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

him Babylon to rule free from tribute, so long as he should live; and he added many other gifts. The son of this Zopyros was Megabyzos, who was made commander in Egypt against the Athenians and their allies; and the son of this Megabyzos was Zopyros, who went over to Athens as a deserter from the Persians. -----

NOTES TO BOOK III

[1] See ii. 1.

[2] {'Amasin}. This accusative must be taken with {eprexe}. Some
Editors adopt the conjecture {'Amasi}, to be taken with
{memphomenos} as in ch. 4, "did this because he had a quarrel with
Amasis."

[3] See ii. 152, 154.

[4] {Suron}: see ii. 104.

[5] {keinon}: most MSS. and many editions have {keimenon}, "laid up."

[6] {demarkhon}.

[7] {exaireomenos}: explained by some "disembarked" or "unloaded."

[8] Or "Orotal."

[9] {dia de touton}.

[10] {trion}: omitted by some good MSS.

[11] See ii. 169.

[12] {alla kai tote uathesan ai Thebai psakadi}.

[13] The so-called {Leukon teikhon} on the south side of Memphis: cp.
ch. 91.

[14] {omoios kai} omitting {a}.

[15] {pentakosias mneas}.

[16] {aneklaion}: perhaps {anteklaion}, which has most MS. authority,
may be right, "answer their lamentations."

[17] See ch. 31.

[18] {egeomenon}: some Editors adopt the conjecture {agomenon}, "was
being led."

[19] {sphi}: so in the MSS.: some editions (following the Aldine) have
{oi}.

[20] {to te}: a correction for {tode}: some Editors read {tode, to},
"by this, namely by the case of," etc.

[21] "gypsum."

[22] {epi}, lit. "after."

[23] {leukon tetragonon}: so the MSS. Some Editors, in order to bring
the statement of Herodotus into agreement with the fact, read
{leukon ti trigonon}, "a kind of white triangle": so Stein.

[24] {epi}: this is altered unnecessarily by most recent Editors to
{upo}, on the authority of Eusebius and Pliny, who say that the
mark was under the tongue.

[25] {ekeino}: some understand this to refer to Cambyses, "that there
was no one now who would come to the assistance of Cambyses, if he
were in trouble," an office which would properly have belonged to
Smerdis, cp. ch. 65: but the other reference seems more natural.

[26] Epilepsy or something similar.

[26a] Cp. note on i. 114.

[27] {pros ton patera [telesai] Kuron}: the word {telesai} seems to be
corrupt. Stein suggests {eikasai}, "as compared with." Some
Editors omit the word.

[28] {nomon panton basilea pheras einai}: but {nomos} in this fragment
of Pindar is rather the natural law by which the strong prevail
over the weak.

[29] {iakhon}: Stein reads by conjecture {skhon}, "having obtained
possession."

[30] {mede}: Abicht reads {meden} by conjecture.

[31] {alla}, under the influence of the preceding negative.

[32] {prosson} refers grammatically only to {autos}, and marks the
reference as being chiefly to himself throughout the sentence.

[33] {prorrizos}, "by the roots."

[34] {toi tesi pathesi}: the MSS. mostly have {toi autaisi} or
{toiautaisi}.

[35] See i. 51.

[36] {es Aigupton epetheke}, "delivered it (to a messenger to convey)
to Egypt."

[37] The island of Carpathos, the modern /Scarpanto/.

[38] {to thulako periergasthai}: which is susceptible of a variety of
meanings. In a similar story told of the Chians the Spartans are
made to say that it would have been enough to show the empty bag
without saying anything. (Sext. Empir. ii. 23.) Probably the
meaning here is that if they were going to say so much, they need
not have shown the bag, for the words were enough without the
sight of the bag: or it may be only that the /words/ {o thulakos}
were unnecessary in the sentence {o thulakos alphiton deitai}.

[39] See i. 70.

[40] {genee}. To save the chronology some insert {trite} before
{genee}, but this will be useless unless the clause {kata de ton
auton khronon tou kreteros te arpage} be omitted, as it is also
proposed to do. Periander is thought to have died about 585 B.C.;
but see v. 95.

[41] The MSS. add {eontes eoutoisi}, and apparently something has been
lost. Stein and others follow Valckenär in adding {suggenees},
"are ever at variance with one another in spite of their kinship."

[42] {noo labon}: the MSS. have {now labon kai touto}.

[43] {iren zemien}.

[44] {tauta ta nun ekhon presseis}: the form of sentence is determined
by its antithesis to {ta agatha ta nun ego ekho}.

[45] {basileus}, because already destined as his father's successor.

[46] {sphea}: the MSS. have {sphe} here, and in the middle of the next
chapter.

[46a] The Lacedemonians who were not Dorians had of course taken part
in the Trojan war.

[47] {leuka genetai}.

[48] {prutaneia}.

[49] {lokhon}.

[50] {prosiskhon}: some read {proseskhon}, "had put in."

[51] {kai ton tes Diktunes neon}: omitted by some Editors.

[52] {orguias}.

[53] {stadioi}.

[54] {kai}: the MSS. have {kata}.

[55] {en te gar anthropeie phusi ouk enen ara}.

[56] Or possibly, "the most necessary of those things which remain to
be done, is this."

[57] {apistie polle upekekhuto}, cp. ii. 152.

[58] Or perhaps Phaidymia.

[59] {Gobrues} or {Gobrues}.

[60] {'Intaphrenea}: this form, which is given by at least one MS.
throughout, seems preferable, as being closer to the Persian name
which it represents, "Vindafrana," cp. v. 25. Most of the MSS.
have {'Intaphernea}.

[61] {phthas emeu}.

[62] {ti}: some MSS. have {tis}, "in order that persons may trust
(themselves) to them more."

[63] i.e. "let him be killed on the spot."

[64] {ta panta muria}, "ten thousand of every possible thing," (or,
"of all the usual gifts"; cp. ch. 84 {ten pasan doreen}).

[65] {dethen}.

[66] {oideonton ton pregmaton}: "while things were swelling," cp. ch.
127: perhaps here, "before things came to a head."

[66a] {andreona}, as in ch. 121.

[67] {ana te edramon palin}, i.e. they ran back into the room out of
which they had come to see what was the matter; with this
communicated a bedchamber which had its light only by the open
door of communication.

[67a] {magophonia}.

[68] Or, "after it had lasted more than five days," taking {thorubos}
as the subject of {egeneto}. The reason for mentioning the
particular number five seems to be contained in the passage quoted
by Stein from Sextus Empiricus, {enteuphen kai oi Person
kharientes nomon ekhousi, basileos par' autois teleutesantos pente
tas ephexes emeras anomian agein}.

[69] See vi. 43.

[70] {isonomie}, "equal distribution," i.e. of civil rights.

[71] {ouden oikeion}: the MSS. have {ouden oud' oikeion}, which might
be translated "anything of its own either."

[72] {to lego}: the MSS. have {ton lego}, "each of the things /about
which I speak/ being best in its own kind." The reading {to logo},
which certainly gives a more satisfactory meaning, is found in
Stobæus, who quotes the passage.

[73] {kakoteta}, as opposed to the {arete} practised by the members of
an aristocracy.

[74] {okto kaiebdomekonta mneas}: the MSS. have {ebdomekonta mneas}
only, and this reading seems to have existed as early as the
second century of our era: nevertheless the correction is
required, not only by the facts of the case, but also by
comparison with ch. 95.

[75] {nomos}, and so throughout.

[76] or "Hygennians."

[77] i.e. the Cappadokians, see i. 6.

[77a] See ii. 149.

[78] {muriadas}: the MSS. have {muriasi}. With {muriadas} we must
supply {medimnon}. The {medimnos} is really about a bushel and a
half.

[79] {Pausikai}: some MSS. have {Pausoi}.

[80] {tous anaspastous kaleomenous}.

[81] {Kaspioi}: some read by conjecture {Kaspeiroi}, others {Kasioi}.

[82] {ogdokonta kai oktakosia kai einakiskhilia}: the MSS. have
{tesserakonta kai pentakosia kai einakiskhilia} (9540), which is
irreconcilable with the total sum given below, and also with the
sum obtained by adding up the separate items given in Babylonian
talents, whether we reduce them by the proportion 70:60 given by
the MSS. in ch. 89, or by the true proportion 78:60. On the other
hand the total sum given below is precisely the sum of the
separate items (after subtracting the 140 talents used for the
defence of Kilikia), reduced in the proportion 78:60; and this
proves the necessity of the emendation here ({thop} for {thphm})
as well as supplying a strong confirmation of that adopted in ch.
89.

[83] The reckoning throughout is in round numbers, nothing less than
the tens being mentioned.

[84] {oi peri te Nusen}: perhaps this should be corrected to {oi te
peri Nusen}, because the {sunamphoteroi} which follows seem to
refer to two separate peoples.

[85] The passage "these Ethiopians-dwellings" is marked by Stein as
doubtful on internal grounds. The Callantian Indians mentioned
seem to be the same as the Callantians mentioned in ch. 38.

[86] {khoinikas}.

[87] {dia penteteridos}.

[88] i.e. the Indus.

[89] Either {auton tekomenon} is to be taken absolutely, equivalent to
{autou tekomenou}, and {ta krea} is the subject of
{diaphtheiresthai}; or {auton} is the subject and {ta krea} is
accusative of definition, "wasting away in his flesh." Some MSS.
have {diaphtheirein}, "that he is spoiling his flesh for them."

[90] {gar}: some would read {de}, but the meaning seems to be, "this
is done universally, for in the case of weakness arising from old
age, the same takes place."

[91] {pros arktou te kai boreo anemou}.

[92] This clause indicates the manner in which the size is so exactly
known.

[93] {autoi}, i.e. in themselves as well as in their habits. Some MSS.