind, daß sie sich mit unserer Macht so ziemlich vergleichen
dürften, und gerade die unter ihnen sind es am besten, gegen welche
unsere Flotte vorzüglich wirken soll. Selinus nämlich und SyrakuS;
denn sie haben dort viele Schwerbewaffnete und Bogenschützen und
Speerschützen und viele Dreiruderer und Volks genug, sie zu
bemannen. Geldmittel besitzen sie theils in den Privatvermögen, theils
haben die Selinuntier solche auch in ihren Tempeln bereit liegen.
Auch wird den Syrakusiern von einigen Barbaren eine Steuer von
ihren Erzeugnissen entrichtet. Worin sie uns aber am meisten
überlegen sind, das ist der Besitz zahlreicher Pferde, und daß sie Getreide
im eigenen Land haben und nicht einzuführen brauchen^)."

Histoire de la Guerre du Péloponèse First1KGreek (Thucydides. Histoire de la Guerre du Péloponnése, Vol. 1-2. Zévort, Marie Charles, translator. Paris: Charpentier, 1852.) — 6.20 focus

XX. « Athéniens, puisque vous êtes, à ce que je vois, tout à fait résolus à l’expédition, puisse-t-elle réussir selon nos voeux! Pour moi, je vous dirai ma pensée sur la situation actuelle. D’après ce que j’entends dire, les villes contre lesquelles nous devons marcher sont puissantes, indépendantes les unes des autres; elles n’ont pas besoin de ces révolutions dans lesquelles on se jette volontiers pour passer d’un dur esclavage à une condition plus douce; elles n’échangeront pas, cela est vraisemblable, leur liberté contre notre domination; elles sont nombreuses enfin, pour une seule île, à ne prendre même que les villes grecques. En effet, indépendamment de Naxos et de Catane qui, je l’espère, se joindront à nous à cause de leur parenté avec Léontium¹, il y a sept autres villes qui, pour les dispositions militaires, peuvent à tous égards marcher de pair avec la puissance athénienne, surtout celles contre lesquelles notre expédition est plus particulièrement dirigée, Sélinonte et Syracuse. Elles sont abondamment pourvues d’hoplites, d’archers, de gens de trait, de trirèmes et d’équipages pour les monter. Elles ont d’abondantes ressources, soit dans les fortunes privées, soit dans les trésors des temples de Sélinonte; les Syracusains reçoivent même un tribut de quelques peuples barbares soumis à leur domination; mais leur principal avantage sur nous est d’avoir une nombreuse cavalerie, et de récolter euxmêmes des blés, au lieu de les tirer du dehors.

Histoire de la Guerre du Péloponnése First1KGreek (Thucydides. Histoire de la Guerre du Péloponnése. Bétant, Élie-Ami, translator. Paris: Librairie de L. Hachette, 1863.) — 6.20 focus

« Athéniens, du moment que votre résolution est irrévocable, puisse cette guerre réussir selon vos vœux. Dans cette situation, je vous dois compte de toute ma pensée. Nous allons attaquer des villes qu’on dit grandes, indépendantes, et nulle ment désireuses de ces révolutions où l’on se jette volontiers pour échapper aux rigueurs de la servitude. Il est donc peu probable qu’elles acceptent notre domination en échange de leur liberté. D’ailleurs le nombre des villes grecques est considérable pour une seple île. Indépendamment de Naxos et de Catane, qui, je l’espère, feront cause commune avec nous, à cause de leur parenté avec les Léontins, on en compte sept ¹, qui possèdent des forces militaires semblables aux nôtres, notamment Sélinonte et Syracuse, qui sont toutes deux le principal but de notre expédition. Elles sont abondamment pourvues d’hoplites, d’archers, de gens de trait, de trirèmes et de matelots. Elles ont des richesses immenses, provenant soit des particuliers, soit des temples de Sélinonte, soit des tributs levés par Syracuse sur les Barbares de sa dépendance. Elles ont enfin sur nous le double avantage de posséder une forte cavalerie et de s'approvisionner à l'intérieur, sans recourir aux importations.

History of the Peloponnesian War First1KGreek (Thucydides, Vol. 1-4. Smith, Charles Foster, translator. London and Cambridge, MA: Heinemann and Harvard University Press, 1919-1923.) — 6.20.1 focus

[1] "Since I see, men of Athens, that you are wholly bent upon the expedition, I pray that these matters may turn out as we wish;

[2] for the present juncture, however, I will show what my judgment is. The cities we are about to attack are, as I learn by report, large, and neither subject to one another nor in need of any such change as a person might be happy to accept in order to escape from enforced servitude to an easier condition, nor likely to accept our rule in place of liberty; and the number is large, for a single island, of cities of Hellenic origin.

[3] For except Naxos and Catana, which I expect will side with us on account of their kinship to the Leontines, there are seven others;¹ and these are equipped with everything in a style very like to our own armament, and not least those against which our expedition is more immediately directed, Selinus and Syracuse.

[4] For they can supply many hoplites, archers and javelin-men, and possess many triremes and a multitude of men to man them. They have wealth, too, partly in private possession and partly in the temples at Selinus; and to the Syracusans tribute has come in from time immemorial from certain barbarians also; but their chief advantage over us is in the fact that they have many horses, and use grain that is homegrown and not imported.

History of the Peloponnesian War First1KGreek (Thucydides. The history of the Peloponnesian War, Volume 1-2. Dale, Henry, translator. London: Heinemann and Henry G. Bohn, 1851-1852.) — 6.20.1 focus

[1] "Since I see you, Athenians, altogether bent on making the expedition, may these things turn out as we wish: at the present time, however, I will declare to you what my opinion is.

[2] We are about to go then, as I learn from report, against cities which are great, and not subject one to another, or in want of a change, like that by which men would gladly pass from a state of violent slavery to an easier condition instead f it; which will reasonably refuse to accept our dominion instead of freedom, and are many in number, considering that they are in one island, even those of Greek origin.

[3] For besides Naxos and Catana, which I expect will side with us on the strength of their connexion with Leontini, there are seven others, and those equipped with every thing in a style just agreeing with our own power, and most of all, those against which we are more especially sailing, namely, Selinus and Syracuse.

[4] For there are in them many heavy—armed, and bowmen, and dartmen, with many triremes, and crowds to man them. They have money too, partly in private funds, and partly in the temples also at Selinus; while the Syracusans have also first-fruits paid them by certain barbarian tribes. But what they most of all excel us in is, that they possess many horses, and use corn of native growth, and not imported

Historia Belli Peloponnesiaci First1KGreek (Historia Belli Peloponnesiaci. Haase, Friedrich, translator. Paris: Firmin Didot, 1869.) — 6.20.1 focus

[1] « Quoniam vos ad hanc militiam obeundam, Athenienses, prorsus animatos Video, eveniant hsec, ut cupimus; in praesentia tamen quae sentiam, exponam.

[2] Etenim adversus civitates, quantum ego audiendo didici, magnas ituri sumus, quae neque aliarum imperio parent, neque mutationem desiderant, qua quis ex dura servitute in meliorem rerum statum lubens transeat, et quas non verisimile est suam libertatem cum nostro imperio esse commutaturas, et quae, ut in una insula, sunt numero multae eaeque Graecae civitates.

[3] Nam praeter Naxum et Cata-nam, quas propter Leontinorum cognationem ad nos spero transituras, aliae sunt septem, quae rebus omnibus sunt instructae prorsus eodem modo, quo noster exercitus, et praecipue illae, adversus quas potissimum tendimus, Selinus et Syracusae.

[4] Nam in iis sunt et multi gravis armaturae milites et sagittarii et jaculatores, et multae triremes, et hominum multitudo illas impletura. Habent etiam pecuniam partim privatam, partim ea etiam in templis est Selinnntiis; Syracusanis vero etiam tributum a nonnullis barbaris penditur. At quo nobis praecipue praestant, magnam equorum copiam habent, et frumento domi nato, nec importato utuntur.

La storia di Tucidide First1KGreek (Thucydides. Della storia di Tucidide volgarizzata libri otto. Anonymous translator. Florence: Tipografia Galileiana, 1835.) — 6.20 focus

« Poiché, o Ateniesi, vi vedo al tutto infiammati per la spedizione, riescano pur le cose come bramiamo ; ma io voglio al presente esporvi la mente mia. Le città contro le quali siamo per andare, a quel eh’ io ne so d’udita, sono grandi e tra loro indipendenti, né cercano mutazione onde ciascuna da violenta servitù possa volenterosa passare a più mite governo ; ed essendo molte per un’isola sola, e molte di queste greche, non vorranno probabilmente gradire il nostro impero invece della libertà. E senza parlare di Nasso e Catana ( che per la parentela de’Leontini spero saranno con noi), ve ne sono altre sette di tutto fornite colla massima conformità al nostro esercito, e tra queste non ultime sono Selinunte e Siracusa, contro le quali principalmente navighiamo. Imperocché hanno esse molti soldati gravi, ed arcieri e saettatori, e jnolte triremi, e numerose ciurme da empirle: hanno denari parte in proprio, parte nei templi di Selinunte ; e i Siracusani riscuotono tributo in generi da alcuni barbali. E quello in che di gran lunga elle ci avanzano, sono provviste di molti cavalli, ed usano frumento proprio non portato di fuori.

Commentary

Commentary on Thucydides: Book 6 (Thucydides, Book VI. Marchant, Edgar C., editor. London: Macmillan and Company, 1909.) focus

ἐπὶ τῷ παρόντι —‘under the circumstances.’ Cf. ἐπὶ τούτοις c. 45.

οὔθ) ὑπηκόους . . οὐδὲ δεομένας —their internal freedom is here insisted on. It is not possible for Athens to raise the cry of ἐλευθερία in Sicily as Sparta had done in Greece. With one or two exceptions, says Freeman, such as that of the relations between Syr. and Leontini, ‘this is a perfectly true description of the politieal states of the Greeks of Sicily at the time. Since the fall of the tyrants, the great body of the Siceliot cities had been truly free and independent.’

ἐς . . χωροίη —expressing eagerness, as in ἐχώρησαν ἐπὶ τὴν ἄντικρυς ἐλευθερίαν VIII. 64 .

οὔτ’ ἂν τὴν ἀρχήν —their foreign relations are now contrasted with their internal condition.

τό τε πλῆθος —‘as for their number, the cities of Greek origin are many for a single island.’ τὰς Ἑλληνίδας is added emphatically at the end. πόλις is the only noun with which Thuc. uses the adj. Ἑλληνίς.

ἑπτά —Selinus, Syracuse, Gela, Acragas, Messene, Himera, Carnarina. Acrae and Casmenae are not reckoned, as being merely outposts of Syracuse, using the same coinage and possessing no separate history.

τοῖς πᾶσιν —cf. II. 36 τὴν πόλιν τοῖς πᾶσι παρεσκευάσαμεν.

ὁμοιοτρόπως μάλιστα —‘so as to closely resemble our own power.’

δυνάμει is not ‘the armanent’ that is to be sent out, but includes all the details that make up the power of A., in the same sense as δύναμιν of c. 21. Cf. VII. 55 πόλεσι . . ὁμοιοτρόποις ἐπελθόντες, δημοκρατουμέναις τε ὤσπερ καὶ αὐτοὶ καὶ ναῦς καὶ ἵππους καὶ μεγέθη ἐχούσαις.

ἔνεισι — i.e. in Selinus and Syracuse.

ὁ πληρώσων — M.T. § 826; II. 51 , 5 ἀπορίᾳ τοῦ θεραπεύσοντος. 20

ἐν τοῖς ἱεροῖς —public money stored in temples and the sacred treasures of the temples themselves.

ἔστι Σελινουντίοις, Συρακοσίοις δὲ καί —the first clause refers specially to Selinus; but the καί of the next shows that Syracuse is not excluded from the statement. ‘Selinus has money . .: Syracuse receives in addition . .’

ἀπαρχὴ ἐσφέρεται —‘first-fruits are contributed.’ Some of the Sicels were dependent on Syracuse, and lived on their land on sufferance, paying a rent in kind. Hence in c. 45 to the dependent Sicels φύλακες are seut by Syr. to seeure them ou the coming of the Athenians. Some Sicels had even become serfs at Syracuse in the earliest times of the city, under the title καλλύριοι (Freeman, Sic. II. Appendix II.) For the variant ἀπ’ ἀρχῆς φέρεται see not, crit.

ἵππους —cf. Pindar, Pyth. II. 1 Μεγαλαπόλιες ὦ Συράκοσαι, βαθυπολέμου τέμενος Ἄρεος, ἀνδρῶν ἵππων τε σιδαροχαρμᾶν δαιμόνιαι τροφοί. Soph. O.C. 507 γυναῖχ’ ὁρῶ | στείχουσαν ἠμῶν ἆσσον, Αἰτναίας ἐπὶ | πώλου βεβῶσαν. Athens, on the contrary, had to buy her horses from Boeotia and elsewhere.

Thucydides History of the Peloponnesian War 6.20

Theodor Braun (Translator)

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