Kitap 1
But it is our business, on the contrary, to be beforehand with them, by our offering and your accepting the alliance; and to plot against them first, rather than to meet their plots against us.
"But should they say that it is not just for you to receive their colonists, let them learn that every colony, if well treated, honours its mother-country; but if wronged, is estranged from it; for they are not sent out to be slaves, but to be on the same footing with those who are left at home.
And that they wronged us, is evident; for when challenged See note on I. 27. 2. to a judicial decision respecting Epidamnus, they chose to prosecute the charges by war rather than by equity.
And let what they are doing to us, their kinsmen, be a warning to you, that you may both avoid being seduced by them, through any false pretence; and may refuse to assist them, if they ask you in a straightforward manner: for he who incurs the fewest regrets from gratifying his enemies would continue in the greatest safety.
"But neither will you break the treaty with the Lacedaemonians by receiving us, who are allies of neither party.
For it is mentioned in it, that whichever of the Grecian states is in alliance with no other, it has permission to go to whichever side it may please.
And it is hard if these shall be allowed to man their ships both from the confederates, and moreover from the rest of Greece also, and especially from your subjects, while they will exclude us both from our proposed alliance, and from assistance from any other quarter; and then consider it an injustice if you are persuaded to what we request. But much greater fault shall we find with you, if we do not persuade you.
For us who are in peril, and not actuated by any hostile feeling, you will reject; while these men who are thus actuated, and have made the attack, you will be so far from restraining, that you will even overlook their gaining additional power from your dominions; which you should not do; but should either stop their mercenaries drawn from your country, or send succour to us also, in what ever way you may be persuaded; but it were best of all to receive us openly, and assist us.
And many, as we hinted at the beginning, are the advantages we hold forth to you; bat the greatest of them is, that we both have the same enemies, Göller observes that we should have expected εἰσίν here, rather than ἦσαν; but the construction is confused, and the imperfect ἦσαν is to be referred to ὑπείπομεν rather than to ἀποδείκνυμεν. We say, what we said before, namely, that we had both the same enemies. —Arnold. (which is the surest bond,) and those not weak, but able to harm such as have stood aloof from them. And as it is a naval, and not a land alliance that is offered you, the loss of it is not the same; but it were best, if possible, Arnold says that the infinitive moods ἐᾶν and ἔχειν depend upon a verb understood, which is to be borrowed from the preceding clause: for οὐκ ὁμοία is the same thing in sense as οὐκ ὁμοίως ξυμφέρει; from whence the verb ξυμφέρει is to be tacitly repeated with what follows. —That some such impersonal verb is understood is very probable: but is not οὐκ ὁμοία rather equivalent to οὐκ ὁμοίως ἀξύμφορόν ἐστι? Not merely the same as it would be in the ease of a land alliance, but much greater. Compare two expressions in I. 143. 3, 4, καὶ ἄλλα οὐκ ἀπὸ τοῦ ἴσου μεγάλα ἐχειν ... καὶ οὐκέτι ἐκ τοῦ ὁμοίου ἔσται πελοποννήσου μέρος τι τμηθῆναι καὶ τὴν Ἀττικὴν ἅπασαν κ. τ. λ. to allow no one else to possess ships; but if not, whoever is strongest in them, to have him for your friend.
And whoever thinks that these things which we have urged are indeed expedient, but is afraid that through being persuaded by them he would break the treaty; let him know that his fear, being attended by strength, will cause greater alarm to his enemies; but that his confidence in not having received us, being powerless will be less formidable to his foes who are strong; and also, that it is not about Corcyra more than about Athens too that he is deliberating; and that he is not providing the best for her, when for the war that is coming, and all but here, he hesitates, from present considerations, to receive a country which is made either a friend or a foe, with the greatest opportunities [for good or evil].
For it lies well for the voyage along shore to Italy and Sicily, so as both to prevent a navy from coming thence to the Peloponnesians, and to help on its way a fleet from these parts to those;
and in other respects it is most advantageous. But the shortest summary, This is Poppo's interpretation of the passage, and it is perhaps impossible to express its full meaning more literally. He considers τοῖς ξύμπασι and ἕκαστον as neuters. both for general and particular statements, from which you may learn not to give us up, is the following: There being I have followed the explanation of those who suppose the conjunction δέ to be placed in the apodosis of the sentence. Göller and Poppo supply ἴστε from the preceding μάθοιτε. but three navies worth mentioning amongst the Greeks, yours, ours, and that of the Corinthians. if you allow two of these to come together, and the Corinthians bring us under their power first, you will have to fight at sea with both Corcyraeans and Peloponnesians; but if you receive us you will be able to contend against them with the greater number of ships on your side. Göller reads ἡμετέραις, making it depend upon πλείοσι, like πολλῷ in the phrase πολλῷ πλείονες, with more ships by ours, —i. e. with all the advantage in point of number that our ships would give you. Arnold thinks Bekker right in retaining the old reading.
Thus spoke the Corcyraeans; and the Corinthians after them as follows.
"Since these Corcyraeans have made their harangue, not only about receiving them. but also to show that we are acting unjustly, and they are unfairly attacked; it is necessary that we too should first touch on both these points, and so proceed to the rest of our speech; that you may know more certainly beforehand the grounds of our request, and may with good reason reject their petition. Now they say that it was from regard to prudence that hitherto they accepted the alliance of no party:
whereas they adopted this practice for villany, and not for virtue; but from wishing to have no ally or witness in their unjust deeds, nor to be put to the blush by calling him to their aid.
And their city also, lying in a self-sufficient position, makes them judges of the injuries they inflict on any one, rather than that there should be judges appointed by agreement; because, while they very seldom sail from home to their neighbours, they very frequently receive others, who of necessity touch there. And herein consists the specious shunning of confederacies, which they have put forward;
not that they may avoid committing injustice with other, but that they may commit them by themselves; and that wherever they have the power, they may act with violence; and where they escape observation, they may take unfair advantage; and if in any case they have seized on something, they may not be put to the blush.
And yet, if they were, as they say, honest men, the more impregnable they were to their neighbours, the more manifestly might they have shown their virtue, by giving and taking what was just.
"But neither to others nor to us are they of such a character; but although our colonists, they have all along revolted from us, and are now making war upon us; saying that they were not sent out to be ill-treated.
But we say that neither did we settle them there to be insulted by them, but to be their leaders, and to be properly respected by them.
Our other colonies, at least, honour us, and we are very much beloved by our colonists;
and it is evident, that if we are pleasing to the greater part, we should not, on a right view of the case, be displeasing to these alone; nor do we attack them unbecomingly, i. e. as we should do, if we were not signally injured by them.—Göller takes the ἐπιστρατεύομεν in a more general sense, as expressing the habitual policy of the Corinthians. Neque solemus bellulm inferre indigno majoris patriae modo, nisi insigni injuria cogimur. without being also signally injured by them.
Even if we were in the wrong, it had been honourable for them to have yielded to our humour; but disgraceful for us to have done violence to their moderation: but through pride, and power of wealth, they have both acted wrongly towards us in many other things, and with regard to Epidamnus, which belonged to us, when it was ill-treated they did not claim it; but when we went to its assistance, they took it by force, and keep it.
"And they say, forsooth, that they were before willing to have it judicially decided : but with regard to this, it is not the man who proposes it with superiority, A secondary meaning of προκαλεῖσθαι, very common when it is not followed by an accusative of the person with ἐς See II. 72. 3, 5; 73. 1; 74. 1, 2. and in safety, that should be considered to say any thing; but that man, who puts alike his actions and words on the same footing, i. e. who does not say one thing and do another. Poppo takes ἴσον in the sense of 'equity:' eum, qui factis pariter atque oratione aequitatem retinet. before he enters on the struggle.
But as for these men, it was not before they besieged the place, but when they thought that we should not put up with it, that they also advanced the specious plea of a judicial decision. And they are come hither, not only having themselves done wrong there, but now requesting you also to join them, not in alliance, but in injury; and to receive them, when they are at variance with us. But then ought they to have applied to you, when they were most secure;
and not at a time when we have been injured, and they are in peril; nor at a time when you, though you did not share their power then, will now give them a share of your aid; and though you stood aloof from their misdeeds, will incur equal blame from us; but they ought long ago to have communicated their power to you, and so to have the results also in common. [As, These words, which are wanting in the text of most of the best MSS., have been omitted by Bekker, and enclosed in brackets by Göller. Dr. Bloomfield defends them, except the single word μόνων, which he gives up as unintelligible. —Arnold. however, you have had no share only in the accusations brought against them, so you should not participate in the consequences of their actions.]
"That we ourselves, then, come with accusations on proper grounds, and that these are violent and rapacious, has been proved: and that you could not with justice receive them, you must now learn.
For if it is said in the treaty, that any of the states not registered in it may go to whichever side it please, the agreement was not meant for those who go to the detriment of others; but to any one who, without withdrawing himself from another, is in need of protection; and who will not cause war instead of peace to those who receive him, ([as they will not do There is a confusion in the expression, and the words εἰ σωφρονοῦσι have really nothing to do with the sentence as it is actually expressed, which is suggested as it were parenthetically to the writer's mind, but which he did not set down in words: if written at length it would run thus; The benefit of the treaty was intended for such only as should not involve those who received them in war, (as, if you are wise, you will take care that these men do not involve you. )—Arnold. ] if they are wise;) which would now be your case, if not persuaded by us.
For you would not only become auxiliaries to these, but also enemies to us, instead of being connected by treaty; for if you come with them, we must defend ourselves against them without excepting you.
And yet you ought, if possible, to stand aloof from both parties; or if not that, on the contrary, to go with us against them; (with the Corinthians, at any rate, you are connected by treaty; while with the Corcyraeans you were never yet so much as in truce;) and not to establish the law, that we should receive those who are revolting from others.
For neither did we, when the Samnians had revolted, give our vote against you, when the rest of the Peloponnesians were divided in their votes, as to whether they should assist them; but we openly maintained the contrary, that each one should punish his own allies.
For if you receive and assist those who are doing wrong, there will be found no fewer of your allies also who will come over to us; and you will make the law against yourselves, rather than against us.
"These, then, are the pleas of right which we have to urge to you, sufficiently strong according to the laws of the Greeks; and we have the following advice, and claim on you for favour, which, being not enemies so as to hurt you, nor, on the other hand, suck friends as to be very intimate with you, we say ought to be repaid to us at the present time.
For once, when you were in want of long ships for the war with the aeginetans, before that with the Medes, you received from the Corinthians twenty ships. And this service, and that with regard to the Samians, namely, that it was through us that the Peloponnesians did not assist them, gave you the mastery of the aeginetans, and the chastisement of the Samians: and it took place in those critical times in which men, when proceeding against their enemies, are most regardless of every thing besides victory. Or, in comparison with victory.
For they esteem him a friend who assists them, even though he may before have been an enemy; and him a foe who opposes them, though he may have happened to be a friend; nay they even mismanage their own affairs for the sake of their animosity at the moment.
"Thinking then of these things, and each younger man having learned them from some one older, let him resolve to requite us with the like, and not deem that these things are justly urged, but that others are expedient in case of his going to war.
For expediency most attends that line of conduct in which one does least wrong. And as for the Referring to these words of the Corcyraeans, ὅταν ἐς τὸν μέλλοντα καὶὅσον οὐ παρόντα πόλεμον τὸ αὐτίκα περισκοπῶν ἐνδοιάζῃ χωρίον προοσλαβεῖν κ. τ. λ. Chap. 36. 1. coming of the war, frightening you with which the Corcyrraeans bid you commit injustice, it lies as yet in uncertainty; and it is not worth while, through being excited by it, to incur a certain enmity with the Corinthians, immediate, and not coming; but rather it were prudent to remove somewhat of our before existing suspicion on account of the Megareans.
For the latest obligation, when well timed, even though it may be comparatively small, has power to wipe out a greater subject of complaint.
And be not induced by the fact that it is a great naval alliance that they offer you. For not to injure your equals is a power more to be relied on, than, through being buoyed up by momentary appearances, to gain an unfair advantage by a perilous course.
We then, having fallen under the rule which we propounded ourselves at Lacedaemon, that every one should punish his own allies, now claim to receive the same from you; and not that you, after being benefited by our vote, should harm us by yours. Make us then a fair return;