- Source
- Herodotus. Godley, Alfred Denis, editor. Cambridge, MA; London: Harvard University Press; William Heinemann, Ltd., 1920-1925 (printing).
- Translation
- AI-generated (gemini-3.5-flash) — machine translation; may contain errors
- Languages
- 日本語 · English · 简体中文 · 한국어
- CTS URN
- urn:cts:greekLit:tlg0016.tlg001.humanitext-grc2:1.69.1-1.69.4
- Generated
- Humanitext Reader · reader.humanitext.ai · 2026-10-29
Croesus, learning of Sparta's ascendancy, sends messengers to propose an alliance. The Spartans, influenced by the oracle and past favors from Croesus, gladly accept and conclude a treaty.
ταῦτα δὴ ὦν πάντα πυνθανόμενος ὁ Κροῖσος ἔπεμπε ἐς Σπάρτην ἀγγέλους δῶρά τε φέροντας καὶ δεησομένους συμμαχίης, ἐντειλάμενός τε τὰ λέγειν χρῆν.1 οἳ δὲ ἐλθόντες ἔλεγον ἔπεμψε ἡμέας Κροῖσος ὁ Λυδῶν τε καὶ ἄλλων ἐθνέων βασιλεύς, λέγων τάδε. ὦ Λακεδαιμόνιοι, χρήσαντος τοῦ θεοῦ τὸν Ἕλληνα φίλον προσθέσθαι,2 ὑμέας γὰρ πυνθάνομαι προεστάναι3 τῆς Ἑλλάδος, ὑμέας ὦν κατὰ τὸ χρηστήριον προσκαλέομαι φίλος τε θέλων γενέσθαι καὶ σύμμαχος ἄνευ τε δόλου καὶ ἀπάτης.
Croesus, learning all these things, sent messengers to Sparta bearing gifts and to ask for an alliance, having instructed them what they should say. And they, having arrived, said: ”Croesus, king of the Lydians and of other nations, has sent us, saying as follows: ‘O Lacedaemonians, since the god has declared by oracle that I should make the Greek my friend, and because I learn that you are the leaders of Greece, I therefore invite you according to the oracle, wishing to become your friend and ally without guile or deceit.’”
Κροῖσος μὲν δὴ ταῦτα διʼ ἀγγέλων ἐπεκηρυκεύετο, Λακεδαιμόνιοι δὲ ἀκηκοότες καὶ αὐτοὶ τὸ θεοπρόπιον τὸ Κροίσῳ γενόμενον ἥσθησάν τε τῇ ἀπίξι τῶν Λυδῶν καὶ ἐποιήσαντο ὅρκια ξεινίης πέρι καὶ συμμαχίης· καὶ γὰρ τινὲς αὐτοὺς εὐεργεσίαι εἶχον ἐκ Κροίσου πρότερον ἔτι γεγονυῖαι.4
Thus Croesus made his proposal through the messengers, and the Lacedaemonians, having themselves also heard of the oracle given to Croesus, were pleased with the arrival of the Lydians and made oaths of friendship and alliance; for indeed some benefits had already been done to them by Croesus even before this.
πέμψαντες γὰρ οἱ Λακεδαιμόνιοι ἐς Σάρδις χρυσὸν ὠνέοντο, ἐς ἄγαλμα βουλόμενοι χρήσασθαι τοῦτο τὸ νῦν τῆς Λακωνικῆς ἐν Θόρνακι ἵδρυται Ἀπόλλωνος· Κροῖσος δέ σφι ὠνεομένοισι5 ἔδωκε δωτίνην.
For the Lacedaemonians, having sent to Sardis, were trying to buy gold, wishing to use it for the statue of Apollo which is now set up at Thornax in Laconia; and Croesus gave it to them as a free gift when they were trying to buy it.
- 1.69.1τὰ λέγειν χρῆν
A construction with the omission or fusion of the relative pronoun ἃ, followed by the imperfect impersonal verb χρῆν (Ionic for ἐχρῆν), meaning 'what it was necessary to say' or 'what they ought to say.'
- 1.69.2τὸν Ἕλληνα φίλον προσθέσθαι
The infinitive προσθέσθαι is the aorist middle of προστίθημι, conveying the reflexive meaning 'to join to oneself' or 'to make an ally.' The singular τὸν Ἕλληνα is used generically to refer to 'the Greek (nation/people).'
- 1.69.2ὑμέας γὰρ πυνθάνομαι προεστάναι
The verb πυνθάνομαι ('I learn/hear') governs an accusative and infinitive construction (A.C.I.), where the accusative ὑμέας is the subject of the infinitive, and προεστάναι (perfect active infinitive of προΐστημι, which takes the genitive) is the predicate, meaning 'for I learn that you are the leaders (of Greece).'
- 1.69.3τινὲς αὐτοὺς εὐεργεσίαι εἶχον ... γεγονυῖαι
The verb εἶχον (imperfect) is combined with the perfect participle γεγονυῖαι, describing a state of ongoing influence resulting from past actions. Literally, 'certain benefits (εὐεργεσίαι) held them (αὐτούς), having already occurred (γεγονυῖαι),' meaning they had already received some benefits from Croesus.
- 1.69.4ὠνεομένοισι
The present participle (dative) of ὠνέομαι ('to buy'), here carrying a conative force (attempted action), meaning 'to them as they were trying to buy (the gold)' rather than having already bought it.