Madness and Suicide of Cleomenes and Its Causes — Herodotus, Histories Book 6 (6.75.1–6.75.3), Greek & English

§6.75.1

μαθόντες δὲ Κλεομένεα Λακεδαιμόνιοι ταῦτα πρήσσοντα, κατῆγον αὐτὸν δείσαντες ἐπὶ τοῖσι αὐτοῖσι ἐς Σπάρτην τοῖσι καὶ πρότερον ἦρχε.¹ κατελθόντα δὲ αὐτὸν αὐτίκα ὑπέλαβε μανίη νοῦσος, ἐόντα καὶ πρότερον ὑπομαργότερον· ὅκως γὰρ τεῷ ἐντύχοι Σπαρτιητέων, ἐνέχραυε² ἐς τὸ πρόσωπον τὸ σκῆπτρον.

When the Lacedaemonians learned that Cleomenes was doing these things, they became afraid and brought him back to Sparta on the same terms under which he had previously ruled. But immediately after his return, a disease of madness seized him, though he had been somewhat crazy even before; for whenever he met any of the Spartans, he would thrust his staff into their face.

§6.75.2

ποιέοντα δὲ αὐτὸν ταῦτα καὶ παραφρονήσαντα ἔδησαν οἱ προσήκοντες ἐν ξύλω· ὁ δὲ δεθεὶς τὸν φύλακον μουνωθέντα ἰδὼν τῶν ἄλλων αἰτέει μάχαιραν· οὐ βουλομένου δὲ τὰ πρῶτα τοῦ φυλάκου διδόναι ἀπείλεε τά μιν αὖτις ποιήσει,³ ἐς ὁ δείσας τὰς ἀπειλὰς ὁ φύλακος (ἦν γὰρ τῶν τις εἱλωτέων) διδοῖ οἱ μάχαιραν.

Because he did this and was out of his mind, his relatives bound him in the stocks. Having been bound, seeing his guard left alone by the others, he asked for a knife. When the guard was at first unwilling to give it, he threatened him with what he would do to him hereafter, until the guard, fearing the threats (for he was one of the helots), gave him a knife.

§6.75.3

Κλεομένης δὲ παραλαβὼν τὸν σίδηρον ἄρχετο ἐκ τῶν κνημέων ἑωυτὸν λωβώμενος· ἐπιτάμνων γὰρ κατὰ μῆκος τὰς σάρκας προέβαινε ἐκ τῶν κνημέων ἐς τοὺς μηρούς, ἐκ δὲ τῶν μηρῶν ἔς τε τὰ ἰσχία καὶ τὰς λαπάρας, ἐς ὃ ἐς τὴν γαστέρα ἀπίκετο, καὶ ταύτην καταχορδεύων ἀπέθανε τρόπῳ τοιούτῳ, ὡς μὲν οἱ πολλοὶ λέγουσι Ἐλλήνων, ὅτι τὴν Πυθίην ἀνέγνωσε τὰ περὶ Δημαρήτου λέγειν γενόμενα, ὡς δὲ Ἀθηναῖοι μοῦνοι λέγουσι, διότι ἐς Ἐλευσῖνα ἐσβαλὼν ἔκειρε τὸ τέμενος τῶν θεῶν, ὡς δὲ Ἀργεῖοι, ὅτι ἐξ ἱροῦ αὐτῶν τοῦ Ἄργου Ἀργείων τοὺς καταφυγόντας ἐκ τῆς μάχης καταγινέων κατέκοπτε καὶ αὐτὸ τὸ ἄλσος ἐν ἀλογίῃ ἔχων ἐνέπρησε.

Then Cleomenes, having received the iron, began to mutilate himself from his shins; for cutting his flesh lengthwise, he proceeded from his shins to his thighs, and from his thighs to his hips and flanks, until he reached his belly, and cutting this into shreds, he died in such a manner. As most of the Greeks say, it was because he persuaded the Pythia to say what she did concerning Demaratus; but as the Athenians alone say, it was because he invaded Eleusis and devastated the sacred precinct of the goddesses; and as the Argives say, it was because he brought down the Argives who had fled from the battle to their sanctuary of Argos, slaughtered them, and holding the grove itself in no respect, burned it down.

Syntax notes3 items

6.75.1ἐπὶ τοῖσι αὐτοῖσι ... τοῖσι καὶ πρότερον ἦρχε
Meaning "on the same terms under which he had previously ruled." The first τοῖσι acts as a demonstrative pronoun (or article), while the second τοῖσι is a relative pronoun. The relative pronoun is attracted (assimilated) into the dative case of its antecedent.
6.75.1ὅκως γὰρ τεῷ ἐντύχοι ... ἐνέχραυε
A construction expressing past repetition. The temporal conjunction ὅκως (Ionic for ὅπως) introduces a subordinate clause with an optative (εντύχοι, 3rd sing. aorist optative of ἐντυγχάνω), while the main clause has an imperfect verb (ἐνέχραυε). This expresses the habitual or repeated action: "whenever he met..., he would..."
6.75.2ἀπείλεε τά μιν αὖτις ποιήσει
τά is a relative pronoun (or indirect interrogative), and ποιήσει is a future indicative, meaning "the things which he would do to him hereafter." μιν is the Ionic accusative singular pronoun (equivalent to αὐτόν), forming a double accusative construction with ποιέω ("to do something to someone").

Translated by Gemini 3.5 Flash (published 2026-05-25)urn:cts:greekLit:tlg0016.tlg001.humanitext-grc2:6.75.1-6.75.3