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Instead of impossible. For often Thucydides has used plurals instead of singulars, especially for this expression.[1]
Impossible is that which is not capable of being true; such as, the earth flies.[2]
'With the general finding it impossibles to take so great a risk of war.'[3]

*)adu/nata ei)=nai: a)nti\ tou= a)du/naton. polla/kis ga\r ke/xrhtai *qoukudi/dhs toi=s plhquntikoi=s a)nti\ e(nikw=n, ma/lista d' e)pi\ tau/ths th=s le/cews. a)du/naton de/ e)stin, o(\ mh/ e)stin e)pidektiko\n tou= a)lhqe\s ei)=nai: oi(=on h( gh= i(/ptatai. a)du/nata e)/xontos tou= strathgou= ku/bon a)narri/yai pole/mou tosou=ton.

[1] Thucydides 1.59.2, etc; see web address 1. (For something similar see epsilon 2774.) Same material in other lexica; references at Photius alpha392 Theodoridis.
[2] Stoic doctrine from Diogenes Laertius 7.75.
[3] This sentence of unknown source is also found, in slightly different word order, at kappa 2601. For the use of the phrase "to toss the die", ku/bos, as a metaphor in Polybius and Plutarch for taking the risk of battle or war see also alpha 2310, epsilon 3013 (Julius Caesar's 'The die is cast'), kappa 2591 and phi 5 (end); also the proverb "Triple six or three aces" (eta 635, tau 934, tau 1006).

Catharine Roth (Added notes and link.) on 10 September 2000@00:36:45.
Robert Dyer (Minor translation correction; added a cross reference to Kappa 2601 and other uses of dicing as a metaphor for the risk of battle or war.) on 22 November 2000@10:39:20.
David Whitehead (modified headword; added keywords; cosmetics) on 17 February 2003@08:07:07.
David Whitehead (another keyword) on 28 November 2005@10:15:39.
David Whitehead (x-ref) on 19 December 2007@04:04:51.
David Whitehead (tweaks and cosmetics) on 12 June 2008@09:31:54.
David Whitehead (expanded n.1) on 19 August 2013@06:10:11.
Catharine Roth (tweaked note and link) on 9 December 2013@10:11:26.

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