rei laudes Atheniensibus potissimum esse deferendas, qui strenue rem gerentes Spartanos aliosque e sociis concitaverint ut salutem patriae omnibus rebus proponerent et ad ultimum depugnarent. Id quoque animadvertere libet quod propter socordiam aliorum, aliorum perfidiam haud multum abfuit quin Graecia tota in ditionem Persis veniret. Erant enim in omni fere civitate qui Persis faverent[1] et pietatis erga patriam immemores libertate privari vellent dummodo de inimicis suis poenas possent sumere. Ceterum devictis Persis gratiae communi consensu Atheniensibus actae sunt quod patriam servassent; neque enim homines fefellit per Athenienses stetisse quominus deditio turpissima fieret.[2]
135.—Atheniensibus inde domum reversis Themistocles auctor fuit[3] moenium maiori circuitu aedificandorum; ita enim,[4] si forte bellum incidisset, eos qui ruri habitarent receptum habere posse. Sed tantum Athenis invidebant civitates finitimae et praecipue Spartani, ut Atheniensibus denuntiaretur ne moenia reticerent; fieri enim posse[5] ut Persa Athenis rursus potitus ex urbe inde munita fines vicinorum vastaret. Themistocles autem quid molirentur[6] inimici minime ignarus, cum dolo Spartanos decepisset negaretque refici moenia, tanto studio opus efficiendum curavit[7] ut prius quam scirent Spartani quid ageretur, in eam altitudinem[8] creverint[9] moenia ut defendi possent. Elusis igitur Spartanis neque urbem oppugnare audentibus moenia ingenti civium laetitia refecta: Piraeus[10] necnon valido muro communitus est.
136.—Quamvis apud Mycalen debellatum esset Ionesque liberi evasissent, Persae nonnullos locos[11] in utraque continenti obtinebant et in his Byzantium,[12] oppidum ditissimum, natura quoque
- ↑ faverent—50, note.
- ↑ per—fieret—‘that the Athenians were the cause of a most disgraceful surrender not being made ;’ i.e. ‘prevented a most disgraceful surrender.’
- ↑ auctor fuit—‘advised.’
- ↑ ita enim—oratio obliqua depending on verb understood from auctor fuit.
- ↑ fieri enim posse.—Once the construction has become oblique there is no need of a fresh verb to introduce another kind of substantival clause. A command depends on denuntiaretur, but the statement following depends on the sense quite naturally.
- ↑ molirentur—Moliri always conveys the idea of a thing being done laboriously.
- ↑ efficiendum curavit—the regular construction with curo. It would be expressed in Greek by the use of the middle voice.
- ↑ in eam altitudinem—‘to such a height;’ eam = talem.
- ↑ creverint—29, note.
- ↑ Piraeus—a town about five miles from Athens, of which it was the chief port.
- ↑ locos—‘spots.’ loci is used of particular spots, loca of places or country generally.
- ↑ Byzantium—now Constantinople.
