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Herodotus · Histories §6.88.1

Nicodromus Conspires to Betray Aegina to Athens

Passage 994 of 1577 · Greek

Summary

While the Athenians plan their revenge against Aegina, a distinguished Aeginetan named Nicodromus, bearing a grudge over his previous exile, conspires with Athens to betray the island.

§6.88.1Ἀθηναῖοι δὲ παθόντες ταῦτα πρὸς Αἰγινητέων οὐκέτι ἀνεβάλλοντο μὴ οὐ τὸ πᾶν μηχανήσασθαι ἐπʼ Αἰγινήτῃσι.
But the Athenians, having suffered these things from the Aeginetans, no longer delayed to devise every plot against the Aeginetans.
καὶ ἦν γὰρ Νικόδρομος Κνοίθου καλεόμενος ἐν τῇ Αἰγίνῃ ἀνὴρ δόκιμος, οὗτος μεμφόμενος μὲν τοῖσι Αἰγινήτῃσι προτέρην ἑωυτοῦ ἐξέλασιν ἐκ τῆς νήσου, μαθὼν δὲ τότε τοὺς Ἀθηναίους ἀναρτημένους ἔρδειν Αἰγινήτας κακῶς, συντίθεται Ἀθηναίοισι προδοσίην Αἰγίνης, φράσας ἐν τῇ τε ἡμέρῃ ἐπιχειρήσει καὶ ἐκείνους ἐς τὴν ἥκειν δεήσει βοηθέοντας.
And indeed, there was in Aegina a distinguished man called Nicodromus, son of Cnoethus; this man, harboring a grudge against the Aeginetans for his previous banishment from the island, and having learned at that time that the Athenians were prepared to do harm to the Aeginetans, agreed with the Athenians on the betrayal of Aegina, pointing out both the day on which he would make his attempt and that on which it would be necessary for them to arrive to support him.

Notes

  1. §6.88.1μὴ οὐ τὸ πᾶν μηχανήσασθαι — The double negative μὴ οὐ is used with the infinitive after a verb of hindering or delaying containing a negative (here οὐκέτι ἀνεβάλλοντο), signifying "did not delay to do everything" (i.e., they immediately did everything).
  2. §6.88.1μεμφόμενος μὲν τοῖσι Αἰγινήτῃσι προτέρην ἑωυτοῦ ἐξέλασιν — The verb μέμφομαι here takes the person blamed in the dative (τοῖσι Αἰγινήτῃσι) and the ground of complaint in the accusative (προτέρην ἑωυτοῦ ἐξέλασιν).
  3. §6.88.1ἐς τὴν ἥκειν — After ἐς τὴν, the noun ἡμέρην is omitted, understood from the preceding ἡμέρῃ. The infinitive ἥκειν, whose subject is the accusative ἐκείνους (referring to the Athenians), depends on the impersonal future verb δεήσει ("it will be necessary").

Cite this passage

Herodotus, Histories §6.88.1. Humanitext Reader, https://reader.humanitext.ai/en/text/urn:cts:greekLit:tlg0016.tlg001.humanitext-grc2:6.88.1

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