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Herodotus · Histories §3.133.1-3.133.2

Atossa's Illness and Democedes's Condition for Her Cure

Passage 537 of 1577 · Greek

Summary

Atossa suffers from a swelling on her breast and calls for the physician Democedes, who promises to cure her on the condition that she swears to grant him a future request.

§3.133.1ἐν χρόνῳ δὲ ὀλίγῳ μετὰ ταῦτα τάδε ἄλλα συνήνεικε γενέσθαι.
Not long after this, it happened that these other things occurred.
Ἀτόσσῃ τῇ Κύρου μὲν θυγατρὶ Δαρείου δὲ γυναικὶ ἐπὶ τοῦ μαστοῦ ἔφυ φῦμα, μετὰ δὲ ἐκραγὲν ἐνέμετο πρόσω.
A swelling grew upon the breast of Atossa, the daughter of Cyrus and wife of Darius, and afterwards, having burst, it spread further.
ὅσον μὲν δὴ χρόνον ἦν ἔλασσον, ἣ δὲ κρύπτουσα καὶ αἰσχυνομένη ἔφραζε οὐδενί· ἐπείτε δὲ ἐν κακῷ ἦν, μετεπέμψατο τὸν Δημοκήδεα καί οἱ ἐπέδεξε.
As long as it was smaller, she hid it and, feeling ashamed, told no one; but when she was in a bad way, she sent for Democedes and showed it to him.
§3.133.2ὁ δὲ φὰς ὑγιέα ποιήσειν ἐξορκοῖ μιν ἦ μέν οἱ ἀντυπουργήσειν ἐκείνην τοῦτο τὸ ἂν αὐτῆς δεηθῇ· δεήσεσθαι δὲ οὐδενὸς τῶν ὅσα ἐς αἰσχύνην ἐστὶ φέροντα.
He, saying that he would make her well, bound her by oath that she would indeed do for him in return whatever he might ask of her; adding that he would ask for nothing of those things which lead to shame.

Notes

  1. 3.133.1ἐν κακῷ ἦν — Although the subject is omitted, it is standard to take it as Atossa (referring back to ἣ δὲ), meaning 'when she was in a bad way.' However, it could also grammatically take φῦμα (the swelling) as the subject ('when the swelling became bad'). We have consistently translated it with Atossa as the subject across all languages.
  2. 3.133.2τοῦτο τὸ ἂν αὐτῆς δεηθῇ — τοῦτο is the cognate object of ἀντυπουργήσειν. τὸ functions as the relative pronoun ὅ (or ὅτι) in the Ionic dialect, which, accompanied by ἂν and the subjunctive δεηθῇ, expresses a general condition ('whatever he might ask of her'). δεηθῇ is the aorist subjunctive of δέομαι (to ask/need), which governs the genitive αὐτῆς.
  3. 3.133.2δεήσεσθαι δὲ — This is a future infinitive depending on the main verb ἐξορκοῖ (binds by oath). The semantic subject of this infinitive is Democedes himself, indicating his promise that he would ask for nothing that brings shame.

Cite this passage

Herodotus, Histories §3.133.1-3.133.2. Humanitext Reader, https://reader.humanitext.ai/en/text/urn:cts:greekLit:tlg0016.tlg001.humanitext-grc2:3.133.1-3.133.2

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