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Herodotus · Histories §3.148.1-3.148.2

Maeandrius's Attempted Bribe and His Banishment from Sparta

Passage 552 of 1577 · Greek

Summary

Maeandrius escapes from Samos to Sparta and attempts to bribe King Cleomenes with his treasures. Cleomenes refuses the bribe and requests the ephors to banish Maeandrius for the safety of the state.

§3.148.1Μαιάνδριος δὲ ἀποδρὰς ἐκ τῆς Σάμου ἐκπλέει ἐς Λακεδαίμονα· ἀπικόμενος δὲ ἐς αὐτὴν καὶ ἀνενεικάμενος τὰ ἔχων ἐξεχώρησε, ἐποίεε τοιάδε· ὅκως ποτήρια ἀργύρεά τε καὶ χρύσεα προθεῖτο, οἱ μὲν θεράποντες αὐτοῦ ἐξέσμων αὐτά, ὃ δʼ ἂν τὸν χρόνον τοῦτον τῷ Κλεομένεϊ τῷ Ἀναξανδρίδεω ἐν λόγοισι ἐών, βασιλεύοντι Σπάρτης, προῆγέ μιν ἐς τὰ οἰκία· ὅκως δὲ ἴδοιτο Κλεομένης τὰ ποτήρια, ἀπεθώμαζέ τε καὶ ἐξεπλήσσετο· ὁ δὲ ἂν ἐκέλευε αὐτὸν ἀποφέρεσθαι αὐτῶν ὅσα βούλοιτο.
Maeandrius, having escaped from Samos, sailed away to Lacedaemon; and having arrived there and brought out the things which he had with him when he departed, he did as follows: whenever he set out silver and gold drinking-cups, his servants would polish them, and he meanwhile, being in conversation with Cleomenes son of Anaxandrides, the king of Sparta, would lead him into his house; and whenever Cleomenes saw the cups, he was astonished and amazed; and Maeandrius would tell him to carry away as many of them as he wished.
§3.148.2τοῦτο καὶ δὶς καὶ τρὶς εἴπαντος Μαιανδρίου ὁ Κλεομένης δικαιότατος ἀνδρῶν γίνεται, ὃς λαβεῖν μὲν διδόμενα οὐκ ἐδικαίου, μαθὼν δὲ ὡς ἄλλοισι διδοὺς τῶν ἀστῶν εὑρήσεται τιμωρίην, βὰς ἐπὶ τοὺς ἐφόρους ἄμεινον εἶναι ἔφη τῇ Σπάρτῃ τὸν ξεῖνον τὸν Σάμιον ἀπαλλάσσεσθαι ἐκ τῆς Πελοποννήσου, ἵνα μὴ ἀναπείσῃ ἢ αὐτὸν ἢ ἄλλον τινὰ Σπαρτιητέων κακὸν γενέσθαι.
When Maeandrius had said this two or three times, Cleomenes proved himself to be the most righteous of men; he did not think it right to accept what was offered, and realizing that by giving to other citizens Maeandrius would obtain assistance, he went to the ephors and said that it was better for Sparta that the Samian stranger should depart from the Peloponnese, lest he should persuade either Cleomenes himself or some other of the Spartans to become base.
οἳ δʼ ὑπακούσαντες ἐξεκήρυξαν Μαιάνδριον.
And they, complying, banished Maeandrius by public proclamation.

Notes

  1. 3.148.1τὰ ἔχων ἐξεχώρησε — The word τὰ is a relative pronoun (or article used as relative) containing its own antecedent, qualified by ἐξεχώρησε with the participle ἔχων. Together they mean 'the things which he had when he departed from Samos'.
  2. 3.148.1ὃ δʼ ἂν ... προῆγέ — The pronoun ὃ δʼ acting as subject is combined with the imperfect indicative προῆγε and the particle ἄν to express a repeated or habitual action in the past ('he would lead'). The same construction is found in ἂν ἐκέλευε below.
  3. 3.148.2οὐκ ἐδικαίου — The negative of δικαιόω (to deem right), οὐ δικαιόω, does not merely mean 'not to think right', but often expresses a strong refusal or determination 'not to deign to do' or 'to refuse to do' something.
  4. 3.148.2ὡς ... εὑρήσεται τιμωρίην — The ὡς clause represents indirect discourse depending on the participle μαθών. The future indicative εὑρήσεται is retained from the original thought ('he will obtain') despite the governing past tense. Here, τιμωρίη means 'assistance' or 'support' rather than 'vengeance'.

Cite this passage

Herodotus, Histories §3.148.1-3.148.2. Humanitext Reader, https://reader.humanitext.ai/en/text/urn:cts:greekLit:tlg0016.tlg001.humanitext-grc2:3.148.1-3.148.2

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