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Theophrastus · Fragments §142.1

Agesilaus Selecting Gifts from Egypt

Passage 147 of 196 · Greek

Summary

An anecdote recorded by Theophrastus in which Agesilaus accepted only practical items from the luxurious Egyptian gifts, ordered the rest to be given to the helots, and gladly requested only the simple papyrus used for wreaths.

§142.1Fr. 142 Ξενίων προσκομισθέντων καὶ προσαχθέντων ἄλευρα μὲν καὶ μόσχους καὶ χῆνας ἔλαβε, τραγήματα δὲ καὶ πέμματα καὶ μύρα διωθεῖτο.
Fr. 142 When guest-gifts were brought and presented, he accepted the flour, calves, and geese, but rejected the sweetmeats, pastries, and perfumes.
Καὶ βιαζομένων λαβεῖν καὶ λιπαρούντων ἐκέλευσε τοῖς εἵλωσι διδόναι κομίζοντας·
When they pressed and implored him to accept them, he ordered those who brought them to give them to the helots.
τῇ μέντοι στεφανωτρίδι βίβλῳ φησὶν αὐτὸν ἡσθέντα Θ. διὰ τὴν λιτότητα τῶν στεφάνων αἰτήσασθαι καὶ λαβεῖν ὅτε ἀπέπλει παρὰ τοῦ βασιλέως (Aegypti).
However, Theophrastus says that, delighted with the papyrus used for making wreaths because of the simplicity of the wreaths, he asked for and received it when he sailed away from the king (of Egypt).

Notes

  1. §142.1κομίζοντας — Accusative plural active present participle, serving as the subject of the infinitive διδόναι (to give). It refers to the people who brought the gifts and pressed him to accept them.
  2. §142.1ἡσθέντα — Accusative singular aorist passive participle, agreeing with αὐτὸν (him, Agesilaus), the subject of the accusative-and-infinitive construction. It takes the dative τῇ ... βίβλῳ (the papyrus) to express the cause of his pleasure.
  3. §142.1βίβλῳ — Dative of the feminine noun βίβλος (papyrus plant). It is modified by the adjective στεφανωτρίδι (used for wreaths) and serves as the object of the participle ἡσθέντα (pleased with).

Cite this passage

Theophrastus, Fragments §142.1. Humanitext Reader, https://reader.humanitext.ai/en/text/urn:cts:greekLit:tlg0093.tlg010x09.humanitext-grc1:142.1

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