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Diodorus Siculus · Bibliotheca Historica §12.19.1-12.19.3

Charondas' Violation of His Own Law and Suicide

Passage 113 of 723 · Greek

Summary

The lawgiver Charondas, forgetting his own law banning weapons in the assembly, appears armed, and upon being accused by an enemy, commits suicide on the spot; the author then transitions to the topic of Zaleucus, a neighboring lawgiver.

§12.19.1λείπεται δʼ ἡμῖν εἰπεῖν ὑπὲρ τῆς τοῦ Χαρώνδου τελευτῆς, καθʼ ἣν ἴδιόν τι καὶ παράδοξον αὐτῷ συνέβη.
It remains for us to speak of the death of Charondas, in connection with which a peculiar and unexpected thing happened to him.
ἐπὶ γὰρ τὴν χώραν ἐξιὼν μετὰ ξιφιδίου διὰ τοὺς λῃστάς, καὶ κατὰ τὴν ἐπάνοδον ἐκκλησίας συνεστώσης καὶ ταραχῆς ἐν τοῖς πλήθεσι, προσέστη πολυπραγμονῶν τὰ κατὰ τὴν στάσιν.
For having gone out into the countryside with a dagger because of robbers, and on his return, when an assembly was holding and there was confusion among the multitude, he stood by, inquiring into the circumstances of the discord.
§12.19.2νενομοθετηκὼς δʼ ἦν μηδένα μεθʼ ὅπλου ἐκκλησιάζειν, καὶ ἐπιλαθόμενος ὅτι τὸ ξίφος παρέζωσται, παρέδωκεν ἐχθροῖς τισιν ἀφορμὴν κατηγορίας.
Now he had enacted a law that no one should attend the assembly with a weapon, and having forgotten that he had his sword girded on, he gave certain enemies an occasion for accusation.
ὧν ἑνὸς εἰπόντος καταλέλυκας τὸν ἴδιον νόμον, μὰ Διʼ, εἶπεν, ἀλλὰ κύριον ποιήσω· καὶ σπασάμενος τὸ ξιφίδιον ἑαυτὸν ἀπέσφαξεν.
When one of them said, "You have repealed your own law," he replied, "No, by Zeus, rather I will make it valid"; and drawing his dagger, he slew himself.
ἔνιοι δὲ τῶν συγγραφέων τὴν πρᾶξιν ταύτην περιτιθέασι Διοκλεῖ τῷ Συρακοσίων νομοθέτῃ.
But some of the historians attribute this deed to Diocles, the lawgiver of the Syracusans.
§12.19.3ἡμεῖς δὲ ἀρκούντως τὰ περὶ Χαρώνδαν τὸν νομοθέτην διεληλυθότες βραχέα βουλόμεθα καὶ περὶ Ζαλεύκου τοῦ νομοθέτου διελθεῖν διά τε τὴν ὁμοίαν προαίρεσιν τοῦ βίου καὶ τὸ γεγονέναι τοὺς ἄνδρας ἐν πόλεσιν ἀστυγείτοσιν.
But since we have sufficiently run through the matters concerning Charondas the lawgiver, we wish to go briefly also into those concerning Zaleucus the lawgiver, both because of the similar purpose of their lives and because the men belonged to neighboring cities.

Notes

  1. 12.19.1ἐκκλησίας συνεστώσης καὶ ταραχῆς ἐν τοῖς πλήθεσι — A double genitive absolute construction where "ἐκκλησίας" has the participle "συνεστώσης" and "ταραχῆς" functions under a similar participial force (either with "συνεστώσης" understood in common or a participle of existence omitted), describing the temporal and circumstantial background of the event.
  2. 12.19.2νενομοθετηκὼς δʼ ἦν — A periphrastic pluperfect form consisting of the perfect participle and the imperfect "ἦν". It emphasizes the completed state and continuing authority of the law enacted by Charondas prior to the event.
  3. 12.19.3τὸ γεγονέναι τοὺς ἄνδρας ἐν πόλεσιν ἀστυγείτοσιν — An articular infinitive phrase governed by the preposition "διά". The noun "τοὺς ἄνδρας" is in the accusative as the subject of the perfect infinitive "γεγονέναι", forming an adverbial phrase of cause meaning "the fact that the men had been born (or lived) in neighboring cities."

Cite this passage

Diodorus Siculus, Bibliotheca Historica §12.19.1-12.19.3. Humanitext Reader, https://reader.humanitext.ai/en/text/urn:cts:greekLit:tlg0060.tlg001.humanitext-grc4:12.19.1-12.19.3

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