politburo diktat 2.0

Summary: Tissaphernes treacherously killed Clearchus and many of the other Greek officers.

οἱ μὲν δὴ στρατηγοὶ οὕτω ληφθέντες ἀνήχθησαν ὡς βασιλέα καὶ ἀποτμηθέντες τὰς κεφαλὰς ἐτελεύτησαν, εἷς μὲν αὐτῶν Κλέαρχος ὁμολογουμένως ἐκ πάντων τῶν ἐμπείρως αὐτοῦ ἐχόντων δόξας γενέσθαι ἀνὴρ καὶ πολεμικὸς καὶ φιλοπόλεμος ἐσχάτως. [2] καὶ γὰρ δὴ ἕως μὲν πόλεμος ἦν τοῖς Λακεδαιμονίοις πρὸς τοὺς Ἀθηναίους παρέμενεν, ἐπειδὴ δὲ εἰρήνη ἐγένετο, πείσας τὴν αὑτοῦ πόλιν ὡς οἱ Θρᾷκες ἀδικοῦσι τοὺς Ἕλληνας καὶ διαπραξάμενος ὡς ἐδύνατο παρὰ τῶν ἐφόρων ἐξέπλει ὡς πολεμήσων τοῖς ὑπὲρ Χερρονήσου καὶ Περίνθου Θρᾳξίν.

The Greek generals thus captured were brought before the King and sentenced to death by beheading; one of them, Clearchus, as agreed by all who were acquainted with him, seemed to be a man both war-like and fond of war, to the highest degree. In fact, as long as there was war between the Spartans and the Athenians, he remained loyal to Sparta, but when peace came, persuading his city that the Thracians were mistreating the Greeks and gaining the approval of the ephors¹ as best he could, he sailed away, to campaign against the Thracians beyond the Hellespont and Perinthus.

[3] ἐπεὶ δὲ μεταγνόντες πως οἱ ἔφοροι ἤδη ἔξω ὄντος ἀποστρέφειν αὐτὸν ἐπειρῶντο ἐξ Ἰσθμοῦ, ἐνταῦθα οὐκέτι πείθεται, ἀλλ’ ᾤχετο πλέων εἰς Ἑλλήσποντον. [4] ἐκ τούτου καὶ ἐθανατώθη ὑπὸ τῶν ἐν Σπάρτῃ τελῶν ὡς ἀπειθῶν. ἤδη δὲ φυγὰς ὢν ἔρχεται πρὸς Κῦρον, καὶ ὁποίοις μὲν λόγοις ἔπεισε Κῦρον ἄλλῃ γέγραπται, δίδωσι δὲ αὐτῷ Κῦρος μυρίους δαρεικούς: [5] ὁ δὲ λαβὼν οὐκ ἐπὶ ῥᾳθυμίαν ἐτράπετο, ἀλλ’ ἀπὸ τούτων τῶν χρημάτων συλλέξας στράτευμα ἐπολέμει τοῖς Θρᾳξί, καὶ μάχῃ τε ἐνίκησε καὶ ἀπὸ τούτου δὴ ἔφερε καὶ ἦγε τούτους καὶ πολεμῶν διεγένετο μέχρι Κῦρος ἐδεήθη τοῦ στρατεύματος: τότε δὲ ἀπῆλθεν ὡς σὺν ἐκείνῳ αὖ πολεμήσων.

When the ephors changed their minds, for whatever reason, and they attempted to recall him when he was already beyond the Isthmus of Corinth, he did not obey, but continued sailing for the Hellespont. After this, he was condemned to death by the Spartan authorities, for insubordination. Being an exile at that time, he came before Cyrus and with whatever words, as written elsewhere, persuaded Cyrus to support him. And Cyrus gave him 10,000 darics. Taking this money, he did not spend it on easy living, but used it to raise an army to fight against the Thracians, defeating them in battle and plundering them, and carried on this war until Cyrus wanted his army. And then Clearchus went off, to again go campaigning with him.

[6] ταῦτα οὖν φιλοπολέμου μοι δοκεῖ ἀνδρὸς ἔργα εἶναι, ὅστις ἐξὸν μὲν εἰρήνην ἄγειν ἄνευ αἰσχύνης καὶ βλάβης αἱρεῖται πολεμεῖν, ἐξὸν δὲ ῥᾳθυμεῖν βούλεται πονεῖν ὥστε πολεμεῖν, ἐξὸν δὲ χρήματα ἔχειν ἀκινδύνως αἱρεῖται πολεμῶν μείονα ταῦτα ποιεῖν: ἐκεῖνος δὲ ὥσπερ εἰς παιδικὰ ἢ εἰς ἄλλην τινὰ ἡδονὴν ἤθελε δαπανᾶν εἰς πόλεμον. [7] οὕτω μὲν φιλοπόλεμος ἦν: πολεμικὸς δὲ αὖ ταύτῃ ἐδόκει εἶναι ὅτι φιλοκίνδυνός τε ἦν καὶ ἡμέρας καὶ νυκτὸς ἄγων ἐπὶ τοὺς πολεμίους καὶ ἐν τοῖς δεινοῖς φρόνιμος, ὡς οἱ παρόντες πανταχοῦ πάντες ὡμολόγουν. [8] καὶ ἀρχικὸς δ’ ἐλέγετο εἶναι ὡς δυνατὸν ἐκ τοῦ τοιούτου τρόπου οἷον κἀκεῖνος εἶχεν. ἱκανὸς μὲν γὰρ ὥς τις καὶ ἄλλος φροντίζειν ἦν ὅπως ἔχοι ἡ στρατιὰ αὐτῷ τὰ ἐπιτήδεια καὶ παρασκευάζειν ταῦτα, ἱκανὸς δὲ καὶ ἐμποιῆσαι τοῖς παροῦσιν ὡς πειστέον εἴη Κλεάρχῳ.

Thus, these actions, seem to me to be those of a war-loving man. When he can live in peace without danger or harm, he chooses to go to war. When he can live at ease, he wants to toil, as long as it is for war. When he can keep his money without danger, he prefers to diminish his wealth for war. Just as on a favorite or some other pleasure, he wants to spend on war; in this way, he was war-loving. On the other hand, he seemed to be fitted for war in that he loved danger and was ready day and night to attack the enemy, and when in danger he was cool-headed, as everyone around him agreed. And he was said to be as good a commander as possible, for a man of his disposition. He was as capable as any other man to devise ways for his army to get supplies and to be prepared, and he was also able to impress on those around him that Clearchus must be obeyed.

[9] τοῦτο δ’ ἐποίει ἐκ τοῦ χαλεπὸς εἶναι: καὶ γὰρ ὁρᾶν στυγνὸς ἦν καὶ τῇ φωνῇ τραχύς, ἐκόλαζέ τε ἰσχυρῶς, καὶ ὀργῇ ἐνίοτε, ὡς καὶ αὐτῷ μεταμέλειν ἔσθ’ ὅτε. [10] καὶ γνώμῃ δ’ ἐκόλαζεν: ἀκολάστου γὰρ στρατεύματος οὐδὲν ἡγεῖτο ὄφελος εἶναι, ἀλλὰ καὶ λέγειν αὐτὸν ἔφασαν ὡς δέοι τὸν στρατιώτην φοβεῖσθαι μᾶλλον τὸν ἄρχοντα ἢ τοὺς πολεμίους, εἰ μέλλοι ἢ φυλακὰς φυλάξειν ἢ φίλων ἀφέξεσθαι ἢ ἀπροφασίστως ἰέναι πρὸς τοὺς πολεμίους. [11] ἐν μὲν οὖν τοῖς δεινοῖς ἤθελον αὐτοῦ ἀκούειν σφόδρα καὶ οὐκ ἄλλον ᾑροῦντο οἱ στρατιῶται: καὶ γὰρ τὸ στυγνὸν τότε φαιδρὸν αὐτοῦ †ἐν τοῖς ἄλλοις προσώποις† ἔφασαν φαίνεσθαι καὶ τὸ χαλεπὸν ἐρρωμένον πρὸς τοὺς πολεμίους ἐδόκει εἶναι, ὥστε σωτήριον, οὐκέτι χαλεπὸν ἐφαίνετο:

He accomplished this by being severe. In fact, he looked stern and had a gruff voice; he disciplined harshly, even at times angrily, so that even he, on occasion, regretted it. And he disciplined on principle, for he believed that an undisciplined army was no use to anyone. And he was reputed to say that a soldier should fear his commander more than the enemy, if he was to stand guard duty or refrain from pillaging friendly areas or to attack the enemy unhesitantingly. When in the midst of dangers, the soldiers keenly wanted to hear him and would not follow any other; and at such times, his sternness was said to be reflected as brightness in the faces of others, and his severity was seen as resoluteness against the enemy, looking like salvation, not as harshness.

[12] ὅτε δ’ ἔξω τοῦ δεινοῦ γένοιντο καὶ ἐξείη πρὸς ἄλλον ἀρξομένους ἀπιέναι, πολλοὶ αὐτὸν ἀπέλειπον: τὸ γὰρ ἐπίχαρι οὐκ εἶχεν, ἀλλ’ ἀεὶ χαλεπὸς ἦν καὶ ὠμός: ὥστε διέκειντο πρὸς αὐτὸν οἱ στρατιῶται ὥσπερ παῖδες πρὸς διδάσκαλον. [13] καὶ γὰρ οὖν φιλίᾳ μὲν καὶ εὐνοίᾳ ἑπομένους οὐδέποτε εἶχεν: οἵτινες δὲ ἢ ὑπὸ πόλεως τεταγμένοι ἢ ὑπὸ τοῦ δεῖσθαι ἢ ἄλλῃ τινὶ ἀνάγκῃ κατεχόμενοι παρείησαν αὐτῷ, σφόδρα πειθομένοις ἐχρῆτο. [14] ἐπεὶ δὲ ἄρξαιντο νικᾶν ξὺν αὐτῷ τοὺς πολεμίους, ἤδη μεγάλα ἦν τὰ χρησίμους ποιοῦντα εἶναι τοὺς ξὺν αὐτῷ στρατιώτας: τό τε γὰρ πρὸς τοὺς πολεμίους θαρραλέως ἔχειν παρῆν καὶ τὸ τὴν παρ’ ἐκείνου τιμωρίαν φοβεῖσθαι εὐτάκτους ἐποίει. [15] τοιοῦτος μὲν δὴ ἄρχων ἦν: ἄρχεσθαι δὲ ὑπὸ ἄλλων οὐ μάλα ἐθέλειν ἐλέγετο. ἦν δὲ ὅτε ἐτελεύτα ἀμφὶ τὰ πεντήκοντα ἔτη.

But when out of danger and it was possible to go another commander, many soldiers deserted him, for he had no charisma, but was always harsh and rough; so that the soldiers felt towards him as schoolboys towards the schoolmaster. So consequently, he never had any followers from friendship or goodwill. But whoever was assigned by his city or from his own need or from some other necessity was compelled to serve with him, they were found to be very obedient. And as soon as they began in his service to overcome the enemy, from that moment there were weighty reasons which made his soldiers efficient; for they had the feeling of confidence in the face of the enemy, and their fear of punishment at his hands kept them in a fine state of discipline. Such he was as a commander, but being commanded by others was not especially to his liking, so people said. He was about fifty years old at the time of his death.

1. Spartan magistrates, superior even to the king. [↩]