Humanitext Reader

Herodotus · Histories §6.136.1-6.136.3

The Trial, Fining, and Death of Miltiades

Passage 1041 of 1577 · Greek

Summary

Upon his return from Paros, Miltiades is prosecuted on a capital charge by Xanthippus for deceiving the Athenians; unable to speak due to gangrene in his thigh, his friends defend him. The people acquit him of the death penalty but fine him fifty talents, which his son Cimon pays after Miltiades passes away.

§6.136.1παρίοισι μὲν δὴ ταῦτα ἡ Πυθίη ἔχρησε· Ἀθηναῖοι δὲ ἐκ Πάρου Μιλτιάδεα ἀπονοστήσαντα ἔσχον ἐν στόμασι οἵ τε ἄλλοι καὶ μάλιστα Ξάνθιππος ὁ Ἀρίφρονος, ὃς θανάτου ὑπαγαγὼν ὑπὸ τὸν δῆμον Μιλτιάδεα ἐδίωκε τῆς Ἀθηναίων ἀπάτης εἵνεκεν.
The Pythia indeed gave this oracle to the Parians; but when Miltiades returned from Paros, the Athenians had him on their lips, both the others and especially Xanthippus the son of Ariphron, who, bringing Miltiades before the people on a capital charge, prosecuted him for his deception of the Athenians.
§6.136.2Μιλτιάδης δὲ αὐτὸς μὲν παρεὼν οὐκ ἀπελογέετο· ἦν γὰρ ἀδύνατος ὥστε σηπομένου τοῦ μηροῦ· προκειμένου δὲ αὐτοῦ ἐν κλίνῃ ὑπεραπελογέοντο οἱ φίλοι, τῆς μάχης τε τῆς ἐν Μαραθῶνι γενομένης πολλὰ ἐπιμεμνημένοι καὶ τὴν Λήμνου αἵρεσιν, ὡς ἑλὼν Λῆμνόν τε καὶ τισάμενος τοὺς Πελασγοὺς παρέδωκε Ἀθηναίοισι.
Miltiades himself, though present, made no defense, for he was unable to do so because his thigh was mortifying; but while he lay before them on a couch, his friends made a defense on his behalf, speaking much of the battle fought at Marathon and the capture of Lemnos, how he had taken Lemnos and, having taken vengeance on the Pelasgians, had delivered it to the Athenians.
§6.136.3προσγενομένου δὲ τοῦ δήμου αὐτῷ κατὰ τὴν ἀπόλυσιν τοῦ θανάτου, ζημιώσαντος δὲ κατὰ τὴν ἀδικίην πεντήκοντα ταλάντοισι, Μιλτιάδης μὲν μετὰ ταῦτα σφακελίσαντός τε τοῦ μηροῦ καὶ σαπέντος τελευτᾷ, τὰ δὲ πεντήκοντα τάλαντα ἐξέτισε ὁ παῖς αὐτοῦ Κίμων.
And though the people supported him with regard to acquittal from the death penalty, yet they fined him fifty talents for his wrongdoing; Miltiades died after this, his thigh having gangrened and rotted, and his son Cimon paid the fifty talents.

Notes

  1. §6.136.1ἔσχον ἐν στόμασι — Literally 'had in their mouths,' this idiom is interpreted here in a highly negative sense, meaning 'to talk of with censure' or 'to abuse verbally,' especially given the immediate context of the impending prosecution (ἐδίωκε).
  2. §6.136.1θανάτου ὑπαγαγὼν — The verb ὑπάγω (to bring to trial, impeach) is construed here with the genitive of penalty θανάτου (of death), meaning to prosecute someone on a capital charge.
  3. §6.136.2ὥστε σηπομένου τοῦ μηροῦ — A Herodotean idiom where the conjunction of result ὥστε is followed by a genitive absolute (σηπομένου τοῦ μηροῦ) to explain the physical cause of his being 'unable' (ἀδύνατος).
  4. §6.136.2τῆς μάχης τε τῆς ἐν Μαραθῶνι γενομένης πολλὰ ἐπιμεμνημένοι καὶ τὴν Λήμνου αἵρεσιν — A grammatical shift (anacoluthon) where the participle ἐπιμεμνημένοι (speaking of, remembering) governs both a genitive object (τῆς μάχης...) and an accusative object (τὴν ... αἵρεσιν) coordinated by τε... καί. Both are translated as coordinates of the verb.
  5. §6.136.3προσγενομένου δὲ τοῦ δήμου αὐτῷ κατὰ τὴν ἀπόλυσιν τοῦ θανάτου — The verb προσγίγνομαι with dative (αὐτῷ) means 'to take someone's side' or 'to support.' Combined with κατὰ τὴν ἀπόλυσιν τοῦ θανάτου (with regard to acquittal from the death penalty), this genitive absolute describes the people supporting Miltiades so as to spare his life.

Cite this passage

Herodotus, Histories §6.136.1-6.136.3. Humanitext Reader, https://reader.humanitext.ai/en/text/urn:cts:greekLit:tlg0016.tlg001.humanitext-grc2:6.136.1-6.136.3

Please note the AI-draft status of the translation and the date accessed.

Translation, notes and summary are AI-generated drafts, revised through reader feedback.