Humanitext Reader

Herodotus · Histories §8.80.1-8.80.2

Themistocles Admits His Plan and Enlists Aristides

Passage 1388 of 1577 · Greek

Summary

Themistocles reveals that the Persian encirclement is his own design to force the Greeks to fight, and urges Aristides to report this state of affairs to the generals himself.

§8.80.1κάρτα τε χρηστὰ διακελεύεαι καὶ εὖ ἤγγειλας· τὰ γὰρ ἐγὼ ἐδεόμην γενέσθαι, αὐτὸς αὐτόπτης γενόμενος ἥκεις.
"You give very good advice and you have brought good news; for you have come as an eyewitness of the very thing I was praying would happen.
ἴσθι γὰρ ἐξ ἐμέο τὰ ποιεύμενα ὑπὸ Μήδων· ἔδεε γάρ, ὅτε οὐκ ἑκόντες ἤθελον ἐς μάχην κατίστασθαι οἱ Ἕλληνες, ἀέκοντας παραστήσασθαι.
Know that what is being done by the Medes originates from me; for since the Greeks were not willing to enter the battle of their own free will, it was necessary to bring them to it against their will.
σὺ δὲ ἐπεί περ ἥκεις χρηστὰ ἀπαγγέλλων, αὐτός σφι ἄγγειλον.
But since you have come bringing good news, report it to them yourself.
§8.80.2ἢν γὰρ ἐγὼ αὐτὰ λέγω, δόξω πλάσας λέγειν καὶ οὐ πείσω, ὡς οὐ ποιεύντων τῶν βαρβάρων ταῦτα.
For if I say these things, I shall seem to speak of my own invention and shall not convince them, on the ground that the barbarians are doing no such thing.
ἀλλά σφι σήμηνον αὐτὸς παρελθὼν ὡς ἔχει.
Rather, go in yourself and signal to them how things stand.
ἐπεὰν δὲ σημήνῃς, ἢν μὲν πείθωνται, ταῦτα δὴ τὰ κάλλιστα, ἢν δὲ αὐτοῖσι μὴ πιστὰ γένηται, ὅμοιον ἡμῖν ἔσται· οὐ γὰρ ἔτι διαδρήσονται, εἴ περ περιεχόμεθα πανταχόθεν, ὡς σὺ λέγεις.
And when you have signaled, if they believe you, that indeed is best of all; but if it is not credible to them, it will be all the same to us; for they will no longer be able to escape, if indeed we are enclosed on all sides, as you say."

Notes

  1. §8.80.1τὰ γὰρ ἐγὼ ἐδεόμην γενέσθαι — A relative clause starting with the neuter plural accusative τὰ (= ἃ) acting as a relative pronoun with an implied antecedent. It relates to the main clause containing ἥκεις. ἐδεόμην is the imperfect of δέομαι (to desire, pray), expressing Themistocles' ongoing desire to trap the Greek fleet.
  2. §8.80.1ἐξ ἐμέο — The preposition ἐξ (Ionic for ἐκ) with the genitive ἐμέο (Ionic for ἐμοῦ), indicating the source or origin of the action ("from me", "by my agency"). It shows that the practical cause of the Persian encirclement (τὰ ποιεύμενα ὑπὸ Μήδων) was Themistocles himself.
  3. §8.80.2ὡς οὐ ποιεύντων τῶν βαρβάρων ταῦτα — A genitive absolute construction introduced by ὡς, which expresses a subjective reason or belief. Modifying the main negative clause οὐ πείσω (I shall not convince), it describes Themistocles' subjective prediction that the generals would believe "the barbarians are doing no such thing."
  4. §8.80.2ὅμοιον ἡμῖν ἔσται — ὅμοιον is neuter singular nominative, used impersonally to mean "it will be the same thing." Accompanied by the dative ἡμῖν (for us), it indicates that whether the generals believe the news or not, our fate will be the same because the physical escape is cut off anyway.

Cite this passage

Herodotus, Histories §8.80.1-8.80.2. Humanitext Reader, https://reader.humanitext.ai/en/text/urn:cts:greekLit:tlg0016.tlg001.humanitext-grc2:8.80.1-8.80.2

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