The history of Herodotus — Volume 1 by Herodotus (an ebook reader TXT) 📖

/> his own party," but the passage to which he refers in ch. 61,
{katallasseto ten ekhthren toisi stasiotesi}, may be referred to
in the quarrel made with his party by Megacles when he joined
Peisistratos.

[70] More literally, "since from ancient time the Hellenic race had
been marked off from the Barbarians as being more skilful and more
freed from foolish simplicity, (and) since at that time among the
Athenians, who are accounted the first of the Hellenes in ability,
these men devised a trick as follows."

[71] The cubit is reckoned as 24 finger-breadths, i.e. about 18
inches.

[72] So Rawlinson.

[73] See v. 70.

[74] {dia endekatou eteos}. Not quite the same as {dia evdeka eteon}
("after an interval of eleven years"); rather "in the eleventh
year" (i.e. "after an interval of ten years").

[75] {thein pompe khreomenos}.

[76] For {'Akarnan} it has been suggested to read {'Akharneus},
because this man is referred to as an Athenian by various writers.
However Acarnanians were celebrated for prophetic power, and he
might be called an Athenian as resident with Peisistratos at
Athens.

[77] Or "for that part of the land from which the temple could be
seen," but cp. Thuc. iii. 104. In either case the meaning is the
same.

[77a] {enomotias kai triekadas kai sussitia}. The {enomotia} was the
primary division of the Spartan army: of the {triekas} nothing is
known for certain.

[78] {kibdelo}, properly "counterfeit": cp. ch. 75.

[79] {skhoino diametresamenoi}: whether actually, for the purpose of
distributing the work among them, or because the rope which
fastened them together lay on the ground like a measuring-tape, is
left uncertain.

[80] Cp. ix. 70.

[81] {epitarrothos}. Elsewhere (that is in Homer) the word always
means "helper," and Stein translates it so here, "thou shalt be
protector and patron of Tegea" (in the place of Orestes). Mr.
Woods explains it by the parallel of such phrases as {Danaoisi
makhes epitarrothoi}, to mean "thou shalt be a helper (of the
Lacedemonians) in the matter of Tegea," but this perhaps would be
a form of address too personal to the envoy, who is usually
addressed in the second person, but only as representative of
those who sent him. The conjectural reading {epitarrothon exeis},
"thou shalt have him as a helper against Tegea," is tempting.

[82] {agathoergon}.

[83] This was to enable him the better to gain his ends at Tegea.

[84] Cp. ch. 51, note.

[85] See ch. 6.

[86] {euzono andri}: cp. ch. 104 and ii. 34. The word {euzonos} is
used of light-armed troops; Hesychius says, {euzonos, me ekhon
phortion}.

[87] {orgen ouk akros}: this is the reading of all the best MSS., and
it is sufficiently supported by the parallel of v. 124, {psukhen
ouk akros}. Most Editors however have adopted the reading {orgen
akros}, as equivalent to {akrakholos}, "quick-tempered."

[88] It has been suggested by some that this clause is not genuine. It
should not, however, be taken to refer to the battle which was
interrupted by the eclipse, for (1) that did not occur in the
period here spoken of; (2) the next clause is introduced by {de}
(which can hardly here stand for {gar}); (3) when the eclipse
occurred the fighting ceased, therefore it was no more a
{nuktomakhin} than any other battle which is interrupted by
darkness coming on.

[89] See ch. 188. /Nabunita/ was his true name.

[90] See ch. 107 ff.

[91] Not "somewhere near the city of Sinope," for it must have been at
a considerable distance and probably far inland. Sinope itself is
at least fifty miles to the west of the Halys. I take it to mean
that Pteria was nearly due south of Sinope, i.e. that the nearest
road from Pteria to the sea led to Sinope. Pteria no doubt was the
name of a region as well as of a city.

[92] {anastatous epoiese}.

[93] This is the son of the man mentioned in ch. 74.

[94] {us en autou xeinikos}. Stein translates "so much of it as was
mercenary," but it may be doubted if this is possible. Mr. Woods,
"which army of his was a foreign one."

[95] {Metros Dindumenes}, i.e. Kybele: the mountain is Dindymos in
Phrygia.

[96] i.e. the whole strip of territory to the West of the peninsula of
Argolis, which includes Thyrea and extends southwards to Malea:
"westwards as far as Malea" would be absurd.

[97] {outos}: a conjectural emendation of {autos}.

[98] {autos}: some MSS. read {o autos}, "this same man."

[99] {aneneikamenon}, nearly equivalent to {anastemaxanta} (cp. Hom.
Il. xix. 314), {mnesamenos d' adinos aneneikato phonesen te}. Some
translate it here, "he recovered himself," cp. ch. 116,
{aneneikhtheis}.

[100] {ubristai}.

[101] {proesousi}: a conjectural emendation of {poiesousi}, adopted in
most of the modern editions.

[102] {touto oneidisai}: or {touton oneidisai}, "to reproach the god
with these things." The best MSS. have {touto}.

[103] {to kai . . . eipe ta eipe Loxias k.t.l.}: various emendations
have been proposed. If any one is to be adopted, the boldest would
perhaps be the best, {to de kai . . . eipe Loxias}.

[104] {oia te kai alle khore}, "such as other lands have."

[105] {stadioi ex kai duo plethra}.

[106] {plethra tria kai deka}.

[107] {Gugaie}.

[108] Or "Tyrrhenia."

[109] Or "Umbrians."

[110] {tes ano 'Asies}, i.e. the parts which are removed from the
Mediterranean.

[111] i.e. nature would not be likely to supply so many regularly
ascending circles. Stein alters the text so that the sentence runs
thus, "and whereas there are seven circles of all, within the last
is the royal palace," etc.

[112] i.e. "to laugh or to spit is unseemly for those in presence of
the king, and this last for all, whether in the presence of the
king or not." Cp. Xen. Cyrop. i. 2. 16, {aiskhron men gar eti kai
nun esti Persais kai to apoptuein kai to apomuttesthai}, (quoted
by Stein, who however gives a different interpretation).

[113] {tauta de peri eouton esemnune}: the translation given is that
of Mr. Woods.

[114] {allos mentoi eouton eu ekontes}: the translation is partly due
to Mr. Woods.

[115] i.e. East of the Halys: see note on ch. 95.

[116] See iv. 12.

[117] Cp. ch. 72.

[118] {ten katuperthe odon}, i.e. further away from the Euxine
eastwards.

[119] {o theos}.

[120] {khoris men gar phoron}: many Editors substitute {phoron} for
{phoron}, but {phoron} may stand if taken not with {khoris} but
with {to ekastoisi epeballon}.

[121] Cp. ch. 184, "the Assyrian history."

[122] {uperthemenos}, a conjectural emendation of {upothemenos}, cp.
ch. 108 where the MSS. give {uperthemenos}, (the Medicean with
{upo} written above as a correction).

[123] Or "expose me to risk," "stake my safety."

[124] Or "thou wilt suffer the most evil kind of death": cp. ch. 167.

[124a] {tas aggelias pherein}, i.e. to have the office of
{aggeliephoros} (ch. 120) or {esaggeleus} (iii. 84), the
chamberlain through whom communications passed.

[125] {dialabein}. So translated by Mr. Woods.

[126] {es tas anagkas}, "to the necessity," mentioned above.

[127] Or "to celebrate good fortune."

[128] {akreon kheiron te kai podon}: cp. ii. 121 (e), {apotamonta en
to omo ten kheira}.

[129] {esti te o pais kai periesti}. So translated by Mr. Woods.

[130] {erkhe}: a few inferior MSS. have {eikhe}, which is adopted by
several Editors.

[131] {para smikra . . . kekhoreke}, "have come out equal to trifles."

[132] {kuon}: cp. ch. 110.

[133] {su nun}, answering to {se gar theoi eporeousi}: the MSS. and
some Editors read {su nun}.

[134] i.e. of the race of Perses: see vii. 61.

[135] "how his change from a throne to slavery was as compared with
that feast, etc.," i.e. what did he think of it as a retribution.

[136] See ch. 106. The actual duration of the Median supremacy would
be therefore a hundred years.

[136a] This is by some altered to "Alilat," by comparison of iii. 8.

[137] {stemmasi}, i.e. the chaplets wound round with wool which were
worn at Hellenic sacrifices.

[138] {oulesi}.

[138a] Cp. vii. 61.

[139] {sitoisi}: perhaps "plain dishes."

[140] {proskuneei}, i.e. kisses his feet or the ground.

[141] {ton legomenon}, a correction of {to legomeno}. (The Medicean
MS. has {toi legomenoi} like the rest, not {toi legomeno}, as
stated by Stein.)

[142] {ekhomenon, kata ton auton de logon}: the MSS. and most Editors
have {ekhomenon}. {kata ton auton de logon}; "and this same rule
the Persians observe in giving honour." This, however, makes it
difficult (though not impossible) to refer {to ethnos} in the next
clause to the Medes, and it can hardly be referred to the
Persians, who certainly had not the same system of government.
Perhaps however we may translate thus, "for each race extended
forward thus their rule or their deputed authority."

[143] Cp. vii. 194.

[144] {polloi}: omitted, or corrected variously, by Editors. There is,
perhaps, something wrong about the text in the next clause also,
for it seems clear that white doves were not objected to by the
Persians. See Stein's note.

[145] See ch. 95.

[146] These words, "neither those towards the East nor those towards
the West" have perhaps been interpolated as an explanation of {ta