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Herodotus · Histories §6.65.1-6.65.4

Pact of Cleomenes and Leutychides Against Demaratus

Passage 967 of 1577 · Greek

Summary

Cleomenes forms an alliance with Leutychides, who harbors a personal grudge against Demaratus due to the theft of his betrothed. Leutychides publicly challenges Demaratus's legitimacy to the throne by reviving Ariston's past denial of his paternity.

§6.65.1ὁρμηθεὶς ὦν ἀποτίνυσθαι ὁ Κλεομένης συντίθεται Λευτυχίδῃ τῷ Μενάρεος τοῦ Ἄγιος, ἐόντι οἰκίης τῆς αὐτῆς Δημαρήτῳ, ἐπʼ ᾧ τε, ἢν αὐτὸν καταστήσῃ βασιλέα ἀντὶ Δημαρήτου, ἕψεταί οἱ ἐπʼ Αἰγινήτας.
Cleomenes, therefore, having set out to avenge himself, made an agreement with Leutychides, the son of Menares, the son of Agis, who belonged to the same house as Demaratus, on the condition that, if Cleomenes should establish him as king instead of Demaratus, Leutychides would follow him against the Aeginetans.
§6.65.2ὁ δὲ Λευτυχίδης ἦν ἐχθρὸς τῷ Δημαρήτῳ μάλιστα γεγονὼς διὰ πρῆγμα τοιόνδε· ἁρμοσαμένου Λευτυχίδεω Πέρκαλον τὴν Χίλωνος τοῦ Δημαρμένου θυγατέρα, ὁ Δημάρητος ἐπιβουλεύσας ἀποστερέει Λευτυχίδεα τοῦ γάμου, φθάσας αὐτὸς τὴν Πέρκαλον ἁρπάσας καὶ σχὼν γυναῖκα.
Now Leutychides had become a most bitter enemy to Demaratus for the following reason: when Leutychides had betrothed Percalus, the daughter of Chilon, the son of Demarmenus, Demaratus, by plotting against him, deprived Leutychides of his marriage, anticipating him by seizing Percalus himself and having her as his wife.
§6.65.3κατὰ τοῦτο μὲν τῷ Λευτυχίδῃ ἡ ἔχθρη ἡ ἐς τὸν Δημάρητον ἐγεγόνεε, τότε δὲ ἐκ τῆς Κλεομένεος προθυμίης ὁ Λευτυχίδης κατόμνυται Δημαρήτῳ, φὰς αὐτὸν οὐκ ἱκνεομένως βασιλεύειν Σπαρτιητέων οὐκ ἐόντα παῖδα Ἀρίστωνος·
On account of this, on the one hand, the enmity of Leutychides against Demaratus had arisen; but at that time, because of Cleomenes' eagerness, Leutychides took an oath against Demaratus, saying that he was not reigning over the Spartans by right, since he was not the son of Ariston.
μετὰ δὲ τὴν κατωμοσίην ἐδίωκε, ἀνασώζων ἐκεῖνο τὸ ἔπος τὸ εἶπε Ἀρίστων τότε ὅτε οἱ ἐξήγγειλε ὁ οἰκέτης παῖδα γεγονέναι, ὁ δὲ συμβαλόμενος τοὺς μῆνας ἀπώμοσε φὰς οὐκ ἑωυτοῦ μιν εἶναι.
And after this oath of accusation, he prosecuted him, bringing up again that saying which Ariston had uttered at the time when the servant announced to him that a son had been born, on which occasion Ariston, calculating the months, swore that the child was not his own.
§6.65.4τούτου δὴ ἐπιβατεύων τοῦ ῥήματος ὁ Λευτυχίδης ἀπέφαινε τὸν Δημάρητον οὔτε ἐξ Ἀρίστωνος γεγονότα οὔτε ἱκνευμένως βασιλεύοντα Σπάρτης, τοὺς ἐφόρους μάρτυρας παρεχόμενος κείνους οἳ τότε ἐτύγχανον πάρεδροί τε ἐόντες καὶ ἀκούσαντες ταῦτα Ἀρίστωνος.
Basing his case on this very saying, Leutychides showed that Demaratus was neither begotten of Ariston nor reigning over Sparta by right, producing as witnesses those ephors who at that time happened to be sitting by him and to have heard these things from Ariston.

Notes

  1. §6.65.1ἐπʼ ᾧ τε — A conjunctional phrase meaning 'on the condition that,' introducing the terms of an agreement. While it is more commonly constructed with an infinitive, here it is followed by the future indicative (ἕψεται), emphasizing the certainty of the consequence if the condition is met.
  2. §6.65.2φθάσας αὐτὸς τὴν Πέρκαλον ἁρπάσας — An idiomatic construction of the verb φθάνω ('anticipate' or 'forestall') accompanied by participles (here ἁρπάσας and σχών). It means 'doing something before someone else.' In this context, it indicates that Demaratus 'anticipated' Leutychides by seizing Percalus first.
  3. §6.65.4ἐπιβατεύων — Originally meaning 'boarding' or 'stepping upon' (a ship or land). Here it is used metaphorically with the genitive τοῦ ῥήματος, meaning 'basing one's case upon' or 'using as a footing/springboard' the words in question.
  4. §6.65.4ἐτύγχανον πάρεδροί τε ἐόντες καὶ ἀκούσαντες — A construction where τυγχάνω ('happen to be') takes both a present participle ἐόντες (representing an ongoing state of sitting by) and an aorist participle ἀκούσαντες (representing the past action of hearing) as its complements, describing their simultaneous presence and past experience.

Cite this passage

Herodotus, Histories §6.65.1-6.65.4. Humanitext Reader, https://reader.humanitext.ai/en/text/urn:cts:greekLit:tlg0016.tlg001.humanitext-grc2:6.65.1-6.65.4

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