Humanitext Reader

Euripides · Letters §1.1-1.2

Return of the Money and Plea for the Youths of Pella

Passage 1 of 6 · Greek

Summary

The author explains that he returned the money to the sender not out of vanity but due to self-sufficiency and consideration, and subsequently requests the release of certain young men of Pella.

§1.1Τὸ μὲν ἀργύριον ἀνεπέμψαμέν σοι πάλιν, ὅπερ ἡμῖν Ἀμφίας ἐκόμιζεν, οὐ δόξαν κενὴν θηρώμενοι, εἰ μή γε καὶ ἀχθεσθήσεσθαί σε μᾶλλον ἢ ἀποδέξεσθαι ἡμᾶς δι’ αὐτὸ ἐνομίζομεν, τοὺς δ’ ἄλλους αὐτὸ δὴ τοῦτο καὶ μάλιστα πάντων συκοφαντεῖν ἐπιχειρήσειν ὡς ἐπίδειξιν οὖσαν τὸ πρᾶγμα καὶ πρόσχημα μᾶλλον εἰς τοὺς πολλούς, οὐ μεγαλοφροσύνην οὐδεμίαν.
We have sent the money back to you which Amphias brought us, not because we are hunting after empty glory, but because we thought that, if we did not, you would be vexed rather than well-disposed toward us because of it, and that others would attempt to slander this very thing of all, as if the matter were a mere show and pretext for the multitude, and not any greatness of soul.
ὥστε τούτοιν μὲν ἀμφοῖν ἕνεκα κἂν ἐδεξάμεθα (καὶ Κλίτων δὲ ἐπέστειλεν ἡμῖν, ὅπως λάβοιμεν, ἀπειλήσας ὀργιεῖσθαι μὴ λαβοῦσιν), ἀλλ’ ὡς τὸ μὲν αὔταρκες ἡμῖν τε καὶ τοῖς φίλοις παρόν, τὸ δὲ ὑπὸ σοῦ πεμφθὲν πλεῖον ἢ ὅσον ἥ τε κτῆσις ἥρμοζε καὶ ἦν ἡμῖν ἡ φυλακὴ ῥᾳδία.
Therefore, for both of these reasons we might indeed have accepted it (and Cleiton too wrote to us that we should receive it, threatening to be angry if we did not), but because what is sufficient is present to us and to our friends, while that which was sent by you was more than what was suitable for us to possess and easy for us to keep.
§1.2(2) περὶ δὲ τῶν Πελλαίων νεανίσκων καὶ πρότερον ἤδη ἐπεστείλαμέν σοι δεόμενοι, καὶ νῦν δεόμεθα σῶσαί τε αὐτοὺς καὶ ἀνεῖναι τῶν δεσμῶν· οὐδὲν γὰρ ἀδικεῖν ἐοίκασιν ἢ οὐδὲν βλάψειν ἀφεθέντες ἔτι.
(2) Concerning the young men of Pella, we have already written to you before with our request, and we request you now also to save them and to release them from their bonds; for they seem to have done no wrong, nor are they likely to do any harm if they are released now.
μέτριον δὲ καὶ τὸ χαρίσασθαι δεομένοις ἡμῖν καὶ τὸ ἐλεῆσαι δὲ τὸν πατέρα αὐτῶν γέροντα, ὡς ἔστι πυνθάνεσθαι τῶν εὐγενεστάτων ἐν Πέλλῃ καὶ κατὰ τἄλλα δοκίμων, ὃς αὐτὸς ἐλθὼν Ἀθήναζε ἐφ’ ἡμᾶς κατέφυγεν, ἐλπίσας δύνασθαί τι παρὰ σοί, καὶ ἐδεήθη ταῦτα ἐπιστεῖλαί σοι.
It is reasonable both to grant this favor to us who request it, and to pity their old father, as can be learned from the most noble and otherwise esteemed men in Pella. He himself, having come to Athens, fled to us for refuge, hoping that we would have some influence with you, and begged us to write these things to you.
ἀλλὰ μὴ φαυλότερος γένῃ περὶ ἡμᾶς ἢ ἐκεῖνος ὑπέλαβεν.
Therefore, do not show yourself less kind to us than he supposed you to be.

Notes

  1. 1.1εἰ μή γε καὶ ἀχθεσθήσεσθαί σε μᾶλλον ἢ ἀποδέξεσθαι ἡμᾶς δι’ αὐτὸ ἐνομίζομεν — The conditional clause with εἰ μή and the imperfect indicative ἐνομίζομεν expresses a past contrary-to-fact condition. The apodosis is either omitted or practically represented by the subsequent κἂν ἐδεξάμεθα ('we would have accepted'). It means 'if we had not thought that you would be vexed (we would have accepted, but in fact we did think so)'. The future infinitive ἀχθεσθήσεσθαι and the present infinitive ἀποδέξεσθαι depend on ἐνομίζομεν.
  2. 1.1ὡς ἐπίδειξιν οὖσαν τὸ πρᾶγμα καὶ πρόσχημα — The conjunction ὡς is followed by the accusative subject τὸ πρᾶγμα and the participle οὖσαν, indicating a subjective reason or allegation: 'as if the matter were a display and a pretext' from the perspective of 'the others' (τοὺς δ’ ἄλλους) who would slander them.
  3. 1.1ὡς τὸ μὲν αὔταρκες ἡμῖν τε καὶ τοῖς φίλοις παρόν — A causal participle clause introduced by ὡς, where the neuter noun τὸ αὔταρκες serves as the subject and the participle παρόν (neuter singular of πάρειμι) functions as an accusative absolute, meaning 'on the ground that self-sufficiency is present to us'.
  4. 1.2ἐλπίσας δύνασθαί τι παρὰ σοί — The subject of the infinitive δύνασθαι (to have power or influence) is understood from the context to be the authors (ἡμᾶς): 'hoping that we would have some influence with you.' This indicates that the father who fled to Athens relied on the authors' ability to intercede.

Cite this passage

Euripides, Letters §1.1-1.2. Humanitext Reader, https://reader.humanitext.ai/en/text/urn:cts:greekLit:tlg1367.tlg001.humanitext-grc1:1.1-1.2

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