- 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-grc2:7.10C.1-7.10C.2
- Generated
- Humanitext Reader · reader.humanitext.ai · 2026-11-08
Artabanus cites the historical precedent of Darius's Scythian campaign, where the fate of the entire Persian army depended on the decision of a single man, Histiaeus, warning of the danger of risking the empire on individual choices.
ἐγὼ δὲ οὐδεμιῇ σοφίῃ οἰκηίῃ αὐτὸς ταῦτα συμβάλλομαι, ἀλλʼ οἷον1 κοτὲ ἡμέας ὀλίγου ἐδέησε2 καταλαβεῖν πάθος, ὅτε πατὴρ σὸς ζεύξας Βόσπορον τὸν Θρηίκιον, γεφυρώσας δὲ ποταμὸν Ἴστρον διέβη ἐπὶ Σκύθας. τότε παντοῖοι ἐγένοντο3 Σκύθαι δεόμενοι Ἰώνων λῦσαι τὸν πόρον, τοῖσι ἐπετέτραπτο ἡ φυλακὴ τῶν γεφυρέων τοῦ Ἴστρου.
Yet I do not infer these things by any wisdom of my own, but from such a disaster as once came within a hair’s breadth of overtaking us, when your father, having bridged the Thracian Bosphorus and having thrown a bridge over the river Ister, crossed over against the Scythians. At that time, the Scythians tried every means, entreating the Ionians—to whom the guardianship of the bridges of the Ister had been entrusted—to break the passage.
καὶ τότε γε Ἱστιαῖος ὁ Μιλήτου τύραννος εἰ ἐπέσπετο τῶν ἄλλων τυράννων τῇ γνώμῃ μηδὲ ἠναντιώθη, διέργαστο ἂν4 τὰ Περσέων πρήγματα. καίτοι καὶ λόγῳ ἀκοῦσαι δεινόν, ἐπʼ ἀνδρί γε ἑνὶ πάντα τὰ βασιλέος πρήγματα γεγενῆσθαι.5
And at that time, if Histiaeus, the tyrant of Miletus, had followed the opinion of the other tyrants and had not opposed them, the power of the Persians would have been utterly ruined. And indeed, it is a terrible thing even to hear it spoken of, that all the King’s fortunes came to depend upon a single man.
- 7.10C.1οὐδεμιῇ σοφίῃ οἰκηίῃ αὐτὸς ταῦτα συμβάλλομαι, ἀλλʼ οἷον
After συμβάλλομαι (I infer), the relative clause introduced by ἀλλʼ οἷον (but such as) follows. An antecedent representing the source of inference (e.g., ἀπὸ τοιούτου πάθους, 'from such a disaster') is omitted and must be understood.
- 7.10C.1ὀλίγου ἐδέησε
The impersonal verb δέω in the aorist ἐδέησε is combined with the genitive ὀλίγου to form an idiomatic expression meaning 'it lacked but little' or 'came within a hair's breadth of.' Paired with the infinitive καταλαβεῖν, it expresses that a disaster was on the verge of overtaking them.
- 7.10C.1παντοῖοι ἐγένοντο
The adjective παντοῖοι (of all kinds) is used as a predicate adjective with the subject, forming an idiom meaning 'they tried every means' or 'left no stone unturned.' Accompanied by the participle δεόμενοι (entreating), it vividly portrays their desperate efforts to persuade the Ionians.
- 7.10C.2διέργαστο ἂν
The pluperfect middle-passive indicative διέργαστο of διαεργάζομαι (to ruin utterly) combined with the particle ἄν represents the apodosis of a past contrary-to-fact condition ('if... had happened, ... would have been ruined').
- 7.10C.2ἐπʼ ἀνδρί γε ἑνὶ πάντα τὰ βασιλέος πρήγματα γεγενῆσθαι
The preposition ἐπί with the dative (ἀνδρί ἑνὶ) signifies dependence ('to depend upon a single man'). It functions within an accusative-and-infinitive construction with πάντα τὰ βασιλέος πρήγματα (all the king's fortunes) as the subject of γεγενῆσθαι, complementing the predicate adjective δεινόν (a terrible thing).