- 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-grc2:4.137.1-4.137.3
- Generated
- Humanitext Reader · reader.humanitext.ai · 2026-11-10
The Ionian tyrants debate their course of action; while Miltiades proposes to side with the Scythians and free Ionia, Histiaeus convinces the others that their own power depends on Darius's survival, prompting everyone to support his view.
πρὸς ταῦτα Ἴωνες ἐβουλεύοντο. Μιλτιάδεω μὲν τοῦ Ἀθηναίου, στρατηγέοντος καὶ τυραννεύοντος Χερσονησιτέων τῶν ἐν Ἑλλησπόντῳ, ἦν γνώμη1 πείθεσθαι Σκύθῃσι καὶ ἐλευθεροῦν Ἰωνίην, Ἱστιαίου δὲ τοῦ Μιλησίου ἐναντίη ταύτῃ, λέγοντος2 ὡς νῦν μὲν διὰ Δαρεῖον ἕκαστος αὐτῶν τυραννεύει πόλιος· τῆς Δαρείου δὲ δυνάμιος καταιρεθείσης3 οὔτε αὐτὸς Μιλησίων οἷος τε ἔσεσθαι ἄρχειν4 οὔτε ἄλλον οὐδένα οὐδαμῶν· βουλήσεσθαι γὰρ ἑκάστην τῶν πολίων δημοκρατέεσθαι μᾶλλον ἢ τυραννεύεσθαι.
In response to this, the Ionians held a council. The opinion of Miltiades the Athenian, who was commander and tyrant of the Chersonesites on the Hellespont, was to follow the Scythians and free Ionia. But that of Histiaeus of Miletus was opposite to this; he said that now, thanks to Darius, each of them ruled as tyrant over a city, but if the power of Darius were overthrown, neither he himself would be able to rule the Milesians nor anyone else any other people, for each of the cities would prefer to be democratically governed rather than to be ruled by a tyrant.
Ἰστιαίου δὲ γνώμην ταύτην ἀποδεικνυμένου αὐτίκα πάντες ἦσαν τετραμμένοι πρὸς ταύτην τὴν γνώμην, πρότερον τὴν Μιλτιάδεω αἱρεόμενοι.5
When Histiaeus expressed this opinion, immediately all of them turned to this opinion, though they had previously chosen that of Miltiades.
- 4.137.1Μιλτιάδεω μὲν τοῦ Ἀθηναίου ... ἦν γνώμη
The genitive Μιλτιάδεω depends on the noun γνώμη, with ἦν γνώμη forming a construction of possession: 'it was the opinion of Miltiades.'
- 4.137.2λέγοντος
A genitive participle agreeing with Ἱστιαίου. It introduces the indirect discourse consisting of the ὡς clause and the subsequent infinitive clauses (ἔσεσθαι and βουλήσεσθαι).
- 4.137.2τῆς Δαρείου δὲ δυνάμιος καταιρεθείσης
A genitive absolute construction expressing condition ('if the power of Darius were overthrown').
- 4.137.2οὔτε αὐτὸς Μιλησίων οἷος τε ἔσεσθαι ἄρχειν
The indirect discourse introduced by λέγοντος continues here with an infinitive clause. Because the subject of the infinitive (ἔσεσθαι) is the same as the speaker (Histiaeus), it is in the nominative (αὐτός) rather than the accusative. The idiom οἷός τέ εἰμι + infinitive means 'to be able to.'
- 4.137.3πρότερον τὴν Μιλτιάδεω αἱρεόμενοι
The participle αἱρεόμενοι ('choosing') agrees with the subject of the main clause, πάντες. It expresses a previous preference or concession: 'although they had previously chosen the opinion of Miltiades.'