- 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-grc2:9.98.1-9.98.4
- Generated
- Humanitext Reader · reader.humanitext.ai · 2026-11-10
The Greeks sail to Mycale after learning of the Persian retreat, and Leotychides uses a herald to call upon the Ionians in the Persian camp to remember their freedom, repeating a psychological strategy previously used by Themistocles.
οἱ δὲ Ἕλληνες ὡς ἐπύθοντο οἰχωκότας τοὺς βαρβάρους ἐς τὴν ἤπειρον, ἤχθοντο ὡς ἐκπεφευγότων1 ἀπορίῃ τε εἴχοντο ὅ τι ποιέωσι,2 εἴτε ἀπαλλάσσωνται ὀπίσω εἴτε καταπλέωσι ἐπʼ Ἑλλησπόντου. τέλος δὲ ἔδοξε τούτων μὲν μηδέτερα ποιέειν, ἐπιπλέειν δὲ ἐπὶ τὴν ἤπειρον.
When the Greeks learned that the barbarians had departed for the mainland, they were vexed that they had escaped, and were at a loss as to what they should do, whether they should withdraw back or sail to the Hellespont. In the end, they resolved to do neither of these, but to sail to the mainland.
παρασκευασάμενοι ὦν ἐς ναυμαχίην καὶ ἀποβάθρας καὶ ἄλλα ὅσων ἔδεε, ἔπλεον ἐπὶ τῆς Μυκάλης. ἐπεὶ δὲ ἀγχοῦ τε ἐγίνοντο τοῦ στρατοπέδου καὶ οὐδεὶς ἐφαίνετό σφι ἐπαναγόμενος,3 ἀλλʼ ὥρων νέας ἀνελκυσμένας ἔσω τοῦ τείχεος, πολλὸν δὲ πεζὸν παρακεκριμένον παρὰ τὸν αἰγιαλόν, ἐνθαῦτα πρῶτον μὲν ἐν τῇ νηὶ παραπλέων, ἐγχρίμψας τῷ αἰγιαλῷ τὰ μάλιστα, Λευτυχίδης ὑπὸ κήρυκος προηγόρευε τοῖσι Ἴωσι λέγων ἄνδρες Ἴωνες, οἳ ὑμέων τυγχάνουσι ἐπακούοντες, μάθετε τὰ λέγω· πάντως γὰρ οὐδὲν συνήσουσι Πέρσαι τῶν ἐγὼ ὑμῖν ἐντέλλομαι. ἐπεὰν συμμίσγωμεν, μεμνῆσθαι τινὰ χρὴ4 ἐλευθερίης μὲν πάντων πρῶτον, μετὰ δὲ τοῦ συνθήματος Ἥβης. καὶ τάδε ἴστω καὶ ὁ μὴ ἀκούσας ὑμέων πρὸς τοῦ ἀκούσαντος.
Having prepared, therefore, for a sea-fight, and having ready landing-planks and all other things that were needed, they sailed to Mycale. When they came near the camp and no one was seen putting out to meet them, but they saw the ships drawn up inside the wall, and a large body of infantry drawn up along the beach, then Leotychides, first of all, sailing along in his ship and keeping as close as possible to the beach, made a proclamation by a herald to the Ionians, saying: ”Men of Ionia, those of you who happen to be within hearing, mark what I say; for the Persians will by no means understand anything of what I charge you. When we join battle, everyone must remember freedom first of all, and next the watchword ‘Hebe’. And let him among you who has not heard this learn it from him who has heard.”
ὡυτὸς δὲ οὗτος ἐὼν τυγχάνει νόος τοῦ πρήγματος καὶ ὁ Θεμιστοκλέος ὁ ἐπʼ Ἀρτεμισίῳ· ἢ γὰρ δὴ λαθόντα τὰ ῥήματα τοὺς βαρβάρους ἔμελλε τοὺς Ἴωνας πείσειν, ἢ ἔπειτα ἀνενειχθέντα ἐς τοὺς βαρβάρους ποιήσειν5 ἀπίστους τοῖσι Ἕλλησι.
This design of his was the very same as that of Themistocles at Artemisium; for either these words, being concealed from the barbarians, were likely to persuade the Ionians, or, if they were afterwards reported to the barbarians, they would make them distrustful of the Greeks.
- 9.98.1ὡς ἐκπεφευγότων
Genitive absolute with the particle ὡς, with the subject pronoun (αὐτῶν) omitted. The particle ὡς expresses a subjective reason or belief ("on the ground that they had escaped"), explaining the vexation of the Greeks.
- 9.98.1ὅ τι ποιέωσι
Deliberative subjunctive in an indirect question introduced by the interrogative pronoun ὅ τι. Although the main verb is in a past tense (εἴχοντο), which would allow an optative (ποιέοιεν), the original subjunctive is retained to preserve vividness.
- 9.98.2οὐδεὶς ἐφαίνετό σφι ἐπαναγόμενος
The verb φαίνομαι with a participle (ἐπαναγόμενος) rather than an infinitive, meaning "plainly to be doing something" or "to be seen doing something". The whole phrase means "no one was seen putting out to sea against them."
- 9.98.3μεμνῆσθαι τινὰ χρὴ
Consists of the impersonal verb χρὴ, the accusative subject (τινά), and the perfect middle-passive infinitive μεμνῆσθαι. The perfect tense of this verb has a present meaning ("to remember") and governs the genitives ἐλευθερίης and συνθήματος.
- 9.98.4ἢ γὰρ δὴ λαθόντα ... ἔμελλε ... πείσειν, ἢ ἔπειτα ἀνενειχθέντα ... ποιήσειν
The auxiliary-like verb ἔμελλε governs two infinitives, πείσειν and ποιήσειν, connected by ἢ ... ἢ ... The aorist participles λαθόντα and ἀνενειχθέντα function adverbially, equivalent to conditional clauses ("if undetected", "if reported"). In the second clause, the subject of ποιήσειν is "the words" (τὰ ῥήματα), its object is "the barbarians" (τοὺς βαρβάρους), with ἀπίστους as the object complement, and τοῖσι Ἕλλησι as a dative meaning "distrustful towards the Greeks."