Plutarch, Comparison of Nicias and Crassus, ed. Bernadotte Perrin, 5

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[1] ἐν δὲ ταῖς στρατηγίαις αὐταῖς Νικίου μὲν οὐκ ὀλίγα γενναῖα· καὶ γὰρ μάχαις πολλαῖς ἐνίκησε τοὺς πολεμίους, καὶ τοῦ λαβεῖν Συρακούσας ὀλίγον ἐδέησε, καὶ πάντα διʼ αὑτὸν οὐκ ἔπταισεν, ἀλλὰ καὶ νόσον ἄν τις αἰτιάσαιτο καὶ φθόνον τῶν οἴκοι πολιτῶν Κράσσος δὲ διὰ πλῆθος ἁμαρτημάτων οὐδὲν τῇ τύχῃ χρηστὸν ἀποδείξασθαι παρῆκεν, ὥστε θαυμάζειν αὐτοῦ τὴν ἀβελτερίαν οὐ τῆς Πάρθων δυνάμεως ἡττηθεῖσαν, ἀλλὰ τῆς Ῥωμαίων εὐτυχίας περιγενομένην.

[2] ἐπεὶ δʼ ὁ μὲν μηδενὸς τῶν ἀπὸ μαντικῆς καταφρονῶν, ὁ δὲ πάντα ὑπερορῶν ὁμοίως ἀπώλοντο, χαλεπὴ μὲν ἐν τούτοις ἡ ἀσφάλεια καὶ δύσκριτος, ἐπιεικέστερον δὲ¹ τοῦ παρανόμου καὶ αὐθάδους τὸ μετὰ δόξης παλαιᾶς καὶ συνήθους διʼ εὐλάβειαν ἁμαρτανόμενον.
περὶ μέντοι τὴν τελευτὴν ἀμεμπτότερος ὁ Κράσσος οὐ παραδοὺς ἑαυτὸν οὐδὲ δεθεὶς οὐδὲ φενακισθείς, ἀλλʼ εἴξας τοῖς φίλοις δεομένοις καὶ παρασπονδηθεὶς ὑπὸ τῶν πολεμίων ὁ δὲ Νικίας αἰσχρᾶς καὶ ἀκλεοῦς ἐλπίδι σωτηρίας ὑποπεσὼν τοῖς πολεμίοις αἰσχίονα ἑαυτῷ τὸν θάνατον ἐποίησεν.

Comparison of Nicias and Crassus. Plutarch. ed. Bernadotte Perrin. Cambridge, MA. 1916.

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Current edition Perseus

Νικίου καὶ Κράσσου σύγκρισις (Greek) (Plutarch. Plutarch's Lives, Vol. III. Perrin, Bernadotte, editor. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press; London: William Heinemann Ltd., 1914.)

Translations (1)

Comparison of Nicias and Crassus Perseus (Plutarch. Plutarch's Lives, Vol. III. Perrin, Bernadotte, translator. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press; London: William Heinemann Ltd., 1914.) — 5 focus

[1] As to the actual conduct of their expeditions, Nicias has not a little to his credit, for he conquered his enemies in many battles, and barely missed taking Syracuse, and not all his failures were due to himself, but they might be ascribed to his disease and to the jealousy of his fellow-citizens at home; but Crassus made so many blunders that he gave fortune no chance to favour him. We may not therefore wonder that his imbecility succumbed to the power of the Parthians, but rather that it prevailed over the usual good fortune of the Romans.

[2] Since one of them was wholly given to divination, and the other wholly neglected it, and both alike perished, it is hard to draw a safe conclusion from the premises; but failure from caution, going hand in hand with ancient and prevalent opinion, is more reasonable than lawlessness and obstinacy.
In his end, however, Crassus was the less worthy of reproach. He did not surrender himself, nor was he bound, nor yet beguiled, but yielded to the entreaties of his friends, and fell a prey to the perfidy of his enemies; whereas Nicias was led by the hope of a shameful and inglorious safety to put himself into the hands of his enemies, thereby making his death a greater disgrace for him.

Notes on the current edition

Comparison of Nicias and Crassus

1. ἐπιεικέστερον δὲ a following αὐτῆς of the MSS. is suspected by Coraës, lamely defended by Sintenis, and bracked by Bekker.

Plutarch Comparison of Nicias and Crassus 5

ed. Bernadotte Perrin

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