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Herodotus · Histories §1.33.1

Croesus's Disdainful Dismissal of Solon

Passage 33 of 1577 · Greek

Summary

Solon's advice failed to please Croesus, who dismissed him without any honor, regarding him as completely foolish for telling him to look to the end of life.

§1.33.1ταῦτα λέγων τῷ Κροίσῳ οὔ κως οὔτε ἐχαρίζετο, οὔτε λόγου μιν ποιησάμενος οὐδενὸς ἀποπέμπεται, κάρτα δόξας ἀμαθέα εἶναι, ὃς τὰ παρεόντα ἀγαθὰ μετεὶς τὴν τελευτὴν παντὸς χρήματος ὁρᾶν ἐκέλευε.
Saying these things, Solon in no way pleased Croesus, who, making no account of him, sent him away, thinking him to be very ignorant, since he, letting go of present goods, bade him look to the end of every matter.

Notes

  1. §1.33.1οὔτε ἐχαρίζετο, οὔτε ... ἀποπέμπεται — The subject shifts between the two clauses connected by οὔτε ... οὔτε ... The subject of the first verb ἐχαρίζετο (imperfect) is Solon (or the neuter plural ταῦτα 'these words'), as indicated by the participle λέγων. However, the subject of the second verb ἀποπέμπεται (historical present, middle) is Croesus, which is also the subject of the preceding participle ποιησάμενος (aorist middle participle, nominative).
  2. §1.33.1δόξας — Aorist active participle, masculine nominative singular, from the verb δοκέω. Here it agrees with the subject Croesus, used in an active/transitive sense meaning 'judging' or 'deeming,' and takes the accusative and infinitive construction (with μιν understood as the subject of εἶναι) ἀμαθέα εἶναι as its object.
  3. §1.33.1μετείς — Aorist active participle, masculine nominative singular, from the verb μεθίημι (to let go, neglect). It agrees with the relative pronoun ὅς (referring to Solon) and takes τὰ παρεόντα ἀγαθά (the present goods) as its direct object.

Cite this passage

Herodotus, Histories §1.33.1. Humanitext Reader, https://reader.humanitext.ai/en/text/urn:cts:greekLit:tlg0016.tlg001.humanitext-grc2:1.33.1

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