Thucydides 5.89
Danny Cashman /
- Created on 2020-05-04 04:03:57
- Modified on 2020-05-07 19:40:47
- Aligned by Danny Cashman
Ἑλληνική
English
English
Thucydides
Crawley
Hobbes
ἡμεῖς τοίνυν οὔτε αὐτοὶ μετ᾽ ὀνομάτων καλῶν , ὡς ἢ δικαίως τὸν Μῆδον καταλύσαντες ἄρχομεν ἢ ἀδικούμενοι νῦν ἐπεξερχόμεθα , λόγων μῆκος ἄπιστον παρέξομεν , οὔθ᾽ ὑμᾶς ἀξιοῦμεν ἢ ὅτι Λακεδαιμονίων ἄποικοι ὄντες οὐ ξυνεστρατεύσατε ἢ ὡς ἡμᾶς οὐδὲν ἠδικήκατε λέγοντας οἴεσθαι πείσειν , τὰ δυνατὰ δ᾽ ἐξ ὧν ἑκάτεροι ἀληθῶς φρονοῦμεν διαπράσσεσθαι , ἐπισταμένους πρὸς εἰδότας ὅτι δίκαια μὲν ἐν τῷ ἀνθρωπείῳ λόγῳ ἀπὸ τῆς ἴσης ἀνάγκης κρίνεται , δυνατὰ δὲ οἱ προύχοντες πράσσουσι καὶ οἱ ἀσθενεῖς ξυγχωροῦσιν .
For ourselves , we shall not trouble you with specious pretenses - either of how we have a right to our empire because we overthrew the Mede , or are now attacking you because of wrong that you have done us - and make a long speech which would not be believed ; and in return we hope that you , instead of thinking to influence us by saying that you did not join the Spartans , although their colonists , or that you have done us no wrong , will aim at what is feasible , holding in view the real sentiments of us both ; since you know as well as we do that right , as the world goes , is only in question between equals in power , while the strong do what they can and the weak suffer what they must .
As we therefore will not , for our parts , with fair pretences , as , that having defeated the Medes , our reign is therefore lawful , or that we come against you for injury done , make a long discourse without being believed ; so would we have you also not expect to prevail by saying either that you therefore took not our parts because you were a colony of the Lacedaemonians or that you have done us no injury . But out of those things which we both of us do really think , let us go through with that which is feasible , both you and we knowing that in human disputation justice is then only agreed on when the necessity is equal ; whereas they that have odds of power exact as much as they can , and the weak yield to such conditions as they can get .