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Herodotus · Histories §9.4.1-9.4.2

Mardonius' Renewal of Peace Terms to Salamis

Passage 1457 of 1577 · Greek

Summary

After arriving in Athens, Mardonius sends an envoy to Salamis with the same proposals previously offered by Alexander, hoping that the Athenians will abandon their stubbornness.

§9.4.1ἐπεὶ δὲ ἐν Ἀθήνῃσι ἐγένετο ὁ Μαρδόνιος, πέμπει ἐς Σαλαμῖνα Μουρυχίδην ἄνδρα Ἑλλησπόντιον φέροντα τοὺς αὐτοὺς λόγους τοὺς καὶ Ἀλέξανδρος ὁ Μακεδὼν τοῖσι Ἀθηναίοισι διεπόρθμευσε.
When Mardonius arrived in Athens, he sent Murychides, a man from the Hellespont, to Salamis, carrying the same proposals that Alexander the Macedonian had conveyed to the Athenians.
§9.4.2ταῦτα δὲ τὸ δεύτερον ἀπέστελλε προέχων μὲν τῶν Ἀθηναίων οὐ φιλίας γνώμας, ἐλπίζων δὲ σφέας ὑπήσειν τῆς ἀγνωμοσύνης, ὡς δοριαλώτου ἐούσης τῆς Ἀττικῆς χώρης καὶ ἐούσης ὑπʼ ἑωυτῷ.
He dispatched these for the second time, although he was already aware that the Athenians held no friendly intentions, yet hoping that they would yield from their stubbornness, since the Attican land was now captured by the spear and was under his control.

Notes

  1. 9.4.2προέχων — The present participle of προέχω, which in Herodotus is used in the sense of "knowing beforehand" or "anticipating" something regarding someone (τινός τι). Here, it takes τῶν Ἀθηναίων ... γνώμας (the minds/intentions of the Athenians) as its object, meaning "although he knew beforehand that the Athenians held no friendly intentions."
  2. 9.4.2ὑπήσειν — The future infinitive of ὑπίημι (to yield, give way), serving as the infinitive in the accusative-and-infinitive construction governed by ἐλπίζων (with σφέας as the subject). Combined with the genitive of separation τῆς ἀγνωμοσύνης, it means "that they would yield from (abandon) their stubbornness."
  3. 9.4.2ὡς δοριαλώτου ἐούσης — A genitive absolute construction introduced by the conjunction ὡς, which indicates a subjective reason or belief, showing that Mardonius reasoned that "since the Attican land had been captured by the spear."

Cite this passage

Herodotus, Histories §9.4.1-9.4.2. Humanitext Reader, https://reader.humanitext.ai/en/text/urn:cts:greekLit:tlg0016.tlg001.humanitext-grc2:9.4.1-9.4.2

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