Amasis's Routine and His Defense with the Bow — Herodotus, Histories Book 2 (2.173.1–2.173.4), Greek & English

§2.173.1

τοιούτῳ μὲν τρόπῳ προσηγάγετο τοὺς Αἰγυπτίους ὥστε δικαιοῦν δουλεύειν, ἐχρᾶτο δὲ καταστάσι πρηγμάτων τοιῇδε· τὸ μὲν ὄρθριον μέχρι ὅτευ πληθούσης ἀγορῆς¹ προθύμως ἔπρησσε τὰ προσφερόμενα πρήγματα, τὸ δὲ ἀπὸ τούτου ἔπινέ τε καὶ κατέσκωπτε τοὺς συμπότας καὶ ἦν μάταιός τε καὶ παιγνιήμων.

In such a manner did he win over the Egyptians so that they thought it right to serve him, and he adopted the following arrangement of affairs: in the morning, until the time when the market-place fills, he would zealously dispatch the business brought before him; but after this he would drink and mock his drinking-companions, and was frivolous and playful.

§2.173.2

ἀχθεσθέντες δὲ τούτοισι οἱ φίλοι αὐτοῦ ἐνουθέτεον αὐτὸν τοιάδε λέγοντες. ὦ βασιλεῦ, οὐκ ὀρθῶς, σεωυτοῦ προέστηκας,² ἐς τὸ ἄγαν φαῦλον προάγων σεωυτόν. σὲ γὰρ ἐχρῆν ἐν θρόνῳ σεμνῷ σεμνὸν θωκέοντα διʼ ἡμέρης πρήσσειν τὰ πρήγματα, καὶ οὕτω Αἰγύπτιοί τʼ ἂν ἠπιστέατο ὡς ὑπʼ ἀνδρὸς μεγάλου ἄρχονται, καὶ ἄμεινον σὺ ἂν ἤκουες·³ νῦν δὲ ποιέεις οὐδαμῶς βασιλικά.

But his friends, being vexed at these things, admonished him, saying thus: “O King, you do not govern yourself rightly, bringing yourself down to an excessively low estate. For you ought to sit in majesty upon a majestic throne throughout the day and dispatch your affairs; and thus the Egyptians would have known that they are ruled by a great man, and you would have had a better reputation; but now you act in no way like a king.”

§2.173.3

ὃ δʼ ἀμείβετο τοῖσιδε αὐτούς. τὰ τόξα οἱ ἐκτημένοι, ἐπεὰν μὲν δέωνται χρᾶσθαι, ἐντανύουσι· εἰ γὰρ δὴ τὸν πάντα χρόνον ἐντεταμένα εἴη, ἐκραγείη ἄν, ὥστε ἐς τὸ δέον οὐκ ἂν ἔχοιεν αὐτοῖσι χρᾶσθαι.

And he answered them with these words: “Those who possess bows bend them when they need to use them; for if indeed they should be kept bent at all times, they would break, so that they would not have them to use when needed.

§2.173.4

οὕτω δὲ καὶ ἀνθρώπου κατάστασις· εἰ ἐθέλοι κατεσπουδάσθαι αἰεὶ μηδὲ ἐς παιγνίην τὸ μέρος ἑωυτὸν ἀνιέναι, λάθοι ἂν ἤτοι μανεὶς⁴ ἢ ὅ γε ἀπόπληκτος γενόμενος· τὰ ἐγὼ ἐπιστάμενος μέρος ἑκατέρῳ νέμω. ταῦτα μὲν τοὺς φίλους ἀμείψατο.

Even so also is the constitution of a man: if he should wish to be always serious and never let himself loose to play in turn, he would, before he knew it, either go mad or become paralyzed. Knowing this, I assign a share to each.” In this manner did he answer his friends.

Syntax notes4 items

2.173.1πληθούσης ἀγορῆς
'The market-place being full' is an idiomatic phrase in ancient Greece indicating a specific time of the morning (roughly from 9 a.m. to noon). Here it is used with the preposition μέχρι to denote the temporal limit.
2.173.2σεωυτοῦ προέστηκας
The active perfect (or middle) of the verb προΐστημι, when taking a genitive, means 'to manage, govern, or care for.' Here, with the genitive of the reflexive pronoun σεωυτοῦ, it means 'to govern oneself' or 'to care for oneself.'
2.173.2ἄμεινον σὺ ἂν ἤκουες
The verb ἀκούω accompanied by an adverb is used in a passive sense meaning 'to have a certain reputation, to be spoken of' (corresponding to Latin 'bene audire'). The combination of the particle ἄν with the imperfect indicative (ἤκουες) expresses a counterfactual apodosis: 'you would have had a better reputation.'
2.173.4λάθοι ἂν ... μανεὶς
The verb λανθάνω ('to escape notice') with a participle means 'to do something unawares' or 'imperceptibly.' Here, the optative λάθοι ἄν with the aorist participles μανείς ('having gone mad') and γενόμενος ('having become') expresses a potential apodosis: 'he would, before he knew it, either go mad or become paralyzed.'

Translated by Gemini 3.5 Flash (published 2026-05-25)urn:cts:greekLit:tlg0016.tlg001.humanitext-grc2:2.173.1-2.173.4