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Herodotus · Histories §6.86B.1-6.86B.2

Glaucus's Delay of the Deposit's Return

Passage 990 of 1577 · Greek

Summary

After the Milesian departs, his children come to Glaucus in Sparta with the tokens to demand the return of the money, but Glaucus claims to have no memory of the deposit and postpones his decision for four months.

§6.86B.1ὁ μὲν δὴ ἀπὸ Μιλήτου ἥκων ξεῖνος τοσαῦτα ἔλεξε, Γλαῦκος δὲ ἐδέξατο τὴν παρακαταθήκην ἐπὶ τῷ εἰρημένῳ λόγῳ.
The stranger who had come from Miletus spoke these words, and Glaucus received the deposit on the terms mentioned.
χρόνου δὲ πολλοῦ διελθόντος ἦλθον ἐς Σπάρτην τούτου τοῦ παραθεμένου τὰ χρήματα οἱ παῖδες, ἐλθόντες δὲ ἐς λόγους τῷ Γλαύκῳ καὶ ἀποδεικνύντες τὰ σύμβολα ἀπαίτεον τὰ χρήματα·
After a long time had passed, the children of this man who had deposited the money came to Sparta, and having entered into conversation with Glaucus and showing the tokens, they demanded the money back.
§6.86B.2ὁ δὲ διωθέετο ἀντυποκρινόμενος τοιάδε. οὔτε μέμνημαι τὸ πρῆγμα οὔτε με περιφέρει οὐδὲν εἰδέναι τούτων τῶν ὑμεῖς λέγετε, βούλομαί τε ἀναμνησθεὶς ποιέειν πᾶν τὸ δίκαιον·
But he thrust them aside, answering as follows: "I neither remember the matter, nor does anything bring it back to my mind that I know any of these things which you say; and I wish to remember and do everything that is just.
καὶ γὰρ εἰ ἔλαβον, ὀρθῶς ἀποδοῦναι, καὶ εἴ γε ἀρχὴν μὴ ἔλαβον, νόμοισι τοῖσι Ἑλλήνων χρήσομαι ἐς ὑμέας.
For indeed, if I did receive it, I wish to restore it uprightly; and if I did not receive it at all, I will employ the laws of the Greeks against you.
ταῦτα ὦν ὑμῖν ἀναβάλλομαι κυρώσειν ἐς τέταρτον μῆνα ἀπὸ τοῦδε.
Therefore, I postpone deciding these matters for you until the fourth month from now."

Notes

  1. 6.86B.2οὔτε με περιφέρει οὐδὲν εἰδέναι — The verb περιφέρει is used impersonally with the accusative με, followed by the infinitive εἰδέναι. It literally means 'it does not bring me around to knowing anything,' hence 'nothing brings it back to my mind' or 'I have no recollection of it.' οὐδέν functions as either the subject of the infinitive or adverbially.
  2. 6.86B.2ἀρχὴν — The accusative form of the noun ἀρχή used adverbially. In a conditional clause with a negative (μὴ), it expresses the meaning 'at all' or 'to begin with'.
  3. 6.86B.2ἀποδοῦναι — A complementary infinitive depending on the preceding verb βούλομαι (from βούλομαί τε ἀναμνησθεὶς ποιέειν). It expresses the subject's wish as the apodosis of the conditional clause (εἰ ἔλαβον): 'if I did receive it, I wish to restore it.'

Cite this passage

Herodotus, Histories §6.86B.1-6.86B.2. Humanitext Reader, https://reader.humanitext.ai/en/text/urn:cts:greekLit:tlg0016.tlg001.humanitext-grc2:6.86B.1-6.86B.2

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