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

ano} and {ta kato}. As an explanation they can hardly be correct,
but the whole passage is vaguely expressed.

[147] {tropous tesseras paragogeon}.

[148] i.e. the Asiatic Ionians who had formed a separate confederacy.
Some understand it to mean the Milesians, but this would give no
satisfactory connection with what follows.

[149] {pentapolios}.

[150] {exapolios}.

[151] {mesogaioi}. Several of the other cities are at some distance
from the coast, but the region is meant in each case rather than
the city (hence such forms as {Tritaiees}.

[152] {'Elikonio}.

[153] This is condemned as an interpolation by some Editors.

[154] {oreon de ekousan ouk omoios}.

[155] {katastas}: cp. iii. 46.

[156] {ktesamenoi}: Stein reads {stesamenoi} by conjecture: cp. vi.
58.

[157] {phrontizo me ariston e}. The translation is Rawlinson's.

[158] {kephale anamaxas}: cp. Hom. Od. xix. 92.

[159] {es tous Bragkhidas}, i.e. the priests of the temple. The name
of the place {Bragkhidai} is feminine, cp. ch. 92.

[160] {onax}, addressing Apollo.

[161] {exaipee tous strouthous k.t.l.} The verb is one which is
commonly used of the destruction and depopulation of cities, cp.
ch. 176. (Stein.)

[162] {tou de 'Atarneos toutou esti khoros tes Musies}.

[163] {ouk oligoi stadioi}.

[164] {katirosai}, i.e. dedicate it to the king as a token of
submission.

[165] i.e. Corsica.

[166] {anaphanenai}: the MSS. have {anaphenai}, which can only be
translated by supplying {ton ponton} from {katepontosan}, "till
the sea produced it again," but this is hardly satisfactory.

[167] {Karkhedonioi}.

[168] {elakhon te auton pollo pleious}. Several Editors suppose that
words have been lost or that the text is corrupt. I understand it
to mean that many more of them fell into the hands of the enemy
than were rescued by their own side. Some translate "divided most
of them by lot"; but this would be {dielakhon}, and the proceeding
would have no object if the prisoners were to be put to death at
once. For {pleious} Stein reads {pleistous}.

[169] {ton Kurnon . . . ktisai eron eonta, all' ou ten neson}.

[170] {bouleuterion}.

[171] {outoi}: the MSS. have {outo}.

[172] {autokhthonas epeirotas}.

[173] Many Editors insert {oi} before {tes khores tes spheteres} and
alter the punctuation accordingly.

[174] Or "all their land came within the isthmus."

[175] {epexiontes}: the MSS. have {upexiontes}, which Mr. Woods
explains to mean "coming forth suddenly."

[176] {epexelthontes}: the MSS. have {upexelthontes}.

[177] {stadion}, and so throughout.

[178] The "royal cubit" appears to have measured about twenty-one
inches.

[179] {tous agkhonas}, the walls on the North and South of the city,
called so because built at an angle with the side walls.

[180] {laurai}, "lanes."

[181] {kai autai}, but perhaps the text is not sound.

[182] {thorex}, as opposed to the inner wall, which would be the
{kithon} (cp. vii. 139).

[183] {steinoteron}: Mr. Woods says "of less thickness," the top of
the wall being regarded as a road.

[184] {duo stadion pante}, i.e. 404 yards square.

[185] {tou irou}, i.e. the sacred precincts; cp. {en to temenei
touto}.

[186] {neos}, the inner house of the temple.

[187] {promantis}.

[188] {ta telea ton probaton}.

[189] "at that time."

[189a] {katapleontes ton Euphreten}: the MSS. have {katapleontes es
ton E}. (It is not true, as stated by Abicht, that the Medicean
MS. omits {es}.)

[190] {oligon ti parateinousa apo tou potamou}.

[191] {ou gar ameinon}, an Epic phrase, cp. iii. 71 and 82.

[192] {eskeuasmenos}, a conjectural emendation of {eskeuasmenoisi},
"with provisions well prepared."

[193] {kateteine skhoinoteneas upodexas diorukhas}. Stein understands
{kateteine ten stratien} (resumed afterwards by {diataxas}, "he
extended his army, having first marked out channels straight by
lines."

[194] {proesaxanto}, from {proesago}: it may be however from
{prosatto}, "they had heaped together provisions for themselves
beforehand."

[195] {ten stratien apasan}. Stein thinks that some correction is
needed.

[196] {oi d' an perudontes k.t.l.}: the MSS. have {oud' an
perudontes}, "they would not even have allowed them to enter the
city (from the river)," but the negative is awkward referring to
the participle alone, and the admission of the enemy to the river-
bed within the city would have been an essential part of the
scheme, not to be omitted in the description.

[197] The Attic /medimnos/ ( 48 /choinikes/) was rather less than 12
gallons.

[198] {ton tes Demetros karpon}.

[199] Stein supposes that words have fallen out before {ta gar de alla
dendrea}, chiefly because some mention of the palm-trees might
have been expected here.

[200] {phoinikeious}: some Editors (following Valla) have altered this
to {phoinikeiou} ("casks of palm-wine"), but it is not likely that
palm-wine would have been thus imported, see ch. 193.

[201] {kai o men eso elkei to plektron o de exo otheei}. I take it to
mean that there is one steering-oar on each side, and the "inside"
is the side nearer to the bank of the river. The current would
naturally run faster on the "outside" and consequently would tend
to turn the boat round, and therefore the inside oarsman pulls his
oar constantly towards himself and the outside man pushes his oar
from himself (i.e. backs water), to keep the boat straight.
Various explanations are given. Stein takes {eso, exo} with the
verbs, "one draws the boat towards himself, the other pushes it
from himself." Mr. Woods understands that only one oar is used at
a time and by two men looking different ways, of whom {o men eso}
is he who stands nearest to the side of the boat.

[202] If the talents meant are Euboic, this would be about 170 tons.

[203] {mitresi}: cp. vii. 62.

[204] {os an ai parthenoi ginoiato}, equivalent to {osai aei parthenoi
ginoiato}, which Stein suggests as a correction.

[205] This sentence, "in order that-city," is thought by Stein to be
either interpolated or misplaced.

[206] {katestekee}: some Editors adopt the correction {katesteke}, "is
established."

[207] {iron}, afterwards called {temenos}.

[208] {panta tropon odon}: some MSS. have {odon} for {odon}, and {odon
ekhousi} might perhaps mean "afford a passage." (The reading of
the Medicean MS. is {odon}.)

[209] "I call upon Mylitta against thee"; or perhaps, "I call upon
Mylitta to be favourable to thee."

[210] {aposiosamene te theo}.

[211] {eideos te epammenai eisi kai megatheos}.

[212] {patriai}.

[213] {antion}.

[214] That is perhaps, "if one rows as well as sails," using oars when
the wind is not favourable, cp. ii. 11.

[215] {genomene}, or {ginomene}, "which he met with."

[216] {eonta akharita}: most of the MSS. have {ta eonta akharita},
with which reading the sentence would be, "the sufferings which I
have, have proved bitter lessons of wisdom to me."

[217] {me eie}.

[218] {tou katharou stratou}, perhaps "the effective part," without
the encumbrances, cp. iv. 135.

[219] {alexomenous}.

[220] {sagaris nomizontes ekhein}: cp. iv. 5.

[221] {maskhalisteras}.

[222] {thuousi}.

[223] {nomos}: the conjecture {noos}, "meaning," which is adopted by
many Editors, may be right; but {nomos} seems to mean the
"customary rule" which determines this form of sacrifice, the rule
namely of "swift to the swift."


BOOK II

THE SECOND BOOK OF THE HISTORIES, CALLED EUTERPE

1. When Cyrus had brought his life to an end, Cambyses received the royal power in succession, being the son of Cyrus and of Cassandane the daughter of Pharnaspes, for whose death, which came about before his own, Cyrus had made great mourning himself and also had proclaimed to all those over whom he bore rule that they should make mourning for her: Cambyses, I say, being the son of this woman and of Cyrus, regarded the Ionians and Aiolians as slaves inherited from his father; and he proceeded to march an army against Egypt, taking with him as helpers not only the other nations of which he was the ruler, but also those of the Hellenes over whom he had power besides.

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2. Now the Egyptians, before the time when Psammetichos[1] became king over them, were wont to suppose that they had come into being first of all men; but since the time when Psammetichos having become king desired to know what men had come into being first, they suppose that the Phrygians came into being before themselves, but they themselves before all other men. Now Psammetichos, when he was not able by inquiry to find out any means of knowing who had come into being first of all men, contrived a device of the following kind:-Taking two new- born children belonging to persons of the common sort he gave them to a shepherd to bring up at the place where his flocks were, with a manner of bringing up such as I shall say, charging him namely that no man should utter any word in their presence, and that they should be placed by themselves in a room where none might come, and at the proper time he should bring to them she-goats, and when he had satisfied them with milk he should do for them whatever else was needed. These things Psammetichos did and gave him this charge wishing to hear what word the children would let break forth first, after they had ceased from wailings without sense. And accordingly so it came to pass; for after a space of two years had gone by, during which the shepherd went on acting so, at length, when he opened the door and entered, both the children fell before him in entreaty and uttered the word /bekos/, stretching forth their hands. At first when he heard this the shepherd kept silence; but since this word was often repeated, as he visited them constantly and attended to them, at last he declared the matter to his master, and at his command he brought the children before his face. Then Psammetichos having himself also heard it, began to inquire about what nation of men named anything /bekos/, and inquiring he found that the Phrygians had this name