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Herodotus · Histories §1.27.1-1.27.5

Croesus Dissuaded from Attacking the Island Greeks

Passage 27 of 1577 · Greek

Summary

Having subjugated the Greeks of Asia, Croesus plans to build ships to attack the islanders, but a wise man's clever dialogue makes him realize his folly, leading him to halt the construction and form an alliance instead.

§1.27.1ὡς δὲ ἄρα οἱ ἐν τῇ Ἀσίῃ Ἕλληνες κατεστράφατο ἐς φόρου ἀπαγωγήν, τὸ ἐνθεῦτεν ἐπενόεε νέας ποιησάμενος ἐπιχειρέειν τοῖσι νησιώτῃσι.
When the Greeks in Asia had been subjugated to the payment of tribute, he next planned to build ships and attack the islanders.
§1.27.2ἐόντων δέ οἱ πάντων ἑτοίμων ἐς τὴν ναυπηγίην, οἳ μὲν Βίαντα λέγουσι τὸν Πριηνέα ἀπικόμενον ἐς Σάρδις, οἳ δὲ Πιττακὸν τὸν Μυτιληναῖον, εἰρομένου Κροίσου εἴ τι εἴη νεώτερον περὶ τὴν Ἑλλάδα, εἰπόντα τάδε καταπαῦσαι τὴν ναυπηγίην· §1.27.3ὦ βασιλεῦ, νησιῶται ἵππον συνωνέονται μυρίην, ἐς Σάρδις τε καὶ ἐπὶ σὲ ἐν νόῳ ἔχοντες στρατεύεσθαι. Κροῖσον δὲ ἐλπίσαντα λέγειν ἐκεῖνον ἀληθέα εἰπεῖν αἲ γὰρ τοῦτο θεοὶ ποιήσειαν ἐπὶ νόον νησιώτῃσι, ἐλθεῖν ἐπὶ Λυδῶν παῖδας σὺν ἵπποισι. §1.27.4τὸν δὲ ὑπολαβόντα φάναι ὦ βασιλεῦ, προθύμως μοι φαίνεαι εὔξασθαι νησιώτας ἱππευομένους λαβεῖν ἐν ἠπείρῳ, οἰκότα ἐλπίζων.
When everything was ready for his shipbuilding, some say that Bias of Priene, others that Pittacus of Mytilene, came to Sardis, and when Croesus asked if there were any news in Greece, stopped the shipbuilding by speaking as follows: "O King, the islanders are buying ten thousand horses, intending to march against Sardis and against you." Croesus, hoping that he was speaking the truth, said: "Would that the gods might put this into the minds of the islanders, to come against the sons of the Lydians with horses!" But the other replied and said: "O King, you seem to me to pray eagerly to catch the islanders riding horses on the mainland, expecting what is natural.
νησιώτας δὲ τί δοκέεις εὔχεσθαι ἄλλο ἤ, ἐπείτε τάχιστα ἐπύθοντό σε μέλλοντα ἐπὶ σφίσι ναυπηγέεσθαι νέας, λαβεῖν ἀρώμενοι Λυδούς ἐν θαλάσσῃ, ἵνα ὓπερ τῶν ἐν τῇ ἠπείρῳ οἰκημένων Ἑλλήνων τίσωνταί σε, τοὺς σὺ δουλώσας ἔχεις; §1.27.5κάρτα τε ἡσθῆναι Κροῖσον τῷ ἐπιλόγῳ καί οἱ, προσφυέως γὰρ δόξαι λέγειν, πειθόμενον παύσασθαι τῆς ναυπηγίης.
But what else do you think the islanders pray for, as soon as they heard that you were going to build ships against them, than to catch the Lydians on the sea, so that they may take vengeance on you for the Greeks dwelling on the mainland, whom you hold enslaved?" Croesus was greatly pleased with this conclusion, and as the speaker seemed to him to speak to the point, he was persuaded and stopped the shipbuilding.
καὶ οὕτω τοῖσι τὰς νήσους οἰκημένοισι Ἴωσι ξεινίην συνεθήκατο.
And in this way he concluded a treaty of friendship with the Ionians who inhabited the islands.

Notes

  1. §1.27.2εἰπόντα — Part of the accusative and infinitive construction dependent on the main verb `λέγουσι` ("they say"). It is an accusative participle agreeing with the subject accusatives `Βίαντα` or `Πιττακὸν`, leading to the infinitive `καταπαῦσαι` ("stopped"). The structure translates to "they say that [name], having said..., stopped [the shipbuilding]."
  2. §1.27.3αἲ γὰρ — Particles used to express a wish (often for the future or unaccomplished). Here combined with the aorist optative `ποιήσειαν` to express a strong desire: "Would that the gods might..."
  3. §1.27.4ἀρώμενοι — Nominative plural participle. Although the logical subject of the infinitive `λαβεῖν` is `νησιώτας` (accusative), the participle `ἀρώμενοι` ("praying") appears in the nominative. This is an anacoluthon or grammatical attraction, arising because the main clause `τί δοκέεις ...` functionally treats the islanders as the psychological subject of the whole thought.
  4. §1.27.4δουλώσας ἔχεις — A periphrastic construction using the aorist participle (`δουλώσας`) and `ἔχεις` ("you have") instead of a standard perfect tense. It emphasizes the ongoing state (holding in slavery) resulting from a past action (enslaving).

Cite this passage

Herodotus, Histories §1.27.1-1.27.5. Humanitext Reader, https://reader.humanitext.ai/en/text/urn:cts:greekLit:tlg0016.tlg001.humanitext-grc2:1.27.1-1.27.5

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