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Herodotus · Histories §6.72.1-6.72.2

Bribery, Exile, and Death of Leotychides

Passage 974 of 1577 · Greek

Summary

Leotychides was caught red-handed accepting a bribe during his campaign in Thessaly, fled from Sparta after being brought to trial, and died in exile in Tegea.

§6.72.1οὐ μὲν οὐδὲ Λευτυχίδης κατεγήρα ἐν Σπάρτῃ, ἀλλὰ τίσιν τοιήνδε τινὰ Δημαρήτῳ ἐξέτισε.
And indeed neither did Leotychides grow old in Sparta, but he paid a penalty of this sort to Demaratus.
ἐστρατήγησε Λακεδαιμονίοισι ἐς Θεσσαλίην, παρεὸν δέ οἱ πάντα ὑποχείρια ποιήσασθαι ἐδωροδόκησε ἀργύριον πολλόν·
He led an army for the Lacedaemonians into Thessaly, and although it was in his power to bring everything under his control, he accepted a large bribe of money.
§6.72.2ἐπʼ αὐτοφώρῳ δὲ ἁλοὺς αὐτοῦ ἐν τῷ στρατοπέδῳ, ἐπικατήμενος χειρίδι πλέῃ ἀργυρίου, ἔφυγε ἐκ Σπάρτης ὑπὸ δικαστήριον ὑπαχθείς, καὶ τὰ οἰκία οἱ κατεσκάφη· ἔφυγε δὲ ἐς Τεγέην καὶ ἐτελεύτησε ἐν ταύτῃ.
And being caught in the act there in the camp, sitting upon a sleeve full of money, he fled from Sparta, having been brought before a court, and his house was razed to the ground; and he fled to Tegea and died in that city.

Notes

  1. §6.72.1παρεὸν δέ οἱ — Accusative absolute of the impersonal verb πάρεστι ('it is possible'), expressing concession: 'although it was possible for him.' It governs the subsequent infinitive phrase πάντα ὑποχείρια ποιήσασθαι ('to bring everything under his control').
  2. §6.72.2χειρίδι πλέῃ ἀργυρίου — The dative of the noun χειρίς ('sleeve' or 'glove'), agreed with the Ionic feminine dative singular form πλέῃ of the adjective πλέος ('full'), which governs the genitive of material/contents ἀργυρίου ('of money'). It vividly describes the state of being caught in the act: 'sitting upon a sleeve full of money.'

Cite this passage

Herodotus, Histories §6.72.1-6.72.2. Humanitext Reader, https://reader.humanitext.ai/en/text/urn:cts:greekLit:tlg0016.tlg001.humanitext-grc2:6.72.1-6.72.2

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