§5.49.1ἀπικνέεται δὲ ὦν ὁ Ἀρισταγόρης ὁ Μιλήτου τύραννος ἐς τὴν Σπάρτην Κλεομένεος ἔχοντος τὴν ἀρχήν· τῷ δὴ ἐς λόγους ἤιε, ὡς Λακεδαιμόνιοι λέγουσι, ἔχων χάλκεον πίνακα ἐν τῷ γῆς ἁπάσης περίοδος ἐνετέτμητο καὶ θάλασσά τε πᾶσα καὶ ποταμοὶ πάντες.
Now Aristagoras, the tyrant of Miletus, arrived in Sparta while Cleomenes was holding the rule; and he went to enter into talks with him, as the Lacedaemonians say, having a bronze tablet on which the map of the whole earth was engraved, along with all the sea and all the rivers.
§5.49.2ἀπικνεόμενος δὲ ἐς λόγους ὁ Ἀρισταγόρης ἔλεγε πρὸς αὐτὸν τάδε. Κλεόμενες, σπουδὴν μὲν τὴν ἐμὴν μὴ θωμάσῃς τῆς ἐνθαῦτα ἀπίξιος· τὰ γὰρ κατήκοντα ἐστὶ τοιαῦτα· Ἰώνων παῖδας δούλους εἶναι ἀντʼ ἐλευθέρων ὄνειδος καὶ ἄλγος μέγιστον μὲν αὐτοῖσι ἡμῖν, ἔτι δὲ τῶν λοιπῶν ὑμῖν, ὅσῳ προέστατε τῆς Ἑλλάδος.
And coming to the talks, Aristagoras spoke to him as follows: "Cleomenes, do not wonder at my eagerness in coming here; for the circumstances are such: that the children of the Ionians should be slaves instead of free is a great reproach and grief, most of all to ourselves, but also among the rest of the Greeks to you, inasmuch as you stand at the head of Greece.
§5.49.3νῦν ὦν πρὸς θεῶν τῶν Ἑλληνίων ῥύσασθε Ἴωνας ἐκ δουλοσύνης ἄνδρας ὁμαίμονας.
Now therefore, by the gods of the Greeks, rescue the Ionians from slavery, men of your own blood.
εὐπετέως δὲ ὑμῖν ταῦτα οἷά τε χωρέειν ἐστί· οὔτε γὰρ οἱ βάρβαροι ἄλκιμοι εἰσί, ὑμεῖς τε τὰ ἐς τὸν πόλεμον ἐς τὰ μέγιστα ἀνήκετε ἀρετῆς πέρι, ἥ τε μάχη αὐτῶν ἐστὶ τοιήδε, τόξα καὶ αἰχμὴ βραχέα·
This is an easy matter for you to accomplish; for neither are the barbarians warlike, while you have reached the highest point of valor in matters concerning war.
ἀναξυρίδας δὲ ἔχοντες ἔρχονται ἐς τὰς μάχας καὶ κυρβασίας ἐπὶ τῇσι κεφαλῇσι.
Moreover, their manner of fighting is of this kind: they use bows and a short spear, and they go into battle wearing trousers and caps on their heads.
§5.49.4οὕτω εὐπετέες χειρωθῆναι εἰσί.
Thus they are easy to be subdued.
ἔστι δὲ καὶ ἀγαθὰ τοῖσι τὴν ἤπειρον ἐκείνην νεμομένοισι ὅσα οὐδὲ τοῖσι συνάπασι ἄλλοισι, ἀπὸ χρυσοῦ ἀρξαμένοισι, ἄργυρος καὶ χαλκὸς καὶ ἐσθὴς ποικίλη καὶ ὑποζύγιά τε καὶ ἀνδράποδα· τὰ θυμῷ βουλόμενοι αὐτοὶ ἂν ἔχοιτε.
Furthermore, those who inhabit that continent possess good things in such abundance as not all other people together possess, beginning with gold, silver and bronze and embroidered clothing and beasts of burden and slaves; all of which you might have for yourselves if you so desire in your heart.
§5.49.5κατοίκηνται δὲ ἀλλήλων ἐχόμενοι ὡς ἐγὼ φράσω, Ἰώνων μὲν τῶνδε οἵδε Λυδοί, οἰκέοντές τε χώρην ἀγαθὴν καὶ πολυαργυρώτατοι ἐόντες. δεικνὺς δὲ ἔλεγε ταῦτα ἐς τῆς γῆς τὴν περίοδον, τὴν ἐφέρετο ἐν τῷ πίνακι ἐντετμημένην.
And they dwell adjacent to one another as I shall explain: next to these Ionians here are these Lydians, who inhabit a fertile land and are extremely rich in silver." And as he spoke these words, he pointed to the map of the earth which he was carrying engraved on the tablet.
Λυδῶν δέ
ἔφη λέγων ὁ Ἀρισταγόρης
οἵδε ἔχονται Φρύγες οἱ πρὸς τὴν ἠῶ, πολυπροβατώτατοί τε ἐόντες πάντων τῶν ἐγὼ οἶδα καὶ πολυκαρπότατοι.
"And next to the Lydians," said Aristagoras, continuing his speech, "are these Phrygians towards the east, who have the greatest abundance of sheep of any people I know, and are most rich in crops.
§5.49.6Φρυγῶν δὲ ἔχονται Καππαδόκαι, τοὺς ἡμεῖς Συρίους καλέομεν.
Next to the Phrygians are the Cappadocians, whom we call Syrians.
τούτοισι δὲ πρόσουροι Κίλικες, κατήκοντες ἐπὶ θάλασσαν τήνδε, ἐν τῇ ἥδε Κύπρος νῆσος κέεται· οἳ πεντακόσια τάλαντα βασιλέι τὸν ἐπέτειον φόρον ἐπιτελεῦσι.
Bordering on these are the Cilicians, extending down to this sea here, in which lies this island of Cyprus; they pay to the King an annual tribute of five hundred talents.
Κιλίκων δὲ τῶνδε ἔχονται Ἀρμένιοι οἵδε, καὶ οὗτοι ἐόντες πολυπρόβατοι, Ἀρμενίων δὲ Ματιηνοὶ χώρην τήνδε ἔχοντες.
Next to these Cilicians are these Armenians, who also are rich in sheep; and next to the Armenians are the Matieni, possessing this land here.
§5.49.7ἔχεται δὲ τούτων γῆ ἥδε Κισσίη, ἐν τῇ δὴ παρὰ ποταμὸν τόνδε Χοάσπην κείμενα ἐστὶ τὰ Σοῦσα ταῦτα, ἔνθα βασιλεύς τε μέγας δίαιταν ποιέεται, καὶ τῶν χρημάτων οἱ θησαυροὶ ἐνθαῦτα εἰσί·
Next to these is this land of Cissia, in which indeed, situated by this river Choaspes, is this Susa here, where the Great King makes his dwelling, and the treasuries of his wealth are located.
ἑλόντες δὲ ταύτην τὴν πόλιν θαρσέοντες ἤδη τῷ Διὶ πλούτου πέρι ἐρίζετε.
If you capture this city, you can then with confidence contend even with Zeus in respect of wealth.
§5.49.8ἀλλὰ περὶ μὲν χώρης ἄρα οὐ πολλῆς οὐδὲ οὕτω χρηστῆς καὶ οὔρων σμικρῶν χρεόν ἐστι ὑμέας μάχας ἀναβάλλεσθαι πρός τε Μεσσηνίους ἐόντας ἰσοπαλέας καὶ Ἀρκάδας τε καὶ Ἀργείους, τοῖσι οὔτε χρυσοῦ ἐχόμενον ἐστι οὐδὲν οὔτε ἀργύρου, τῶν πέρι καί τινα ἐνάγει προθυμίη μαχόμενον ἀποθνήσκειν·
Is it then necessary for you to put off battles against Messenians who are your equals in strength, and Arcadians and Argives, for the sake of a land of no great size and not so fertile, and for narrow boundaries, who possess nothing akin to gold or silver, for which things indeed eagerness impels a man to fight and die?
παρέχον δὲ τῆς Ἀσίης πάσης ἄρχειν εὐπετέως, ἄλλο τι αἱρήσεσθε; §5.49.9Ἀρισταγόρης μὲν ταῦτα ἔλεξε, Κλεομένης δὲ ἀμείβετο τοῖσιδε. ὦ ξεῖνε Μιλήσιε, ἀναβάλλομαί τοι ἐς τρίτην ἡμέρην ὑποκρινέεσθαι.
When it is offered to you to rule over all Asia easily, will you choose anything else?" Aristagoras spoke these words, and Cleomenes answered him thus: "My Milesian guest, I postpone my reply to you until the third day."