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Herodotus · Histories §9.12.1-9.12.2

Argives Send Word to Mardonius of Spartan Departure

Passage 1467 of 1577 · Greek

Summary

Upon learning of the Spartans' departure, the Argives send a swift messenger to Mardonius in Attica, informing him of their failure to prevent the march and advising him to take appropriate action.

§9.12.1οἳ μὲν δὴ ἐς τὸν Ἰσθμὸν ἠπείγοντο·
They, then, hastened to the Isthmus.
Ἀργεῖοι δὲ ἐπείτε τάχιστα ἐπύθοντο τοὺς μετὰ Παυσανίεω ἐξεληλυθότας ἐκ Σπάρτης, πέμπουσι κήρυκα τῶν ἡμεροδρόμων ἀνευρόντες τὸν ἄριστον ἐς τὴν Ἀττικήν, πρότερον αὐτοὶ Μαρδονίῳ ὑποδεξάμενοι σχήσειν τὸν Σπαρτιήτην μὴ ἐξιέναι·
And the Argives, as soon as they learned that those with Pausanias had gone out from Sparta, sent a herald to Attica, having found the best of their day-runners, having themselves previously promised Mardonius that they would prevent the Spartan from going out.
§9.12.2ὃς ἐπείτε ἀπίκετο ἐς τὰς Ἀθήνας ἔλεγε τάδε. Μαρδόνιε, ἔπεμψάν με Ἀργεῖοι φράσοντά τοι ὅτι ἐκ Λακεδαίμονος ἐξελήλυθε ἡ νεότης, καὶ ὡς οὐ δυνατοὶ αὐτὴν ἔχειν εἰσὶ Ἀργεῖοι μὴ οὐκ ἐξιέναι.
And he, when he arrived in Athens, said these words: "Mardonius, the Argives have sent me to tell you that the young men have gone out from Lacedaemon, and that the Argives are not able to restrain them from going out.
πρὸς ταῦτα τύγχανε εὖ βουλευόμενος.
In the face of this, see to it that you take good counsel."

Notes

  1. §9.12.1σχήσειν τὸν Σπαρτιήτην μὴ ἐξιέναι — The verb of preventing, σχήσειν (future infinitive of ἔχω), takes the object τὸν Σπαρτιήτην (the Spartan, used collectively) and the infinitive ἐξιέναι with the redundant negative particle μὴ. This μὴ is not translated as a negative in English.
  2. §9.12.2οὐ δυνατοὶ αὐτὴν ἔχειν εἰσὶ Ἀργεῖοι μὴ οὐκ ἐξιέναι — Since the governing phrase contains a negative expression (οὐ δυνατοί), the infinitive depending on the verb of hindering (ἔχειν) takes the double negative μὴ οὐκ instead of a simple μὴ. In translation, it is rendered as a single negative: "the Argives are not able to restrain them from going out."
  3. §9.12.2τύγχανε εὖ βουλευόμενος — The imperative form of τυγχάνω (second-person singular), τύγχανε, combined with the present participle βουλευόμενος. While τυγχάνω with a participle usually means "happen to do," in the imperative it functions as an emphatic exhortation, meaning "see to it that you do," or "make sure to deliberate well."

Cite this passage

Herodotus, Histories §9.12.1-9.12.2. Humanitext Reader, https://reader.humanitext.ai/en/text/urn:cts:greekLit:tlg0016.tlg001.humanitext-grc2:9.12.1-9.12.2

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