Thucydides History of the Peloponnesian War 6.84

[1] "And let no man object that we be solicitous for those that are nothing to us; for as long as you be preserved and able to make head against the Syracusians, we shall be the less annoyed by their sending of forces to the Peloponnesians.

[2] And in this point you are very much unto us. For the same reason it is meet also that we replant the Leontines; not to subject them, as their kindred in Euboea, but to make them as puissant as we can, that, being near, they may from their own territory weaken the Syracusians in our behalf.

[3] For as for our wars at home, we are a match for our enemies without their help; and the Chalcidean (whom having made a slave yonder, the Syracusian said, we absurdly attempt to vindicate into liberty here) is most beneficial to us there without arms, paying money only; but the Leontines, and our other friends here, are the most profitable to us when they are most in liberty.

[1] Meanwhile, let no one imagine that we are interesting ourselves in you without your having anything to do with us, seeing that if you are preserved and able to make head against the Syracusans, they will be less likely to harm us by sending troops to the Peloponnesians.

[2] In this way you have everything to do with us, and on this account it is perfectly reasonable for us to restore the Leontines, and to make them, not subjects like their kinsmen in Euboea , but as powerful as possible, to help us by annoying the Syracusans from their frontier.

[3] In Hellas we are alone a match for our enemies; and as for the assertion that it is out of all reason that we should free the Sicilian, while we enslave the Chalcidian, the fact is that the latter is useful to us by being without arms and contributing money only; while the former, the Leontines and our other friends, cannot be too independent.

„Und denke auch Keiner, daß wir uns in eure
Angelegenheiten mischen, ohne daß uns dieselben berühren. Bedenke er doch,
daß, wenn ihr bleibt und den Syrakusanern mit euren nicht
schwachen Mitteln den Widerpart haltet, diese viel weniger im Stande
find, den Peloponnesiern'zu unserm Schaden eine Macht zu Hilfe
zu schicken. Und insofern ist euer Interesse mit dem unfrigen sogar
aüf's Engste verknüpft. Und deßhalb hat es auch die triftigsten
Gründe, daß wir die Leontiner wieder in ihre Stadt zurückführen,
nicht als unsre Unterthanen, wie ihre Stammverwandten aus Euböa,
sondern daß wir sie vielmehr so mächtig, als nur möglich, machen,
^{1 2}
damit sie von ihrem eigenen Gebiete aus als Gränznachbarn der
Syrakusaner zu unserm Vortheil diesen so viel Schaden, als möglich,
zufügen. Denn dort in unserer Heimath sind wir unseren Feinden
selbst gewachsen, und man sagt zwar, eS habe keinen Sinn, daß wir
den Chalkidier dort geknechtet hielten und den hiesigen befreien
wollten, allein der dortige ist uns nützlicher, wenn er keine eigene
Kriegsmacht besitzt und uns nur Geld beisteuert, hier aber ist eS unser
Vortheil, wenn die Leontiner und unsere andern Freunde so frei und
unabhängig wie nur möglich sind." " ' ^

LXXXIV. « Et qu’on ne vienne pas nous dire qu’il ne nous appartient nullement de prendre ainsi souci de vous : sachez que, si vous restez indépendants et assez forts pour tenir tête aux Syracusains, nous aurons bien moins à souffrir des forces qu’ils pourraient envoyer aux Péloponnésiens. C’est en cela que vos affaires nous intéressent au plus haut point. C’est dans les mêmes vues que nous trouvons convenable de rétablir les Léontins, non pour les asservir comme leurs compatriotes d’Eubée, mais pour leur donner au contraire le plus de puissance possible, afin que, limitrophes des Syracusains, ils puissent de chez eux les inquiéter dans notre intérêt. En Grèce, nous nous suffisons à nous-mêmes contre nos ennemis. Dès lors ces Chalcidéens, à propos desquels on nous objecte que nous n'avons aucune raison pour tenir leéuns asservis si nous venons ici affranchir les autres, nous avons avantage à ce qu’ils n’aient pas une puissance propre, et nous four- ¹ nissent seulement des subsides; ce qu'il nous faut ici, au contraire, c’est que les Léontins et nos autres amis aient la plus entière indépendance.

« On nous objectera peut-être qu’en vous témoignant cette sollicitude nous nous mêlons de ce qui ne nous regarde pas. La réponse est bien simple : si vous vous maintenez et que vous soyez assez forts pour tenir tête aux Syra-cusains, ils seront moins à même de nous nuire en fournissant des renforts aux Péloponésiens ; nous sommes donc directe^ ment intéressés dans vos affaires. C’est pour la même raison que nous travaillons au rétablissement des Léontins ; ce n’est point pour nous les assujettir comme leurs frères d’Eubée, mais pour leur donner au contraire toute la force possible, afin qu’à la faveur du voisinage ils nous rendent le service d’occuper les Syracusains. En Grèce, nous suffisons à nous seuls contre nos ennemis. Dès lors ces Chalcidéens qu’on nous reproche de tenir sous le joug, tandis que nous venons affranchir ceux de Sicile, doivent dans notre intérêt être désarmés et tributaires ; au lieu qu’ici. ce qui nous importe, c'est que les Léontins et nos autres amis jouissent de la plus complète indépendance.

[1] "And let no one object that we are solicitous for you when it does not concern us; let him reflect that, if you are preserved and by not being weak are able to offer resistance to the Syracusans, we should be less liable to injury through their sending a force to aid the Peloponnesians.

[2] And herein you become at once our chief concern For this very cause, too, it is reasonable that we should restore the Leontines, so that they shall not be subjects like their kinsmen in Euboea, but shall be as powerful as possible, in order that, bordering as they do on the Syracusans, they may from their own territory be troublesome to these in our behalf.

[3] For as to matters in Hellas, we by ourselves are a match for our enemies, and in regard to the Chalcidians, whom he says we are inconsistent in freeing here after enslaving them at home, it is to our interest that they should possess no armament and should contribute money only; but as to matters here, it is to our interest that both the Leontines and our other friends should enjoy the fullest measure of independence.

[1] "And let no one suppose that we are interesting ourselves in you without any connexion existing between us; since he must know that through your being preserved, and resisting the Syracusans, (being not too weak to do so,) we should be less readily hurt by their sending a force to the Peloponnesians.

[2] In this way, then, you are connected with us in the greatest degree; and on this account too it is reasonable that we should reinstate the Leontines, not as subjects, like their kinsmen in Euboea, but in as powerful a condition as possible; that from their own country, living as they do close to these men's borders, they may in our behalf be annoying to them.

[3] For in Greece we are by ourselves able to cope with our enemies; and the Chalcidians, after whose subjugation the orator says that we are inconsistently giving liberty to those here, are advantageous to us by being without any armament, and only paying us money; but the people here, both the Leontines and our other friends, by being left as independent as possible.

[1] « Neque vero quisquam opinetur, nulla justa necessitudinis causa nos de votiis esse solicilos, illud compertum babens, vobis salvis et vires habentibus ad resistendum Syracusanis, nos minoribus incommodis affectum iri propter iliorum cepias, qpas Peloponnesiis mittere possint.

[2] Et ob istam causam maxima necessitudine jam nobiscum estis conjuncti Quamobrem etiam rationi cotv-| sentaneum est, Leontinos a nobis in suas sedes restitui, non | ut imperio uostro subjectos, quemadmodum ipsorum cognati in Euboea sed ut quam potenlissimos, ut ex suo agro. quia sunt finitimi Syracusanis, bis pro nobis sint infesti.

[3] Quod enim attinet ad res domesticas, vel nos ipsi satis virium habemus ad hostes propulsandos, et Chalcidensis, quo nos praeter ratienem in servitutem redacto ait nunc eoe, qui hic sunt, in libertatem vindicare, utilis est nobis co, quod nullo bellico apparatu sit instructus, et pecuniam tan lum pendat, sed in hujus terrae rebus et Leontini et ceteri amici ea nobis utilea sunt, si in summa libertate degant.

« Nè alcun venga a dire che ci diamo pensiero di voi senza che punto ci appartenghiate , doveudo costui sapere che rimanendo voi salvi, ed essendo anche sufficienti a resistere ai Siracusani, sarebbe minore il danno che soffriremmo da qualche rinforzo che essi mandassero ai Peloponnesi \ e per questo motivo appunto voi moltissimo ci appartenete. Però ogni ragion vuole che rimettiamo in patria i Leontini non in qualità di nostri vassalli, siccome i loro consanguinei nell’Eubea, ma nel più vigoroso stato di forze, a volere che dalle loro terre inquietino a prò uoslro i Siracusani co’quali confinano. Imperciocché quanto alle cose di là noi soli bastiamo contro i nemici ; ed i Calcidesi (dopo avere assoggettati i quali dice Ermocrate essere assurdo che vogliamo liberar quest’altri ) ci sono utili perchè non hanno militari apparecchi, e solo ci pagano tributo in denaro : laddove per le cose di qua, ci mette bene che i Leontini e gli altri amici godano della massima indipendenza.