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Herodotus · Histories §7.203.1-7.203.2

Summoning of the Locrians and Phocians to Thermopylae

Passage 1266 of 1577 · Greek

Summary

The Greeks at Thermopylae requested reinforcements from the Locrians and Phocians, arguing that the invading Persian king was merely mortal and bound to fail, prompting both groups to join them at Trachis.

§7.203.1πρὸς τούτοισι ἐπίκλητοι ἐγένοντο Λοκροί τε οἱ Ὀπούντιοι πανστρατιῇ καὶ Φωκέων χίλιοι.
In addition to these, the Opuntian Locrians were summoned with their whole force, and a thousand of the Phocians.
αὐτοὶ γὰρ σφέας οἱ Ἕλληνες ἐπεκαλέσαντο, λέγοντες διʼ ἀγγέλων ὡς αὐτοὶ μὲν ἥκοιεν πρόδρομοι τῶν ἄλλων, οἱ δὲ λοιποὶ τῶν συμμάχων προσδόκιμοι πᾶσαν εἶεν ἡμέρην, ἡ θάλασσά τέ σφι εἴη ἐν φυλακῇ ὑπʼ Ἀθηναίων τε φρουρεομένη καὶ Αἰγινητέων καὶ τῶν ἐς τὸν ναυτικὸν στρατὸν ταχθέντων, καί σφι εἴη δεινὸν οὐδέν· §7.203.2οὐ γὰρ θεὸν εἶναι τὸν ἐπιόντα ἐπὶ τὴν Ἑλλάδα ἀλλʼ ἄνθρωπον, εἶναι δὲ θνητὸν οὐδένα οὐδὲ ἔσεσθαι τῷ κακὸν ἐξ ἀρχῆς γινομένῳ οὐ συνεμίχθη, τοῖσι δὲ μεγίστοισι αὐτῶν μέγιστα.
For the Greeks themselves had called upon them, saying through messengers that they themselves had come as forerunners of the rest, and that the remainder of the allies were expected every day, and that the sea was being guarded for them, patrolled by the Athenians, the Aeginetans, and those appointed to the fleet, so that they had nothing to fear; for the one marching against Greece was not a god but a human, and there was not, nor ever would be, any mortal who from his very birth had not had misfortune mingled with his lot, and the greatest misfortunes fell to the greatest of them.
ὀφείλειν ὦν καὶ τὸν ἐπελαύνοντα, ὡς ἐόντα θνητόν, ἀπὸ τῆς δόξης πεσεῖν ἄν.
Therefore, the invader too, being mortal, must surely fall from his expectation.
οἳ δὲ ταῦτα πυνθανόμενοι ἐβοήθεον ἐς τὴν Τρηχῖνα.
Having learned these things, they came to the rescue at Trachis.

Notes

  1. §7.203.1αὐτοὶ μὲν ἥκοιεν πρόδρομοι — The subject of the infinitive or indirect speech clause, referring back to the main subject (the Greeks themselves), is expressed in the nominative case (αὐτοί) rather than the accusative. The optative ἥκοιεν indicates indirect discourse.
  2. §7.203.2τῷ κακὸν ἐξ ἀρχῆς γινομένῳ οὐ συνεμίχθη — The relative pronoun τῷ (equivalent to ᾧ) is in the dative, and the participle γινομένῳ agrees with it, referring to 'one who is born' or 'exists'. The subject of the verb συνεμίχθη is κακόν (misfortune), meaning 'misfortune was not mingled with him'.
  3. §7.203.2ἀπὸ τῆς δόξης πεσεῖν ἄν — The particle ἄν goes with the infinitive πεσεῖν, representing a potential construction ('would fall') in indirect discourse. The word δόξα ('expectation, opinion, glory') here refers to the invader's overconfidence or expectation of success, from which he is bound to fall.

Cite this passage

Herodotus, Histories §7.203.1-7.203.2. Humanitext Reader, https://reader.humanitext.ai/en/text/urn:cts:greekLit:tlg0016.tlg001.humanitext-grc2:7.203.1-7.203.2

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