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§1.153.1-1.153.4

Cyrus's Reply to the Spartans and Departure

Cyrus mocks the Greek custom of using market-places in his response to the Spartan herald, and after entrusting the governance of Sardis to his subordinates, he sets out for Agbatana to campaign against other powerful nations.

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§1.153.1

ταῦτα εἰπόντος τοῦ κήρυκος,1 λέγεται Κῦρον ἐπειρέσθαι τοὺς παρεόντας οἱ Ἑλλήνων τίνες ἐόντες ἄνθρωποι Λακεδαιμόνιοι καὶ κόσοι πλῆθος ταῦτα ἑωυτῷ προαγορεύουσι· πυνθανόμενον δέ μιν εἰπεῖν πρὸς τὸν κήρυκα τὸν Σπαρτιήτην· οὐκ ἔδεισά κω ἄνδρας τοιούτους, τοῖσι ἐστι χῶρος ἐν μέσῃ τῇ πόλι2 ἀποδεδεγμένος ἐς τὸν συλλεγόμενοι ἀλλήλους ὀμνύντες ἐξαπατῶσι· τοῖσι, ἢν ἐγὼ ὑγιαίνω, οὐ τὰ Ἰώνων πάθεα ἔσται ἔλλεσχα ἀλλὰ τὰ οἰκήια.

​When the herald had said this, it is said that Cyrus asked the Greeks who were present with him who these Lacedaemonians were and how many they were in number that they should make such declarations to him; and on being informed, he said to the Spartan herald: “I have never yet feared such men, who have a place appointed in the middle of their city where they gather together to deceive one another with oaths. For them, if I remain in health, it will not be the misfortunes of the Ionians that will be a matter of talk, but their own.”

§1.153.2

ταῦτα ἐς τοὺς πάντας Ἕλληνας ἀπέρριψε ὁ Κῦρος τὰ ἔπεα, ὅτι ἀγορὰς στησάμενοι ὠνῇ τε καὶ πρήσι χρέωνται· αὐτοὶ γὰρ οἱ Πέρσαι ἀγορῇσι οὐδὲν ἐώθασι χρᾶσθαι, οὐδέ σφι ἐστὶ τὸ παράπαν ἀγορή.

​Cyrus threw out these words against all the Greeks, because they establish market-places and engage in buying and selling; for the Persians themselves are not accustomed to use market-places at all, nor do they have a market-place among them.

§1.153.3

μετὰ ταῦτα ἐπιτρέψας τὰς μὲν Σάρδις Ταβάλῳ ἀνδρὶ Πέρσῃ, τὸν δὲ χρυσὸν τόν τε Κροίσου καὶ τὸν τῶν ἄλλων Λυδῶν Πακτύῃ ἀνδρὶ Λυδῷ κομίζειν, ἀπήλαυνε αὐτὸς ἐς Ἀγβάτανα, Κροῖσόν τε ἅμα ἀγόμενος καὶ τοὺς Ἴωνας ἐν οὐδενὶ λόγῳ ποιησάμενος τὴν πρώτην εἶναι.3

​After this, having entrusted Sardis to Tabalus, a Persian, and having charged Pactyes, a Lydian, to bring the gold both of Croesus and of the other Lydians, he himself marched away to Agbatana, taking Croesus with him and making no account of the Ionians for the present.

§1.153.4

ἡ τε γὰρ Βαβυλών οἱ ἦν ἐμπόδιος καὶ τὸ Βάκτριον ἔθνος καὶ Σάκαι τε καὶ Αἰγύπτιοι, ἐπʼ οὓς ἐπεῖχέ τε στρατηλατέειν4 αὐτός, ἐπὶ δὲ Ἴωνας ἄλλον πέμπειν στρατηγόν.

​For Babylon was an obstacle to him, as well as the Bactrian nation, the Sacae, and the Egyptians, against whom he intended to lead an army himself, while sending another general against the Ionians.

Syntax notes4 items
  1. 1.153.1ταῦτα εἰπόντος τοῦ κήρυκος

    Genitive absolute. The genitive noun τοῦ κήρυκος combined with the genitive participle εἰπόντος expresses a temporal background ("when the herald had said this") independent of the main clause.

  2. 1.153.1ἐν μέσῃ ἑωυτῷ προαγορεύουσι· τῇ πόλι

    The phrase ἑωυτῷ προαγορεύουσι· in the provided text is an apparent scribal error (dittography) intruding from the preceding sentence (ταῦτα ἑωυτῷ προαγορεύουσι). The original phrase is ἐν μέσῃ τῇ πόλι ("in the middle of the city"), which is the basis for the translation.

  3. 1.153.3τὴν πρώτην εἶναι

    An idiomatic adverbial expression meaning "for the present" or "at first." The infinitive εἶναι functions as an absolute infinitive, serving to limit the application of the phrase.

  4. 1.153.4ἐπʼ οὓς ἐπεῖχέ τε στρατηλατέειν

    The verb ἐπέχω with an infinitive (here στρατηλατέειν, "to march against") means "to intend to" or "to direct one's mind to." The relative pronoun οὓς (governed by the preposition ἐπί) refers back to the obstacles mentioned in the previous clause (Babylon, the Bactrian nation, the Sacae, and the Egyptians).

Translated by Gemini 3.5 Flash (published 2026-05-25) · Revision history (1, latest 2026-09-22)
  • 2026-09-22 AI review — source 1
urn:cts:greekLit:tlg0016.tlg001.humanitext-grc2:1.153.1-1.153.4