fears that all they can say will be fruitless, as their fate is already determined on, to gratify the hatred of the Thebans. 66 66 66 66 66 PLATEA. A. C. 427. Olymp. 88. 2. 2 μενοι, ὥσπερ καὶ ἐσμὲν, γενέσθαι ἡ ὑμῖν, ἡγούμενοι τὸ ἴσον μάλιστ ̓ ἂν φέρεσθαι. νῦν “ δὲ φοβούμεθα μὴ ἀμφοτέρων ἅμα ἡμαρτήκαμεν· τόν τε γὰρ ἀγῶνα περὶ τῶν δεινο56 τάτων εἶναι εἰκότως ὑποπτεύομεν, καὶ ὑμᾶς μὴ οὐ κοινοὶ ἀποβῆτε, τεκμαιρόμενοι προκατηγορίας τε ἡμῶν οὐ προγεγενημένης ᾗ χρὴ ἀντειπεῖν, ἀλλ ̓ αὐτοὶ λόγον ᾐτησάμεθα,) τό τε επερώτημα βραχὺ ὂν, ᾧ τὰ μὲν ἀληθῆ ἀποκρίνασθαι ἐναντία γίγνεται, τὰ δὲ ψευδῆ ἔλεγχον ἔχει. το “ πανταχόθεν δὲ ἄποροι καθεστῶτες ἀναγκαζόμεθα καὶ 3 ἀσφαλέστερον δοκεῖ εἶναι εἰπόντας τι κινδυνεύειν· καὶ γὰρ “ ὁ μὴ ῥηθεὶς λόγος τοῖς ὧδ ̓ ἔχουσιν αἰτίαν ἂν παράσχοι “ ὡς εἰ ἐλέχθη σωτήριος ἂν ἦν. χαλεπῶς δὲ ἔχει ἡμῖν πρὸς 4 “ τοῖς ἄλλοις καὶ ἡ πειθώ. ἀγνῶτες μὲν γὰρ ὄντες ἀλλήλων, 5 66 66 an unworthy and ungrateful return, "in our being now in arms against you. Though our conduct might not "be as pure and free from reproach as yours, yet we should not despair of proving that it did not deserve any "severe condemnation. But what we really fear is, that our conduct, whatever we can show it to have been, “ will not affect your sentence; that σε the words, I think, would be opposed 66 σε 13. χαλεπῶς δὲ—καὶ ἡ πειθώ] “ And "besides our other disadvantages, there "are peculiar difficulties which obstruct " even the effect of our arguments and pleadings upon your minds. All that we can urge you know already; and “ yet it appears to have no weight with you; we cannot therefore but fear, "that to repeat it to you again will be “ equally fruitless.” The sense of what follows appears to be this: "It is not "that we should fear your question, if "it really proceeded upon an impres" sion that we had used you ill, that "your kindnesses to us had met with THUCYDIDES, VOL. I. 66 your minds are made up already, and "that we are to be sacrificed to gratify " the Thebans, not on account of our "demerits towards you." In the last sentence of the chapter there is a strange grammatical confusion. Göller rightly observes that it should either be aλà μὴ ἄλλοις χάριν φέροντες ἡμᾶς καθι στητε, or ὑμῶν χάριν φερόντων-καθι στώμεθα. Compare II. 3, 4. VIII. 102, 2. A little above Göller is equally right in explaining τὰς ἀρετὰς ἡμῶν, our ser"vices towards you; our merits not so "much generally as with regard to you "in particular." Compare the note on τὰ ἐς ἀρετήν. ΙΙ. 40, 6. Ee σε 2 66 66 66 Still, they say, we will from your hard ques tion, "Whether we "have rendered you 66 any service in this 66 present war?" for 66 66 PLATEA. A. C. 427. Olymp. 89. 2. ἐπεισενεγκάμενοι μαρτύρια ὧν ἄπειροι ἦτε ὠφελούμεθ ̓ ἄν· “ νῦν δὲ πρὸς εἰδότας πάντα λελέξεται, καὶ δέδιμεν οὐχὶ μὴ προκαταγνόντες ἡμῶν τὰς ἀρετὰς ἥσσους εἶναι τῶν ὑμετέ ρων ἔγκλημα αὐτὸ ποιῆτε, ἀλλὰ μὴ ἄλλοις χάριν φέροντες “ ἐπὶ διεγνωσμένην κρίσιν καθιστώμεθα. LIV. παρεχόμενοι 5 “ δὲ ὅμως ἃ ἔχομεν δίκαια πρός τε τὰ θηtry the only chance 6 βαίων διάφορα καὶ ἐς ὑμᾶς καὶ τοὺς ἄλλους Ἕλληνας, τῶν εὖ δεδρασμένων ὑπόμνησιν ποιησόμεθα καὶ πείθειν πειρασόμεθα. φαμὲν γὰρ πρὸς τὸ ἐρώτημα τὸ βραχὺ, εἴ τι Λακε- το δαιμονίους καὶ τοὺς ξυμμάχους ἐν τῷ πολέμῳ τῷδε ἀγαθὸν πεποιήκαμεν, εἰ μὲν ὡς πολεμίους ἐρωτᾶτε, οὐκ ἀδικεῖσθαι ὑμᾶς μὴ εὖ παθόντας, φίλους δὲ νομίζοντας αὐτοὺς ἁμαρ“ τάνειν μᾶλλον τοὺς ἡμῖν ἐπιστρατεύσαντας. 15 “ τὰ δ ̓ ἐν τῇ εἰρήνῃ καὶ πρὸς τὸν Μῆδον “ ἀγαθοὶ γεγενήμεθα, τὴν μὲν οὐ λύσαντες νῦν πρότεροι, τῷ “ δὲ ξυνεπιθέμενοι τότε ἐς ἐλευθερίαν τῆς Ἑλλάδος μόνοι 4“ Βοιωτῶν. καὶ γὰρ ἠπειρῶταί τε ὄντες ἐναυμαχήσαμεν ἐπ ̓ ̓Αρτεμισίῳ, μάχῃ τε τῇ ἐν τῇ ἡμετέρᾳ γῇ γενομένῃ το παρεγενόμεθα ὑμῖν τε καὶ Παυσανίᾳ· εἴ τέ τι ἄλλο κατ' “ ἐκεῖνον τὸν χρόνον ἐγένετο ἐπικίνδυνον τοῖς Ἕλλησι, 3 66 66 not to serve an avowed 66 66 66 66 μαρτυρίας e. 2. πᾶν L.O.P. 1. έπεσενεγκ. Bekk. λéterai C.I.K.d.e.f. καὶ δέδιμεν om. G. δεδίαμεν g. μὴ οὐχὶ Q. 3. καταγνόντες Ο. τῶν] αὐτῶν Ι. 4. αὐτῷ Η. ποιεῖτε B.E.g.h. 6. Tà] TŵV i. η. καὶ τοὺς A.B.C.E.F.G.H.Κ.Ν.Q.V.c.f.g.h. Haack. Poppo. Goell. Bekk. ceteri καὶ ἐς τούς. 8. τῶν δὲ Q.g. δεδραμένων P.d. 9. καὶ πείθειν πειρασόμεθα] om. Q. 15. μάλιστα g. TOUS] om. L.O.P.Q. στρατεύσαντες g. 17. πρότερον d. 18. ἐπ' ἐλευθερίᾳ G.I.L.O.P.d. 19. τε] om. g. 66 66 66 PLATIA. A. C. 427. Olymp. 88. 2. πάντων παρὰ δύναμιν μετέσχομεν. καὶ ὑμῖν, ὦ Λακεδαι-5 · μόνιοι, ἰδίᾳ, ὅτε περ δὴ μέγιστος φόβος περιέστη τὴν Σπάρτην μετὰ τὸν σεισμὸν τῶν ἐς Ιθώμην Εἱλώτων 66 Our subsequent hosti- 66 lity was not our fault, yourselves recommend 2 ἀποστάντων, τὸ τρίτον μέρος ἡμῶν αὐτῶν ἐξεπέμψαμεν 5“ ἐς ἐπικουρίαν· ὧν οὐκ εἰκὸς ἀμνημονεῖν. LV. καὶ τὰ μὲν σε παλαιὰ καὶ μέγιστα τοιοῦτοι ἠξιώσαμεν εἶναι, πολέμιοι δὲ ἐγενόμεθα ὕστερον. ὑμεῖς 3 but your own. You σε δὲ αἴτιοι· δεομένων γὰρ ξυμμαχίας ὅτε Θη “ βαῖοι ἡμᾶς ἐβιάσαντο, ὑμεῖς ἀπεώσασθε καὶ πρὸς ̓Αθηναίους ἐκελεύετε τραπέσθαι ὡς ἐγγὺς ὄντας, ὑμῶν δὲ μακρὰν ἀποικούντων. tion of Thebes. Athens 66 ἐν μέντοι τῷ πολέμῳ οὐδὲν ἐκπρεπέστερον 3 “ ὑπὸ ἡμῶν οὔτε ἐπάθετε οὔτε ἐμελλήσατε. ed us to obtain the alliance of Athens when 10 we applied to you in 15 the first instance for aid against the ambi received and defended us, and our fortunes from that moment were linked with hers. 66 66 “ εἰ δ ̓ ἀποστῆναι ̓Αθηναίων οὐκ ἠθελήσαμεν 4 66 “ ὑμῶν κελευσάντων, οὐκ ἠδικοῦμεν· καὶ γὰρ “ ἐκεῖνοι ἐβοήθουν ἡμῖν ἐναντία Θηβαίοις ὅτε ὑμεῖς ἀπωκνεῖτε, “ καὶ προδοῦναι αὐτοὺς οὐκέτι ἦν καλὸν,—ἄλλως τε καὶ οὓς “ εὖ παθών τις καὶ αὐτὸς δεόμενος προσηγάγετο ξυμμάχους “ καὶ πολιτείας μετέλαβεν,—ἰέναι δὲ ἐς τὰ παραγγελλόμενα 2. φόβος των Ειλώτων] “ The alarm "of the Helots, who revolted and " settled at Ithome.” Such is, I think, the true construction, and therefore I have followed Poppo in striking out the comma after Σπαρτήν. Compare Poppo, Prolegom. I. p. 299. Μετὰ τὸν σεισμόν. Compare I. 1o1, 2. 3. σεισμὸν] Olymp. LXXVII. 4. vid. Diod. p. 274. c. WASS. 4. ἡμῶν αὐτῶν] “ Our own citizens, "and not a force of subjects or allies, " such as your expeditions mostly con"sist of." Compare the note on II. 39, 4. ἡμῶν αὐτῶν ἐπίπεμψιν. 8. δεομένων γὰρ ξυμμαχίας] Compare Herodot. VI. 108, 1-4. 19. πολιτείας μετέλαβεν] This is to be understood of the private rights of citizenship, such as the Cærites and other people connected with Rome by what the Greeks called ἰσοπολιτεία (see Niebuhr, vol. II. p. 49. Eng. transl.) enjoyed in the early times of the Roman commonwealth: including the Jus connubii, or of intermarriage, and the Jus commercii, or of purchasing and inheriting land in Attica, but not conferring the public rights of voting in the assembly, or of eligibility to offices of state. And this imperfect citizenship appears to have been called at Athens the rights or freedom of Plataeans," as at Rome it was called “Jus Ca"ritum," or "inter Cærites referri." Thus the slaves who fought at Salamis PLATEA. A. C. 427. Olymp. 88. 2. 5 “ εἰκὸς ἦν προθύμως. ἃ δὲ ἑκάτεροι ἐξηγεῖσθε τοῖς ξυμμά 66 χοις, οὐχ οἱ ἑπόμενοι αἴτιοι εἴ τι μὴ καλῶς ἐδρᾶτε, ἀλλ ̓ οἱ “ ἄγοντες ἐπὶ τὰ μὴ ὀρθῶς ἔχοντα. 66 And because we will LVI. Θηβαῖοι δὲ “ πολλὰ μὲν καὶ ἄλλα ἡμᾶς ἠδίκησαν, τὸ δὲ not abandon her now, 66 τελευταῖον αὐτοὶ ξύνιστε δι ̓ ἅπερ καὶ τάδε; the Thebans urge you 2 to destroy us, and your 3 you too ready to listen 66 to them. But the 66 friendship of Thebes πάσχομεν. πόλιν γὰρ αὐτοὺς τὴν ἡμετέραν present interest makes σε καταλαμβάνοντας ἐν σπονδαῖς καὶ προσέτι · ἱερομηνία ὀρθῶς ἐτιμωρησάμεθα κατὰ τὸν cannot be more vulu- “ πᾶσι νόμον καθεστῶτα τὸν ἐπιόντα πολέμιον ὅσιον εἶναι ἀμύνεσθαι· καὶ νῦν οὐκ ἂν εἰς το invasion; and σε κότως δι ̓ αὐτοὺς βλαπτοίμεθα. εἰ γὰρ τῷ preference of honour “ αὐτίκα χρησίμῳ ὑμῶν τε καὶ ἐκείνων πολεμίῳ τὸ δίκαιον λήψεσθε, τοῦ μὲν ὀρθοῦ able to you now than ours was in the Per sian that same courageous to interest which you then admired, when it was exerted for you, ought even now to command your respect, although it 66 66 66 φανεῖσθε οὐκ ἀληθεῖς κριταὶ ὄντες, τὸ δὲ ξυμφέρον μᾶλλον θεραπεύοντες. καίτοι εἰτ; “ νῦν ὑμῖν ὠφέλιμοι δοκοῦσιν εἶναι, πολὺ καὶ ἡμεῖς καὶ οἱ ἄλλοι Ἕλληνες μᾶλλον τότε 5“ ὅτε ἐν μείζονι κινδύνῳ ἦτε. νῦν μὲν γὰρ ἑτέροις ὑμεῖς 1. συμμάχοις Ε. 2. τι μὴ] μή τι M.b. τε μὴ g. 4. nμâs] om. I. 8. ὀρθῶς ἐτιμωρησάμεθα Α.Β.E.F.G.H.M.N.V.b.g.h. Poppo. Goell. Bekk. vulgo ὀρθῶς τε ἐτιμωρησάμεθα. 12. τε] om. C.c.e. 17. ol] om. M.P.Q.g. were, according to Hellanicus, made Platæans; that is, were freed, and enjoyed the private rights of citizens, but not the political ones. See the Scholiast on Aristophanes, Frogs, 706. The political and religious rights of citizenship, except only eligibility to the office of archon, and to certain priesthoods hereditary in particular families, were conferred on the surviving Platæans immediately after the tragical fate of those whose trial Thucydides is here describing. See the Pseudo Demosthenes against Neæra, pag. 138o. ed. Reiske. 8. ἱερομηνία] “A holy time of the σε moon or month." The term is applied sometimes to a whole month, as V. 54, 2. if it were occupied either entirely or mostly with the celebration of religious holydays; and sometimes to particular days in the month. See the Scholiast on Pindar, Nemean Odes, III. 4. ἱερομηνίαι δὲ λέγονται αἱ ἐν τῷ μηνὶ ἱεραὶ ἡμέραι, οἱαιδήποτε θεοῖς ἀνει· μέναι. See also Duker's note on Thucyd. V. 54, 2. 9. τὸν ἐπιόντα πολέμιον ὅσιον κ. τ. λ.] Compare VII. 68, 1. ΙΙ. τῷ αὐτίκα χρησίμῳ ὑμῶν τε κ. τ. λ.] That is, τῷ τε αὐτίκα χρησίμῳ ὑμῶν καὶ ἐκείνων πολεμίῳ, for the τe is again transposed, as in I. 49, 6. οἱ Κορίνθιοι ἡσσῶντό τε, where see the note. See other instances quoted by Poppo, Prolegom. I. p. 300. 66 PLATIA. A. C. 427. Olymp. 88. 2. ἐπέρχεσθε δεινοί· ἐν ἐκείνῳ δὲ τῷ καιρῷ, ὅτε πᾶσι δου “ λείαν ἐπέφερεν ὁ βάρβαρος, οἵδε μετ ̓ αὐτοῦ ἦσαν. καὶ6 σε δίκαιον ἡμῶν τῆς νῦν ἁμαρτίας, εἰ ἄρα ἡμάρτηται, ἀντισε θεῖναι τὴν τότε προθυμίαν· καὶ μείζω τε πρὸς ἐλάσσω 56 εὑρήσετε, καὶ ἐν καιροῖς οἷς σπάνιον ἦν τῶν Ἑλλήνων “ τινὰ ἀρετὴν τῇ Ξέρξου δυνάμει ἀντιτάξασθαι, ἐπῃνοῦντό “ τε μᾶλλον οἱ μὴ τὰ ξύμφορα πρὸς τὴν ἔφοδον αὑτοῖς ἀσφαλείᾳ πράσσοντες, ἐθέλοντες δὲ τολμᾷν μετὰ κινδύνων “ τὰ βέλτιστα. ὧν ἡμεῖς γενόμενοι καὶ τιμηθέντες ἐς τὰη 66 66 1. ὑπέρχεσθε Ρ. 3. ἡμάρτηται ἀντιθείναι Α.Β.Ε.Ε.Η.Κ.Μ. Ν. V. c. f. g.h.i. Haack. Poppo. Goell. Bekk. G. et vulgo ἡμάρτηταί τι ἀντιθεῖναι. 5. τινα ἀρετὴν τῶν ἑλλήνων c.f. 7. μάλιστα L.Ο.Ρ. αὑτοῖς Bekk. 9. βέλτιστα] μέγιστα ε. 6. τῇ τοῦ ξέρξου ε. ed. 1832. vulgo αὐτοῖς. 8. ἀσφαλίαι Ε. 5. ἐν καιροῖς οἷς σπάνιον κ. τ. λ.] The order is, σπάνιον ἦν τῶν Ἑλλήνων τινὰ ἀντιτάξασθαι ἀρετὴν τῇ Ξέρξου δυνάμει. In what follows there is an antithesis between the several words of the two clauses: τὰ ξύμφορα — τὰ βέλτιστα. ἀσφαλεία—μετὰ κινδύνων. πράσσοντες (i. e. "practising," in the old sense of the word, equivalent to "intriguing, 66 66 manœuvring.” See note on I. 56. 2.) ἐθέλοντες τολμᾶν. The dative case ασφαAeia seems to me to correspond to di' ἀσφαλείας, Ι. 17, I.i.e. “ without exposing « themselves to hazard, in security,” as opposed to μετὰ κινδύνων. others interpret it "for their safety," as if it were ἐς ἀσφαλείαν. The first sense would exactly correspond to the words, III. 82, 7. ἀσφαλείᾳ δὲ τὸ ἐπιβουλεύσασθαι, if we may read there the dative instead of the nominative, with Haack and Poppo. There is also a difficulty about avrois or αὐτοῖς, which does not seem to me to follow naturally after ἔφοδον, as Göller understands it, “ the attack made "upon them." I am rather inclined to take it with τὰ ξύμφορα, as Göller now does, in part at least, in his second edition, "what was for their own in"terest with respect to the invasion." 9. ὧν ἡμεῖς γενόμενοι κ. τ. λ.] “This " better part was ours also, and highly "were we honoured for it; yet now we "fear lest the very same conduct should "be our ruin, because we have again “ preferred our honour, which bound σε 66 us fast to Athens, to our interest, "which tempted us to join you. And yet the same estimate should ever be "made of the same principles; and we "should hold it as our real interest to "retain an ever enduring sense of the "services of brave and faithful allies, "while we take care of whatever our "immediate advantage may seem to σε call for.” Such I believe to be the sense of this most obscurely expressed passage, nor do I think it necessary to adopt Heilman's ingenious conjecture ἔχουσι, the dative plural of the participle, instead of ἔχωσι. In the words τὸ παραυτίκα ὠφέλιμον there is a manifest allusion to τῷ αὐτίκα χρησίμῳ ὑμῶν in the earlier part of the chapter. The meaning is, that whereas the Lacedamonians were sacrificing every thing to their present interest, they ought to admit other considerations; and while they took care of their present advantage, they should not neglect those eternal principles of honour and gratitude which were in the long run the true interest of every body. Εχουσι, no doubt, would be far neater, but the same meaning is, I think, deducible from the text as it now stands. Tò παραυτίκα που ἡμῖν ὠφέλιμον seems to signify, " that which on any occasion may be our immediate interest;" the particle mov expressing a sort of doubt, whether there could be an immediate interest opposed to the laws of duty. |
