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Herodotus · Histories §5.39.1-5.39.2

Cleomenes's Succession and the Ephors' Marriage Demands

Passage 808 of 1577 · Greek

Summary

The narrative explains how Cleomenes succeeded his deceased father, Anaxandrides, as king of Sparta, and how the ephors demanded that Anaxandrides divorce his childless wife and remarry to prevent the royal lineage from going extinct.

§5.39.1τῆς δὲ Σπάρτης Ἀναξανδρίδης μὲν ὁ Λέοντος οὐκέτι περιεὼν ἐβασίλευε ἀλλὰ ἐτετελευτήκεε, Κλεομένης δὲ ὁ Ἀναξανδρίδεω εἶχε τὴν βασιληίην, οὐ κατʼ ἀνδραγαθίην σχὼν ἀλλὰ κατὰ γένος.
In Sparta, Anaxandrides, the son of Leon, was no longer alive to rule, but had died, and Cleomenes, the son of Anaxandrides, held the kingship, having obtained it not by manly virtue but by birth.
Ἀναξανδρίδῃ γὰρ ἔχοντι γυναῖκα ἀδελφεῆς ἑωυτοῦ θυγατέρα, καὶ ἐούσης ταύτης οἱ καταθυμίης, παῖδες οὐκ ἐγίνοντο.
For Anaxandrides had as a wife the daughter of his own sister, and although she was to his liking, no children were born to them.
§5.39.2τούτου δὲ τοιούτου ἐόντος, οἱ ἔφοροι εἶπαν ἐπικαλεσάμενοι αὐτὸν εἴ τοι σὺ σεωυτοῦ μὴ προορᾷς, ἀλλʼ ἡμῖν τοῦτʼ ἐστὶ οὐ περιοπτέον, γένος τὸ Εὐρυσθένεος γενέσθαι ἐξίτηλον.
Since this was the case, the ephors summoned him and said: "Even if you do not look out for yourself, yet we must not overlook this, that the family of Eurysthenes should become extinct.
σύ νυν τὴν μὲν ἔχεις γυναῖκα, ἐπείτε τοι οὐ τίκτει, ἔξεο, ἄλλην δὲ γῆμον· καὶ ποιέων ταῦτα Σπαρτιήτῃσι ἁδήσεις. ὃ δʼ ἀμείβετο φὰς τούτων οὐδέτερα ποιήσειν, ἐκείνους τε οὐ καλῶς συμβουλεύειν παραινέοντας, τὴν ἔχει γυναῖκα ἐοῦσαν ἀναμάρτητον ἑωυτῷ, ταύτην ἀπέντα ἄλλην ἐσαγαγέσθαι· οὐδέ σφι πείσεσθαι.
Now, therefore, since the wife you have does not bear you children, put her away and marry another; and by doing this you will please the Spartans." But he replied, saying that he would do neither of these things, and that they were not advising him well in urging him to dismiss the wife he had, who was blameless toward him, and to bring in another; nor would he obey them.

Notes

  1. §5.39.1Ἀναξανδρίδῃ γὰρ ἔχοντι γυναῖκα ἀδελφεῆς ἑωυτοῦ θυγατέρα, καὶ ἐούσης ταύτης οἱ καταθυμίης, παῖδες οὐκ ἐγίνοντο. — Ἀναξανδρίδῃ is a dative of possession, with the present participle ἔχοντι agreeing with it. The phrase καὶ ἐούσης ταύτης οἱ καταθυμίης forms a genitive absolute, where ταύτης is the logical subject and οἱ (for him) is a dative of interest.
  2. §5.39.2τοῦτʼ ἐστὶ οὐ περιοπτέον — περιοπτέον is the verbal adjective of περιοράω (overlook) in the neuter singular, used impersonally to mean 'must not be overlooked.' Its logical content is explained by the following infinitive clause (γένος... γενέσθαι ἐξίτηλον).
  3. §5.39.2τὴν ἔχει γυναῖκα ἐοῦσαν ἀναμάρτητον ἑωυτῷ, ταύτην ἀπέντα ἄλλην ἐσαγαγέσθαι — The relative clause from τὴν (Ionic relative pronoun) to ἑωυτῷ refers to 'the wife whom he has, who is blameless toward him.' ἀπέντα (from ἀφίημι, to dismiss) is an aorist active participle in the accusative singular masculine, agreeing with the unexpressed subject accusative of the infinitive ἐσαγαγέσθαι.

Cite this passage

Herodotus, Histories §5.39.1-5.39.2. Humanitext Reader, https://reader.humanitext.ai/en/text/urn:cts:greekLit:tlg0016.tlg001.humanitext-grc2:5.39.1-5.39.2

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