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§9.34.1-9.34.2

Demands of Tisamenus Compared to Melampus

The author illustrates Tisamenus' increasing demands by comparing him to Melampus, who repeatedly raised his price in kingship shares to cure the mad women of Argos.

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§9.34.1

ταῦτα δὲ λέγων οὗτος ἐμιμέετο Μελάμποδα, ὡς εἰκάσαι1 βασιληίην τε καὶ πολιτηίην αἰτεομένους. καὶ γὰρ δὴ καὶ Μελάμπους τῶν ἐν Ἄργεϊ γυναικῶν μανεισέων,2 ὥς μιν οἱ Ἀργεῖοι ἐμισθοῦντο3 ἐκ Πύλου παῦσαι τὰς σφετέρας γυναῖκας τῆς νούσου, μισθὸν προετείνατο τῆς βασιληίης τὸ ἥμισυ.

​In saying this, he was imitating Melampus, if one may compare those who ask for kingship and citizenship. For indeed, when the women in Argos had gone mad and the Argives tried to hire him from Pylos to cure their women of the disease, Melampus demanded as his reward half of the kingship.

§9.34.2

οὐκ ἀνασχομένων δὲ τῶν Ἀργείων ἀλλʼ ἀπιόντων, ὡς ἐμαίνοντο πλεῦνες τῶν γυναικῶν, οὕτω δὴ ὑποστάντες τὰ ὁ Μελάμπους προετείνατο ἤισαν δώσοντές4 οἱ ταῦτα. ὁ δὲ ἐνθαῦτα δὴ ἐπορέγεται ὁρέων αὐτοὺς τετραμμένους, φάς, ἢν μὴ καὶ τῷ ἀδελφεῷ Βίαντι μεταδῶσι τὸ τριτημόριον τῆς βασιληίης, οὐ ποιήσειν τὰ βούλονται. οἱ δὲ Ἀργεῖοι ἀπειληθέντες ἐς στεινὸν5 καταινέουσι καὶ ταῦτα.

​The Argives would not tolerate this but went away; however, when more of the women began to go mad, they finally submitted to the terms Melampus had proposed and went to offer them to him. Thereupon, seeing them turned, he increased his demands, saying that unless they also gave a third share of the kingship to his brother Bias, he would not do what they wished. And the Argives, being driven into a corner, agreed to this also.

Syntax notes5 items
  1. 9.34.1ὡς εἰκάσαι

    Absolute infinitive usage meaning "to compare." It refers to contrasting the demands of Melampus (asking for kingship) and Tisamenus (asking for citizenship).

  2. 9.34.1τῶν ἐν Ἄργεϊ γυναικῶν μανεισέων

    Genitive absolute construction. The participle μανεισέων is the aorist passive participle feminine genitive plural of μαίνομαι (Ionic form), expressing time ("when the women had gone mad").

  3. 9.34.1ὥς μιν οἱ Ἀργεῖοι ἐμισθοῦντο

    The conjunction ὡς ("when") carrying an accent. The imperfect verb ἐμισθοῦντο expresses a conative action ("they tried to hire").

  4. 9.34.2ἤισαν δώσοντές

    The verb of motion ἤισαν is accompanied by the future participle δώσοντες to express purpose ("they went to give").

  5. 9.34.2ἀπειληθέντες ἐς στεινὸν

    Passive aorist participle of ἀπείργω (to hem in). Meaning literally "shut up into a narrow place," used metaphorically for "driven into a corner."

Translated by Gemini 3.5 Flash (published 2026-05-25) · Revision history (1, latest 2026-09-21)
  • 2026-09-21 AI review — note 1
urn:cts:greekLit:tlg0016.tlg001.humanitext-grc2:9.34.1-9.34.2