Thucydides History of the Peloponnesian War 8.52

[1] After this Alcibiades endeavouredd to incline and persuade Tissaphernes to the friendship of the Athenians. For though Tissaphernes feared the Peloponnesians, because their fleet was greater than that of the Athenians, yet if he had been able, he had a good will to have been persuaded by him, especially in his anger against the Peloponnesians after the dissension at Cnidus about the league made by Theramenes (for they were already fallen out, the Peloponnesians being about this time in Rhodes). Wherein that which had been before spoken by Alcibiades, how that the coming of the Lacedaemonians was to restore all the cities to their liberty, was now verified by Lichas, in that he said it was an article not to be suffered that the king should hold those cities which he and his ancestors then or before had holden. Alcibiades, therefore, as one that laboured for no trifle, with all his might applied himself to Tissaphernes.

[1] After this Alcibiades set to work to persuade Tissaphernes to become the friend of the Athenians. Tissaphernes, although afraid of the Peloponnesians because they had more ships in Asia than the Athenians, was yet disposed to be persuaded if he could, especially after his quarrel with the Peloponnesians at Cnidus about the treaty of Therimenes. The quarrel had already taken place, as the Peloponnesians were by this time actually at Rhodes ; and in it the original argument of Alcibiades touching the liberation of all the towns by the Lacedaemonians had been verified by the declaration of Lichas, that it was impossible to submit to a convention which made the king master of all the states at any former time ruled by himself or by his fathers.
  While Alcibiades was besieging the favour of Tissaphernes with an earnestness proportioned to the greatness of the issue,

Danach bearbeitete Alkibiades den Tissaphernes und suchte
ihn zu überreden, daß er den Athenern Freund werde. Dieser
fürchtete zwar die Peloponnesier, weil sie mit einer zahlreicheren Flotte in
der Nähe waren, als die Athener, hätte aber doch gern dem Alkibi'a-
des gefolgt, wenn es nur irgend möglich war, besonders, seitdem er
sich in Knidos von der üblen Stimmung der Peloponnesier wegen
des Vertrages des Theramenes überzeugt hatte — denn dieß Alles
war schon früher geschehen, als um die Zeit, wo die Peloponnesier
bereits auf Rhodos standen — und damals in Knidos hatte er auch
die frühere Angabe des Alkibiades, daß die Lakedämonier an der
Befreiung aller Städte arbeiteten, aus dem Mund des LichaS
bewahrheitet gefunden, der'es für unerträglich erklärte, wenn es im Vertrag
heiße, daß der König über die Städte herrschen solle, welche er selbst
oder'seine Vorfahren einmal beherrscht hätten. Alkibiades nun, da
der Kampf um so wichtige'Dinge ging, strengte allen Eifer an', um
im Dienste deS Tissaphernes auf denselben Einfluß zu üben.

LII. Par la suite, Alcibiade travailla si bien Tissaphernes, qu’il le disposa à se rapprocher des Athéniens, Tout en redoutant les Péloponnésiens, qui avaient alors dans ces mers une flotte supérieure à celle d’Athènes, Tissaphernes désirait être confirmé, de quelque façon que ce fût, dans ses préventions contre eux, surtout depuis qu’il connaissait les réclamations élevées par eux, à Cnide, au sujet du traité de Théramènes. Cette contestation, survenant au moment où déjà ils occupaient Rhodes, donnait raison à Alcibiade; car il avait prétendu, comme on l’a vu plus haut, que les Lacédémoniens affranchiraient toutes les villes grecques; et Lichas avait justifié cette insinuation, lorsqu’il avait dit qu’on ne saurait tolérer une clause attribuant au Roi la possession de toutes les villes qui avaient autrefois appartenu à lui où à ses ancêtres. Du reste, Alci- biade, sentant qu’il luttait pour d’importants intérêts, circonvenait Tissaphernes par son zèle et ses assiduités empressées.

Là-dessus Alcibiade mit tout en œuvre pour réconcilier Tissapherne avec les Athéniens. Quoique ce satrape redoutât les Péloponésiens, qui avaient en mer une flotte plus forte que celle d’Athènes, il ne demandait pas mieux que de se laisser convaincre, surtout, depuis qu’il avait connaissance des différends qui s’étaient élevés à Cnide entre les Péloponésiens au sujet du traité de Théraménès ; — ceci se passait dans le temps où ils étaient à Rhode. — Cette contestation était venue à point nommé pour corroborer l’assertion d’Alcibiade sur le projet prêté aux Lacédémoniens d’affranchir toutes les villes grecques. Or Lichas, sans s’en douter, lui avait pleinement donné raison, en déclarant inadmissible la clause qui conférait au roi la souveraineté des villes jadis appartenant à lui ou à ses ancêtres. Alcibiade, qui avait pris en main de si grands intérêts, déployait toutes ses ressources pour s’insinuer dan» l’esprit de Tissapherne.

[1] After this Alcibiades continued to work on Tissaphernes and to urge him to be a friend to the Athenians. Now though Tissaphernes was afraid of the Peloponnesians, because they were there with a larger fleet than the Athenians, nevertheless he wanted to follow this advice if in any way he could do so, especially now that he had become aware of the disagreement that had arisen at Cnidos among the Peloponnesians ¹ about the treaty of Therimenes—for by this time the Peloponnesians were at Rhodes, so that the dispute had already taken place —in the course of which disagreement Lichas had verified the statement made before by Alcibiades, that it was the Lacedaemonian policy to liberate all the cities, declaring that it was intolerable to agree that the King should be master of all the cities over which he himself or his fathers had ever before held sway. Alcibiades, then, as one that contended for a great prize, was assiduously paying court to Tissaphernes.

[1] After this, Alcibiades tried to bring over and persuade Tissaphernes to the friendship of the Athenians; and he, though afraid of the Peloponnesians, because they were there with more ships than the Athenians, was still disposed to be convinced by him, if by any means he could; especially since he had observed the dissatisfaction of the Peloponnesians which had been expressed at Cnidus about the treaty of Theramenes, (for as at this time they ¹ were at Rhodes, it had already occurred,) in the course of which Lichas had verified the observation which had before been made by Alcibiades about the Lacedaemonians liberating all the states, when he said that it was an intolerable agreement that the king should be master of the cities over which, at any earlier period, either himself or his fathers had had dominion. Alcibiades then, inasmuch as he was struggling for a great object, was earnestly courting and soliciting Tissaphernes.

[1] Postea vero Alcibiades quidem Tissaphernem monebat et inducebat, ut amicus esset Atheniensibus, timentem quidem Peloponnesios, quod majoricum classe, quam Athenienses, adessent, cupientem tamen, si qua ratione posset, fidem habere, praesertim postquam sensit Peloponnesiorum apud Cnidum de foederibus per Therimenem factis dissensionem (nam hoc tempore quum illi apud Rhodum essent, jam exstiterat), in qua illum priorem Alcibiadis sermonem de eo, quod Lacedaemonii civitates omnes in liber talem assererent, Lictias verum esse demonstravit, negans hanc pactionem tolerandam esse, ut rex eas civitates obtineret, quibus vel prius aliquando aut ipse aut ejus mayores imperassent. Et Alcibiades quidem, utpote qui magnis de rebus contenderet, Tissaphernem officiis studiose demerens rem urgebat;

Dopo questo Alcibiade disponeva e moveva all’amicizia degli Ateniesi Tissaferne il quale temeva dei Peloponnesi che si trovavano presenti con flotta più numerosa di quelli, e voleva ad ogni costo mantenersene la confidenza quanto fosse possibile , specialmente da che avea saputo la controversia insorta a Cnido circa il concordato di Teramene. Questa controversia avea già avuto il suo principio allora quando i Peloponnesi erano a Rodi; e nella discussione di essa Lica aveva dimostrato la verità del discorso già fatto da Alcibiade, intorno alla intenzione loro di mettere in libertà le città tutte, ed affermato non doversi ricever tra i patti che il re signoreggiasse sulle città, cui già per l’innanzi od egli o i suoi padri avessero domi nafte. Alcibiade adunque siccome trovavasi in lizza per cose importanti, stava al fianco di Tissaferne usandogli studiosamente officiose maniere.