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80.
United, therefore, we have no cause to
despair, but rather new encouragement to league together; especially as succors will come to us from the Peloponnesians, in military
matters the undoubted superiors of the Athenians.
And you need not think that your prudent policy of taking sides with
neither, because allies of both, is either safe for you or fair to us.
[2]
Practically it is not as fair as it pretends to be.
If the vanquished be defeated, and the victor conquer, through your
refusing to join, what is the effect of your abstention but to leave the
former to perish unaided, and to allow the latter to offend unhindered?
And yet it were more honourable to join those who are not only the injured
party, but your own kindred, and by so doing to defend the common interests
of Sicily and save your friends the Athenians from doing wrong.
[3]
In conclusion, we Syracusans say that it is
useless for us to demonstrate either to you or to the rest what you know
already as well as we do; but we entreat, and if our entreaty fail, we protest that we are menaced by
our eternal enemies the Ionians, and are betrayed by you our fellow Dorians.
[4]
If the Athenians reduce us, they will owe their victory to your decision,
but in their own name will reap the honour, and will receive as the prize of
their triumph the very men who enabled them to gain it.
On the other hand, if we are the conquerors, you will have to pay for
having been the cause of our danger.
[5]
Consider, therefore; and now make your choice between the security which present servitude
offers and the prospect of conquering with us and so escaping disgraceful
submission to an Athenian master and avoiding the lasting enmity of
Syracuse.’
Thucydides. The Peloponnesian War. London, J. M. Dent; New York, E. P. Dutton. 1910.
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References (21 total)
- Commentary references to this page
(5):
- Sir Richard C. Jebb, Commentary on Sophocles: Oedipus Tyrannus, 1-150
- Sir Richard C. Jebb, Commentary on Sophocles: Oedipus at Colonus, 1331
- E.C. Marchant, Commentary on Thucydides: Book 2, 2.2
- C.E. Graves, Commentary on Thucydides: Book 4, CHAPTER LXXX
- C.E. Graves, Commentary on Thucydides: Book 5, 5.73
- Cross-references to this page
(4):
- Raphael Kühner, Bernhard Gerth, Ausführliche Grammatik der griechischen Sprache, KG 1.3.2
- Raphael Kühner, Bernhard Gerth, Ausführliche Grammatik der griechischen Sprache, KG 1.4.2
- Raphael Kühner, Bernhard Gerth, Ausführliche Grammatik der griechischen Sprache, KG 1.pos=2.1
- Raphael Kühner, Bernhard Gerth, Ausführliche Grammatik der griechischen Sprache, KG 1.pos=2.2
- Cross-references in general dictionaries to this page
(12):
- LSJ, δή
- LSJ, ἆθλον
- LSJ, ἀκίνδυ_ν-ος
- LSJ, ἀμύνω
- LSJ, δι^και-οφα^νής
- LSJ, ἐκδιδάσκω
- LSJ, μαρτύρομαι
- LSJ, παράπα^ν
- LSJ, πρόθυ_μος
- LSJ, τι_μάω
- LSJ, τι_μωρ-ία
- LSJ, ὠφέλ-εια
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Citation URI: http://data.perseus.org/citations/urn:cts:greekLit:tlg0003.tlg001.perseus-eng3:6.80
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