- 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-grc2:9.94.1-9.94.3
- Generated
- Humanitext Reader · reader.humanitext.ai · 2026-11-10
To fulfill the oracle, the Apolloniates deceived Evenius into choosing his own recompense (fine estates and a house). Though highly indignant upon discovering the deception, Evenius received the properties and was immediately granted an inborn power of divination, making him famous.
τὰ μὲν χρηστήρια ταῦτά σφι ἐχρήσθη, οἱ δὲ Ἀπολλωνιῆται ἀπόρρητα ποιησάμενοι προέθεσαν τῶν ἀστῶν ἀνδράσι διαπρῆξαι. οἳ δέ σφι διέπρηξαν ὧδε· κατημένου Εὐηνίου ἐν θώκῳ ἐλθόντες οἱ παρίζοντο καὶ λόγους ἄλλους ἐποιεῦντο, ἐς ὃ κατέβαινον συλλυπεύμενοι τῷ πάθεϊ· ταύτῃ δὲ ὑπάγοντες εἰρώτων τίνα δίκην ἂν ἕλοιτο, εἰ ἐθέλοιεν1 Ἀπολλωνιῆται δίκας ὑποστῆναι δώσειν τῶν ἐποίησαν.
These oracles were delivered to them, and the Apolloniates, having kept them secret, assigned them to certain men of the citizens to carry out. And they accomplished it for them in this way: while Evenius was sitting on a seat, they came and sat down beside him and conversed on other matters, until they came down to condoling with him on his misfortune; and leading him on in this way, they asked what recompense he would choose, if the Apolloniates should undertake to give satisfaction for what they had done.
ὁ δὲ οὐκ ἀκηκοὼς τὸ θεοπρόπιον εἵλετο εἴπας εἴ τις οἱ δοίη ἀγρούς, τῶν ἀστῶν ὀνομάσας τοῖσι ἠπίστατο εἶναι2 καλλίστους δύο κλήρους τῶν ἐν τῇ Ἀπολλωνίῃ, καὶ οἴκησιν πρὸς τούτοισι τὴν ᾔδεε καλλίστην ἐοῦσαν τῶν ἐν πόλι· τούτων δὲ ἔφη ἐπήβολος γενόμενος τοῦ λοιποῦ ἀμήνιτος εἶναι, καὶ δίκην οἱ ταύτην ἀποχρᾶν γενομένην.
But he, not having heard the oracle, made his choice, saying that if someone should give him lands, naming those of the citizens to whom he knew belonged the two finest estates in Apollonia, and in addition to these, the house which he knew to be the finest in the city; and if he got possession of these, he said he would for the future be free from anger, and that this recompense would be sufficient for him if it were paid.
καὶ ὃ μὲν ταῦτα ἔλεγε, οἳ δὲ πάρεδροι εἶπαν ὑπολαβόντες Εὐήνιε, ταύτην δίκην Ἀπολλωνιῆται τῆς ἐκτυφλώσιος ἐκτίνουσί τοι κατὰ θεοπρόπια τὰ γενόμενα. ὃ μὲν δὴ πρὸς ταῦτα δεινὰ ἐποίεε,3 τὸ ἐνθεῦτεν πυθόμενος τὸν πάντα λόγον, ὡς ἐξαπατηθείς· οἳ δὲ πριάμενοι παρὰ τῶν ἐκτημένων διδοῦσί οἱ τὰ εἵλετο. καὶ μετὰ ταῦτα αὐτίκα ἔμφυτον μαντικὴν εἶχε, ὥστε καὶ ὀνομαστὸς γενέσθαι.
And while he was saying these things, those who sat by him said in reply: “Evenius, the Apolloniates pay you this recompense for your blinding, according to the oracles which have been given.” He indeed was highly indignant at this, when he then learned the whole story, on the ground that he had been deceived; but they, having bought them from those who possessed them, gave him what he had chosen. And immediately after this he had an inborn power of divination, so that he became even famous.
- 9.94.1τίνα δίκην ἂν ἕλοιτο, εἰ ἐθέλοιεν
A potential optative in an indirect question (ἂν ἕλοιτο) with its corresponding conditional clause (εἰ ἐθέλοιεν). This is not an oblique optative due to the historical main verb (εἰρώτων), but rather retains the original potential condition of direct speech: "What recompense would you choose, if they should wish to..." (τίνα ἂν ἕλοιο, εἰ ἐθέλοιεν...).
- 9.94.2τοῖσι ἠπίστατο εἶναι
The Ionic relative pronoun τοῖσι (equivalent to οἷς, dative plural) functions as a dative of possessor with εἶναι ("belonging to whom"). The infinitive εἶναι depends on ἠπίστατο ("he knew"), making the clause mean "those of the citizens to whom he knew (the finest estates) belonged."
- 9.94.3δεινὰ ἐποίεε
The idiomatic expression δεινὰ ποιέομαι (here used in the active ποιέω with the same meaning) means "to regard a matter as terrible or improper," hence "to be highly indignant" or "to take it ill."