- 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-grc2:8.141.1-8.141.2
- Generated
- Humanitext Reader · reader.humanitext.ai · 2026-11-09
Upon hearing of Alexander's proposal, the Spartans fear an Athenian alliance with Persia and hastily dispatch envoys, while the Athenians deliberately delay to ensure both parties appear simultaneously.
Ἀλέξανδρος μὲν ταῦτα ἔλεξε. Λακεδαιμόνιοι δὲ πυθόμενοι ἥκειν Ἀλέξανδρον ἐς Ἀθήνας ἐς ὁμολογίην ἄξοντα1 τῷ βαρβάρῳ Ἀθηναίους, ἀναμνησθέντες τῶν λογίων ὥς σφεας χρεόν ἐστι ἅμα τοῖσι ἄλλοισι Δωριεῦσι ἐκπίπτειν2 ἐκ Πελοποννήσου ὑπὸ Μήδων τε καὶ Ἀθηναίων, κάρτα τε ἔδεισαν μὴ ὁμολογήσωσι τῷ Πέρσῃ Ἀθηναῖοι, αὐτίκα τέ σφι ἔδοξε πέμπειν ἀγγέλους.
Alexander spoke these words. But the Lacedaemonians, hearing that Alexander had come to Athens to lead the Athenians to an agreement with the barbarian, and remembering the oracles that they themselves, together with the other Dorians, were destined to be expelled from the Peloponnese by the Medes and the Athenians, became greatly afraid lest the Athenians should come to terms with the Persian, and immediately resolved to send envoys.
καὶ δὴ συνέπιπτε ὥστε3 ὁμοῦ σφεων γίνεσθαι τὴν κατάστασιν· ἐπανέμειναν γὰρ οἱ Ἀθηναῖοι διατρίβοντες, εὖ ἐπιστάμενοι ὅτι ἔμελλον Λακεδαιμόνιοι πεύσεσθαι ἥκοντα παρὰ τοῦ βαρβάρου ἄγγελον ἐπʼ ὁμολογίῃ, πυθόμενοί τε πέμψειν4 κατὰ τάχος ἀγγέλους. ἐπίτηδες ὦν ἐποίευν, ἐνδεικνύμενοι τοῖσι Λακεδαιμονίοισι τὴν ἑωυτῶν γνώμην.
And indeed it so happened that their presentation before the assembly occurred at the very same time; for the Athenians had waited, spinning out the time, knowing well that the Lacedaemonians would hear that an envoy had come from the barbarian for an agreement, and that, upon hearing it, they would send envoys with all speed. They did this, therefore, on purpose, in order to display their own mind to the Lacedaemonians.
- 8.141.1ἄξοντα
Future active participle expressing purpose ('in order to lead'). It agrees with the accusative Ἀλέξανδρον and takes Ἀθηναῖους as its object.
- 8.141.1ὥς σφεας χρεόν ἐστι ... ἐκπίπτειν
A noun clause introduced by the conjunction ὥς, serving as an appositive explaining the content of the preceding τῶν λογίων. The accusative σφεας is the subject of the infinitive ἐκπίπτειν, in an impersonal construction with χρεόν ἐστι ('it is destined/necessary').
- 8.141.2συνέπιπτε ὥστε ...
The impersonal verb συνέπιπτε ('it so happened') is followed by a ὥστε clause to express the resulting circumstance. τὴν κατάστασιν is the subject accusative of the infinitive γίνεσθαι.
- 8.141.2ἔμελλον ... πεύσεσθαι ... τε πέμψειν
The verb ἔμελλον ('were going to / would') governs two future infinitives, πεύσεσθαι and πέμψειν, joined by the coordinator τε. The conditional participle πυθόμενοί ('upon learning / if they learned') is nested between them.