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Herodotus · Histories §8.75.1-8.75.3

Themistocles Sends Sicinnus to the Persian Camp

Passage 1383 of 1577 · Greek

Summary

Themistocles secretly leaves the council and dispatches his servant Sicinnus to the Persian camp. Sicinnus falsely informs the barbarian generals of the Greeks' division and planned flight, urging them to attack immediately.

§8.75.1ἐνθαῦτα Θεμιστοκλέης ὡς ἑσσοῦτο τῇ γνώμῃ ὑπὸ τῶν Πελοποννησίων, λαθὼν ἐξέρχεται ἐκ τοῦ συνεδρίου, ἐξελθὼν δὲ πέμπει ἐς τὸ στρατόπεδον τὸ Μήδων ἄνδρα πλοίῳ ἐντειλάμενος τὰ λέγειν χρεόν, τῷ οὔνομα μὲν ἦν Σίκιννος, οἰκέτης δὲ καὶ παιδαγωγὸς ἦν τῶν Θεμιστοκλέος παίδων· τὸν δὴ ὕστερον τούτων τῶν πρηγμάτων Θεμιστοκλέης Θεσπιέα τε ἐποίησε, ὡς ἐπεδέκοντο οἱ Θεσπιέες πολιήτας, καὶ χρήμασι ὄλβιον.
Thereupon, Themistocles, seeing that he was being outvoted by the Peloponnesians, slipped out of the council in secret. Having gone out, he sent a man in a boat to the camp of the Medes, instructing him on what it was necessary to say. The man's name was Sicinnus, and he was a house-slave and tutor of Themistocles' children; whom, indeed, after these events, Themistocles made a citizen of Thespiae (when the Thespians were admitting citizens) and made wealthy with riches.
§8.75.2ὃς τότε πλοίῳ ἀπικόμενος ἔλεγε πρὸς τοὺς στρατηγοὺς τῶν βαρβάρων τάδε. ἔπεμψέ με στρατηγὸς ὁ Ἀθηναίων λάθρῃ τῶν ἄλλων Ἑλλήνων ʽτυγχάνει γὰρ φρονέων τὰ βασιλέος καὶ βουλόμενος μᾶλλον τὰ ὑμέτερα κατύπερθε γίνεσθαι ἢ τὰ τῶν Ἑλλήνων πρήγματἀ φράσοντα ὅτι οἱ Ἕλληνες δρησμὸν βουλεύονται καταρρωδηκότες, καὶ νῦν παρέχει κάλλιστον ὑμέας ἔργων ἁπάντων ἐξεργάσασθαι, ἢν μὴ περιίδητε διαδράντας αὐτούς.
He, arriving then in the boat, spoke these words to the generals of the barbarians: "The Athenian general has sent me, without the knowledge of the other Greeks (for he happens to side with the King and wishes your cause to prevail rather than that of the Greeks), to tell you that the Greeks are in terror and are planning flight, and that now is the finest opportunity of all for you to achieve a supreme success, if you do not allow them to slip away.
§8.75.3οὔτε γὰρ ἀλλήλοισι ὁμοφρονέουσι οὔτε ἀντιστήσονται ὑμῖν, πρὸς ἑωυτούς τε σφέας ὄψεσθε ναυμαχέοντας τοὺς τὰ ὑμέτερα φρονέοντας καὶ τοὺς μή.
For they are neither of one mind with one another, nor will they withstand you; indeed, you will see them fighting a sea-battle among themselves—those who side with you against those who do not."

Notes

  1. §8.75.1ὡς ἑσσοῦτο τῇ γνώμῃ — The conjunction ὡς can mean 'when' or 'since/as', but is here understood as causal ('since'). τῇ γνώμῃ can be interpreted either as 'in his judgment' (realizing that he was being worsted) or 'in his opinion/proposal' (his opinion being defeated by those of the Peloponnesians). This translation adopts the latter interpretation.
  2. §8.75.1τὰ λέγειν χρεόν — The word χρεόν is a neuter participle used impersonally (equivalent to χρεών or δεῖ, 'it is necessary'), taking the infinitive λέγειν. The article τὰ substantivizes the whole phrase, meaning 'the things which it was necessary to say.'
  3. §8.75.2τυγχάνει γὰρ φρονέων — A typical Greek idiom where the verb τυγχάνω is constructed with a supplementary participle (φρονέων), meaning 'happens to be...' or 'actually is...'. Here, it means 'for he happens to side with (the King).'
  4. §8.75.2παρέχει — Used impersonally (equivalent to παρέχει [ἑαυτό] or πάρεστι, 'it is allowed, there is an opportunity'), taking the infinitive ἐξεργάσασθαι with the accusative ὑμέας as its subject: 'an opportunity is presented for you to achieve.'
  5. §8.75.3τοὺς τὰ ὑμέτερα φρονέοντας καὶ τοὺς μή — This phrase stands in apposition to the preceding accusative pronoun σφέας ('them'), explaining how the subjects of the participle ναυμαχέοντας ('fighting a sea-battle') are divided into two opposing factions: those who side with you and those who do not.

Cite this passage

Herodotus, Histories §8.75.1-8.75.3. Humanitext Reader, https://reader.humanitext.ai/en/text/urn:cts:greekLit:tlg0016.tlg001.humanitext-grc2:8.75.1-8.75.3

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