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Diodorus Siculus · Bibliotheca Historica §16.50.1-16.50.8

Capture of Bubastus and Alliance of Mentor and Bagoas

Passage 558 of 723 · Greek

Summary

During the capture of Bubastus by Mentor and Bagoas, internal strife arose between the Egyptians and the Greeks, leading to the Greeks capturing Bagoas, who was then saved by Mentor's mediation. Consequently, Mentor and Bagoas formed an alliance and subsequently wielded supreme power in the court of King Artaxerxes.

§16.50.1ὡς γὰρ οἱ περὶ τὸν Μέντορα καὶ Βαγώαν πλησίον αὐτῆς κατεστρατοπέδευσαν, οἱ μὲν Αἰγύπτιοι λάθρᾳ τῶν Ἑλλήνων ἐξέπεμψάν τινα πρὸς τὸν Βαγώαν, ἐπαγγελλόμενοι παραδώσειν τὴν πόλιν ἐὰν αὐτοῖς τὴν ἀσφάλειαν συγχωρήσωσιν.
For when Mentor and Bagoas with their forces encamped near it, the Egyptians, without the knowledge of the Greeks, sent a messenger to Bagoas, promising to surrender the city if he would grant them safety. For when Mentor and Bagoas with their forces encamped near it, the Egyptians, without the knowledge of the Greeks, sent a messenger to Bagoas, promising to surrender the city if he would grant them safety.
§16.50.2οἱ δʼ Ἕλληνες αἰσθόμενοι τὸ γεγονὸς κατεδίωξαν τὸν ἀπεσταλμένον καὶ φόβον ἐπικρεμάσαντες ἤκουσαν τὴν ἀλήθειαν· ἐφʼ οἷς παροξυνθέντες ἐπέθεντο τοῖς Αἰγυπτίοις καὶ τινὰς μὲν ἀπέκτειναν, τινὰς δὲ τραυματίας ποιήσαντες τοὺς λοιποὺς συνήλασαν εἴς τι μέρος τῆς πόλεως.
But the Greeks, having detected what had happened, pursued the messenger, and by threatening him with terror, heard the truth; provoked at this, they attacked the Egyptians, and having killed some and wounded others, they herded the rest into a certain quarter of the city. But the Greeks, having detected what had happened, pursued the messenger, and by threatening him with terror, heard the truth. Provoked at this, they attacked the Egyptians, and having killed some and wounded others, they herded the rest into a certain quarter of the city.
§16.50.3οἱ δʼ ἡττηθέντες δηλώσαντες τῷ Βαγώᾳ τὸ γεγονὸς ἠξίουν κατὰ τάχος ἐλθόντα παραλαβεῖν τὴν πόλιν παρʼ αὐτῶν. τῶν δὲ Ἐλλήνων πρὸς τὸν Μέντορα λάθρᾳ διακηρυκευσαμένων ὁ Μέντωρ ἐν ἀπορρήτοις παρεκάλεσεν αὐτούς, ὅταν Βαγώας εἰς τὴν πόλιν εἰσέλθῃ, τὴν ἐπίθεσιν τοῖς βαρβάροις ποιήσασθαι.
The defeated Egyptians, having made known what had happened to Bagoas, urged him to come quickly and take over the city from them; but when the Greeks sent secret envoys to Mentor, Mentor privately urged them to make an attack upon the barbarians as soon as Bagoas should enter the city. The defeated Egyptians, having made known what had happened to Bagoas, urged him to come quickly and take over the city from them. But when the Greeks sent secret envoys to Mentor, Mentor privately urged them to make an attack upon the barbarians as soon as Bagoas should enter the city.
§16.50.4μετὰ δὲ ταῦτα τοῦ Βαγώου μετὰ τῶν Περσῶν εἰσιόντος ἄνευ τῆς τῶν Ἑλλήνων συγκαταθέσεως καὶ μέρους τῶν στρατιωτῶν εἰσεληλυθότος οἱ μὲν Ἕλληνες ἄφνω τὰς θύρας κλείσαντες ἐπέθεντο τοῖς ἐντὸς τῶν τειχῶν ὑπάρχουσι καὶ πάντας ἀνελόντες τὸν Βαγώαν αὐτὸν ἐζώγρησαν.
After this, when Bagoas entered with the Persians without the consent of the Greeks, and a part of his soldiers had come inside, the Greeks suddenly closed the gates and attacked those who were inside the walls, and having slain them all, they took Bagoas himself alive. After this, when Bagoas entered with the Persians without the consent of the Greeks, and a part of his soldiers had come inside, the Greeks suddenly closed the gates and attacked those who were inside the walls, and having slain them all, they took Bagoas himself alive.
§16.50.5ὁ δὲ τὰς τῆς σωτηρίας ἐλπίδας ὁρῶν ἐν τῷ Μέντορι κειμένας ἐδεήθη σῶσαι καὶ εἰς τὸ λοιπὸν κατεπηγγείλατο μηθὲν πράξειν ἄνευ τῆς ἐκείνου γνώμης.
Seeing that his hopes of safety lay in Mentor, he begged him to save him, and solemnly promised for the future to do nothing without his consent. Seeing that his hopes of safety lay in Mentor, he begged him to save him, and solemnly promised for the future to do nothing without his consent.
§16.50.6ὁ δὲ Μέντωρ πείσας τοὺς Ἕλληνας ἀφεῖναι τὸν Βαγώαν καὶ διʼ ἑαυτοῦ γενέσθαι τὴν παράδοσιν τὴν μὲν ἐπιγραφὴν τοῦ προτερήματος αὐτὸς ἀπηνέγκατο, τῷ δὲ Βαγώᾳ τῆς σωτηρίας αἴτιος γενόμενος συνέθετο πρὸς αὐτὸν κοινοπραγίαν καὶ δοὺς ὅρκους καὶ λαβὼν περὶ τούτων διετέλεσε τὴν σύνθεσιν φυλάττων μέχρι τῆς τοῦ βίου τελευτῆς.
Mentor, having persuaded the Greeks to release Bagoas and to let the surrender be effected through himself, personally carried off the credit for the success; and having become the author of Bagoas' safety, he formed a coalition with him, and having given and received oaths on these matters, he continued to observe the pact until the end of his life. Mentor, having persuaded the Greeks to release Bagoas and to let the surrender be effected through himself, personally carried off the credit for the success; and having become the author of Bagoas' safety, he formed a coalition with him, and having given and received oaths on these matters, he continued to observe the pact until the end of his life.
§16.50.7διὸ καὶ συνέβη τούτους παρὰ βασιλεῖ συμφρονοῦντας ὕστερον πλεῖστον ἰσχῦσαι τῶν φίλων καὶ συγγενῶν τῶν παρʼ Ἀρταξέρξῃ· ὁ μὲν γὰρ Μέντωρ ἐν τοῖς παραθαλαττίοις μέρεσι τῆς Ἀσίας ἡγεμὼν μέγιστος ἀποδειχθεὶς τῷ βασιλεῖ μεγάλας παρείχετο χρείας ἐκ μὲν τῆς Ἑλλάδος μισθοφόρους ἀθροίζων καὶ πέμπων πρὸς Ἀρταξέρξην, κατὰ δὲ τὰς πράξεις ἀνδρείως καὶ πιστῶς ἅπαντα διοικῶν· §16.50.8ὁ δὲ Βαγώας ἐν ταῖς ἄνω σατραπείαις ἅπαντα τῷ βασιλεῖ διῳκηκὼς τοσοῦτον ἴσχυσε διὰ τὴν πρὸς τὸν Μέντορα κοινωνίαν τῶν πράξεων ὥστε τῆς βασιλείας κύριον εἶναι καὶ μηδὲν πράττειν τὸν Ἀρταξέρξην ἄνευ τῆς ἐκείνου γνώμης.
For this reason it actually came about that these two, by acting in concert at the court, later wielded the greatest power among the friends and kinsmen of Artaxerxes; for Mentor, having been appointed supreme commander in the coastal regions of Asia, rendered great services to the king by gathering mercenaries from Greece and sending them to Artaxerxes, and by administering everything with courage and loyalty in his actions; while Bagoas, having administered everything for the king in the upper satrapies, acquired so much power through his association with Mentor in their affairs that he was the master of the kingdom, and Artaxerxes did nothing without his consent.
καὶ μετὰ τὴν ἐκείνου τελευτὴν τοὺς διαδόχους αἰεὶ τῆς βασιλείας οὗτος ἀπεδείκνυτο καὶ πάντα βασιλέως εἶχε πλὴν τῆς προσηγορίας.
And after the king's death, it was Bagoas who always designated the successors to the throne, and he possessed all the power of a king except the title.
ἀλλὰ περὶ μὲν τούτων τὰ κατὰ μέρος ἐν τοῖς οἰκείοις χρόνοις ἀναγράψομεν.
However, concerning these matters, we shall record the details in their proper times.

Notes

  1. §16.50.1λάθρᾳ τῶν Ἑλλήνων — The adverb `λάθρᾳ` governs the genitive case `τῶν Ἑλλήνων`, forming an adverbial phrase meaning 'secretly from the Greeks' or 'without the knowledge of the Greeks'.
  2. §16.50.2ἐφʼ οἷς παροξυνθέντες — The preposition `ἐπί` with the dative neuter plural relative pronoun `οἷς` expresses the cause or occasion ('at these things', 'because of this'), motivating the passive participle `παροξυνθέντες` ('being provoked'). The relative pronoun refers back to the entire situation described in the preceding sentence.
  3. §16.50.6διʼ ἑαυτοῦ γενέσθαι τὴν παράδοσιν — The accusative `τὴν παράδοσιν` ('the surrender') serves as the subject of the infinitive `γενέσθαι`. The prepositional phrase `διʼ ἑαυτοῦ` ('through himself') uses the reflexive pronoun referring back to the main subject, Mentor.
  4. §16.50.8ὥστε τῆς βασιλείας κύριον εἶναι καὶ μηδὲν πράττειν τὸν Ἀρταξέρξην — Within the result clause introduced by `ὥστε`, the subject shifts between the two infinitives: the subject of `εἶναι` is omitted as it refers to the subject of the main clause, Bagoas, whereas the subject of `πράττειν` is explicitly stated in the accusative as `τὸν Ἀρταξέρξην`.

Cite this passage

Diodorus Siculus, Bibliotheca Historica §16.50.1-16.50.8. Humanitext Reader, https://reader.humanitext.ai/en/text/urn:cts:greekLit:tlg0060.tlg001.humanitext-grc4:16.50.1-16.50.8

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