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Herodotus · Histories §7.157.1-7.157.3

Greek Envoys Appealing to Gelon for Alliance

Passage 1220 of 1577 · Greek

Summary

The Greek envoys arrive in Syracuse to meet with the tyrant Gelon, warning him of the Persian invasion and appealing for his alliance to defend Hellas.

§7.157.1τοιούτῳ μὲν τρόπῳ τύραννος ἐγεγόνεε μέγας ὁ Γέλων·
this way Gelon had become a great tyrant.
τότε δʼ ὡς οἱ ἄγγελοι τῶν Ἑλλήνων ἀπίκατο ἐς τὰς Συρηκούσας, ἐλθόντες αὐτῷ ἐς λόγους ἔλεγον τάδε. ἔπεμψαν ἡμέας Λακεδαιμόνιοι καὶ οἱ τούτων σύμμαχοι παραλαμψομένους σε πρὸς τὸν βάρβαρον·
At that time, when the envoys of the Greeks arrived in Syracuse, they came to an audience with him and spoke as follows:\n"The Lacedaemonians and their allies have sent us to win you over to join against the barbarian.
τὸν γὰρ ἐπιόντα ἐπὶ τὴν Ἑλλάδα πάντως κου πυνθάνεαι, ὅτι Πέρσης ἀνὴρ μέλλει, ζεύξας τὸν Ἑλλήσποντον καὶ ἐπάγων πάντα τὸν ἠῷον στρατὸν ἐκ τῆς Ἀσίης, στρατηλατήσειν ἐπὶ τὴν Ἑλλάδα, πρόσχημα μὲν ποιεύμενος ὡς ἐπʼ Ἀθήνας ἐλαύνει, ἐν νόῳ δὲ ἔχων πᾶσαν τὴν Ἑλλάδα ὑπʼ ἑωυτῷ ποιήσασθαι. §7.157.2σὺ δὲ δυνάμιός τε γὰρ ἥκεις μεγάλως καὶ μοῖρά τοι τῆς Ἑλλάδος οὐκ ἐλαχίστη μέτα ἄρχοντί γε Σικελίης, βοήθεέ τε τοῖσι ἐλευθεροῦσι τὴν Ἑλλάδα καὶ συνελευθέρου.
For you surely know about the one who is advancing against Hellas, that a Persian man intends, having bridged the Hellespont and leading all the Eastern host out of Asia, to march against Hellas, making a pretext that he is marching against Athens, but having in mind to bring all Hellas under his subjection.\n since you possess great power, and a not inconsiderable share of Hellas belongs to you as the ruler of Sicily, help those who are freeing Hellas and join in freeing her.
ἁλὴς μὲν γὰρ γενομένη πᾶσα ἡ Ἑλλὰς χεὶρ μεγάλη συνάγεται, καὶ ἀξιόμαχοι γινόμεθα τοῖσι ἐπιοῦσι· ἢν δὲ οἳ μὲν ἡμέων καταπροδιδῶσι οἳ δὲ μὴ θέλωσι τιμωρέειν, τὸ δὲ ὑγιαῖνον τῆς Ἑλλάδος ᾖ ὀλίγον, τοῦτο δὲ ἤδη δεινὸν γίνεται μὴ πέσῃ πᾶσα ἡ Ἑλλάς. §7.157.3μὴ γὰρ ἐλπίσῃς, ἢν ἡμέας καταστρέψηται ὁ Πέρσης μάχῃ κρατήσας, ὡς οὐκὶ ἥξει παρὰ σέ γε, ἀλλὰ πρὸ τούτου φύλαξαι·
For if all Hellas is united, a great force is gathered together, and we become a match for the invaders; but if some of us betray the cause and others refuse to help, so that the healthy part of Hellas is small, then there is immediate danger that all Hellas may fall.\n do not expect that, if the Persian subdues us after conquering us in battle, he will not come to you; rather, guard against this beforehand.
βοηθέων γὰρ ἡμῖν σεωυτῷ τιμωρέεις.
For by helping us, you defend yourself.
τῷ δὲ εὖ βουλευθέντι πρήγματι τελευτὴ ὡς τὸ ἐπίπαν χρηστὴ ἐθέλει ἐπιγίνεσθαι.
A well-counselled enterprise is, for the most part, wont to have a good end."

Notes

  1. §7.157.2δυνάμιός τε γὰρ ἥκεις μεγάλως — A construction characteristic of Herodotus, where the verb ἥκω is combined with the genitive of respect δυνάμιος and the adverb μεγάλως, meaning 'to have reached a high degree of...' or 'to be well-endowed with...'. It is analogous to expressions like εὖ ἥκειν βίου ('to be well off in life').
  2. §7.157.2μέτα — Anastrophe of the preposition serving for the impersonal verb μέτεστι ('there is a share for someone', 'belongs to'). Combined with the dative τοι (equivalent to σοι), it means 'a not inconsiderable share of Hellas belongs to you'.
  3. §7.157.2δεινὸν γίνεται μὴ πέσῃ πᾶσα ἡ Ἑλλὰς — The expression δεινόν ἐστι/γίνεται ('it is a fearful thing', 'it becomes dangerous') is followed by μὴ with the subjunctive (πέσῃ), functioning like a verb of fearing to introduce a clause of apprehension: 'it is to be feared lest all Hellas fall'.
  4. §7.157.3βοηθέων γὰρ ἡμῖν σεωυτῷ τιμωρέεις — The present participle βοηθέων expresses means or condition ('by helping us'). The main verb τιμωρέεις in the active voice with the dative (сеωυτῷ) means 'to help, defend someone' (to be distinguished from the middle voice with the accusative, meaning 'to take vengeance on someone').

Cite this passage

Herodotus, Histories §7.157.1-7.157.3. Humanitext Reader, https://reader.humanitext.ai/en/text/urn:cts:greekLit:tlg0016.tlg001.humanitext-grc2:7.157.1-7.157.3

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