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Herodotus · Histories §3.135.1-3.135.3

Darius Dispatches Democedes and the Persian Spies to Greece

Passage 539 of 1577 · Greek

Summary

Darius orders fifteen Persians to accompany Democedes to spy on Greece, urging Democedes to return by offering him gifts and a merchant ship. Democedes, while wary of Darius's intentions, accepts the gifts and sets out.

§3.135.1ταῦτα εἶπε καὶ ἅμα ἔπος τε καὶ ἔργον ἐποίεε.
He spoke these words, and at once suited the action to the word.
ἐπείτε γὰρ τάχιστα ἡμέρη ἐπέλαμψε, καλέσας Περσέων ἄνδρας δοκίμους πεντεκαίδεκα ἐνετέλλετό σφι ἑπομένους Δημοκήδεϊ διεξελθεῖν τὰ παραθαλάσσια τῆς Ἑλλάδος, ὅκως τε μὴ διαδρήσεται σφέας ὁ Δημοκήδης, ἀλλά μιν πάντως ὀπίσω ἀπάξουσι.
For as soon as day dawned, he called fifteen eminent Persian men and commanded them to follow Democedes and go through the coastal parts of Greece, and to take care that Democedes should not escape from them, but that they should by all means bring him back.
§3.135.2ἐντειλάμενος δὲ τούτοισι ταῦτα, δεύτερα καλέσας αὐτὸν Δημοκήδεα ἐδέετο αὐτοῦ ὅκως ἐξηγησάμενος πᾶσαν καὶ ἐπιδέξας τὴν Ἑλλάδα τοῖσι Πέρσῃσι ὀπίσω ἥξει·
Having given these instructions to them, he next called Democedes himself and entreated him to guide the Persians through the whole of Greece and show it to them, and then to return.
δῶρα δέ μιν τῷ πατρὶ καὶ τοῖσι ἀδελφεοῖσι ἐκέλευε πάντα τὰ ἐκείνου ἔπιπλα λαβόντα ἄγειν, φὰς ἄλλα οἱ πολλαπλήσια ἀντιδώσειν· πρὸς δὲ ἐς τὰ δῶρα ὁλκάδα οἱ ἔφη συμβαλέεσθαι πλήσας ἀγαθῶν παντοίων, τὴν ἅμα οἱ πλεύσεσθαι.
And he bid him take all his own household goods and carry them as gifts to his father and brothers, saying that he would give him in return many times as much other property; moreover, in addition to these gifts, he said he would contribute a merchant ship laden with all kinds of good things, which should sail with him.
§3.135.3Δαρεῖος μὲν δή, δοκέειν ἐμοί, ἀπʼ οὐδενὸς δολεροῦ νόου ἐπαγγέλλετό οἱ ταῦτα.
Darius, indeed, as it seems to me, made these offers to him from no deceitful mind.
Δημοκήδης δὲ δείσας μή εὑ ἐκπειρῷτο Δαρεῖος, οὔτι ἐπιδραμὼν πάντα τὰ διδόμενα ἐδέκετο, ἀλλὰ τὰ μὲν ἑωυτοῦ κατὰ χώρην ἔφη καταλείψειν, ἵνα ὀπίσω σφέα ἀπελθὼν ἔχοι, τὴν μέντοι ὁλκάδα, τήν οἱ Δαρεῖος ἐπαγγέλλετο ἐς τὴν δωρεὴν τοῖσι ἀδελφεοῖσι, δέκεσθαι ἔφη.
But Democedes, fearing lest Darius might be testing him, did not eagerly accept all that was offered, but said he would leave his own things where they were, so that he might have them when he came back; however, the merchant ship which Darius offered him as a gift for his brothers, he said he would accept.
ἐντειλάμενος δὲ καὶ τούτῳ ταὐτὰ ὁ Δαρεῖος ἀποστέλλει αὐτοὺς ἐπὶ θάλασσαν.
Darius, having given the same instructions to him as well, sent them down to the sea.

Notes

  1. 3.135.1ἅμα ἔπος τε καὶ ἔργον ἐποίεε — A Greek idiomatic expression meaning "no sooner said than done." The combination of ἅμα and τε... καί emphasizes that the utterance (ἔπος) and the action (ἔργον) occurred simultaneously.
  2. 3.135.1ὅκως τε μὴ διαδρήσεται σφέας ὁ Δημοκήδης, ἀλλά μιν πάντως ὀπίσω ἀπάξουσι — The conjunction ὅκως (Attic ὅπως) is used here with the future indicative (διαδρήσεται, ἀπάξουσι) to introduce a clause of effort or command ("to see to it that..."). The use of the future indicative instead of the subjunctive adds a strong nuance that the result must definitely be achieved.
  3. 3.135.2δῶρα δέ μιν τῷ πατρὶ καὶ τοῖσι ἀδελφεοῖσι ἐκέλευε πάντα τὰ ἐκείνου ἔπιπλα λαβόντα ἄγειν — The pronoun μιν (third-person singular accusative) is the subject accusative of the infinitive ἄγειν. δῶρα (neuter plural accusative) acts as a predicative accusative in relation to the object πάντα τὰ ἐκείνου ἔπιπλα (all his household goods), and is translated as "as gifts."
  4. 3.135.2τὴν ἅμα οἱ πλεύσεσθαι — The feminine accusative singular article τὴν is used here as a relative pronoun, referring back to the "merchant ship (ὁλκάδα)" in the preceding clause. The future infinitive πλεύσεσθαι is part of the indirect discourse governed by the main verb ἔφη (he said).
  5. 3.135.3δοκέειν ἐμοί — The infinitive δοκέειν is used independently as an absolute infinitive, forming a parenthetical phrase meaning "in my opinion" or "as it seems to me."
  6. 3.135.3δείσας μή εὑ ἐκπειρῷτο Δαρεῖος — Following the conjunction of fearing μή, the optative (ἐκπειρῷτο) is used, attracted by the historical tense of the main verb. The pronoun εὑ (third-person singular genitive in Herodotus) acts as an indirect reflexive pronoun referring back to the subject of the main clause (Democedes).

Cite this passage

Herodotus, Histories §3.135.1-3.135.3. Humanitext Reader, https://reader.humanitext.ai/en/text/urn:cts:greekLit:tlg0016.tlg001.humanitext-grc2:3.135.1-3.135.3

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