Athenian Theses - Thucydides 5.89
Ali Shehzad Khan / Final Project
- Created on 2020-05-10 16:00:08
- Modified on 2020-05-11 02:58:43
- Translated by Hobbes & Jowett
- Aligned by Ali Shehzad Khan
Ἑλληνική
English
English
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 .
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 .
Well , then , we Athenians will use no fine words ; we will not go out of our way to prove at length that we have a right to rule , because1 we overthrew the Persians2 ; or that we attack you now because we are suffering any injury at your hands . We should not convince you if we did ; nor must you expect to convince us by arguing that , although a colony of the Lacedaemonians , you have taken no part in their expeditions , or that you have never done us any wrong . But you and we should say what we really think , and aim only at what is possible , for we both alike know that into the discussion of human affairs the question of justice only enters where there is equal power to enforce it , and that the powerful exact what they can , and the weak grant what they must .