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Herodotus · Histories §6.35.1-6.35.3

Miltiades and the Request of the Dolonci

Passage 937 of 1577 · Greek

Summary

Miltiades, an influential Athenian, hosts the passing Dolonci and learns of their oracle. Wishing to escape the rule of Peisistratus, he departs for Delphi to consult the oracle about whether he should accept their request.

§6.35.1ἐν δὲ τῇσι Ἀθήνῃσι τηνικαῦτα εἶχε μὲν τὸ πᾶν κράτος Πεισίστρατος, ἀτὰρ ἐδυνάστευέ γε καὶ Μιλτιάδης ὁ Κυψέλου ἐὼν οἰκίης τεθριπποτρόφου, τὰ μὲν ἀνέκαθεν ἀπʼ Αἰακοῦ τε καὶ Αἰγίνης γεγονώς, τὰ δὲ νεώτερα Ἀθηναῖος, Φιλαίου τοῦ Αἴαντος παιδὸς γενομένου πρώτου τῆς οἰκίης ταύτης Ἀθηναίου.
At that time in Athens, Peisistratus held all the power, but Miltiades, the son of Cypselus, also had great influence, being of a family that bred four-horse chariot-teams. By ancient descent he was sprung from Aeacus and Aegina, but more recently he was an Athenian, Philaeus the son of Ajax having been the first of this house to become an Athenian.
§6.35.2οὗτος ὁ Μιλτιάδης κατήμενος ἐν τοῖσι προθύροισι τοῖσι ἑωυτοῦ, ὁρέων τοὺς Δολόγκους παριόντας ἐσθῆτα ἔχοντας οὐκ ἐγχωρίην καὶ αἰχμὰς προσεβώσατο καί σφι προσελθοῦσι ἐπηγγείλατο καταγωγὴν καὶ ξείνια.
As this Miltiades was sitting in his own porch, seeing the Dolonci passing by wearing non-local dress and carrying spears, he called out to them, and when they approached, he offered them lodging and hospitality.
οἳ δὲ δεξάμενοι καὶ ξεινισθέντες ὑπʼ αὐτοῦ ἐξέφαινον πᾶν τὸ μαντήιον, ἐκφήναντες δὲ ἐδέοντο αὐτοῦ τῷ θεῷ μιν πείθεσθαι.
They accepted and, after being entertained by him, revealed the whole oracle, and having made it known, they begged him to obey the god.
§6.35.3Μιλτιάδεα δὲ ἀκούσαντα παραυτίκα ἔπεισε ὁ λόγος οἷα ἀχθόμενόν τε τῇ Πεισιστράτου ἀρχῇ καὶ βουλόμενον ἐκποδὼν εἶναι.
When Miltiades heard this, the proposal immediately won him over, inasmuch as he was vexed by the rule of Peisistratus and wished to be out of the way.
αὐτίκα δὲ ἐστάλη ἐς Δελφούς, ἐπειρησόμενος τὸ χρηστήριον εἰ ποιοίη τά περ αὐτοῦ οἱ Δόλογκοι προσεδέοντο.
He straightway set out for Delphi to ask the oracle whether he should do just what the Dolonci were requesting of him.

Notes

  1. 6.35.1Φιλαίου τοῦ Αἴαντος παιδὸς γενομένου πρώτου τῆς οἰκίης ταύτης Ἀθηναίου — Genitive absolute construction. The noun Φιλαίου and the participle γενομένου act as the logical subject of the clause, expressing the reason ('since Philaeus, the son of Ajax, became...'). πρώτου ... Ἀθηναίου serves as the complement, and τῆς οἰκίης ταύτης is a partitive genitive qualifying πρώτου.
  2. 6.35.2μιν πείθεσθαι — μιν is the Ionic form of the third-person singular accusative pronoun, serving here as the subject accusative of the infinitive πείθεσθαι (referring to Miltiades). This forms an accusative-and-infinitive construction dependent on the verb ἐδέοντο (begged). τῷ θεῷ is the dative object of πείθεσθαι (obey).
  3. 6.35.3οἷα ἀχθόμενόν τε τῇ Πεισιστράτου ἀρχῇ καὶ βουλόμενον ἐκποδὼν εἶναι — The particle οἷα (similar to ἅτε) combined with participles expresses an objective or actual ground/reason ('since', 'inasmuch as'). The participles ἀχθόμενον and βουλόμενον agree in gender, number, and case with Μιλτιάδεα, which is the accusative direct object of the main verb ἔπεισε.
  4. 6.35.3εἰ ποιοίη — Optative of indirect question (oblique optative) after the secondary main verb ἐστάλη. This represents a deliberative subjunctive ('should I do?') in the direct question, shifted to the optative due to sequence of tenses after a past-tense main verb.

Cite this passage

Herodotus, Histories §6.35.1-6.35.3. Humanitext Reader, https://reader.humanitext.ai/en/text/urn:cts:greekLit:tlg0016.tlg001.humanitext-grc2:6.35.1-6.35.3

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