- 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-grc2:3.120.1-3.120.4
- Generated
- Humanitext Reader · reader.humanitext.ai · 2026-11-09
Narrates how the Persian Oroetes plotted to destroy Polycrates, the ruler of Samos, triggered by a fierce quarrel with his fellow Persian Mitrobates.
κατὰ δέ κου μάλιστα1 τὴν Καμβύσεω νοῦσον ἐγίνετο τάδε. ὑπὸ Κύρου κατασταθεὶς ἦν Σαρδίων ὕπαρχος Ὀροίτης ἀνὴρ Πέρσης· οὗτος ἐπεθύμησε πρήγματος οὐκ ὁσίου· οὔτε γάρ τι παθὼν οὔτε ἀκούσας μάταιον ἔπος πρὸς Πολυκράτεος τοῦ Σαμίου, οὐδὲ ἰδὼν πρότερον, ἐπεθύμεε λαβὼν αὐτὸν ἀπολέσαι, ὡς μὲν οἱ πλεῦνες λέγουσι, διὰ τοιήνδε τινὰ αἰτίην.
About the time of Cambyses’ illness, the following occurred. There was a Persian named Oroetes, who had been appointed governor of Sardis by Cyrus. This man conceived a desire for an unholy deed; for although he had neither suffered any harm nor heard any insulting word from Polycrates of Samos, nor had even seen him before, he desired to capture and destroy him, as most people say, for some such reason as this.
ἐπὶ τῶν βασιλέος θυρέων κατήμενον τόν τε Ὀροίτεα καὶ ἄλλον Πέρσην τῷ οὔνομα εἶναι Μιτροβάτεα, νομοῦ ἄρχοντα τοῦ ἐν Δασκυλείῳ, τούτους ἐκ λόγων ἐς νείκεα συμπεσεῖν,2 κρινομένων δὲ περὶ ἀρετῆς εἰπεῖν τὸν Μιτροβάτεα τῷ Ὀροίτῃ προφέροντα σὺ γὰρ ἐν ἀνδρῶν λόγῳ,3 ὃς βασιλέι νῆσον Σάμον πρὸς τῷ σῷ νομῷ προσκειμένην οὐ προσεκτήσαο, ὧδε δή τι ἐοῦσαν εὐπετέα χειρωθῆναι,4 τὴν τῶν τις ἐπιχωρίων πεντεκαίδεκα ὁπλίτῃσι ἐπαναστὰς ἔσχε καὶ νῦν αὐτῆς τυραννεύει;
While Oroetes and another Persian named Mitrobates, the ruler of the province of Dascyleium, were sitting at the King’s gates, they fell into a quarrel from words. As they were disputing about their merit, Mitrobates said to Oroetes by way of reproach: ”Are you to be counted among men, who have not acquired for the King the island of Samos, which lies close to your province, and is so very easy to be subdued, which one of its natives, having risen up with fifteen heavy-armed men, took and now rules as tyrant?”
οἳ μὲν δή μιν φασὶ τοῦτο ἀκούσαντα καὶ ἀλγήσαντα τῷ ὀνείδεϊ ἐπιθυμῆσαι οὐκ οὕτω τὸν εἴπαντα ταῦτα τίσασθαι ὡς Πολυκράτεα πάντως ἀπολέσαι, διʼ ὅντινα κακῶς ἤκουσε.5
Some indeed say that upon hearing this, and being stung by the insult, he desired not so much to avenge himself on the one who said these things, as to destroy Polycrates by all means, on whose account he had been ill spoken of.
- 3.120.1κατὰ δέ κου μάλιστα
The preposition κατά combined with the adverb μάλιστα indicates approximate time ("about the time of"). The particle κου (Ionic form of που) adds a nuance of approximation ("perhaps", "around").
- 3.120.2τόν τε Ὀροίτεα ... τούτους ... συμπεσεῖν
An accusative with infinitive construction in indirect discourse, dependent on the preceding ὡς οἱ πλεῦνες λέγουσι. The pronoun τούτους resumes the initial subjects τόν τε Ὀροίτεα... and ἄλλον Πέρσην..., serving as the subject of the infinitive συμπεσεῖν.
- 3.120.3σὺ γὰρ ἐν ἀνδρῶν λόγῳ
A rhetorical and reproachful question with the ellipse of the verb of existence εἶ (or the passive verb λογίζῃ "are you counted"). It implies "Are you to be reckoned among men?". The particle γάρ introduces a scornful or indignant question.
- 3.120.3ὧδε δή τι ἐοῦσαν εὐπετέα χειρωθῆναι
The infinitive χειρωθῆναι is a limiting infinitive (infinitive of respect) depending on the adjective εὐπετέα ("easy to be subdued"). The phrase ὧδε δή τι modifies εὐπετέα, meaning "so very" or "to such a degree".
- 3.120.4κακῶς ἤκουσε
The verb ἀκούω with an adverb means "to be spoken of" or "to hear oneself called". Thus, κακῶς ἤκουσε means "he was ill spoken of" or "he was reproached".