Humanitext Reader

Herodotus · Histories §8.57.1-8.57.2

Mnesiphilus Urges Themistocles to Stay at Salamis

Passage 1359 of 1577 · Greek

Summary

Mnesiphilus warns Themistocles that withdrawing the fleet to the Isthmus will lead to the dispersion and destruction of the Greek forces, urging him to persuade Eurybiades to remain at Salamis.

§8.57.1ἐνθαῦτα δὴ Θεμιστοκλέα ἀπικόμενον ἐπὶ τὴν νέα εἴρετο Μνησίφιλος ἀνὴρ Ἀθηναῖος ὅ τι σφι εἴη βεβουλευμένον.
Thereupon, when Themistocles came to his ship, Mnesiphilus, an Athenian, asked him what had been resolved among them.
πυθόμενος δὲ πρὸς αὐτοῦ ὡς εἴη δεδογμένον ἀνάγειν τὰς νέας πρὸς τὸν Ἰσθμὸν καὶ πρὸ τῆς Πελοποννήσου ναυμαχέειν, εἶπε §8.57.2οὔτʼ ἄρα, ἤν ἀπαείρωσι τὰς νέας ἀπὸ Σαλαμῖνος, περὶ οὐδεμιῆς ἔτι πατρίδος ναυμαχήσεις· κατὰ γὰρ πόλις ἕκαστοι τρέψονται, καὶ οὔτε σφέας Εὐρυβιάδης κατέχειν δυνήσεται οὔτε τις ἀνθρώπων ἄλλος ὥστε μὴ οὐ διασκεδασθῆναι τὴν στρατιήν·
And having learned from him that it was decided to withdraw the ships to the Isthmus and to fight a sea battle before the Peloponnese, Mnesiphilus said: "Then, indeed, if they launch the ships from Salamis, you will no longer be fighting for any homeland; for each will turn back to his own city, and neither Eurybiades nor any other man will be able to hold them back so as to prevent the army from being scattered.
ἀπολέεταί τε ἡ Ἑλλὰς ἀβουλίῃσι.
And Greece will perish through lack of counsel.
ἀλλʼ εἴ τις ἐστὶ μηχανή, ἴθι καὶ πειρῶ διαχέαι τὰ βεβουλευμένα, ἤν κως δύνῃ ἀναγνῶσαι Εὐρυβιάδην μεταβουλεύσασθαι ὥστε αὐτοῦ μένειν.
But if there is any means, go and try to undo what has been resolved, if by any chance you can persuade Eurybiades to change his mind so as to remain here."

Notes

  1. 8.57.1εἴη — Optatives of oblique narration in the indirect question clause (ὅ τι σφι εἴη βεβουλευμένον) and indirect discourse clause (ὡς εἴη δεδογμένον). Since the main governing verbs (εἴρετο, πυθόμενος) are in a past tense, the indicatives of the direct speech are changed into optatives (εἴη).
  2. 8.57.2ὥστε μὴ οὐ διασκεδασθῆναι — The construction ὥστε μὴ οὐ with an infinitive following a negative main clause (οὔτε ... δυνήσεται). It expresses a double negation or emphasis of a negative result: "so as not to prevent the army from being scattered" (i.e., the army will inevitably be scattered).
  3. 8.57.2ἀναγνῶσαι — The aorist infinitive of ἀναγιγνώσκω. While in Attic Greek it primarily means "to recognize" or "to read," in Ionic Greek (especially Herodotus) it is frequently used in the sense of "to persuade" or "to win over." Here it takes μεταβουλεύσασθαι to mean "to persuade to change one's mind."

Cite this passage

Herodotus, Histories §8.57.1-8.57.2. Humanitext Reader, https://reader.humanitext.ai/en/text/urn:cts:greekLit:tlg0016.tlg001.humanitext-grc2:8.57.1-8.57.2

Please note the AI-draft status of the translation and the date accessed.

Translation, notes and summary are AI-generated drafts, revised through reader feedback.