CHAPTER CXVIII
Terms of the truce for one year. It appears to have been drawn up and agreed to at Sparta, and then sent to Athens for ratification there: see Arnold's note. The main provisions of the treaty concern (1) the temple at Delphi: (2) the retaining by both sides of possessions and conquests: (3) rights at sea: (4) arrangements for further negotiation, arbitration, etc.
περὶ μὲν τοῦ ἱεροῦ—‘a concession to Athens, as the Delphians were always so strongly attached to Lacedaemon, that the Athenians would find it difficult during the war to have access to the temple at all’ (Arnold).
δοκεῖ ἡμῖν—i.e. this is what we are ready to agree to, and offer for your acceptance.
χρῆσθαι—so
i. 126, without case,
χρωμένῳ ἐν Δελφοῖς, ‘consulting the oracle’: here the word contains also the idea of access in general.
ἐς δύναμιν—so
viii. 27, in a negative sentence.
περὶ δὲ τῶν χρημάτων—editors agree that this is a general provision, not referring to any particular misuse of the sacred treasures that had lately taken place. In 432 we find the Corinthian envoys proposing to borrow the money at Delphi and Olympia for war purposes (
i. 121); and this article may be directed against such appropriation, though if so it is very vaguely expressed.
περὶ μὲν οὖν τούτων—these words plainly refer to what has gone before, while
τάδε refers to what follows. The reading in the text is that which is approved by Poppo and adopted by Arnold and Classen. In the great majority of manuscripts the words
ἐὰν σπονδάς κ.τ.λ. follow immediately after
ξυμμάχοις in line 13, a whole line being omitted, as might easily happen from the recurrence of the same form of words. It has indeed been proposed to take the manuscript reading thus: ‘this is agreed to by the Lacedaemonians, on condition that the Athenians stipulate (
ἐὰν σπονδὰς ποιῶνται κ.τ.λ.) that each side remain in possession etc.’ But it is much more likely that the several articles of the treaty should follow separately, dependent on
ἔδοξε expressed or implied.
ἐὰν σπονδάς—i.e. if the Athenians shall agree. Krüger suggests
ἔστ᾽ ἄν, till a more general treaty be made.
ἔχοντας ἅπερ—so
i. 140,
είρημένον ἔχειν ἐκατέρους ἄ ἔχομεν. Κορυφασίῳ—the Spartan name for Pylos, ch. 3, 16. These clauses refer to the positions in Peloponnesus which were occupied by Athenian garrisons.
ἐντὸς τῆς Βουφράδος κ.τ.λ.—apparently points on the coast: nothing certain seems known of them.
ἐν Κυθήροις—ch. 54.
μὴ ἐπιμισγομένους—‘should hold no intercourse with any part of the territory of the Peloponnesian confederacy’ (Arnold):
i. 13,
παρ᾽ ἀλλήλους ἐπιμισγόντων: so
ii. 1,
ἐπιμίγνυντο παρ᾽ ἀλλήλους:
i. 2,
ἐπιμίγνυντες ἀλλήλοις. ἡ ξυμμαχία—either the allies or their territory: so
v. 33.
ἐν Νισαίᾳ—ch. 69.
παρὰ τοῦ Νίσου—i.e. from the temple or statue of Nisus: cf. note on ch. 67, 9.
ἀπὸ τοῦ Νισαίου (neut.) is also read. Dobree suggests
παρὰ τὸ Νίσου, ‘by the temple of Nisus’, comparing
Ar. Lys. 835,
παρὰ τὸ τῆς Χλόης. For Nisus, a mythical king of Megara, see Class. Dict.
εὐθὺς ἐπὶ τὴν γέφυραν—‘straight to the bridge’. This bridge crossed the shallow lagoon (
τέναγος) which separated Minoa from the main land, cf.
iii. 51. By
τὴν νῆσον is meant Minoa, which the Athenians had taken in 427.
τὰ ἐν Τροιξῆνι—sc.
ἔχοντας, referring to the Athenian occupation of Methone, ch. 45. It was ‘in the neighbourhood or district of’ Troezen: for which use of
ἐν cf. ch. 5, 5,
ἐν ταῖς Ἀθήναις ὤν. The subject of
ξυνέθεντο is apparently the people of Troezen, and we must suppose that they had made some arrangement with the Athenian garrison. Arnold originally considered that
ἑκατέρους ἔχειν should be understood after
τὰ ἐν Τροιζῆνι, and that
οἷα ξυνέθεντο refers to the Lacedaemonians, and denotes the terms of the thirty years peace of 445, by which they recovered possession of Troezen (
i. 115). The meaning would then be that the Athenians should keep the peninsula of Methone, and the Peloponnesians the rest of the district.
τῇ θαλάσσῃ χρωμένους—to be connected with what follows, ‘as for access to the sea, the Lacedaemonians may sail’ etc.
ὅσα ἄν—with subj. implied, ‘so far as they may (sail)’. Krüger omits
ἄν, comparing ch. 48, 28; but in a limiting clause like this, referring to future time, it seems decidedly in place.
ἄλλῳ δὲ κωπήρει πλοίῳ—ἄλλῳ ‘other’ than a
ναῦς μακρά. A further restriction is enacted, that only rowing vessels be allowed, and the size of these is strictly limited. Arnold considers that the intention of the Athenians was not only to secure their naval supremacy, but also ‘to stop the commerce of Peloponnesus, and particularly their trading voyages eastward to Egypt and Phoenicia, which could only be performed in
ὁλκάδες worked by sails’.
ἐς πεντακόσια—‘up to (i.e. not exceeding) five hundred talents burden’. ‘As to the amount of tonnage, the word
μέτρα would seem to shew that it was calculated according to the form and dimensions of the vessel, as with us. If mere weight were meant, five hundred talents would be about twelve tons’ (Arnold). We have a ship's burden expressed in similar terms
Hdt. ii. 96,
ἄγει ἔνια πολλὰς χιλιάδας ταλάντων: id.
i. 194,
τὰ μέγιστα πεντακισχιλίων ταλάντων γόμον ἔχει. In
vii. 25 a
ναῦς μυριοφόρος is mentioned, meaning probably one of 10,000 talents burden. In Latin the burden was calculated in amphorae.
πρεσβείᾳ—so
i. 72,
ἔτυχε πρεσβεία παροῦσα. σπονδάς =‘safe-conduct’.
δίκας διδόναι—‘to submit to judgment or arbitration’:
i. 28,
δίκας ἤθελον δοῦναι:
i. 85 etc.
τὰ ἀμφίλογα—so
v. 79: cf.
i. 78,
τὰ διάφορα δίκῃ λύεσθαι.
ἀποστήσονται—‘will hang back from’, i.e. decline, refuse; more usually of giving up or renouncing.
τέλος ἔχοντες—‘with full powers’;
τέλος here is the power of concluding terms: in
v. 41 τέλος ἔχειν means to be finally arranged. From these and the following words it appears that communications had already passed between Athens and Lacedaemon: probably commissioners from Athens had been present in Sparta, and had taken part in drawing up the treaty, though they were not authorized to complete the settlement.
ἔδοξε τῷ δήμῳ—the formal resolution of the
δῆμος in the
ἐκκλησία, preceded by the names of the
πρυτανεύουσα φυλή, the clerk, and the president of the day. So in the preamble of a law cited by Andocides de Myst. 13 (48),
ἔδοξε τῇ βουλῇ καὶ τῷ δήμῳ. αίαντὶς ἐπρυτάνευε, Κλεογένης ἐγραμμάτευε, Βοηθὸς ἐπεστάτει: see Class. Dict.
εἶπε—‘moved’, with inf., the usual phrase.
τύχῃ ἀγαθῇ—the usual form of invoking good fortune, see Lid. and Scott: cf. Cic. Div.
i. 45. 102, maiores...omnibus rebus agendis quod bonum faustum felix fortunatumque esset praefabantur.
ἄρχειν δέ—lit. ‘that this day begin it’: so
v. 19,
ἄρχει τῶν σπονδῶν ἄρχων Ἀλκαῖος, ‘the truce dates from the archonship of Alcaeus’: cf.
Dem. Timocr. 713,
εἰ (
νόμῳ)
προσγέγραπται χρόνος ὅντινα δεῖ ἄρχειν, where, as Arnold rightly observes,
ὅντινα refers to
χρονος: so
Ar. Pac. 436,
τὴν νῦν ἡμέραν...ἄρξαι.
τοὺς λόγους—
ποιεῖσθαι λόγους=‘to confer, negotiate, make proposals’; the definite article implies conducting the stipulated or necessary negotiations for concluding peace.
τοὺς στρατηγούς—they had the right to call (
ποιεῖν) extraordinary meetings of the assembly: so
ii. 59, of Pericles,
ξύλλογον ποιήσας, ἔτι δ̓ ἐστρατήγει: cf. the decree cited
Dem. de Cor. 249,
ἐκκλησία σύγκλητος ὑπὸ στρατηγῶν: where also the strategi and prytanes are named together as conducting public business.
In construction this clause seems defective, no verb following: cf. ch. 40, 6,
ἀπιστοῦντές τε κ.τ.λ. Classen however considers that
τοὺς Ἁθηναίους stands in apposition to
τοὺς στρατηγοὺς καὶ τοὺς πρυτάνεις, as in ch. 108, 25.
καθ᾽ ὅ τι ἂν ἐσίῃ—as the reading stands, I believe that it can only mean ‘in whatever way the embassy may be introduced’: cf. leg. ap.
Dem. Timocr. 715,
καθ᾽ ὅ τι ἂν δοκῇ, ‘in whatever way shall seem fit’.
βουλεύσασθαι then stands absolutely, and the sense is that the final decision (about the treaty) shall rest with the public assembly, whether the envoys be brought before that assembly or whatever arrangements be made. As however
καθ᾽ ὅ τι is perpetually used in the language of decrees for making provision ‘as to how’ something is to be done, we should expect that here too it would introduce a relative clause dependent on
βουλεύσασθαι ‘the Athenians to decide in what way’ etc. According to the regular and common construction it would then be followed by the future indicative, as in line 56. Poppo suggests the deliberative
ἐσίῃ without
ἄν, or
ἐσίοι ἄν, which would be nearly equivalent to a future indicative. He points out however that
ἄν is at times added to
ὅπως in similar sentences (e.g.
Plat. Protag. 326 A,
ἐπιμελοῦνται ὅπως ἂν μηδὲν κακουργῶσι), and retains ‘verba omnium membranarum consensu stabilita’.
σπείσασθαι—‘do hereby agree’: the aor. denotes the arrangement as concluded at once, as is further expressed by
αὐτίκα μάλα. ἐμμενεῖν ἐν—Krüger proposes to omit
ἐν, as
ἐμμένω in the sense of ‘abiding by’ an agreement takes the simple dative elsewhere in Thucydides. We have however, Plat. Legg. 844 C,
ἐμμένων ἐν τῇ τάξει, ‘abiding by the arrangement’, and, according to Poppo, the preposition is added in inscriptions and in later Greek. In
ii. 23 we have
ἐμμείναντες ἐν τῇ Ἀττικῇ.
τὸν ἐνιαυτὀν—for the stipulated year, even if no further peace were made.
