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§2.114.1-2.114.3

Thonis's Report and Proteus's Order to Arrest Alexander

Thonis sends a message to Proteus in Memphis to report Alexander's arrival and his crimes in Greece, asking how to handle him. Proteus responds with an order to arrest the man and bring him before him.

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§2.114.1

ἀκούσας δὲ τούτων ὁ Θῶνις πέμπει τὴν ταχίστην1 ἐς Μέμφιν παρὰ Πρωτέα ἀγγελίην λέγουσαν τάδε.

​Upon hearing this, Thonis sent a message as quickly as possible to Memphis, to Proteus, saying as follows:

§2.114.2

ἥκει ξεῖνος γένος μὲν Τευκρός, ἔργον δὲ ἀνόσιον ἐν τῇ Ἑλλάδι ἐξεργασμένος·2 ξείνου γὰρ τοῦ ἑωυτοῦ ἐξαπατήσας τὴν γυναῖκα αὐτήν τε ταύτην ἄγων ἥκει καὶ πολλὰ κάρτα χρήματα, ὑπὸ ἀνέμων ἐς γῆν ταύτην ἀπενειχθείς. κότερα δῆτα τοῦτον ἐῶμεν ἀσινέα ἐκπλέειν ἢ ἀπελώμεθα3 τὰ ἔχων ἦλθε;

”A stranger has arrived, a Teucrian by birth, who has committed an impious deed in Greece; for having deceived the wife of his own host, he has come bringing this very woman and very many treasures, having been driven to this land by the winds. Shall we then allow him to sail away unharmed, or shall we deprive him of what he has come with?”

§2.114.3

ἀντιπέμπει πρὸς ταῦτα ὁ Πρωτεὺς λέγοντα4 τάδε. ἄνδρα τοῦτον, ὅστις κοτὲ ἐστὶ ἀνόσια ἐργασμένος ξεῖνον τὸν ἑωυτοῦ,5 συλλαβόντες ἀπάγετε παρʼ ἐμέ, ἵνα εἰδέω ὅ τι κοτὲ καὶ λέξει.

​To this, Proteus sent back a messenger saying as follows: “Seize this man, whoever he may be that has committed impious deeds against his own host, and bring him to me, so that I may know what on earth he will say.”

Syntax notes5 items
  1. 2.114.1τὴν ταχίστην

    An adverbial accusative, with the noun ὁδόν ('way') understood, functioning as an idiomatic phrase meaning 'as quickly as possible' or 'by the speediest way.'

  2. 2.114.2ἔργον δὲ ἀνόσιον ... ἐξεργασμένος

    The perfect middle-passive participle ἐξεργασμένος modifies the subject noun ξεῖνος, describing the completed state of having committed an impious deed in Greece.

  3. 2.114.2ἐῶμεν ... ἀπελώμεθα

    Both verbs (ἐῶμεν, present active subjunctive, and ἀπελώμεθα, aorist middle subjunctive) are first-person plurals acting as deliberative subjunctives ('should we allow... or should we deprive...?') in a double question.

  4. 2.114.3λέγοντα

    The masculine accusative present participle λέγοντα modifies the unexpressed direct object of the verb ἀντιπέμπει (such as a messenger, ἀγγελιαφόρον).

  5. 2.114.3ἀνόσια ἐργασμένος ξεῖνον τὸν ἑωυτοῦ

    The verb ἐργάζομαι ('to do/commit') takes a double accusative: the neuter plural ἀνόσια ('impious things') and the masculine singular object ξεῖνον τὸν ἑωυτοῦ ('his own host'), meaning 'having done impious things to his own host.'

Translated by Gemini 3.5 Flash (published 2026-05-25)urn:cts:greekLit:tlg0016.tlg001.humanitext-grc2:2.114.1-2.114.3