SPEECH OF NICIAS TO THE TROOPS BEFORE THE GREAT SEA-FIGHT.
“
Before all alike, Athenians and allies, is the decisive struggle. You should go into it with courage, because you know how changeable is the fortune of war, and because, considering your numbers, you have a right to hope that it will decide for you.”
1.
ἄλλων: see on c. 4. 12.
ὁμοίως: to be connected with
ἅπασιν. Cf. c. 28. 4;
i.93.8;
vi.24.8.
[
ἑκάστοις οὐχ ἧσσον ἢ τοῖς πολεμίοις]: Cl. and St. bracket these words as a gloss to
ὁμοίως ἅπασιν. See App.
ἔστι τῳ...ἐπιδεῖν : “it is possible for every one to see again his fatherland.” On
τῳ in the sense
many a one, or
every one, see Kr.
Spr. 51, 16, 10. With
τὴν ὑπάρχουσάν που οἰκείαν πόλιν ἐπιδεῖν cf.
vi.69.21,
τὴν ὑπάρχουσαν σφίσι πατρίδα νικήσαντες πάλιν ἐπιδεῖν.
ἐπιδεῖν :
see again, also in c. 77. 37.
6.
ἀθυμεῖν δέ: opp. to
ὁ μὲν ἀγών: “the battle is to be decisive, but there is no ground for despondency.”
τὴν ἐλπίδα τοῦ φόβου κτἑ.:
the expectation of their fear, i.e. the expectation which in their fear they entertain takes the colour of the misfortunes which they have suffered. Schol.
προσδοκῶσιν ὁμοίως ταῖς γεγενημέναις ξυμφοραῖς τὰ μέλλοντα. ἐλπίς in this sense occurs also in
vi.87.18. Cf.
πενίας ἐλπίς,
ii.42.15; Luc.
in Tyrannic. 11,
τίς ἐλπὶς τοῦ φόβου.
11.
τῶν ἐν τοῖς πολέμοις παραλόγων: see on c. 28. 17.
καὶ...παρασκευάζεσθε :
and make yourselves ready with the expectation that fortune may even yet be with us, and with the purpose to retrieve your defeat in a manner worthy of this vast number of your own army that you see before you. On gen. with neut. art. (
τὸ τῆς τύχης,
fortune), see H. 730 c; Kr.
Spr. 47, 5, 10. Cf. c. 62. 8;
iv.18.9.
μεθ᾽ ἡμῶν στῆναι as in c. 57. 4.
ὑμῶν αὐτῶν belongs really to
τοῦδε τοῦ πλήθους, but is grammatically dependent as part. gen. on
ὅσον. Kr.
Spr. 47, 9, 5.
