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Herodotus · Histories §4.162.1-4.162.5

Exile of Arcesilaus and Pheretime's Plea for Aid

Passage 726 of 1577 · Greek

Summary

Arcesilaus rejects Demonax's reforms, resulting in a civil war and his subsequent exile. His mother Pheretime seeks military support from the king of Salamis in Cyprus but is refused with symbolic gifts fit for women.

§4.162.1ἐπὶ μὲν δὴ τούτου τοῦ Βάττου οὕτω διετέλεε ἐόντα, ἐπὶ δὲ τοῦ τούτου παιδὸς Ἀρκεσίλεω πολλὴ ταραχὴ περὶ τῶν τιμέων ἐγένετο.
During the reign of this Battus, matters continued to remain in this state; but in the time of his son Arcesilaus, there arose great trouble concerning the royal privileges.
§4.162.2Ἀρκεσίλεως γὰρ ὁ Βάττου τε τοῦ χωλοῦ καὶ Φερετίμης οὐκ ἔφη ἀνέξεσθαι κατὰ τὰ ὁ Μαντινεὺς Δημῶναξ ἔταξε, ἀλλὰ ἀπαίτεε τὰ τῶν προγόνων γέρεα.
For Arcesilaus, the son of Battus the lame and of Pheretime, declared that he would not submit to the arrangements made by Demonax of Mantinea, but demanded back the privileges of his ancestors.
ἐνθεῦτεν στασιάζων ἑσσώθη καὶ ἔφυγε ἐς Σάμον, ἡ δὲ μήτηρ οἱ ἐς Σαλαμῖνα τῆς Κύπρου ἔφυγε.
Consequently, raising a faction, he was defeated and fled to Samos, while his mother fled to Salamis in Cyprus.
§4.162.3τῆς δὲ Σαλαμῖνος τοῦτον τὸν χρόνον ἐπεκράτεε Εὐέλθων, ὃς τὸ ἐν Δελφοῖσι θυμιητήριον, ἐὸν ἀξιοθέητον ἀνέθηκε, τὸ ἐν τῷ Κορινθίων θησαυρῷ κέεται.
At this time Salamis was ruled by Evelthon, who dedicated the censer at Delphi, which is well worth seeing and lies in the treasury of the Corinthians.
ἀπικομένη δὲ παρὰ τοῦτον ἡ Φερετίμη ἐδέετο στρατιῆς ἣ κατάξει σφέας ἐς τὴν Κυρήνην.
Pheretime, having come to him, begged for an army that would restore them to Cyrene.
§4.162.4ὁ δὲ Εὐέλθων πᾶν μᾶλλον ἢ στρατιήν οἱ ἐδίδου· ἣ δὲ λαμβάνουσα τὸ διδόμενον καλὸν μὲν ἔφη καὶ τοῦτο εἶναι, κάλλιον δὲ ἐκεῖνο, τὸ δοῦναί οἱ δεομένῃ στρατιήν.
But Evelthon was offering her anything rather than an army; and she, as she received what was given, said that this indeed was beautiful, but that was more beautiful, namely, to give an army to her who requested it.
§4.162.5τοῦτο ἐπὶ παντὶ γὰρ τῷ διδομένῳ ἔλεγε, τελευταῖόν οἱ ἐξέπεμψε δῶρον ὁ Εὐέλθων ἄτρακτον χρύσεον καὶ ἠλακάτην, προσῆν δε καὶ εἴριον.
Since she said this at every gift that was given, at last Evelthon sent her as a gift a golden spindle and a distaff, and wool was also with them.
ἐπειπάσης δὲ αὖτις τῆς Φερετίμης τὠυτὸ ἔπος, ὁ Εὐέλθων ἔφη τοιούτοισι γυναῖκας δωρέεσθαι ἀλλʼ οὐ στρατιῇ.
When Pheretime again spoke the same word, Evelthon said that with such things as these they made presents to women, but not with an army.

Notes

  1. §4.162.1διετέλεε ἐόντα — Impersonal use of διατελέω with the supplementary participle ἐόντα (neuter plural), meaning "things continued to be in this state."
  2. §4.162.3ἣ κατάξει — A relative clause of purpose, where the relative pronoun ἥ is followed by the future indicative (κατάξει), expressing "an army that would restore them."
  3. §4.162.4πᾶν μᾶλλον ἢ — An idiomatic expression using comparison, meaning "anything rather than" or "everything except." It highlights that Evelthon offered Pheretime anything but the army she requested.
  4. §4.162.5δωρέεσθαι — The verb δωρέομαι takes a construction of "to present (person in accusative) with (thing in dative)." Here, γυναῖκας is the accusative and τοιούτοισι / στρατιῇ are datives.

Cite this passage

Herodotus, Histories §4.162.1-4.162.5. Humanitext Reader, https://reader.humanitext.ai/en/text/urn:cts:greekLit:tlg0016.tlg001.humanitext-grc2:4.162.1-4.162.5

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