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Herodotus · Histories §9.44.1-9.44.2

Alexander of Macedon's Night Visit to the Athenians

Passage 1499 of 1577 · Greek

Summary

Under the cover of night, Alexander, king of Macedon, secretly approaches the Athenian outposts and requests to speak with the generals.

§9.44.1μετὰ δὲ τὴν ἐπειρώτησιν τῶν χρησμῶν καὶ παραίνεσιν τὴν ἐκ Μαρδονίου νύξ τε ἐγίνετο καὶ ἐς φυλακὰς ἐτάσσοντο.
After the inquiry concerning the oracles and the exhortation from Mardonius, night fell, and they were stationed at their outposts.
ὡς δὲ πρόσω τῆς νυκτὸς προελήλατο καὶ ἡσυχίη ἐδόκεε εἶναι ἀνὰ τὰ στρατόπεδα καὶ μάλιστα οἱ ἄνθρωποι εἶναι ἐν ὕπνῳ, τηνικαῦτα προσελάσας ἵππῳ πρὸς τὰς φυλακὰς τὰς Ἀθηναίων Ἀλέξανδρος ὁ Ἀμύντεω, στρατηγός τε ἐὼν καὶ βασιλεὺς Μακεδόνων, ἐδίζητο τοῖσι στρατηγοῖσι ἐς λόγους ἐλθεῖν.
When the night was far advanced, and quiet seemed to reign throughout the camps, and the men were especially asleep, at that time, Alexander the son of Amyntas, being a general and king of the Macedonians, rode up on his horse to the outposts of the Athenians and sought to enter into conversation with the generals.
§9.44.2τῶν δὲ φυλάκων οἱ μὲν πλεῦνες παρέμενον, οἳ δʼ ἔθεον ἐπὶ τοὺς στρατηγούς, ἐλθόντες δὲ ἔλεγον ὡς ἄνθρωπος ἥκοι ἐπʼ ἵππου ἐκ τοῦ στρατοπέδου τοῦ Μήδων, ὃς ἄλλο μὲν οὐδὲν παραγυμνοῖ ἔπος, στρατηγοὺς δὲ ὀνομάζων ἐθέλειν φησὶ ἐς λόγους ἐλθεῖν.
Of the guards, the majority remained at their posts, while others ran to the generals, and having arrived, they said that a man had come on a horse from the camp of the Medes, who revealed no other word, but, naming the generals, said he wished to enter into conversation with them.

Notes

  1. 9.44.1πρόσω τῆς νυκτὸς προελήλατο — προελήλατο is the third-person singular pluperfect middle/passive of προελαύνω (to drive forward, advance). It is used here either impersonally or with an implied subject ἡ νύξ (the night), meaning "when the night was far advanced."
  2. 9.44.2οἳ δʼ — Although οἳ is the relative pronoun in form, it is used here as a demonstrative pronoun (equivalent to οἱ δέ) in contrast with οἱ μὲν, meaning "and others."
  3. 9.44.2ἥκοι — The optative ἥκοι (from ἥκω) is an optative of indirect discourse (oblique optative), triggered by the past tense of the governing verb ἔλεγον.

Cite this passage

Herodotus, Histories §9.44.1-9.44.2. Humanitext Reader, https://reader.humanitext.ai/en/text/urn:cts:greekLit:tlg0016.tlg001.humanitext-grc2:9.44.1-9.44.2

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