Cleisthenes Tests Suitors and Favors Hippocleides — Herodotus, Histories Book 6 (6.128.1–6.128.2), Greek & English

§6.128.1

τοσοῦτοι μὲν ἐγένοντο οἱ μνηστῆρες. ἀπικομένων δὲ τούτων¹ ἐς τὴν προειρημένην ἡμέρην, ὁ Κλεισθένης πρῶτα μὲν τὰς πάτρας τε αὐτῶν ἀνεπύθετο καὶ γένος ἑκάστου, μετὰ δὲ κατέχων ἐνιαυτὸν διεπειρᾶτο² αὐτῶν τῆς τε ἀνδραγαθίης καὶ τῆς ὀργῆς καὶ παιδεύσιός τε καὶ τρόπου, καὶ ἑνὶ ἑκάστῳ ἰὼν ἐς συνουσίην καὶ συνάπασι, καὶ ἐς γυμνάσιά τε ἐξαγινέων ὅσοι ἦσαν αὐτῶν νεώτεροι, καὶ τό γε μέγιστον,³ ἐν τῇ συνεστίῃ διεπειρᾶτο· ὅσον γὰρ κατεῖχε χρόνον αὐτούς, τοῦτον πάντα ἐποίεε καὶ ἅμα ἐξείνιζε μεγαλοπρεπέως.

Such was the number of the suitors. When these had arrived on the appointed day, Cleisthenes first of all inquired of their native cities and the lineage of each; and then, detaining them for a year, he put to the test their manly virtue, their temper, their education, and their character, both by associating with them individually and all together, and by taking out such of them as were younger to the gymnasia, and above all, he tested them at the banquet; for during all the time that he detained them, he did this, and at the same time entertained them magnificently.

§6.128.2

καὶ δή κου μάλιστα τῶν μνηστήρων ἠρέσκοντο οἱ ἀπʼ Ἀθηνέων ἀπιγμένοι, καὶ τούτων μᾶλλον Ἱπποκλείδης ὁ Τισάνδρου καὶ κατʼ ἀνδραγαθίην ἐκρίνετο καὶ ὅτι⁴ τὸ ἀνέκαθεν τοῖσι ἐν Κορίνθῳ Κυψελίδῃσι ἦν προσήκων.

And indeed, of the suitors, those who had come from Athens pleased him most of all, and of these especially Hippocleides the son of Tisander, who was preferred both for his manly virtue and because he was related of old to the Cypselids in Corinth.

Syntax notes4 items

6.128.1ἀπικομένων δὲ τούτων
A genitive absolute construction (aorist participle) functioning as a temporal adverbial clause, meaning "when these had arrived."
6.128.1διεπειρᾶτο
The verb διεπειρᾶτο (tested) governs the genitive case. Here it takes both the personal pronoun αὐτῶν (of them) and the series of genitives representing the qualities being tested (τῆς τε ἀνδραγαθίης...).
6.128.1τό γε μέγιστον
An idiomatic and adverbial use of the accusative of respect, serving as a sentence modifier meaning "above all" or "most of all."
6.128.2καὶ κατʼ ἀνδραγαθίην ἐκρίνετο καὶ ὅτι...
The two reasons for which he was preferred (ἐκρίνετο) are coordinated asymmetricaly by καὶ... καὶ..., pairing the prepositional phrase (κατʼ ἀνδραγαθίην) with the causal ὅτι clause (ὅτι... ἦν προσήκων).

Translated by Gemini 3.5 Flash (published 2026-05-25)urn:cts:greekLit:tlg0016.tlg001.humanitext-grc2:6.128.1-6.128.2