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Herodotus · Histories §5.51.1-5.51.3

Bribery of Cleomenes and the Warning of Gorgo

Passage 820 of 1577 · Greek

Summary

Aristagoras goes to Cleomenes' house to bribe him, but Cleomenes' young daughter, Gorgo, warns her father, leading Cleomenes to reject the bribe and Aristagoras to depart from Sparta.

§5.51.1ὁ μὲν Κλεομένης ταῦτα εἴπας ἤιε ἐς τὰ οἰκία, ὁ δὲ Ἀρισταγόρης λαβὼν ἱκετηρίην ἤιε ἐς τοῦ Κλεομένεος, ἐσελθὼν δὲ ἔσω ἅτε ἱκετεύων ἐπακοῦσαι ἐκέλευε τὸν Κλεομένεα ἀποπέμψαντα τὸ παιδίον· προσεστήκεε γὰρ δὴ τῷ Κλεομένεϊ ἡ θυγάτηρ, τῇ οὔνομα ἦν Γοργώ·
Cleomenes, having said this, went to his house; but Aristagoras, taking a suppliant's branch, went to Cleomenes' house. Having entered inside, as a suppliant he urged Cleomenes to send the child away and listen to him; for his daughter, whose name was Gorgo, was standing by Cleomenes.
τοῦτο δέ οἱ καὶ μοῦνον τέκνον ἐτύγχανε ἐὸν ἐτέων ὀκτὼ ἢ ἐννέα ἡλικίην.
She happened to be his only child, about eight or nine years of age.
Κλεομένης δὲ λέγειν μιν ἐκέλευε τὰ βούλεται μηδὲ ἐπισχεῖν τοῦ παιδίου εἵνεκα.
But Cleomenes told him to say what he wished and not to hesitate on account of the child.
§5.51.2ἐνθαῦτα δὴ ὁ Ἀρισταγόρης ἄρχετο ἐκ δέκα ταλάντων ὑπισχνεόμενος, ἤν οἱ ἐπιτελέσῃ τῶν ἐδέετο.
Thereupon Aristagoras began by promising ten talents, if he would accomplish for him what he requested.
ἀνανεύοντος δὲ τοῦ Κλεομένεος προέβαινε τοῖσι χρήμασι ὑπερβάλλων ὁ Ἀρισταγόρης, ἐς οὗ πεντήκοντά τε τάλαντα ὑπεδέδεκτο καὶ τὸ παιδίον ηὐδάξατο πάτερ, διαφθερέει σε ὁ ξεῖνος, ἢν μὴ ἀποστὰς ἴῃς. §5.51.3ὅ τε δὴ Κλεομένης ἡσθεὶς τοῦ παιδίου τῇ παραινέσι ἤιε ἐς ἕτερον οἴκημα, καὶ ὁ Ἀρισταγόρης ἀπαλλάσσετο τὸ παράπαν ἐκ τῆς Σπάρτης, οὐδέ οἱ ἐξεγένετο ἐπὶ πλέον ἔτι σημῆναι περὶ τῆς ἀνόδου τῆς παρὰ βασιλέα.
When Cleomenes shook his head in refusal, Aristagoras went on increasing the money, until he had promised fifty talents, and the child spoke out: "Father, the stranger will corrupt you, if you do not go away and leave him." Cleomenes, pleased with the child's advice, went into another room, and Aristagoras departed altogether from Sparta, nor did it lie in his power to explain any further about the journey inland to the King.

Notes

  1. 5.51.1ἐς τοῦ Κλεομένεος — Meaning "to Cleomenes' (house)". The noun οἰκία (house) or οἴκημα (dwelling) is omitted, with the genitive τοῦ Κλεομένεος standing alone as the object of the preposition ἐς.
  2. 5.51.1ἀποπέμψαντα — Accusative participle agreeing with τὸν Κλεομένεα, which is the logical subject of the infinitive ἐπακοῦσαι. It expresses the prior action required of Cleomenes: "sending the child away (and then listening)."
  3. 5.51.1ἐτύγχανε ἐὸν ἐτέων ὀκτὼ ἢ ἐννέα ἡλικίην — The verb τυγχάνω with the participle ἐών (from εἰμί) forms the construction "happened to be." ἐτέων ὀκτὼ ἢ ἐννέα is a genitive of quality/age, and ἡλικίην is an accusative of respect/limitation ("with respect to age").
  4. 5.51.2ἐς οὗ — Functioning as a conjunction meaning "until." This is a contracted expression arising from ἐς τοῦτο χρόνου ἐν ᾧ (up to the point in time when).

Cite this passage

Herodotus, Histories §5.51.1-5.51.3. Humanitext Reader, https://reader.humanitext.ai/en/text/urn:cts:greekLit:tlg0016.tlg001.humanitext-grc2:5.51.1-5.51.3

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