SPEECH OF BRASIDAS TO HIS TROOPS.
It is sufficient to remind you briefly that you are Dorians opposed to Ionians. § 1.
Next listen to my plan: we must surprise the enemy while they are off their guard and not expecting an attack. Wise use of the mistakes of others is the surest means of success. § 2-5.
I, with my chosen troops, will attack their centre. Then you, Clearidas, in the moment of their confusion, will fall upon them with the rest of our forces; and if all do their duty, as I expect, then all will be sure of perpetual freedom from the yoke of Athens. § 69.
I myself will prove that I can not only advise, but act. § 10.
ὅτι:
namely; explanatory, in the particularization of what precedes.
ὅτι . . . ἐλευθέρας (sc.
ἥκομεν ἀπὸ χώρας) bridges over the transition from the interr.
οἵας to
ὅτι Δωριῆς, etc. —
τὸ εὔψυχον: the noblest expression for
manly courage. Cf.
ii. 39. 7.—
Δωριῆς, Ἴωσι: the same distinction of races is expressed with the same pride in
i. 124. 5;
vi. 77. 11;
vii. 5. 17.— 3.
ἀρκείτω δεδηλωμένον: corresponds nearly to the Lat.
monuisse sufficiat. But the partic. modifies the double subj. of
ἀρκείτω, ἀπὸ μὲν οἵας κτἑ. and
ὅτι Δωριῆς κτἑ. GMT. 112, 2, N. 1.
τὴν δὲ ἐπιχείρησιν: const. with
ποιεῖσθαι, although this has at the head of the sent. almost an abs. position. See on
i. 33. 16; 32. 18.
ἵνα μή τῳ τὸ κατ̓ ὀλίγον κτἑ.:
lest our exposing ourselves in detachments and not all together seem poor tactics and cause discouragement to any one. See App.
καὶ οὐκ ἂν ἐλπίσαντας ὡς ἂν ἐπεξέλθοι:
and since they would not have expected that anybody could (
possibly)
come out against them. οὐκ ἂν ἐλπίσαντας is equiv. to
ὅτι οὐκ ἂν ἤλπισαν. ὡς with
ἐλπίζειν, also in
viii. 54. 4.
κατὰ θέαν (cf.
c. 7. 11)
τετραμμένους:
τετραμμένος πρός (or, as here,
κατά) is the proper expression for a predominant inclination in one direction to the neglect of other things. See on
ii. 40. 4. Cf.
ii. 25. 11; 51. 13;
vii. 73. 16.
ἀτάκτως is to be taken with
τετραμμένους as well as
ὀλιγωρεῖν, which last is used abs. (“be careless”), as in
ii. 62. 20;
vi. 91. 40.
καὶ ἅμα:
καί connects the adv. modifier
πρὸς (cf.
i. 6. 15; 10. 8)
τὴν ἑαυτοῦ δύναμιν with the partic.
ἰδών, which also limits the meaning of the verb.
ποιεῖται: indic. in general prot. GMT. 51, N. 3.—
μὴ ἀπὸ τοῦ προφανοῦς μᾶλλον κτἑ.:
προφανοῦς is in the same const. with
ἀντιπαραταχθέντος, “not so much with regard to what is to be seen and to the forces which stand arrayed against one another.”
ἐκ τοῦ...ξυμφέροντος :
according to what is advantageous under the circumstances.
τὰ κλέμματα:
τὰ στρατηγήματα, Schol., from the specially Lacedaemonian expression
κλέπτειν for military stratagems (cf.
Xen. Anab. iv. 6. 11 ff., where
κλέπτειν is used of taking a mountain by stealth).—
ἅ (sc.
κλέμματα): with
ἀπατήσας, a sort of schema etymologicum or cognate acc., since
κλέμμα ἀπατᾶν is equiv. to
ἀπάτην ἀπατᾶν.
ἄν : for its repetition, cf.
i. 36. 14; 77.20; 136. 17;
iv. 114. 21. St. denies that this is a repetition, because the first
ἄν belongs to
ἀπατήσας, the second to
ὠφελήσειε. But
ἀπατήσας is equiv. to
εἰ ἀπατήσειε, of course without
ἄν. GMT. 42, 3, N. 1.
τοῦ μένοντος: an excellent example of Thuc.'s liking for neut. partics. instead of infs. Equally striking is
ἐν τῷ μὴ μελετῶντι,
i. 142. 22, with which
ἐν τῷ ἀνειμένῳ below may be compared. GMT. 108, N. 4.—
φαίνονται: with a pers. subj. where we should expect
ὡς φαίνεται, as in
c. 75. 12,
ἐδόκουν;
c. 113. 3,
δοκεῖτε.
ξυνταθῆναι : see App.
ἤδη προσκείμενον:
already engaged, after the first attack has been made.
τοὺς μετὰ σεαυτοῦ: opp. to
τοῖς μετ᾽ ἐμαυτοῦ, 21, the 2000 Peloponnesian hoplites of
c. 6. 21 (less the 150 which Brasidas kept for himself,
c. 8. 13). To these are added the Amphipolitans and other allies. —
τούς τ᾽ Ἀμφιπολίτας καὶ τοὺς ἄλλους ξυμμάχους: must be joined without intervening punctuation to the preceding
τοὺς μετὰ σεαυτοῦ. It is the less usual arrangement by which
τε introduces the second member, and
καί the third, as in
i. 13. 5 f.
ἐπεκθεῖν καὶ ἐπείγεσθαι: the only case of the use of the inf. in the sense of the second pers. imv. in Thuc. G. 269; H. 957; Kr. 55, 1, 5. For the third pers.
vi. 34. 55 f. is adduced, but with doubtful propriety.
μάλιστα αὐτούς: St. writes
μάλιστ᾽ ἂν αὐτούς; but this use of the aor. inf. without
ἄν with
ἐλπίς and similar words is very common. Cf.
ii. 80. 11;
iii. 3. 15; 32. 15;
iv. 28. 28; 80. 3;
vi. 87. 18; and see on
ii. 3. 8. G. 203, N. 2; H. 948 a, 952.— 28.
τό ἐπιόν: like
τοῦ παρόντος and
τοῦ μαχομένου neut. sing. in personal signification, as in
ii. 45. 5;
iii. 39. 29 f.;
vii. 43. 44.
νομίσατε τρία εἶναι, τὸ τοῖς ἄρχουσι πείθεσθαι: see App.
τῇδε τῇ ἡμέρᾳ: cf.
ii. 12. 14,
ἥδε ἡ ἡμέρα τοῖς Ἕλλησι μεγάλων κακῶν ἄρξει; Ar.
Pax, 435,
εὐχώμεσθα τὴν νῦν ἡμέραν Ἕλλησιν ἄρξαι πᾶσι πολλῶν κἀγαθῶν;
Xen. Hell. ii. 2. 23; Plut.
Lys. 15. In closest connexion with this stands only
ὑμῖν . . . ὑπάρχειν depending upon
νομίσατε: “be sure that on this day there awaits you either—or —.” This alternative which belongs with
ὑπάρχειν extends to the end of the period, in the first term with the subjs.
ἐλευθερίαν and
Λακεδαιμονίων ξυμμάχοις κεκλῆσθαι, in the second only with
γενέσθαι and its predicates,
Ἀθηναίων δούλοις and
κωλυταῖς ἐλευθερώσεως τοῖς λοιποῖς Ἕλλησιν. The words
καὶ δουλείαν χαλεπωτέραν ἢ πρὶν εἴχετε are an emphatic addition to
Ἀθηναίων δούλοις (not to be joined with
ὑπάρχειν) “and that in a harsher bondage than the old one.” In consequence of this and the other inserted clause (
ἢν τὰ ἄριστα . . . πράξητε) the regular connexion of
Ἀθηναίων τε δούλοις with a following
καί is interrupted, and instead of this we have the more emphatic
τοῖς δὲ λοιποῖς κτἑ. A similar case occurs in
i. 11. 4 ff. The difficulty of the passage is increased by the fact that the second
ἤ (35) is without any explanatory words corresponding to
ἀγαθοῖς γενομένοις. Brasidas avoids saying
κακοῖς γενομένοις or any words to that effect, but makes the consequences so much the more prominent by the expressions
δουλείαν χαλεπωτέραν and
κωλυταῖς ἐλευθερώσεως. For another understanding of the passage, see App.— 35.
κεκλῆσθαι: pf. of recognized appellation: “bear the (honourable) name of allies of the Lacedaemonians.” Cf.
ii. 37. 4;
iii. 82. 51. GMT. 18, 3
b, N.; H. 849.
δούλοις: refers to being subjects of Athens,
ἀνδραποδισμοῦ to actual slavery.— 36.
ἢν τὰ ἄριστα...πράξητε : “even if you fare in the best possible way, and are not sold as slaves or put to death.”
τὰ ἄριστα (adv.)
πράσσειν, sup. of
εὖ πράσσειν, which occurs in
ii. 64. 8;
vi. 75. 17.
μαλακισθῆτε: as in
ii. 43. 27,
ἀλγεινοτέρα γὰρ ἀνδρί γε φρόνημα ἔχοντι ἡ μετὰ τοῦ μαλακισθῆναι κάκωσις ἢ ὁ μετὰ ῥώμης καὶ κοινῆς ἐλπίδος ἅμα γιγνόμενος ἀναίσθητος θάνατος.
ἔργῳ ἐπεξιέναι : opp. to
παραινεῖν or simply
λόγοις, as in
i. 84. 16; 120. 27.
