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Herodotus · Histories §6.86D.1

The Extinction of Glaucus's Line and the Moral of Deposit

Passage 992 of 1577 · Greek

Summary

Glaucus returned the money to the Milesians, but his lineage was later completely wiped out. The speaker warns the Athenians that one must return deposits without any other thoughts.

§6.86D.1Γλαῦκος μὲν δὴ μεταπεμψάμενος τοὺς Μιλησίους ξείνους ἀποδιδοῖ σφι τὰ χρήματα.
Glaucus, then, sent for his Milesian guests and restored the money to them.
τοῦ δὲ εἵνεκα ὁ λόγος ὅδε ὦ Ἀθηναῖοι ὁρμήθη λέγεσθαι ἐς ὑμέας, εἰρήσεται· Γλαύκου νῦν οὔτε τι ἀπόγονον ἐστὶ οὐδὲν οὔτʼ ἱστίη οὐδεμία νομιζομένη εἶναι Γλαύκου, ἐκτέτριπταί τε πρόρριζος ἐκ Σπάρτης.
And for what reason this story, O Athenians, was set out to be told to you, shall now be told: at present there is neither any descendant of Glaucus, nor any hearth believed to be of Glaucus, but he has been utterly rooted out of Sparta.
οὕτω ἀγαθὸν μηδὲ διανοέεσθαι περὶ παρακαταθήκης ἄλλο γε ἢ ἀπαιτεόντων ἀποδιδόναι.
Thus it is a good thing not even to harbor any other thought regarding a deposit than to return it when they demand it back.

Notes

  1. §6.86D.1ἀποδιδοῖ — The third-person singular present indicative active of ἀποδίδωμι (to restore) in the Ionic dialect, corresponding to Attic ἀποδίδωσι. In Ionic, it undergoes contraction like a contract verb in -όω (from ἀποδιδόει to ἀποδιδοῖ).
  2. §6.86D.1τοῦ δὲ εἵνεκα — The relative pronoun ὅς (here in its Ionic genitive singular form τοῦ) combined with the preposition εἵνεκα (the Ionic form of ἕνεκα, 'for the sake of'). It introduces a clause expressing 'for what reason' this story was told, forming a relative or indirect question-like clause dependent on the main verb εἰρήσεται ('shall be told').
  3. §6.86D.1ἀπαιτεόντων — Present active participle genitive plural of ἀπαιτέω (to demand back), corresponding to Attic ἀπαιτούντων. It functions here as a genitive absolute with its logical subject (the depositors, i.e., the Milesians) omitted, as it is clear from the context.

Cite this passage

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

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