Dialogos De Melos

THUCYDIDES
*

HTSTORY OF THE
PELOPONNESIAN
WAR
*

. Translated y Rex Warner
b
with an btro&rctionanil Nofcs
by M. I. n^inley

PENGUIN BOOKS

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400

BOOK FIVB

THB MBLTAN DrALocun4tr

E+Next summer Alcibiadessailedto Argos wirh twenty rhipl and
seized3oo Argive citizenswho were still suspectedf bcing proo
Spartan.Thesewere put by the Atheniansinto thc nearbyidan&under Atheniancontrol.
The Atheniansalso made an expedition againstthe island of
Melos. They had thirty of their own ffpq six from Chios, and
r
two from Lesbos; ,2oohoplites,3ooarchers, ndtwenty mounted
a
a
archers, ll from Athens;and about r,Joo hoplitesfrom the allier
and the islanders.
The Meliansarea colony from Sparta. hey hadrefusedo join
T
t
the Athenian empire like the otherislanders, nd at first had roa
w
mainedneumal ithout helpingeitherside;but aftcrwards, hen
w
h
the Athenians ad brought force to bearon them by laying waste
their land, they had becomeopen enemies f Athens.
o
Nowthe generals leomedes,hesonof Lycomedes, ndTisias,
t
a
C
thc sonof Tisimachus,encamped ith the aboveforce in Melian
w
territory and, beforedoing any harm to the land, firstof dl rcnt
representatives negotiate.The Melians did not invite these
to
to
t
representatives speak eforethe people, ut askedhem to make
b
b
f
the statementor which they had comein &ont of the governing
then spokear
body and the Gw. The Athenian representatives
follows:
'So we arenot to speak eforethe people,no doubt in case
8S
b
the
massof the people should hear once and for alland without
4o. SeeAppendix 3.

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T he M elian D ialogue4 1615

4 or

interruption an argument&om us which is both persuasivend
a
incontrovertible, nd shouldso be led asray. This, we rcdizc, is
a
your motive in bringingushereto speak eforethefew. Now sup
b
posethat you who sit here shouldmake assuranceoubly sure.
d
that
Suppose you,too,shouldrefrainfrom dedingwitheverypoint
in dctail in a setspeech, nd shouldinsteadnternrpt uswbenever
a
i
wc s:rysomethingconroversial and dcal wirh that before going
on to the next point? Tell us fust whether you approveof this
suggcstion f ours.'
o
86 The Council of the Melians replied asfollows:
'No
o nec ano bjectt oeacho f u sputtingforwardourownviewr
'What
in a cdm aunospherc. hat is perfecdyreasonablc.
T
isscarcely
consistentwith such a proposalis the presentthreat, indeed the
certainfy, of your making war on us. We seethat you havecome
prepared ojudge the argumentyotrselves,andthat the likely end
t
ofit all will be eitherwr, ifwc prove that we arein the right, and
so refuseto surrcndcr,or elseslavery.'
8z Athenians;f you are going to spendthe time in enumerating
I
yorr suspicions bout thefunrre, or if you havemet herefor any
a
other reason xceptto look thc 6cts in the 6ce and on rhe basis
e
of thesefactsto considerhow you can saveyour city from destmction, thereis no point in our going on with this discussion.
If,
however, you will do aswe suggcst,hen we will speak n.
t
o
88 Melians:It is natural and understandablehat people who are
t
placedaswe areshouldhaverecoursco allkinds ofargumentsand
t
different pointsofview. However, you areright in sayingthat we
are met togetherhere to discusshe saferyof our country and, if
t
you will haveit so, the discussion hdl proceedon the linesthat
s
you havelaid down.
8g Athenians; hen we on our sidcwill useno fne phrasesaying,
T
s
for example,that we bave a right to our empire bccause e dew
featedthe Persians,r that wehavecomeagainst ou now because
o
y
- a great massof words that
of the injuries you have done us
nobody would believe.And we askyou on your sidcnot to imaginethatyou will influencc sby saying hatyou, thougha colony
u
t
of S para,h aven otjoined S parai nthewar, o rthatyouhavenever
done us any harm. Insteadwe recornmendthat you shouldt y
to get what it is possibleor you ro get, aking...