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Herodotus · Histories §3.132.1-3.132.2

Democedes's Influence in Susa and the Men He Saved

Passage 536 of 1577 · Greek

Summary

Having cured Darius, Democedes gained a grand house and great influence with the king in Susa, though he was still denied return to Greece. He used his influence to rescue Egyptian physicians from execution and an Elean seer from slavery.

§3.132.1τότε δὴ ὁ Δημοκήδης ἐν τοῖσι Σούσοισι ἐξιησάμενος Δαρεῖον οἶκόν τε μέγιστον εἶχε καὶ ὁμοτράπεζος βασιλέι ἐγεγόνεε, πλήν τε ἑνὸς τοῦ ἐς Ἕλληνας ἀπιέναι πάντα τἆλλά οἱ παρῆν.
At that time indeed, Democedes, having cured Darius in Susa, possessed a very large house and had become a table-companion to the king; and except for one thing, namely returning to the Greeks, everything else was available to him.
§3.132.2καὶ τοῦτο μὲν τοὺς Αἰγυπτίους ἰητρούς, οἳ βασιλέα πρότερον ἰῶντο, μέλλοντας ἀνασκολοπιεῖσθαι ὅτι ὑπὸ Ἕλληνος ἰητροῦ ἑσσώθησαν, τούτους βασιλέα παραιτησάμενος ἐρρύσατο· τοῦτο δὲ μάντιν Ἠλεῖον Πολυκράτεϊ ἐπισπόμενον καὶ ἀπημελημένον ἐν τοῖσι ἀνδραπόδοισι ἐρρύσατο.
And on the one hand, he rescued the Egyptian physicians—who previously used to treat the king and were about to be impaled because they had been surpassed by a Greek physician—by interceding with the king; and on the other hand, he rescued an Elean seer who had followed Polycrates and was neglected among the slaves.
ἦν δὲ μέγιστον πρῆγμα Δημοκήδης παρὰ βασιλέι.
Indeed, Democedes was a person of the greatest influence with the king.

Notes

  1. §3.132.1τοῦ ἐς Ἕλληνας ἀπιέναι — An articular infinitive phrase in the genitive case, functioning in apposition to `ἑνὸς` which is governed by the preposition (or adverb) `πλήν`.
  2. §3.132.2τοῦτο μὲν ... τοῦτο δὲ — A correlative expression used adverbially, meaning "on the one hand... on the other hand...", structuring the main contrast of the sentence.
  3. §3.132.2τοὺς Αἰγυπτίους ἰητρούς ... τούτους — A resumptive syntactic structure where the accusative phrase `τοὺς Αἰγυπτίους ἰητρούς` at the beginning is picked up again by the demonstrative pronoun `τούτους` after the insertion of the relative clause, serving to clarify the direct object of the main verb `ἐρρύσατο`.
  4. §3.132.2βασιλέα παραιτησάμενος — The middle participle of `παραιτέομαι` ("to beg off", "to intercede with"), taking the accusative `βασιλέα` (the king) as its direct object, meaning "having begged the king (for their lives)" or "interceding with the king".
  5. §3.132.2ἦν δὲ μέγιστον πρῆγμα — The noun `πρῆγμα` is used as a complement referring to a person, meaning "an influential person", "a man of great importance".

Cite this passage

Herodotus, Histories §3.132.1-3.132.2. Humanitext Reader, https://reader.humanitext.ai/en/text/urn:cts:greekLit:tlg0016.tlg001.humanitext-grc2:3.132.1-3.132.2

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