Endnotes

1. See the remarks of P.-L. Courier (on Larcher’s version) in the preface to his specimens of a new translation of Herodotus (Œuvres complètes de P.-L. Courier, Bruxelles, 1828). ↩

2. Mr. Woods, for example, in his edition of the first book (published in 1873) gives a list of readings for the first and second books, in which he almost invariably prefers the authority of Gronovius to that of Stein, where their reports differ. In so doing he is wrong in all cases (I think) except one, namely I. 134 τῷ λεγομένῳ. He is wrong, for examine, in I. 189, where the MS. has τοῦτο, I. 196 ἂν ἄγεσθαι, I. 199 ὁδῶν, II. 15 τῇ δὴ, II. 95 ὑπ’ αὐτò, II. 103 καì προσηώτατα, II. 124 τῷ ἄλλῳ (without λαῷ), II. 181 υῷ. Abicht also has made several inaccurate statements, e.g. I. 185, where the MS. has ἑς τòν Εὐφπήτην, and VII. 133 Ξέρξης. ↩

3. For example in the index of proper names attached to Stein’s annotated edition (Berlin, 1882), to which I am under obligation, having checked my own by it, I find that I have marked upwards of two hundred mistakes or oversights: no doubt I have been saved by it from at least as many. ↩

4. Ἡροδότον Ἁλικαρνησσέος ἀπόδεξις ἥδε, ὡς κ.τ.λ. The meaning of the word ἱστορίη passes gradually from “research” or “inquiry” to “narrative,” “history”; cp. VII. 96. Aristotle in quoting these words writes Θονρίου for Ἁλικαρνησσέος (“Herodotus of Thurii”), and we know from Plutarch that this reading existed in his time as a variation. ↩

5. Probably ἐργα may here mean enduring monuments like the pyramids and the works at Samos, cp. I. 93, II. 35, etc.; in that case τά τε ἀλλα refers back to τὰ γενόμενα, though the verb ἐπολέμησαν derives its subject from the mention of Hellenes and Barbarians in the preceding clause. ↩

6. Many Editors have “with the Phoenicians,” on the authority of some inferior MSS. and of the Aldine edition. ↩

7. ἁρπαγῆς. ↩

8. “Thus or in some other particular way.” ↩

9. Συρίων, see ch. 72. Herodotus perhaps meant to distinguish Σύριοι from Σύροι, and to use the first name for the Cappadocians and the second for the people of Palestine, cp. II. 104; but they are naturally confused in the MSS. ↩

10. ἐξ ἐπιδρομῆς ἁρπαγή. ↩

11. τῆς ἀνοιγομένης θύρης, “the door that is opened.” ↩

12. Or “because she was ashamed.” ↩

13. Φοιτᾶν. ↩

14. ὑπεισδὺς: Stein adopts the conjecture ὑπεκδὺς, “slipping out of his hiding-place.” ↩

15. This last sentence is by many regarded as an interpolation. The line referred to is Οὔ μοι τὰ Γύγεω τοῦ πολυχρύσου μέλει. ↩

16. See V. 92. ↩

17. I.e. like other kings of Lydia who came after him. ↩

18. Κολοφῶνος τὸ ἀστυ, as opposed apparently to the acropolis, cp. VIII. 51. ↩

19. See ch. 73. ↩

20. ὁ καὶ ἐσβάλλων τηνικαῦτα ἐς τὴν Μιλησίην τὴυ στρατιήν: an allusion apparently to the invasions of the Milesian land at harvest time, which are described above. All the operations mentioned in the last chapter have been loosely described to Alyattes, and a correction is here added to inform the reader that they belong equally to his father. It will hardly mend matters much if we take ὁ Αυδός in ch. 17 to include both father and son. ↩

21. διδάξαντα. ↩

22. This name is applied by Herodotus to the southern part of the peninsula only. ↩

23. Tarentum. ↩

24. ἐν τοῖσι ἑσωλίοισι: properly “benches,” but probably here the raised deck at the stern. ↩

25. οὐ μέγα: many of the MSS. have μέγα. ↩

26. στάδιοι: furlongs of about 606 English feet. ↩

27. τῷ ἐπιλόγῳ. ↩

28. This list of nations is by some suspected as an interpolation; see Stein’s note on the passage. ↩

29. σοφισταί: cp. II. 49, and IV. 95. ↩

30. ἔθετο. ↩

31. ὀλβιώτατον. ↩

32. σταδίους. ↩

33. ῥώμηυ: many of the MSS. have γνώμην, “good disposition.” ↩

34. I.e. their mother: but some understand it to mean the goddess. ↩

35. ἐν τέλεϊ τούτῳ ἔσχοντο. ↩

36. ἀνόλβιοι. ↩

37. εὐτυχέες. ↩

38. ἄπηρος: the MSS. have ἄπειρος. ↩

39. αἰχμῇ σιδηρέῃ βληθέντα. ↩

40. “In the house of Croesus.” ↩

41. Ἐπίστιον. ↩

42. Ἐταιρήιον. ↩

43. συγγραψαμένους, i.e. have it written down by the πρφήτης (see VII. 111 and VIII. 37), who interpreted and put into regular verse the inspired utterances of the prophetess πρόμαντις. ↩

44. ἐς τò μέγαρον. ↩

45. οἷδα δ’ ἐγώ: oracles often have a word of connection such as δέ or ἀλλά at the beginning (cp. ch. 55, 174, etc.), which may indicate that they are part of a larger connected utterance. ↩

46. Cp. VII. 178 and IX. 91 (“I accept the omen.”) ↩

47. See VIII. 134. ↩

48. καὶ τοῦτον, i.e. Amphiaraos: many Editors retain the readings of the Aldine edition, καὶ τοῦτο, “that in this too he had found a true Oracle.” ↩

49. ἡμιπλίνθια, the plinth being supposed to be square. ↩

50. ἑξαπάλαιστα, the palm being about three inches, cp. II. 149. ↩

51. ἀπέφθου χρυσοῦ, “refined gold.” ↩

52. τρίτον ἡμιτάλαντον: the MSS. have τρία ἡμιτάλαντα, which has been corrected partly on the authority of Valla’s translation. ↩

53. “White gold.” ↩

54. Arranged evidently in stages, of which the highest consisted of the 4 half-plinths of pure gold, the second of 15 half-plinths, the third of 35, the fourth of 63, making 117 in all: see Stein’s note. ↩

55. ἕλκων σταθμὸν εἵνατον ἠμιτάλαντον καὶ ἔτι συώδεκα μνέας. The μνέα (mina) is 15.2 oz., and 60 of them go to a talent. ↩

56. ἐπὶ τοῦ προνηίου τῆς γωνίης, cp. VIII. 122: the use of ἐπί seems to suggest some kind of raised cornerstone upon which the offerings stood. ↩

57. The ἀμφορεύς is about 9 gallons. ↩

58. Cp. III. 41. ↩

59. περιρραντήρια. ↩

60. χεύματα, which some translate “jugs” or “bowls.” ↩

61. ὑμῖν, as if both Oracles were being addressed together. ↩

62. I.e. Delphi. ↩

63. ἐνεφορέετο, “he filled himself with it.” ↩

64. Κρηστῶνα: Niebuhr would read Κρότωνα (Croton or Cortona in Etruria), partly on the authority of Dionysius: see Stein’s note. Two of the best MSS. are defective in this part of the book. ↩

65. See II. 51 and VI. 137. ↩

66. αὔξηται ἐς πλῆθος τῶν ἐθνέων πολλῶν: “has increased to a multitude of its races, which are many.” Stein and Abicht both venture to adopt the conjecture Πελασγῶν for πολλῶν, “Pelasgians especially being added to them, and also many other Barbarian nations.” ↩

67. πρὸς δὴ ὦν ἔμοιγε δεοκέει: the MSS. have ἐμοί τε. Some Editors read ὡς δὴ ὦν (Stein πρόσθε δὲ ὦν) for πρὸς δὴ ὦν. This whole passage is probably in some way corrupt, but it can hardly be successfully emended. ↩

68. I.e. as it is of the Hellenic race before it parted from the Pelasgian and ceased to be Barbarian. ↩

69. κατεχόμενόν τε καὶ διεσπασμένον⁠ ⁠… ὑπὸ Πεισιστρπατον. Peisistratos was in part at least the cause of the divisions. ↩

70. παράλων. ↩

71. ὑπερακρίων. ↩

72. τούτουσ: some read by conjecture τριηκοσίους, “three hundred,” the number which he actually had according to Polynaenus, I. 21. ↩

73. δορυφόροι, the usual word for a bodyguard. ↩

74. περιελαυνόμενος δὲ τῇ στάσι: Stein says “harassed by attacks of his own party,” but the passage to which he refers in ch. 61, καταλλάσσετο τὴν ἔχθρην τοῖσι στασιώτῃσι, may be referred to in the quarrel made with his party by Megacles when he joined Peisistratos. ↩

75. More literally, “since from ancient time the Hellenic race had been marked off from the Barbarians as being more skilful and more freed from foolish simplicity, (and) since at that time among the Athenians, who are accounted the first of the Hellenes in ability, these men devised a trick as follows.” ↩

76. The cubit is reckoned as 24 fingerbreadths, i.e. about 18 inches. ↩

77. So Rawlinson. ↩

78. See V. 70. ↩

79. διὰ ἕνδεκάτου ἕτεοσ. Not quite the same as διὰ ἕνδεκα ἐτέων (“after an interval of eleven years”); rather “in the eleventh year” (i.e. “after an interval of ten years”). ↩

80. θείη πομπῇ χρεώμενος. ↩

81. For Ἀκαρνὰν it has been suggested to read Ἀκαρνεὺς, because this man is referred to as an Athenian by various writers. However Acarnanians were celebrated for prophetic power, and he might be called an Athenian as resident with Peisistratos at Athens. ↩

82. Or “for that part of the land from which the temple could be seen,” but cp. Thucydides III. 104. In either case the meaning is the same. ↩

83. ἐνωμοτίας καὶ τριηκάδας καὶ συσσίτια. The ἐνωμοτία was the primary division of the Spartan army: of the τριηκάς nothing is known for certain. ↩

84. κιβδήλῳ, properly “counterfeit”: cp. ch. 75. ↩

85. σχοίνῳ διαμετρησάμενοι: whether actually, for the purpose of distributing the work among them, or because the rope which fastened them together lay on the ground like a measuring-tape, is left uncertain. ↩

86. Cp. IX. 70. ↩

87. ἐπιτάρροθος. Elsewhere (that is in Homer) the word always means “helper,” and Stein translates it so here, “thou shalt be protector and patron of Tegea” (in the place of Orestes). Mr. Woods explains it by the parallel of such phrases as Δαναοῖσι μάχης ἐπιτάρροθοι, to mean “thou shalt be a helper (of the Lacedaemonians) in the matter of Tegea,” but this perhaps would be a form of address too personal to the envoy, who is usually addressed in the second person, but only as representative of those who sent him. The conjectural reading ἐπιτάρροθον ἕξεις, “thou shalt have him as a helper against Tegea,” is tempting. ↩

88. ἀγαθοεργῶν. ↩

89. This was to enable him the better to gain his ends at Tegea. ↩

90. Cp. ch. 51, note. ↩

91. See ch. 6. ↩

92. εὐζώνῳ ἀνδρί: cp. ch. 104 and II. 34. The word εὔζωνοσ is used of light-armed troops; Hesychius says, εὔζωνος, μὴ ἔχων φορτίον. ↩

93. ὀργὴν οὐκ ἀκροσ: this is the reading of all the best MSS., and it is sufficiently supported by the parallel of V. 124, ψυχὴν οὐκ ἄκρος. Most Editors however have adopted the reading ὀργὴν ἄκρος, as equivalent to ὰκράχολος, “quick-tempered.” ↩

94. It has been suggested by some that this clause is not genuine. It should not, however, be taken to refer to the battle which was interrupted by the eclipse, for (1) that did not occur in the period here spoken of; (2) the next clause is introduced by δέ (which can hardly here stand for γάρ); (3) when the eclipse occurred the fighting ceased, therefore it was no more a νυκτομαχίη than any other battle which is interrupted by darkness coming on. ↩

95. See ch. 188. Nabunita was his true name. ↩

96. See ch. 107 ff. ↩

97. Not “somewhere near the city of Sinope,” for it must have been at a considerable distance and probably far inland. Sinope itself is at least fifty miles to the west of the Halys. I take it to mean that Pteria was nearly due south of Sinope, i.e. that the nearest road from Pteria to the sea led to Sinope. Pteria no doubt was the name of a region as well as of a city. ↩

98. ἀναστάτους ἐποίησε. ↩

99. This is the son of the man mentioned in ch. 74. ↩

100. ὃς ἦν αὐτοῦ ξεινικòς. Stein translates “so much of it as was mercenary,” but it may be doubted if this is possible. Mr. Woods, “which army of his was a foreign one.” ↩

101. Μητρὸς Δινδυμήνης, i.e. Kybele: the mountain is Dindymos in Phrygia. ↩

102. I.e. the whole strip of territory to the West of the peninsula of Argolis, which includes Thyrea and extends southwards to Malea: “westwards as far as Malea” would be absurd. ↩

103. οὖτος: a conjectural emendation of αὐτός. ↩

104. αὐτός: some MSS. read ὁ αὐτός, “this same man.” ↩

105. ἀνενεικάμενον, nearly equivalent to ἀναστενάξαντα (cp. Homer’s Iliad xix. 314), μνησάμενος δ’ ἀδινῶς ἀνενείκατο φωνῆσέν τε. Some translate it here, “he recovered himself,” cp. ch. 116, ἀνενειχθείς. ↩

106. ὑβρισταί. ↩

107. προήσουσι: a conjectural emendation of ποεήσουσι, adopted in most of the modern editions. ↩

108. τοῦτο ὀνειδίσαι: or τούτων ὀνειδίσαι, “to reproach the god with these things.” The best MSS. have τούτῳ. ↩

109. τῷ καὶ⁠ ⁠… εἶπε τὰ εἶπε Λοξίας κ.τ.λ.: various emendations have been proposed. If any one is to be adopted, the boldest would perhaps be the best, τὸ σὲ καὶ⁠ ⁠… εἶπε Λοξίας. ↩

110. οἶά τε καὶ ἄλλη χώρη, “such as other lands have.” ↩

111. σταδιοι ἒξ καὶ ἄλλη ξώρη. ↩

112. πλέθρα τρία καὶ δέκα. ↩

113. Γυγαίη. ↩

114. Or “Tyrrhenia.” ↩

115. Or “Umbrians.” ↩

116. τῆς ἄνω Ἀσίης, i.e. the parts which are removed from the Mediterranean. ↩

117. I.e. nature would not be likely to supply so many regularly ascending circles. Stein alters the text so that the sentence runs thus, “and whereas there are seven circles of all, within the last is the royal palace,” etc. ↩

118. I.e. “to laugh or to spit is unseemly for those in presence of the king, and this last for all, whether in the presence of the king or not.” Cp. Xenophon’s Cyropaedia I. 2. 16, αἰσχρὸν μὲν γὰρ ἔτι καὶ νῦν ἐστι Πέρσαις καὶ τὸ ἀποπτύειν καί τὸ ἀπομύττεσθσι, (quoted by Stein, who however gives a different interpretation). ↩

119. ταῦτα δὲ περὶ ἑωιτὸν ἑσέμνυνε: the translation given is that of Mr. Woods. ↩

120. ἄλλως μέντοι ἑωυτῶν εὖ ἥκοντες: the translation is partly due to Mr. Woods. ↩

121. I.e. East of the Halys: see note on ch. 95. ↩

122. See IV. 12. ↩

123. Cp. ch. 72. ↩

124. τὴν κατύτερθε ὁδόν, i.e. further away from the Euxine eastwards. ↩

125. ὁ θεός. ↩

126. ξωρὶς μὲν γὰρ φόρων: many Editors substitute φόρον for φόρων, but φόρων may stand if taken not with ξωρίς but with τὸ ἑκάστοισι ἐπέβαλλον. ↩

127. Cp. ch. 184, “the Assyrian history.” ↩

128. ὑπερθέμενος, a conjectural emendation of ὑποθέμενοσ, cp. ch. 108 where the MSS. give ὑπερθέμενος, (the Medicean with ὑπο written above as a correction). ↩

129. Or “expose me to risk,” “stake my safety.” ↩

130. Or “thou wilt suffer the most evil kind of death”: cp. ch. 167. ↩

131. τὰς ἀγγελίας φέρειν, i.e. to have the office of ἀγγελιηφόρος (ch. 120) or ἐσαγγελεύς (III. 84), the chamberlain through whom communications passed. ↩

132. διαλαβεῖν. So translated by Mr. Woods. ↩

133. ἐς τὰς ὰνάγκας, “to the necessity,” mentioned above. ↩

134. Or “to celebrate good fortune.” ↩

135. ἀκρέων χειρῶν τε καὶ ποδῶν: cp. II. 121 (e), ἀποταμόντα ἐν τῷ ὤμῳ τὴν χεῖρα. ↩

136. ἦστι τε ὁ παῖς καὶ περίεστι. So translated by Mr. Woods. ↩

137. ἤρχε: a few inferior MSS. have εἶχε, which is adopted by several Editors. ↩

138. παρὰ σμικρὰ⁠ ⁠… κεχώρηκε, “have come out equal to trifles.” ↩

139. κύων: cp. ch. 110. ↩

140. σύ νυν, answering to σὲ γὰρ θεοὶ ἐπορέουσι: the MSS. and some Editors read σὺ νῦν. ↩

141. I.e. of the race of Perses: see VII. 61. ↩

142. “How his change from a throne to slavery was as compared with that feast, etc.,” i.e. what did he think of it as a retribution. ↩

143. See ch. 106. The actual duration of the Median supremacy would be therefore a hundred years. ↩

144. This is by some altered to “Alilat,” by comparison of III. 8. ↩

145. στέμμασι, i.e. the chaplets wound round with wool which were worn at Hellenic sacrifices. ↩

146. οὐλῇσι. ↩

147. Cp. VII. 61. ↩

148. σίτοισι: perhaps “plain dishes.” ↩

149. προσκυνέει, i.e. kisses his feet or the ground. ↩

150. τὸν λεγόμενον, a correction of τῷ λεγομένῳ. (The Medicean MS. has τῶι λεγομένωι like the rest, not τῶι λεγομένω, as stated by Stein.) ↩

151. ἐχομένων, κατὰ τὸν αὐτὸν δὴ λόγον: the MSS. and most Editors have ἐχομένων, κατὰ τὸν αὐτὸν δὲ λόγον; “and this same rule the Persians observe in giving honour.” This, however, makes it difficult (though not impossible) to refer τὸ ἔθνος in the next clause to the Medes, and it can hardly be referred to the Persians, who certainly had not the same system of government. Perhaps however we may translate thus, “for each race extended forward thus their rule or their deputed authority.” ↩

152. Cp. VII. 194. ↩

153. πολλοὶ: omitted, or corrected variously, by Editors. There is, perhaps, something wrong about the text in the next clause also, for it seems clear that white doves were not objected to by the Persians. See Stein’s note. ↩

154. See ch. 95. ↩

155. These words, “neither those towards the East nor those towards the West” have perhaps been interpolated as an explanation of τὰ ἄνω and τὰ κάτω. As an explanation they can hardly be correct, but the whole passage is vaguely expressed. ↩

156. πρόπους τέσσερας παραγωγέων. ↩

157. I.e. the Asiatic Ionians who had formed a separate confederacy. Some understand it to mean the Milesians, but this would give no satisfactory connection with what follows. ↩

158. πενταπόλιος. ↩

159. ἑξαπόλιος. ↩

160. μεσόγαιοι. Several of the other cities are at some distance from the coast, but the region is meant in each case rather than the city (hence such forms as Τριταιέες). ↩

161. Ἑλικωνίῶ. ↩

162. This is condemned as an interpolation by some Editors. ↩

163. ὡρέων δὲ ἥκονσαν οὐκ ὁμοίως. ↩

164. καταστάς: cp. III. 46. ↩

165. κτησάμενοι: Stein reads στησάμενοι by conjecture: cp. VI. 58. ↩

166. φροντίζω μὴ ἄριοστον ᾖ. The translation is Rawlinson’s. ↩

167. κεφαλῇ ἀναμάξας: cp. Homer’s Odyssey xix. 92. ↩

168. φροντίζω μὴ ἄναμάξας, i.e. the priests of the temple. The name of the place Βραγχίδαι is feminine, cp. ch. 92. ↩

169. ὦναξ, addressing Apollo. ↩

170. ἐξαίρεε τοὺς στρούθους κ.τ.λ. The verb is one which is commonly used of the destruction and depopulation of cities, cp. ch. 176. (Stein.) ↩

171. τοῦ δὲ Ἀταρνέος τούτου ἐστὶ χῶρος τῆς Μυσίης. ↩

172. οὐκ ὀλίγοι στάδιοι. ↩

173. κατιρῶσαι, i.e. dedicate it to the king as a token of submission. ↩

174. I.e. Corsica. ↩

175. ἀναφανῆναι: the MSS. have ἀναφῆναι, which can only be translated by supplying τὸν πόντον from κατεπόντωσαν, “till the sea produced it again,” but this is hardly satisfactory. ↩

176. Καρχηδόνιοι. ↩

177. ἔλαχόν τε αὐτῶν πολλῷ πλείους. Several Editors suppose that words have been lost or that the text is corrupt. I understand it to mean that many more of them fell into the hands of the enemy than were rescued by their own side. Some translate “divided most of them by lot”; but this would be διέλαχον, and the proceeding would have no object if the prisoners were to be put to death at once. For πλείους Stein reads πλείστους. ↩

178. τὸν Κύρνον⁠ ⁠… κτίσαι ἥρων ἐόντα, ἀλλ’ οὐ τὴν νῆσον. ↩

179. βουλευτήριον. ↩

180. οὗτοι: the MSS. have οὕτω. ↩

181. αὐτόχθονας ἠπειρώτας. ↩

182. Many Editors insert οἳ before τῆς χώρης τῆς σφετέρης and alter the punctuation accordingly. ↩

183. Or “all their land came within the isthmus.” ↩

184. ἐπεξιόντες: the MSS. have ὑπεξιόντες, which Mr. Woods explains to mean “coming forth suddenly.” ↩

185. ἐπεξελθόντες: the MSS. have ὑπεξελθόντες. ↩

186. σταδίων, and so throughout. ↩

187. The “royal cubit” appears to have measured about twenty-one inches. ↩

188. τοὺς ἀγχῶνασ, the walls on the North and South of the city, called so because built at an angle with the side walls. ↩

189. λαῦραι, “lanes.” ↩

190. λαὶ αὐταί, but perhaps the text is not sound. ↩

191. θώρηξ, as opposed to the inner wall, which would be the κιθών (cp. VII. 139). ↩

192. στεινότερον: Mr. Woods says “of less thickness,” the top of the wall being regarded as a road. ↩

193. δύο σταδίων πάντη, i.e. 404 yards square. ↩

194. τοῦ ἱροῦ, i.e. the sacred precincts; cp. ἐν τῷ τεμένεϊ τούτῳ. ↩

195. νηός, the inner house of the temple. ↩

196. πρόμαντις. ↩

197. τὰ τέλεα τῶν προβάτων. ↩

198. “At that time.” ↩

199. καταπλέοντες τὸν Εὐφρήτην: the MSS. have καταπλέοντες ές τὸν Ε. (It is not true, as stated by Abicht, that the Medicean MS. omits ἐς.) ↩

200. ὀλίγον τι παρατείμπισα ἀπὸ τοῦ ποταμοῦ. ↩

201. οὐ γὰρ ἄμεινον, an Epic phrase, cp. III. 71 and 82. ↩

202. ἐσκευασμένος, a conjectural emendation of ἐσκευασμένοισι, “with provisions well prepared.” ↩

203. κατέτεινε σχοινοτενέας ὑποδέχας διώρυχας. Stein understands κατέτεινε τὴν στρατιήν (resumed afterwards by διατάξας), “he extended his army, having first marked out channels straight by lines.” ↩

204. προεσάξαντο, from προεσάγω: it may be however from προσάττω, “they had heaped together provisions for themselves beforehand.” ↩

205. τὴν στρατιὴν ἅπασαν. Stein thinks that some correction is needed. ↩

206. οἳ δ’ ἂν περιιδόντες κ.τ.λ.: the MSS. have οὐδ’ ἂν περιιδόντες, “they would not even have allowed them to enter the city (from the river),” but the negative is awkward referring to the participle alone, and the admission of the enemy to the riverbed within the city would have been an essential part of the scheme, not to be omitted in the description. ↩

207. The Attic medimnos (= 48 choinikes) was rather less than 12 gallons. ↩

208. τòν τῆς Δήμητρος καρπόν. ↩

209. Stein supposes that words have fallen out before τὰ γὰρ δὴ ἄλλα δένδρεα, chiefly because some mention of the palm-trees might have been expected here. ↩

210. φοινικηίους: some Editors (following Valla) have altered this to φοινικηίου (“casks of palm-wine”), but it is not likely that palm-wine would have been thus imported, see ch. 193. ↩

211. καὶ ὁ μὲν ἔσω ἔσω ἑλκει τὸ πλῆκτροβ ὁ δὲ ἔξω ὠθέει. I take it to mean that there is one steering-oar on each side, and the “inside” is the side nearer to the bank of the river. The current would naturally run faster on the “outside” and consequently would tend to turn the boat round, and therefore the inside oarsman pulls his oar constantly towards himself and the outside man pushes his oar from himself (i.e. backs water), to keep the boat straight. Various explanations are given. Stein takes ἔσω, ἔξω with the verbs, “one draws the boat towards himself, the other pushes it from himself.” Mr. Woods understands that only one oar is used at a time and by two men looking different ways, of whom ὁ μὲν ἐσω is he who stands nearest to the side of the boat. ↩

212. If the talents meant are Euboic, this would be about 170 tons. ↩

213. μίτρῆσι: cp. VII. 62. ↩

214. ὡς ἂν αἱ παρθένοι γινοίατο, equivalent to ὅσαι ἀεὶ παρθένοι γινοίατο, which Stein suggests as a correction. ↩

215. This sentence, “in order that⁠—city,” is thought by Stein to be either interpolated or misplaced. ↩

216. κατεστήκεε: some Editors adopt the correction κατέστηκε, “is established.” ↩

217. ἱρόν, afterwards called τέμενος. ↩

218. πάντα τρόπον ὁδῶν: some MSS. have ὁδὸν for ὁδῶν, and ὁδὸν ἔχουσι might perhaps mean “afford a passage.” (The reading of the Medicean MS. is ὁδῶν.) ↩

219. “I call upon Mylitta against thee”; or perhaps, “I call upon Mylitta to be favourable to thee.” ↩

220. ἀποσιωσαμένη τῇ θεῷ. ↩

221. εἴδεός τε ἐπαμμέναι εἰσὶ καὶ μεἅθεος. ↩

222. πατριαί. ↩

223. ἀντίον. ↩

224. That is perhaps, “if one rows as well as sails,” using oars when the wind is not favourable, cp. II. 11. ↩

225. γενομένη, or γινομένη, “which he met with.” ↩

226. ἐόντα ἀχάριτα: most of the MSS. have τὰ ἐόντα ἀχάριτα, with which reading the sentence would be, “the sufferings which I have, have proved bitter lessons of wisdom to me.” ↩

227. μὴ εἴη. ↩

228. τοῦ καθαροῦ στρατοῦ, perhaps “the effective part,” without the encumbrances, cp. IV. 135. ↩

229. ἀλεξομένους. ↩

230. σαγάρις νομίζοντες ἔχειν: cp. IV. 5. ↩

231. μασχαλιστῆρας. ↩

232. θύουσι. ↩

233. νόμος: the conjecture νόος, “meaning,” which is adopted by many Editors, may be right; but νόμος seems to mean the “customary rule” which determines this form of sacrifice, the rule namely of “swift to the swift.” ↩

234. Some write “Psammitichos” with less authority. ↩

235. τοῦ ἐν Μέμφι: many Editors read ἐν Μενφι, “I heard at Memphis from the priests of Hephaestus,” but with less authority. ↩

236. Ἡλέου πόλιν or Ἡλιούπολιν, cp. Ἡλιουπολῖται below. ↩

237. ἐζω ἢ τὰ οὐνόματα αὐτῶν μοῦνον. Some understand “them” to mean “the gods”; rather perhaps the meaning is that accounts of such things will not be related in full, but only touched upon. ↩

238. ἴσον περὶ αὐτῶν ἐπίστασθαι. ↩

239. ἄνθρωπον, emphatic, for the rulers before him were gods (ch. 144). ↩

240. Μῖνα: others read Μῆνα, but the authority of the MSS. is strong for Μῖνα both here and in ch. 99. ↩

241. τοῦ Θηβαϊκπῦ νομοῦ, cp. ch. 164. ↩

242. ταύτης ὦν ἄπο: some MSS. omit ἄπο, “this then is the land for which the sixty schoines are reckoned.” ↩

243. For the measures of length cp. ch. 149. The furlong (στάδιον) is equal to 100 fathoms (ὀργυιαί), i.e. 606 feet 9 inches. ↩

244. Or “without rain”: the word ἄνυδρος is altered by some Editors to ἔνυδρος or εὔυδρος, “well watered.” ↩

245. I have followed Stein in taking ἐς τὰ εἴρηται with λῆγον, meaning “at the Erythraean Sea,” ταύτῃ μέν being a repetition of τῇ μέν above. The bend back would make the range double, and hence partly its great breadth. Others translate, “Here (at the quarries) the range stops, and bends round to the parts mentioned (i.e. the Erythraean Sea).” ↩

246. ὡς εἶναι Αἰγύπτου: cp. IV. 81. Others translate, “considering that it belongs to Egypt” (a country so vast), i.e. “as measures go in Egypt.” In any case αἵγυπτος ἐοῦσα just below seems to repeat the same meaning. ↩

247. Some Editors alter this to “fourteen.” ↩

248. πενταστόμου: some less good MSS. have ἑπταστόμου, “which has seven mouths.” ↩

249. See note on I. 203. ↩

250. τὸν ἔρχομαι λέξων: these words are by many Editors marked as spurious, and they certainly seem to be out of place here. ↩

251. κοῦ γε δή: “where then would not a gulf be filled up?” ↩

252. καταρρηγνυμένην: some Editors read κατερρηγμένην (“broken up by cracks”) from κατερρηγνυμένην, which is given by many MSS. ↩

253. Or possibly “with rock below,” in which case perhaps ύποψαμμοτέρεν would mean “rather sandy underneath.” ↩

254. We do not know whether these measurements are in the larger Egyptian cubit of 21 inches or the smaller (equal to the ordinary Hellenic cubit) of 18½ inches, cp. I. 178. ↩

255. καὶ τὸ ὅμοιον ἀποδιδῷ ἐς αὔξησιν, “and to yield the like return as regards increased extent.” (Mr. Woods); but the clause may be only a repetition of the preceding one. ↩

256. I.e. Zeus. ↩

257. I.e. of the district of Thebes, the Thebaïs. ↩

258. τῃ Λιβύῃ. ↩

259. The meaning seems to be this: “The Ionians say that Egypt is the Delta, and at the same time they divide the world into three parts, Europe, Asia, and Libya, the last two being divided from one another by the Nile. Thus they have left out Egypt altogether; and either they must add the Delta as a fourth part of the world, or they must give up the Nile as a boundary. If the name Egypt be extended, as it is by the other Hellenes, to the upper course of the Nile, it is then possible to retain the Nile as a boundary, saying that half of Egypt belongs to Asia and half to Libya, and disregarding the Delta (ch. 17). This also would be an error of reckoning, but less serious than to omit Egypt together.” The reasoning is obscure because it alludes to theories (of Hecataios and other writers) which are presumed to be already known to the reader. ↩

260. Καταδούπων, i.e. the first cataract. ↩

261. “And it gives us here, etc.” (παρεξόμενος). ↩

262. λόγῳ δὲ εἰπεῖν θωυμασιωτέρη. Or perhaps, “and it is more marvellous, so to speak.” ↩

263. τῶν τὰ πολλά ἐστι ἀνδρί γε κ.τ.λ. I take τῶν to refer to the nature of the country, as mentioned above; but the use of ὡς can hardly be paralleled, and the passage probably requires correction. Some Editors read τῶν τεκμήρια πολλά ἐστι κ.τ.λ. “wherein there are many evidences to prove, etc.” Stein omits τῶν and alters the punctuation, so that the clauses run thus, “when it flows from the hottest parts to those which for the most part are cooler? For a man who is capable of reasoning about such matters the first and greatest evidence to prove that it is not likely to flow from snow, is afforded by the winds, etc.” ↩

264. οὐκ ἔχει ἔλεγχον, “cannot be refuted” (because we cannot argue with him), cp. Thucydides III. 53, τὰ δὲ ψευδῆ ἔλεγχον ἔχει. Some translate, “does not prove his case.” ↩

265. τῆς ἀρχαίης διεξόδου, “his original (normal) course.” ↩

266. οὐκ ἐόντων ἀνέμων ψυχρῶν: the best MSS. read καὶ ἀνέμων ψυχρῶν (“and there are cold winds”), which Stein retains, explaining that the cold North winds would assist evaporation. ↩

267. αὐτὸς ἑωυτοῦ ῥέει πολλῷ ὑποδεέστερος ἢ τοῦ θέρεος. ↩

268. διακαίων τὴν διέξοδον αὐτῷ, i.e. τῷ ἠέρι. Some Editors read αὐτοῦ (with inferior MSS.) or alter the word to ἑωυτοῦ. ↩

269. “Set forth, so far as I understood.” ↩

270. ἐπὶ μακρότατον, “carrying the inquiry as far as possible,” cp. ch. 34. ↩

271. I have little doubt that this means the island of Elephantine; for at this point only would such a mixture of races be found. To this the writer here goes back parenthetically, and then resumes the account of the journey upwards from Tachompso. This view is confirmed by the fact that Strabo relates the same thing with regard to the island of Philai just above Elephantine. ↩

272. Cp. I. 72, note 86. ↩

273. ὀλυρέων. ↩

274. ζειάς. ↩

275. I.e. the hieratic and the demotic characters. ↩

276. μυρίας, ῶς εἰπεῖν λόγῳ. ↩

277. Referring apparently to III. 28, where the marks of Apis are given. Perhaps no animal could be sacrificed which had any of these marks. ↩

278. κεφαλῇ κείνῃ, “that head,” cp. κοιλίην κείνην in the next chapter. ↩

279. καθαρῶν. ↩

280. βᾶρις, cp. ch. 96. ↩

281. Or, “descended from Aigyptos.” ↩

282. Or, “assuming that in those days as now, they were wont to make voyages, and that some of the Hellenes were seafaring folk.” ↩

283. στῆλαι, “upright blocks.” ↩

284. λάμποντος τὰς νύκτας μέγαθος: some Editors alter μέγαθος to μεγάλως or μέγα φῶς. ↩

285. ἐναγίζουσι. ↩

286. ὑῶν: some Editors read ὀίων “sheep,” on the authority of one MS. ↩

287. τὰ οὐνόματα, which means here rather the forms of personification than the actual names. ↩

288. αἱ προμάντεις. ↩

289. φηγόν. ↩

290. ὑπὸ φηγῷ πεφυκυίῃ, i.e. the oak-tree of the legend was a real growing tree, though the dove was symbolical. ↩

291. πανηγύριας. ↩

292. προσαγωγάς, with the idea of bringing offerings or introducing persons. ↩

293. ἐποιήθησαν, “were first celebrated.” ↩

294. So B.R. ↩

295. συμφοιτέουσι. ↩

296. I.e. 700,000. ↩

297. See ch. 40. ↩

298. τῇσι θυσίῃσι, ἔν τινι νυκτί: some MSS. give ἐν τῃ νυκτί: hence several Editors read τῆς θυσίης ἐν τῇ νυκτί, “on the night of the sacrifice.” ↩

299. Or, “for what end this night is held solemn by lighting of lamps” (B.R.), making φῶς καὶ τιμήν one idea. ↩

300. φῶς καὶ τιμήν: this, which is adopted by most Editors, is the reading of some less good MSS.; the rest have ἀλεξόμενοι, “strike them and defend themselves.” ↩

301. ἐοῦσα ἡ Αἴγυπτος κ.τ.λ.: the MSS. have ἐοῦσα δὲ Αἴγυπτος: Stein reads ἐοῦσα γὰρ Αἴγυπτος. ↩

302. θεῖα πρήγματα καταλαμβάνει τοὺς αἰελούρους, which may mean only, “a marvellous thing happens to the cats.” ↩

303. ἐς Ἑρμέω πόλιν. ↩

304. δίχηλον, ὁπλαὶ βοός, “he is cloven-footed, and his foot is that of an ox.” The words ὁπλαὶ βοός are marked as spurious by Stein. ↩

305. I.e. above the marshes, cp. ch. 92. ↩

306. πάντῃ, which by some is translated “taken all together,” “at most.” Perhaps there is some corruption of text, and the writer meant to say that it measured two cubits by one cubit. ↩

307. The reading of the Medicean MS. is ἑν ἐστι, not ἔνεστι as hitherto reported. ↩

308. Or, “calling the song Linos.” ↩

309. τὸν Λίνον ὁκόθεν ἔλαβον: the MSS. have τὸ οὔνομα after ἔλαβον, but this is omitted by almost all Editors except Stein, who justifies it by a reference to ch. 50, and understands it to mean “the person of Linos.” No doubt the song and the person are here spoken off indiscriminately, but this explanation would require the reading τπῦ Λίνου, as indeed Stein partly admits by suggesting the alteration. ↩

310. The words “and Bacchic (which are really Egyptian),” are omitted by several of the best MSS. ↩

311. ἐπεζωσμέναι. ↩

312. In connection with death apparently, cp. ch. 132, 170. Osiris is meant. ↩

313. σινδόνος βυσσίνης. ↩

314. τῷ κόμμι. ↩

315. νηός. ↩

316. Or, “a pleasant sweet taste.” ↩

317. ἁπαλά, “soft.” ↩

318. κατ’ ὀλίγους τῶν κέγχρων. ↩

319. ἀπὸ τῶν σιλλικυπρίων τοῶ καρποῶ. ↩

320. ζυγά, to tie the sides and serve as a partial deck. ↩

321. ἔστι δὲ οὐδ’ οὕτος: a few MSS. have οὐκ instead of οὐδ’, and most Editors follow them. The meaning however seems to be that even here the course in time of flood is different, and much more in the lower parts. ↩

322. ὡς ἀπεργμένοσ ῥέῃ: the MSS. mostly have ὡς ἀπεργμένος ῥέει, in place of which I have adopted the correction of Stein. Most other Editors read ὃς ἀπεργμένος ῥέει (following a few inferior MSS.), “the bend of the Nile which flows thus confined.” ↩

323. Not therefore in the Delta, to which in ch. 15 was assigned a later origin than this. ↩

324. κατ’ οὐδὲν εἶναι λαμπρότητος: Stein reads καὶ for κατ’, thus making the whole chapter parenthetical, with οὐ γὰρ ἔλεγον answered by παραμειψάμενος ὦν, a conjecture which is ingenious but not quite convincing. ↩

325. στρατιὴν πολλὴν λαβών: most of the MSS. have τῶν after πολλήν, which perhaps indicates that some words are lost. ↩

326. καὶ προσώτατα: many MSS. have καὶ οὐ προσώτατα, which is defended by some Editors in the sense of a comparative, “and not further.” ↩

327. Σύροι in the better MSS.; see note in I.6. ↩

328. Σύριοι. ↩

329. κατὰ ταὐτὰ: the better MSS. have καὶ κατὰ ταὐτὰ, which might be taken with what follows, punctuating after ἐργάζονται (as in the Medicean MS.): “they and the Egyptians alone of all nations work flax; and so likewise they resemble one another in their whole manner of living.” ↩

330. πόλον, i.e. the concave sundial, in shape like the vault of heaven. ↩

331. The gnomon would be an upright staff or an obelisk for observation of the length of the shadow. ↩

332. I.e. Red Clod. ↩

333. Τυρίων στρατόπεδον, i.e. “the Tyrian quarter” of the town: cp. ch. 154. ↩

334. τὴν σήν, or ταύτην, “this land.” ↩

335. ἐς ὃ μετῆκε αὐτόν, “until at last he dismissed it”; but the construction is very irregular, and there is probably some corruption of text. Stein reads ἑκὼν by conjecture for ἐς ὃ. ↩

336. δῆλον δὲ κατά περ ἐποίησε: a conjectural emendation of δῆλον δε’ κατὰ γὰρ ἐποίησε, which some editors retain, translating thus, “and this is clear; for according to the manner in which Homer described the wanderings of Alexander, etc., it is clear how, etc.” ↩

337. Iliad VI. 289. The sixth book is not ordinarily included in the Διομήδεος ἀριστεία. ↩

338. Odyssey IV. 227. These references to the Odyssey are by some thought to be interpolations, because they refer only to the visit of Menelaus to Egypt after the fall of Troy; but Herodotus is arguing that Homer, while rejecting the legend of Helen’s stay in Egypt during the war, yet has traces of it left in this later visit to Egypt of Menelaus and Helen, as well as in the visit of Paris and Helen to Sidon. ↩

339. Odyssey IV. 351. ↩

340. καὶ τόδε τὸ χωρίον: probably τὸ χωρίον ought to be struck out: “this also is evident.” ↩

341. ποδεῶνας, being the feet of the animals whose skins they were. ↩

342. Cp. VII. 152. ↩

343. ἐλάσαι, which may be intransitive, “rushed into every kind of evil.” ↩

344. στάδιοι. ↩

345. κρόσσας. ↩

346. βομίδας. ↩

347. I.e. the three small pyramids just to the East of the great pyramid. ↩

348. οὕτε γὰρ κ.τ.λ., “for there are no underground chambers,” etc. Something which was in the mind of the writer has been omitted either by himself or his copyists, “and inferior to it also in other respects, for,” etc. unless, as Stein supposes, we have here a later addition thrown in without regard to the connection. ↩

349. τὠυτὸ μέγαθος, “as regards attaining the same size,” but probably the text is corrupt. Stein reads τὸ μέγαθος in his later editions. ↩

350. Or, “Philition.” ↩

351. τῷ θεῷ, the goddess Leto, cp. I. 105. ↩

352. συνταχύνειν αὐτὸν τὸν βίον: some MSS. and Editors read αὐτῷ for αὐτὸν, “that heaven was shortening his life.” ↩

353. More literally, “bidding him take up the blood-money, who would.” The people of Delphi are said to have put Aesop to death and to have been ordered by the Oracle to make compensation. ↩

354. ὡς ἂν εἶναι Ῥοδῶπιν: so the MSS. Some Editors read Ῥοδώπιος, others Ῥοδώπι. ↩

355. ἀντίον δὲ αὐτοῦ τοῦ νηοῦ. ↩

356. ἐπαφρόδιτοι γίνεσθαι. ↩

357. κατεκερτόμησέ μιν: Athenaus says that Sappho attacked the mistress of Charaxos; but here μιν can hardly refer to anyone but Charaxos himself, who doubtless would be included in the same condemnation. ↩

358. προπύλαια. ↩

359. “Innumerable sights of buildings.” ↩

360. τασσαομένων, “posted,” like an army; but the text is probably unsound: so also in the next line, where the better MSS. have μὲν Βουβάστι πόλι, others ἡ ἐν βουβάστι πόλις. Stein reads ἡ ἐν Βουβάστι πολι, “the earth at the city of Bubastis.” Perhaps ἡ ἐν Βουβάστι πόλις might mean the town as opposed to the temple, as Mr. Woods suggests. ↩

361. Cp. ch. 161, ἐγένετο ἀπὸ προφάσιος, τὴν κ.τ.λ. Perhaps however πρόφασιν is here from προφαίνω (cp. Soph. Trach. 662), and it means merely “that the gods were foreshowing him this in order that,” etc. So Stein. ↩

362. I.e. for their customary gift or tribute to him as king. ↩

363. The chronology is inconsistent, and some propose, without authority, to read “three hundred years.” ↩

364. τὰς ἀρούρας, cp. ch. 168, where the ἄρουρα is defined as a hundred Egyptian units square, about three-quarters of an acre. ↩

365. ἐς τὸ μέγαρον. ↩

366. Not on two single occasions, but for two separate periods of time it was stated that the sun had risen in the West and set in the East; i.e. from East to West, then from West to East, then again from East to West, and finally back to East again. This seems to be the meaning attached by Herodotus to something which he was told about astronomical cycles. ↩

367. οὐκ ἐὸντας: this is the reading of all the best MSS., and also fits in best with the argument, which was that in Egypt gods were quite distinct from men. Most Editors however read οἰκέοντας on the authority of a few MSS., “dwelling with men.” (The reading of the Medicean MS. is οὐκ ἐόντας, not οὐκεοντας as stated by Stein.) ↩

368. I.e. that the Hellenes borrowed these divinities from Egypt, see ch. 43 ff. This refers to all the three gods above mentioned and not (as Stein contended) to Pan and Dionysus only. ↩

369. καὶ τούτος ἄλλους, i.e. as well as Heracles; but it may mean “that these also, distinct from the gods, had been born,” etc. The connection seems to be this: “I expressed my opinion on all these cases when I spoke of the case of Heracles; for though the statement there about Heracles was in one respect inapplicable to the rest, yet in the main conclusion that gods are not born of men it applies to all.” ↩

370. στάδιοι. ↩

371. μνέας, of which 60 go to the talent. ↩

372. Cp. ch. 112. ↩

373. νηός. ↩

374. I understand that each wall consisted of a single stone, which gave the dimensions each way: “as regards height and length” therefore it was made of a single stone. That it should have been a monolith, except the roof, is almost impossible, not only because of the size mentioned (which in any case is suspicious), but because no one would so hollow out a monolith that it would be necessary afterwards to put on another stone for the roof. The monolith chamber mentioned in ch. 175, which it took three years to convey from Elephantine, measured only 21 cubits by 14 by 8. The παρωροφίς or “cornice” is not an “eave projecting four cubits,” but (as the word is explained by Pollux) a cornice between ceiling and roof, measuring in this instance four cubits in height and formed by the thickness of the single stone: see Letronne, Recherches pour servir, etc. p. 80 (quoted by Bähr). ↩

375. ἥρπασε, “took as plunder.” ↩

376. ἀπαρτί: this word is not found in any MS. but was read here by the Greek grammarians. ↩

377. I.e. 120,000. ↩

378. Cp. IV. 159. ↩

379. κυνέην, perhaps the royal helmet or Pschent, cp. ch. 151. ↩

380. ἀπεματαίσε, euphemism for breaking wind. ↩

381. οὐδένα λόγον αὐτῷ δόντα: many Editors change αὐτῷ to ἑωυτῷ, in which case it means “taking no time to consider the matter,” as elsewhere in Herodotus; but cp. III. 50 ἱστορέοντι λὸγον οὐδένα ἐδίδου. ↩

382. νομῶν, and so throughout the passage. ↩

383. I.e. 160,000. ↩

384. I.e. 250,000. ↩

385. ἄρουραι, cp. ch. 141. ↩

386. ἔκαστον: if ἕκαστοι be read (for which there is more MS. authority) the meaning will be that “a thousand Calasirians and a thousand Hermotybians acted as guards alternately, each for a year,” the number at a time being 1000 not 2000. ↩

387. πέντε μνέαι. ↩

388. ἀρυστῆρες,=κοτύλαι. ↩

389. τοῦ νηοῦ. ↩

390. ἡ τροχοςιδὴς καλεομένη, “the Wheel.” ↩

391. The last words, “and when⁠—again,” are not found in the best MSS., and are omitted by Stein. However their meaning, if not expressed, is implied. ↩

392. πυγόνος. ↩

393. τοῦ αὐτοῦ: some MSS. and many Editors have Αἰθιοπικοῦ for τοῦ αὐτοῦ, “of Ethiopian stone.” For ἐόντες the MSS. have ἐόντος, which may be right, referring to τοῦ βάθρον understood, “the base being made of,” etc. ↩

394. τοῦ μεγάλου, a conjecture founded upon Valla’s version, which has been confirmed by a MS. The other MSS. have τοῦ μεγάρον, which is retained by some Editors, “on each side of the sanctuary.” ↩

395. “Are claiming a share when no part in it belongs to them.” ↩

396. Or possibly of alum: but the gift seems a very small one in any case. Some propose to read εἴκοσι μνέας χρυσοῦ. ↩

397. Or, according to a few MSS., “Battos the son of Arkesilaos.” ↩

398. “Thou hast surely perished.” ↩

399. See II. 1. ↩

400. Ἁμασιν. This accusative must be taken with ἔπρηξε. Some Editors adopt the conjecture Ἀμάσι, to be taken with μεμφόμενος as in ch. 4, “did this because he had a quarrel with Amasis.” ↩

401. See II. 152, 154. ↩

402. Σύρων: see II. 104. ↩

403. κεινόν: most MSS. and many editions have κειμένον, “laid up.” ↩

404. δήμαρχον. ↩

405. ἐξαιρέομενος: explained by some “disembarked” or “unloaded.” ↩

406. Or “Orotal.” ↩

407. διὰ δὴ τούτων. ↩

408. τριῶν: omitted by some good MSS. ↩

409. See II. 169. ↩

410. ἀλλὰ καὶ τότε ὕσθησαν αἱ Θῆβαι ψακάδι. ↩

411. The so-called Λευκὸν τεῖχος on the south side of Memphis: cp. ch. 91. ↩

412. ὁμοίως καὶ omitting ἅ. ↩

413. πεντακοσίας μνὲας. ↩

414. ἀνέκλαιον: perhaps ἀντέκλαιον, which has most MS. authority, may be right, “answer their lamentations.” ↩

415. See ch. 31. ↩

416. ἡγεόμενον: some Editors adopt the conjecture ἀγόμενον, “was being led.” ↩

417. σφι: so in the MSS.: some editions (following the Aldine) have οἱ. ↩

418. τῷ τε: a correction for τῷδε: some Editors read τῷδε, τῷ, “by this, namely by the case of,” etc. ↩

419. “Gypsum.” ↩

420. ἐπί, lit. “after.” ↩

421. λευκὸν τετράγωνον: so the MSS. Some Editors, in order to bring the statement of Herodotus into agreement with the fact, read λευκόν τι τρίγωνον, “a kind of white triangle”: so Stein. ↩

422. ἐπὶ: this is altered unnecessarily by most recent Editors to ὑπὸ, on the authority of Eusebius and Pliny, who say that the mark was under the tongue. ↩

423. ἐκείνῳ: some understand this to refer to Cambyses, “that there was no one now who would come to the assistance of Cambyses, if he were in trouble,” an office which would properly have belonged to Smerdis, cp. ch. 65: but the other reference seems more natural. ↩

424. Epilepsy or something similar. ↩

425. Cp. note on I. 114. ↩

426. πρὸς τὸν [τελέσαι] Κῦρον: the word τελέσαι seems to be corrupt. Stein suggests εἰκάσαι, “as compared with.” Some Editors omit the word. ↩

427. νόμον πάντων βασιλέα φήσας εἶναι: but νόμος in this fragment of Pindar is rather the natural law by which the strong prevail over the weak. ↩

428. ἴσχων: Stein reads by conjecture σχὼν, “having obtained possession.” ↩

429. μηδὲ: Abicht reads μηδὲν by conjecture. ↩

430. ἀλλά, under the influence of the preceding negative. ↩

431. πρήσσων refers grammatically only to αὐτός, and marks the reference as being chiefly to himself throughout the sentence. ↩

432. πρόρριζος, “by the roots.” ↩

433. τοι τῇσι παθῇσι: the MSS. mostly have τοι αὐταῖσι or τοιαύταισι. ↩

434. See I. 51. ↩

435. ἐς Αἴγυπτον ἐπέθηκε, “delivered it (to a messenger to convey) to Egypt.” ↩

436. The island of Carpathos, the modern Scarpanto. ↩

437. τῷ θυλάκῳ περιεργάσθαι: which is susceptible of a variety of meanings. In a similar story told of the Chians the Spartans are made to say that it would have been enough to show the empty bag without saying anything. (Sext. Empir. II. 23.) Probably the meaning here is that if they were going to say so much, they need not have shown the bag, for the words were enough without the sight of the bag: or it may be only that the words ὁ θύλακος were unnecessary in the sentence ὁ θύλακος ἀλφίτων δεῖται. ↩

438. See I. 70. ↩

439. γενεῇ. To save the chronology some insert τρῖτη before γενεῇ, but this will be useless unless the clause κατὰ δὲ τὸν αὐτὸν χρόνον τοῦ κρητῆρος τῇ ἁρπαγῇ be omitted, as it is also proposed to do. Periander is thought to have died about 585 BC; but see V. 95. ↩

440. The MSS. add ἐόντες ἑωυτοῖσι, and apparently something has been lost. Stein and others follow Valckenär in adding συγγενέες, “are ever at variance with one another in spite of their kinship.” ↩

441. νόῳ λαβών: the MSS. have νόῳ λαβὼν καὶ τοῦτο. ↩

442. ἱρὴν ζημίην. ↩

443. ταῦτα τὰ νῦν ἔχων πρήσσεις: the form of sentence is determined by its antithesis to τὰ ἀγαθὰ τὰ νῦν ἐγὼ ἔχω. ↩

444. βασιλεύς, because already destined as his father’s successor. ↩

445. σφεα: the MSS. have σφε here, and in the middle of the next chapter. ↩

446. The Lacedaemonians who were not Dorians had of course taken part in the Trojan war. ↩

447. λευκὰ γένηται. ↩

448. πρυτανήια. ↩

449. λόχον. ↩

450. προσῖσχον: some read προσέσχον, “had put in.” ↩

451. καὶ τὸν τῆς Δικτύνης νηόν: omitted by some Editors. ↩

452. ὀργυιάς. ↩

453. στάδιοι. ↩

454. καὶ: the MSS. have κατὰ. ↩

455. ἐν τῇ γὰρ ἀνθρωπηίῃ φύσι οὐκ ἐνῆν ἄρα. ↩

456. Or possibly, “the most necessary of those things which remain to be done, is this.” ↩

457. ἀπιστίη πολλὴ ὑπεκέχυτο, cp. II. 152. ↩

458. Or perhaps Phaidymia. ↩

459. Γοβτύης or Γωβρῦης. ↩

460. Ἰνταφρένεα: this form, which is given by at least one MS. throughout, seems preferable, as being closer to the Persian name which it represents, “Viñdafrana,” cp. V. 25. Most of the MSS. have Ἰνταφρένεα. ↩

461. φθὰς ἐμεῦ. ↩

462. τι: some MSS. have τις, “in order that persons may trust (themselves) to them more.” ↩

463. I.e. “let him be killed on the spot.” ↩

464. τὰ πάντα μυρία, “ten thousand of every possible thing,” (or, “of all the usual gifts”; cp. ch. 84 τὴν πᾶσαν δωρεήν). ↩

465. δῆθεν. ↩

466. οἰδεόντων τῶν πρηγμάτων: “while things were swelling,” cp. ch. 127: perhaps here, “before things came to a head.” ↩

467. ἀνδρεῶνα, as in ch. 121. ↩

468. ἀνά τε ἔδραμον πάλιν, i.e. they ran back into the room out of which they had come to see what was the matter; with this communicated a bedchamber which had its light only by the open door of communication. ↩

469. μαγοφόνια. ↩

470. Or, “after it had lasted more than five days,” taking θόρυβος as the subject of ἐγένετο. The reason for mentioning the particular number five seems to be contained in the passage quoted by Stein from Sextus Empiricus, ἐντεῦθεν καὶ οἱ Περσῶν χαρίεντες νόμον ἔχουσι, βασιλέως παρ’ αὐτοῖς τελευτήσαντος πέντε τὰς ἐφεξῆς ἡμέρας ἀνομίαν ἄγειν. ↩

471. See VI. 43. ↩

472. ἰσονομίη, “equal distribution,” i.e. of civil rights. ↩

473. οὐδὲν οἰκήιον: the MSS. have οὐδὲν οὐδ’ οἰκήιον, which might be translated “anything of its own either.” ↩

474. τῷ λόγῳ: the MSS. have τῶν λέγω, “each of the things about which I speak being best in its own kind.” The reading τῷ λόγῳ, which certainly gives a more satisfactory meaning, is found in Stobæus, who quotes the passage. ↩

475. κακότητα, as opposed to the ἀρετή practised by the members of an aristocracy. ↩

476. ὀκτὼ καὶ ἑβδομήκοντα μνέας: the MSS. have ἑβδομηκόντα μνέας only, and this reading seems to have existed as early as the second century of our era: nevertheless the correction is required, not only by the facts of the case, but also by comparison with ch. 95. ↩

477. νομός, and so throughout. ↩

478. Or “Hygennians.” ↩

479. I.e. the Cappadocians, see I. 6. ↩

480. See II. 149. ↩

481. μυριάδας: the MSS. have μυριάσι. With μυριάδας we must supply μεδίμνων. The μέδιμνος is really about a bushel and a half. ↩

482. Παυσίκαι: some MSS. have Παυσοί. ↩

483. τοὺς ἀνασπάστους καλεομένους. ↩

484. Κάσπιοι: some read by conjecture Κάσπειροι, others Κάσιοι. ↩

485. ὀγδώκοντα καὶ ὀκτακόσια καὶ εἰνακισχίλια: the MSS. have τεσσερἅκοντα καὶ πεντακόσια καὶ εἰνακισχίλια (9540), which is irreconcilable with the total sum given below, and also with the sum obtained by adding up the separate items given in Babylonian talents, whether we reduce them by the proportion 70:60 given by the MSS. in ch. 89, or by the true proportion 78:60. On the other hand the total sum given below is precisely the sum of the separate items (after subtracting the 140 talents used for the defence of Kilikia), reduced in the proportion 78:60; and this proves the necessity of the emendation here (θοπ for θφμ) as well as supplying a strong confirmation of that adopted in ch. 89. ↩

486. The reckoning throughout is in round numbers, nothing less than the tens being mentioned. ↩

487. οἳ περί τε Νύσην: perhaps this should be corrected to οἴ τε περὶ Νύσην, because the συναμφότεροι which follows seem to refer to two separate peoples. ↩

488. The passage “these Ethiopians⁠—dwellings” is marked by Stein as doubtful on internal grounds. The Callantian Indians mentioned seem to be the same as the Callantians mentioned in ch. 38. ↩

489. χοίνοκας. ↩

490. διὰ πεντετηρίδος. ↩

491. I.e. the Indus. ↩

492. Either αὐτὸν τηκόμενον is to be taken absolutely, equivalent to αὐτοῦ τηκπμένου, and τὰ κρὲα is the subject of διαφθείρισθαι; or αὐτὸν is the subject and τὰ κρέα is accusative of definition, “wasting away in his flesh.” Some MSS. have διαφθείρειν, “that he is spoiling his flesh for them.” ↩

493. γὰρ: some would read δὲ, but the meaning seems to be, “this is done universally, for in the case of weakness arising from old age, the same takes place.” ↩

494. πρὸς ἄρκτου τε καὶ βορέω ἀνέμον. ↩

495. This clause indicates the manner in which the size is so exactly known. ↩

496. αὐτοἱ, i.e. in themselves as well as in their habits. Some MSS. read τὸ for αὐτοὶ, which is adopted by several Editors; others adopt the conjecture αὐτοῖς. ↩

497. I.e. two in each hind-leg. ↩

498. καὶ παραλύεσθαι: καὶ is omitted in some MSS. and by some Editors. ↩

499. οὐκ ὁμοῦ: some Editors omit οὐκ: the meaning seems to be that in case of necessity they are thrown off one after another to delay the pursuing animals. ↩

500. The meaning of the passage is doubtful: possibly it should be translated (omitting καὶ) “the male camels, being inferior in speed to the females, flag in their course and are dragged along, first one and then the other.” ↩

501. See II. 75. ↩

502. μετρὶ: the MSS. have μέτρῃ, “womb,” but for this Herodotus seems to use the plural. ↩

503. μητέρα: most MSS. have μήτρῃ. ↩

504. Most of the MSS. have αὐτῶν before τὰ μέλεα, which by some Editors is omitted, and by others altered to αὐτίκα. If αὐτῶν is to stand it must be taken with καταπετομένας, “flying down upon them,” and so it is punctuated in the Medicean MS. ↩

505. ἕλκεα. There is a play upon the words ἐπελειν and ἕλκεα which can hardly be reproduced in translation. ↩

506. Κασσιτερίδας. ↩

507. ὁ κασσίτερος. ↩

508. Cp. IV. 13. ↩

509. ἀκινάκεα. ↩

510. This is the second of the satrapies mentioned in the list, see ch. 90, named from its chief town. Oroites also possessed himself of the first satrapy, of which the chief town was Magnesia (ch. 122), and then of the third (see ch. 127). ↩

511. The satrapy of Daskyleion is the third in the list, see ch. 90. ↩

512. σὺ γὰρ ἐν ἀνδρῳν λόγῳ. ↩

513. Or, “banqueting hall,” cp. IV. 95. ↩

514. ἀπεστραμμάνον: most of the MSS. have ἐπεστραμμένον, “turned towards (the wall).” ↩

515. “Whenever he (i.e. Zeus) rained.” ↩

516. This clause, “as Amasis the king of Egypt had foretold to him,” is omitted in some MSS. and by some Editors. ↩

517. οἰδεόντων ἔτι τῶν πραηγμάτων: cp. ch. 76. ↩

518. I.e. satrapies: see ch. 89, 90. ↩

519. ἀπικομάνων καὶ ἀνακομισθέντων: the first perhaps referring to the slaves and the other to the rest of the property. ↩

520. I.e. the art of evasion. ↩

521. ἐς τοῦ χρυσοῦ αὺν θήκῃ: ἐς is not in the MSS., which have generally τοῦ χρυσοῦ σὺν θήκῃ: one only has τοῦ χρυσοῦ τὴν θήλην. ↩

522. στατῆρας: i.e. the στατὴρ Δαρεικός “Daric,” worth about £1; cp. note on VII. 28. ↩

523. ἑκατὸν μνέων, “a hundred minae,” of which sixty go to the talent. ↩

524. This passage, from “for this event happened” to the end of the chapter, is suspected as an interpolation by some Editors, on internal grounds. ↩

525. Tarentum. Italy means for Herodotus the southern part of the peninsula only. ↩

526. ῥηστώνης: so one inferior MS., probably by conjectural emendation: the rest have κρηστώνης. The Ionic form however of ῥᾳστώνη would be ῥηιστὼνη. Some would read χρηστώνης, a word which is not found, but might mean the same as χρησμοσύνης (IX. 33), “in consequence of the request of Demokedes.” ↩

527. κατ’ ἐμπορίην στρατευόμενοι: some MSS. read κατ’ ἐμπορίην, οἱ δὲ στρατευὸμενοι, “some for trade, others serving in the army.” ↩

528. πρόθυρα. ↩

529. ἤ τις ἤ οὐδείς. ↩

530. ισονομίην: see ch. 80, note. ↩

531. ἀλλ’ οὐδ’ ἄξιος εἶς σύ γε. Maiandrios can claim no credit or reward for giving up that of which by his own unworthiness he would in any case have been deprived. ↩

532. οὐ δή τι: some read οὐδ’ ἔτι or οὐ δὴ ἔτι, “no longer kept the purpose.” ↩

533. ἐν γοργύρῃ: the word also means a “sewer” or “conduit.” ↩

534. προσεμπικρανέεσθαι ἔμελλον τοῖσι Σαμίοισι. ↩

535. τοὺς διφροφορευμένους: a doubtful word: it seems to be a sort of title belonging to Persians of a certain rank, perhaps those who were accompanied by men to carry seats for them, the same as the θρόνοι mentioned in ch. 144; or, “those who were borne in litters.” ↩

536. σαγηνεύσαντες: see VI. 31. The word is thought by Stein to have been interpolated here. ↩

537. Or, “are very highly accounted and tend to advancement.” ↩

538. “Opposite to.” ↩

539. The words “and to the Persians” are omitted in some MSS. ↩

540. Some enterprises had been entrusted to others, e.g. the attack on Samos; but this had not been the case with the capture of Babylon, therefore some Editors have proposed corrections, e.g. αὖ τοῦ (Schweighäuser), and αὐτίκα (Stein). ↩

541. See I. 106. ↩

542. τῃς ἄνω Ἀσίης: this means Eastern Asia as distinguished from the coasts of Asia Minor; see I. 103 and 177. ↩

543. καραπαύσαντες: the expression is awkward if meant to be equivalent to καὶ κατέπαυσαν, but it is hardly improved by the alteration to καταπαύσοντες. Perhaps the clause is out of place. ↩

544. πόνος. ↩

545. περιστίξαντες: so the two best MSS.; others have περιστήσαντες or περιστήξαντες. The word περιστίξαντες would be from περιστίχω, equivalent to περιστιχίζω, and is acknowledged in this sense by Hesychius. ↩

546. The connection is not clear either at the beginning of the chapter or here. This clause would seem to be a repetition of that at the beginning of the chapter, and that which comes between should be an explanation of the reason why the slaves are blinded. As it stands, however, we can only refer it to the clause which follows, οὐ γὰρ ἀρόται εἰσὶ ἀλλὰ νομἄδες, and even so there is no real solution of the difficulty, for it is not explained why nomads should have blinded slaves. Perhaps the best resource is to suppose that some part of the explanation, in connection with the manner of dealing with the milk, has been lost. ↩

547. τῇ περ: a conjectural emendation for ἥ περ, “which is a very great lake.” ↩

548. ἐπὶ τούτων ἀρχόντων: the word ἀρχόντων is omitted in some MSS. and by some Editors. ↩

549. σάγαριν. ↩

550. τοὺς βασιληίους: so Wesseling. The MSS. have τοὺς βασιλέας, “the kings,” which may perhaps be used here as equivalent to τοὺς βασιληίους: some Editors, including Stein, adopt the conjecture τοῦ βασιλέος, “from the youngest of them who, was king, those who,” etc. ↩

551. τοῦ βασιλέος: some Editors read by conjecture Σκολότου βασιλέος, “after their king Scolotos.” ↩

552. καταζωννύμενον: or κατὰ τάδε ζωννύμενον, “girded in this manner.” ↩

553. μηχανήσασθαι τὴν μητέρα Σκύθῃ: the better MSS. read μεχανᾶσθαι and Σκύθην: the meaning seems doubtful, and some Editors would omit the clause as an interpolation. ↩

554. πρὸς πολλοὺς δεόμενον: the better MSS. read πρὸ πολλοῦ δεόμενα. The passage has been emended in various ways, e.g. πρὸς πολλοὺς δέοι μένοντας (Buttmann), πρὸς πολλοὺς μένοντας (Bredow), πρὸ σποδοῦ δεόμενον (Stein). ↩

555. ποιήσας: some authorities have εἴπας. ↩

556. Italy means for Herodotus only the Southern part of the peninsula. ↩

557. διηκοσίοισι: so the best authorities; others have πριηκοσίοισι. ↩

558. Ἰταλιωτέων, i.e. Hellenic settlers in Italy. ↩

559. τῷ ἀγάλματι τῷ Ἀπόλλωνος: ἄγαλμα is used for anything dedicated to a god, most commonly the sacred image. ↩

560. κατύπερθε: “above,” i.e. beyond them towards the North. Similarly when dealing with Libya the writer uses the same word of those further from the coast towards the South; see ch. 174. ↩

561. ἐ αὐτοῖσι τοῖσι ἔπεσι ποιέων: “even in the verses which he composed,” in which he might be expected as a poet to go somewhat beyond the literal truth. ↩

562. Or, “Alizonians.” ↩

563. Ὀλιβιοπολίτας. ↩

564. See ch. 101, where the day’s journey is reckoned at 200 stades (23 English miles). ↩

565. The meaning of ἔρεμος here is not waste and barren land, but land without settled inhabitants. ↩

566. I.e. “Man-eaters.” ↩

567. This is the reading of the MSS., but it is not consistent with the distance given in ch. 101, nor with the actual facts: some Editors therefore read “four” instead of “fourteen.” ↩

568. I.e. “Cliffs.” ↩

569. I.e. “Black-cloaks.” ↩

570. Ἀργιππαῖοι: it is not certain that this is the form which ought to be read here: Latin writers make the name “Arimphaei,” and in some MSS. it is given here as Ὀργεμπαῖοι. ↩

571. ἀγάλματι. ↩

572. τὰ γενέσια. ↩

573. Or, “violent.” ↩

574. Odyssey IV. 85. ↩

575. ἢ φύοντα φύειν μόγις. ↩

576. προσθήκας, “additions.” ↩

577. I.e. of Apollo and Artemis. ↩

578. Omitting λέγων. ↩

579. The word “Asia” is not contained in the MSS. and need not be inserted in the text, but it is implied, if not expressed; see chap. 41. ↩

580. ἀκταί. ↩

581. οὐ λήγουσα εἰ μὺ νόμῳ. ↩

582. I.e. 100,000 fathoms, equivalent to 1000 stades; see II. 6, note 10. ↩

583. οὐδὲ συμβάλλειν ἀξίη. ↩

584. II. 158. ↩

585. βρωτὰ: some MSS. have πρόβατα “cattle.” ↩

586. ὅμοια παρεχομένη: the construction is confused, but the meaning is that all but the Eastern parts are known to be surrounded by sea. ↩

587. λόγιον: some MSS. have λόγιμον, “of reputation.” ↩

588. Stein reads εἰσὶ δὴ for εἰσὶ δέ, and punctuates so that the meaning is, “it has become the greatest of all rivers in the following manner:⁠—besides other rivers which flow into it, those which especially make it great are as follows.” ↩

589. πέντε μὲν οἱ: this perhaps requires emendation, but the corrections proposed are hardly satisfactory, e.g. πέντε μεγάλοι or πέντε μόνοι. ↩

590. Or “Skios”: called by Thucydides “Oskios” (II. 96). ↩

591. ἔτι: most of the MSS. give ἐστι, which is adopted by some Editors. ↩

592. “Sacred Ways.” ↩

593. Γερρέων: in some MSS. Γέρρου, “the region called Gerros.” ↩

594. τεσσεράκοντα: some Editors have altered this number, but without authority or sufficient reason. ↩

595. δι’ ἐρήμου: see note 25 on ch. 18. The region here spoken of is that between the Gerrians and the agricultural Scythians. ↩

596. ἐς τὠυτὸ ἕ: i.e. the Dneiper-Liman. (The Medicean and Florentine MSS. read ἐς τὸ ἕλος, not ἐς τὸ τέλος, as hitherto reported.) ↩

597. ἐὸν ἔμβολον τῆς χώρης. ↩

598. Μητρὸς: i.e. the Mother of the gods, Kybele, cp. ch. 76; some less good authorities have Δήμετρος. ↩

599. ῥέει δὲ: most MSS. have ῥέει μὲν γὰρ. ↩

600. Or, “Apia.” ↩

601. Or, “Goitosyros.” ↩

602. The MSS. have also “Arippasa” and “Artimpasa.” ↩

603. The authorities have also “Thagimasa” and “Thamimasidas.” ↩

604. τῶν ἀρχηίων: some read by conjecture ἐν τῷ αρχηίῳ, “at the seat of government,” or “in the public place.” ↩

605. ἕσον τ’ ἐπὶ σταδίους τρεῖς. ↩

606. ὑπὸ τῶν χειμώνων. ↩

607. ἀκινάκης. ↩

608. ἄγαλμα: see note 19 on ch. 15. ↩

609. κατά περ βαίτας. ↩

610. Or, “and put them together in one bundle.” ↩

611. See I. 105. ↩

612. κυπέρου: it is not clear what plant is meant. ↩

613. I.e. for this purpose. The general use of bronze is attested by ch. 81. ↩

614. ὧδε ἀναβιβάζοντες, ἐπεὰν κ.τ.λ: the reference of ὧδε is directly to the clause ἐπεὰν⁠—τραχήλου, though in sense it refers equally to the following, κάτωθεν δε κ.τ.λ. Some Editors punctuate thus, ὧδε ἀναβιβάζοντες ἐπεὰν and omit δὲ after κάτωθεν, making the reference of ὧδε to the latter clause alone. ↩

615. ὠρύονται, as in III. 117, but here they howl for pleasure. ↩

616. Like the Egyptians for example, cp. II. 91. ↩

617. μήτε γε ὦν ἀλλήλων: the MSS. have μή τί γε ὦν ἀλλήλων. Most Editors read ἄλλων for ἀλλήλων and alter the other words in various ways (μή τοί γε ὦ, μὴ τοιγαρῶν etc.), taking μὴ as in μὴ ὅτι (ne dicam aliorum). The reading which I have adopted is based on that of Stein, who reads μήτε τεῶν ἄλλων and quotes VII. 142, οὔτε γε ἄλλοισι Ἑλλήνων. With ἄλλων the meaning is, “rejecting those of other nations and especially those of the Hellenes.” For the use of μή after φεύγειν cp. II. 91. ↩

618. Or, according to some MSS., “as they proved in the case of Anacharsis and afterwards of Skyles.” ↩

619. γῆν πολλήν. ↩

620. ἐπιτρόπου. ↩

621. πέπλασται: some authorities give πέπαισται, “has been invented as a jest.” ↩

622. ἐς χεῖρας ἄγεσθαι. ↩

623. ὁ θεός. ↩

624. διεπρήστευσε: this or ἐπρήστευσε is the reading of most of the MSS. The meaning is uncertain, since the word does not occur elsewhere. Stein suggests that it may mean “scoffed (at the Scythians).” Various conjectures have been tried, e.g. διεδρήστυσε, διεδρηπέτευσε, etc. ↩

625. ὡς Σκύθας εἶναι: cp. II. 8. Some (e.g. Dindorf and Bähr) translate “considering that they are Scythians,” i.e. for a nation so famous and so widely extended. ↩

626. I.e. about 5300 gallons. ↩

627. ἐπὶ τῷ ἱρῷ: the MSS. mostly have ἐπὶ ἱρῷ, and Stein adopts the conjecture ἐπὶ ῥίῳ, “on a projecting point.” The temple would be that of Ζεῦς οὔριος mentioned in ch. 87. (In the Medicean MS. the omitted ἱ is inserted above the line beforethe ρ, not directly over it, as represented by Stein, and the accent is not omitted.) ↩

628. στάδιοι, and so throughout. ↩

629. I.e. 1,110,000. ↩

630. I.e. 330,000. ↩

631. στήλας, i.e. “square blocks”; so also in ch. 91. ↩

632. I.e. 700,000. ↩

633. ὡς ἐμοὶ δοκέει αυμβαλλομένῳ, “putting the evidence together.” ↩

634. πᾶσε δέκα: probably a loose expression like τὰ μάντα μυρία, III. 74. ↩

635. ψώρην, “mange.” ↩

636. Or (less probably) “Skyrmiadai.” ↩

637. Σάλμοξιν: some inferior MSS. have Ζάλμοξιν, or Ζάμολξιν, and the spelling in other writers varies between these forms. ↩

638. δαίμονα, sometimes used for deified men as distinguished from gods, cp. ch. 103. ↩

639. διὰ πεντετηρίδος. ↩

640. βαθύτερα. ↩

641. οὐ τῷ ἀσθενεστάτῳ σοφιατῇ. No depreciation seems to be intended here. ↩

642. ἀνδρῶνα. ↩

643. I.e. the Mediterranean: or the passage may mean simply, “Thrace runs out further into the sea than Scythia.” ↩

644. γουνόν. ↩

645. More literally, “I say this, so far as it is allowed to compare, etc. Such is the form of the Tauric land.” ↩

646. ἤδη. The Agathyrsians however have not been mentioned before in this connection. ↩

647. στάδια. ↩

648. τῆς Σκυθικῆς τὰ ἐπικάρσια, i.e. the lines running from West to East. ↩

649. ἐπαναχθέντες: so the Medicean MS. and another: the rest have ἐπαναχθέντας. Some Editors read by conjecture ἀπενειχθέντας, “cast away on their coast.” ↩

650. νηοῖσι. ↩

651. τριετηρίδας. ↩

652. Or, “were driven out.” ↩

653. φθειροτραγέουσι. ↩

654. Or, “Aiorpata,” and “aior” below. ↩

655. I.e. the Royal Scythians: see ch. 20. ↩

656. ἐπὶ τούτῳ, the reading of the Aldine edition. The MSS. have ἐπὶ τοῦτο. Stein suggests διὰ τοῦτο. ↩

657. οὐ πεισόμεθα: some MSS. read οὐκ αἰσόμεθα. Editors have emended by conjecture in various ways, e.g. οὐ περιοψόμεθα, “we shall not allow it”; οἱ ἐποισὸμεθα or οἱ ἐπεισὸμεθα, “we shall go out to attack him”; ἀπωσὸμεθα, “we shall repel him.” ↩

658. πὰρας, or πᾶσαι, belonging to γθναῖκες. ↩

659. χέρσου, “dry.” ↩

660. Perhaps the same as the “Hyrgis” mentioned in ch. 57. Some Editors read “Hyrgis” in this passage. ↩

661. See ch. 119. ↩

662. κλαίειν λέγω. ↩

663. τοῦτο ἐστι ἡ ἀπὸ Σκυθέων ῥῆσις: this refers to the last words, κλαίειν λέγω. Most Editors have doubts about the genuineness of the sentence, regarding it a marginal gloss which has crept into the text; but perhaps without sufficient reason. ↩

664. Or, “with some slight effect on the course of the war.” ↩

665. See I. 216. ↩

666. ἐρημωθέντες τοῦ ὁμίλου. ↩

667. ἵεσαν τῆς φωνῆς. ↩

668. ἡ μία καὶ Σαυρομάται: some Editors read ἡ μετὰ Σαυροματέων. The MSS. give ἡ μία Σαυρομάται (some Σαυροματέων). Stein inserts καὶ. ↩

669. χαίροντες ἐλεύθεροι. ↩

670. The list includes only those who voted in favour of the proposal of Histiaios (i.e. Miltiades is not included in it): hence perhaps Stein is right in suggesting some change in the text, e.g. οἱ διαφέροντές τε τὴν ψῆφον πρὸς βασιλὲος καὶ ἐόντες λόγου πλείστου. The absence of the name of Coës is remarked by several commentators, who forget that he had accompanied Darius: see ch. 97. ↩

671. Or, “and even so they found the passage of the river with difficulty.” ↩

672. ἐν Πέρσῃσι. ↩

673. I.e. 80,000. ↩

674. γὰρ: some MSS. read δὲ; so Stein and other Editors. ↩

675. I.e. Castor and Polydeukes the sons of Tyndareus, who were among the Argonauts. ↩

676. Θήρα (genitive). ↩

677. From ὄις “sheep” and λύκος “wolf” (ὄιν ἐν λύκοισι). ↩

678. φυλή, the word being here apparently used loosely. ↩

679. Ἐρινύων. ↩

680. μετὰ τοῦτο ὑπέμεινε τὠυτὸ τοῦτο: some Editors mark a lacuna after ὑπέμεινε, or supply some words like συνέβη δὲ: “after this the children survived, and the same thing happened also in Thera, etc.” ↩

681. Or, “Grinos.” ↩

682. Εὐφημέδης: the MSS. have Εὐθυμίδης: the correction is from Pindar, Pyth. IV. 455. ↩

683. ὦναξ, the usual form of address to Apollo; so in ch. 155. ↩

684. Or, “Axos.” ↩

685. I.e. Aristoteles, Pind. Pyth. V. 87. ↩

686. μεταξὺ ἀπολιπών. ↩

687. Or, “it happened both to himself and to the other men of Thera according to their former evil fortune”; but this would presuppose the truth of the story told in ch. 151, and παλίκροτος may mean simply “adverse” or “hostile.” ↩

688. ἐόντες τοσοῦτοι ὅσοι κ.τ.λ. They could hardly have failed to increase in number, but no new settlers had been added. ↩

689. ὕστερον ἔλθῃ γᾶς ἀναδαιομένης, “too late for the division of land.” ↩

690. Or, “Thestis.” ↩

691. The MSS. give also “Aliarchos” and “Learchos.” ↩

692. μαθὼν ἕκαστα. ↩

693. τῶν περιοίκων: i.e. conquered Libyans. ↩

694. νησιωτέων πάντων: i.e. the natives of the Cyclades, cp. VI. 99. ↩

695. ἀμφίρρυτον τὴν Κυρήνην εἶναι: some Editors read by conjecture τὴν ἀμφλιρρυτον Κύρηνην εἶναι (or Κυρήνην τὴν ἀμφ εἶναι), “that Kyrene was the place flowed round by water.” ↩

696. ψέλιον. ↩

697. Or, “Giligammai.” ↩

698. I.e. the plant so called, figured on the coins of Kyrene and Barca. ↩

699. Or, “Asbytai.” ↩

700. I.e. further from the coast, so κατύπερθε, ch. 174 etc., cp. ch. 16. ↩

701. Or “Cabales.” ↩

702. See I. 216. ↩

703. Distinct from the people of the same name mentioned in ch. 183: those here mentioned are called “Gamphasantes” by Pliny. ↩

704. γλυκύτητα, “sweetness.” ↩

705. ἄλλην τε ἑκατόμβην καὶ δὴ καί. ↩

706. ἐπιθεσπίσαντα τῳ τρίποδι, which can hardly mean “prophesied sitting upon the tripod.” ↩

707. Lit. “the men come together regularly to one place within three months,” which seems to mean that meetings are held every three months, before one of which the child is brought. ↩

708. See II. 42. ↩

709. I.e. in the middle of the morning. ↩

710. τρῖψιν: the “feel” to the touch: hence it might mean either hardness or softness according to the context. ↩

711. τρωγλοδύτας: “Troglodytes.” ↩

712. ὑπερβάλλοντι: “when his heat is greatest.” ↩

713. ἤδη. ↩

714. Or “red.” ↩

715. δόμον: Reiske reads ῶμον by conjecture, “over his shoulder.” ↩

716. Or (according to some MSS.), “practise this much and do it well.” ↩

717. ἀκατάψευστα. Several Editors have adopted the conjecture κατάψευστα, “other fabulous beasts.” ↩

718. ὄρυες: perhaps for ὄρυγες from ὄρυξ, a kind of antelope. ↩

719. δίκτυες: the meaning is uncertain. ↩

720. ἐχινέες, “urchins.” ↩

721. Or “Zabykes.” ↩

722. Or “Zygantes.” ↩

723. εἴη δ’ ἃν πᾶν: cp. V. 9. Some translate, “and this might well be so.” ↩

724. οὐδ’ ἀρετὴν εἶναί τις ἡ Λιβύη σπουδαίη. ↩

725. I.e. corn; cp. I. 193. ↩

726. βουνούς. ↩

727. See ch. 167. ↩

728. μεδὲν ἄλλο νεοχμοῦν κατὰ Βαρκαίους: cp. V. 19. ↩

729. παραλαβόντες. ↩

730. ἐπίφθονοι. ↩

731. ἰὴ παιών (or παιάν), as the burden of a song of triumph. ↩

732. ἐγγένηται: many MSS. and some Editors read ἕν γένηται, “and the race can never become united.” ↩

733. IV. 93. ↩

734. Or “from the time that he was born.” ↩

735. τὸ ἄστικτον is probably for τὸ μὴ ἐστίχθαι: but possibly the meaning may be, “those who are not so marked are of low birth.” ↩

736. “The greatest prizes are assigned for single combat in proportion” (as it is more difficult). ↩

737. Or “Siriopaionians.” ↩

738. The words “and about the Doberians and Agrianians and Odomantians” are marked by Stein as an interpolation, on the ground that the two tribes first mentioned are themselves Paionian; but Doberians are distinguished from Paionians in VII. 113. ↩

739. θέρης καταρρακτῆς: the MSS. have θύρης καταπακτῆς (which can hardly be right, since the Ionic form would be καταπηκτῆς), meaning “fastened down.” Stein suggests θυρης κατεπακτῆς (from κατεπάγω), which might mean “a door closed downwards,” but the word is not found. (The Medicean MS. has η written over the last α of καταπακτῆς.) ↩

740. διαπίνοντς: or perhaps, “drinking against one another.” ↩

741. See VIII. 137. ↩

742. I.e. “he was drawn to run in the first pair.” ↩

743. The best MSS. give this form throughout, which is also used by Aeschylus: cp. III. 70, note 60. ↩

744. ἐκακώθησαν. ↩

745. τούτοθ: it is doubtful whether this means his power or his death. Perhaps something has dropped out after τελευτᾷ. ↩

746. ἄνεσις: a conjectural emendation of ἄνεως. (Perhaps however, the word was rather ἀνανέωσις, “after a short time there was a renewal of evils”). Grote wishes to translate this clause, “after a short time there was an abatement of evils,” being of opinion that the ἄνεσις κακῶν lasted about eight years. However the expression οὐ πολλὸν χρόνον is so loose that it might well cover the required period of time. ↩

747. πρόχημα. ↩

748. I.e. Miletos and Naxos. ↩

749. τῶν παχέων. ↩

750. ὑμῖν: omitted in some MSS. and editions. ↩

751. Lit. “dividing him in such a manner.” ↩

752. καὶ τὸ τεῖχος ἐσάξαντο: ἐσάξαντο from σάττω, which generally means “load.” Various conjectures have been made, e.g. καὶ τὸ τεῖχος ἐφράξαντο, or κατὰ τάχος ἐσάξαντο, the comma after ποτά being removed. ↩

753. μὴ δὲ νεώτερόν τι ποιεύσης τῆς Μιλήτου, “if Miletos made no change (i.e. rebellion).” ↩

754. καταιρεθείη, “taken down” from their place (cp. ἀνέθηκε below). ↩

755. ἐν τῷ πρώτῳ τῶν λόγων. The reference is to I. 92. ↩

756. ἰσονομίην: cp. III. 80. ↩

757. ἀκρομανής: cp. ἀκράχολος. It may mean “somewhat mad,” so ἀκρόζυμος, “slightly leavened,” and other words. ↩

758. Κίνυπα: for this Stein reads by conjecture Λιβύην and afterwards παρὰ Κίνυπα ποταμόν for παρὰ τοταμόν: but Kinyps was the name of the district about the river (IV. 198), and the name of the river is easily supplied from this. ↩

759. Μακέων τε καὶ Λιβύων. The Macai were of course Libyans, therefore perhaps we should read (with Niebuhr) Μακέων τε Λιβύων: or Μακέων τε καὶ ἄλλων Λιβύων. ↩

760. Stein thinks that Heracleia Minoa on the S. coast of Sicily cannot be meant, because too distant to be considered part of the “land of Eryx.” Evidently however this expression is very vague, and there seems no need to correct the text as he proposes. ↩

761. παρὰ τὴν Ἰταλίην: the name applied anciently only to the Southwest of the peninsula. ↩

762. Κρᾶθιν, the MSS. give κράςτιν here, and κραστίῃ below for Κραθίῃ. Sybaris was situated between the rivers Crathis and Sybaris. ↩

763. I.e. “of the Marketplace.” ↩

764. περίοδος. ↩

765. κυρβασίας: see VII. 64. ↩

766. πολυαργυρώτατοι: this seems to include gold also, for which Lydia was famous. ↩

767. πολυπροβατώτατοι. ↩

768. τήνδε, pointing to it in the map. ↩

769. If ἀναβάλλεσθαι is the true reading here, it cannot mean, “put off to another time,” as Stein translates it; for the form of the sentence proves that it is to be taken as a question, coordinate with that which follows: περὶ μὲν χώρης ἄρα οὐ πολλῆς χρεόν ἐστι ὐμέας μάχας ἀναβάλλεσθαι, παρέχον δὲ τῆς Ασίης ἄρχειν ἄλλο τι αἱρήσεσθε; the first clause being in sense subordinate to the second. ↩

770. ἐς τρίτην ἑμέρην. ↩

771. διαφθερέει σε. It is impossible to reproduce the double meaning of διαφθείρειν, “to destroy,” and “to corrupt with bribes.” The child was apparently alarmed by the vehement gestures of Aristagoras and supposed that he was going to kill her father. Cleomenes accepts the omen. ↩

772. σταθμοί: “stations,” the distance between them averaging here about 120 stades. ↩

773. παρασάγγαι: the “parasang,” as estimated at 30 stades, would be nearly 3½ English miles. ↩

774. I.e. a narrow pass; so also below in speaking of the passes into Kilikia. ↩

775. In the MSS. this clause follows the account of the four rivers, and the distance through Matiene is given as “four stages” with no number of leagues added. By transposing the clause we avoid placing the rivers in Armenia instead of Matiene; and by making the number of stages thirty-four, with a corresponding number of leagues, we make the total right at the end and give the proper extension to Matiene. ↩

776. I.e. Zabatos: the name has perhaps fallen out of the text. ↩

777. ὁ δ’ ὕστερον: “the one mentioned afterwards.” Stein reads ὁ δ’ ὕστερος. ↩

778. See I. 189. ↩

779. παρασάγγης. ↩

780. στάδια: the stade being equal to 606¾ English feet. ↩

781. Reckoned for the march of an army. ↩

782. Omitting τῷ ἑωυτοῦ πάθει which stands in the MSS. before ἐναργεστάτην. If the words are retained, we must translate “which clearly pointed to his fate.” ↩

783. ἀπειπάμενος τὴν ὄψιν, which some translate “he made offerings to avert the dream.” ↩

784. τισι: many Editors adopt the conjecture τρισὶ, three. ↩

785. ἀνέθηκεν ἐὼν: various conjectures have been made here, e.g. ἀνέθηκεν ἑλὼν, ἀνέθηκεν ἰὼν, ἀνέθηκε θεῷ, ἀνέθηκεν ἐόντ’, ἀνέθηκε νέων: the last, which is Bentley’s, is perhaps the best; but it is doubtful whether the active form of the verb is admissible. ↩

786. αὐτος: the MSS. have αὐτὸν. If αὐτὸς is right, the meaning is “from his own property.” ↩

787. The expression Πεισιστρατίδαι is used loosely for the family in general. ↩

788. πωρίνου λίθου, “tufa.” ↩

789. Or “of God.” ↩

790. Κονιαῖον. There is no such place as Conion known in Thessaly, but we cannot correct the text with any certainty. ↩

791. There is perhaps a play of words in βασιλεύς and λευστήρ. ↩

792. πρυτανηίῳ. ↩

793. “Rulers of the people.” ↩

794. “Swine-ites.” ↩

795. “Ass-ites.” ↩

796. “Pig-ites.” ↩

797. πρότερον ἀπωσμένον, τότε πάντα: most of the MSS. read πάντων for πάντα. The Editors propose various corrections, e.g. πρότερον ἀπωσμένον πάντων, τότε κ.τ.λ., “which before were excluded from everything,” or πρότερον ἀπωσμένον, τότε πάντων μεταδιδούς, “giving the people, which before he had despised, a share of all rights”: or πάντων is corrected to ἐπανίων, “on his return from exile,” temporary exile being supposed as the result of the defeat mentioned in ch. 66. ↩

798. τοὺς ἐναγέας. ↩

799. I.e. of Athene Polias in the Erechtheion. ↩

800. Cp. IV. 145. ↩

801. τοὺς βονθτοὺς: most of the MSS. have τοὺς Βοιωτοὺς. ↩

802. ἱπποβόται. ↩

803. δίμνεως ἀποτιμησάμενοι. ↩

804. See VIII. 53. ↩

805. ἰσηγορίη: probably not “equal freedom of speech,” but practically the same as ἰσονομίη, ch. 37. ↩

806. Lit. “penetrated the Athenian greatly”: most MSS. and Editors read ἐσινέοντο (or ἐσίνοντο) for ἀσικνέοντο, which is given by the first hand in at least two good MSS. ↩

807. I.e. “Athene (protectress) of the city,” who shared with Erechtheus the temple on the Acropolis called the “Erechtheion”; see VIII. 55. ↩

808. More lit. “to give and receive from one another satisfaction.” ↩

809. ἔτι τόδε ποιῆσαι νόμον εἶναι, παρὰ σφίσι ἑκατέροισι κ.τ.λ. The Editors punctuate variously, and alterations have been proposed in the text. ↩

810. I.e. Damia and Auxesia. ↩

811. γίνοιτο: some MSS. read ἂ γίνοιτο, “would become”: so Stein and many other Editors. ↩

812. Some Editors omit this clause, “whither⁠—refuge.” ↩

813. “Having grown a good opinion of itself.” ↩

814. Or, altering ὥστε to ὥς γε or ὥσπερ, “as the neighbours of these men first of all, that is the Boeotians and Chalcidians, have already learnt, and perhaps some others will afterwards learn that they have committed an error.” The word ἁμαρτών would thus be added as an afterthought, with reference primarily to the Corinthians, see ch. 75. ↩

815. πειρησόμεθά σφεας ἅμα ὑμῖν ἀπικόμενοι τίσασθαι: some MSS. read ἀκέομενοι and omit τίσασθαι. Hence it has been proposed to read πειρησόμεθά σφεα ἅμα ὑμῖν ἀκέομενοι, “we will endeavour to remedy this with your help,” which may be right. ↩

816. So the name is given by the better class of MSS. Others, followed by most Editors, make it “Sosicles.” ↩

817. ἰσοκρατίας. ↩

818. Lit. “gave and took (in marriage) from one another.” ↩

819. Ἠετίων, οὔτις σε τίει πολύτιτον ἐόντα: the play upon Ἠετίων and τίω can hardly be rendered. The “rolling rock” in the next line is an allusion to Petra, the name of the deme. ↩

820. αἰετὸς ἐν πέτρῃσι κύει, with a play upon the names Ἠετίων (Ἀετίων) and Πέτρη again. ↩

821. ὀφρυόεντα, “situated on a brow or edge,” the regular descriptive epithet of Corinth. ↩

822. κυψέλην: cp. Aristoph. Pax, 631. ↩

823. ἀμφιδέξιον: commonly translated “ambiguous,” but in fact the oracle is of the clearest, so much so that Abicht cuts the knot by inserting οὐκ. Stein explains it to mean “doubly favourable,” ἀμφοτέρωθεν δέξιον. I understand it to mean “two-edged” (cp. αμφήκης), in the sense that while promising success to Kypselos and his sons, it prophesies also the deposition of the family in the generation after, and so acts (or cuts) both ways. ↩

824. ἀναποδίζων, “calling him back over the same ground again.” ↩

825. Evidently the war must be dated earlier than the time of Peisistratos. ↩

826. Or (according to some MSS.), “another of the citizens, named Hermophantos.” ↩

827. τῆς συλλογῆς ὥστε ταῦτα αυνυφανθῆναι, “the assembling together so that these things were woven.” ↩

828. καὶ ἄλλως λήματος πλέος. ↩

829. προσφερέστερον, or perhaps προφερέστερον, “to be preferred”; so one MS.: προσφερής ordinarily means “like.” ↩

830. δρεπάνῶ, cp. VII. 93. ↩

831. δελαδή, ironical. ↩

832. Or, “Labranda.” ↩

833. I.e. Carians, Persians, and Ionians. ↩

834. ἐν Πηδάσῳ: the MSS. vary between ἐν Πιδάσῳ, ἐπὶ δάσῳ, and ἐπὶ λασοῖσι, and Valla’s translation has “in viam quae in Mylassa fert.” Some Editors read ἐπὶ Μυλάσοισι, others ἐπὶ Πηδάσῳ. ↩

835. ἐγκερασάμενος πρήγματα μεγάλα. ↩

836. ἀνδρὸς λογοποιοῦ. ↩

837. προβούλους. ↩

838. See I. 148. ↩

839. ἐπὶ κέρας. ↩

840. διέκπλοον ποιεύμενος τῇσι νηυσὶ δι’ ἀλληλέων. ↩

841. τοῦ Δαρείου: a conjecture based upon Valla’s translation. The MSS. have τὸν Δαρεῖον. ↩

842. προφάσιος ἐπιλαβόμενοι. ↩

843. ἐν στήλῃ ἀναγραφῆναι πατρόθεν. ↩

844. “Were very roughly handled.” ↩

845. ἐπιβατύοντας. ↩

846. νυκτός τε γὰρ: so Stein for νυκτός τε. ↩

847. κατ’ ἄκρης, lit. “from the top downwards,” i.e. town and citadel both. ↩

848. See ch. 77. ↩

849. See I. 92 and V. 36. ↩

850. Καλὴν ἀκτήν. ↩

851. Possibly the reading should be Ἰνυκα, “Inyx.” ↩

852. τῶν ἐν τῇ ναυμαχίῃ: perhaps we should read τὴν ἐν τῇ ναυμαχίῃ, “which took place in the sea-fight.” ↩

853. ἐν Κοίλοισι καλεομένοισι. ↩

854. γράμματα διδασκομένοισι. ↩

855. λιμαινούσης: a conjectural reading for δειμαινούσης. ↩

856. Lit. “and it became in fact the work of the cavalry.” ↩

857. ἐσαγήνευον. ↩

858. Or (according to some good MSS.) “Thelymbri01.” ↩

859. Cp. III. 120. ↩

860. στάδιοι: the distances here mentioned are equal to a little more than four and a little less than fifty miles respectively. ↩

861. ἐν γνώμῃ γεγονώς. ↩

862. πίτυος τρόπον: the old name of the town was Pityuss01. ↩

863. That is to say, Kimon was his half-brother, and Stesagoras and the younger Miltiades his nephews. ↩

864. See ch. 103. ↩

865. δηλαδή. ↩

866. ἐληλύθεε, but the meaning must be this, and it is explained by the clause, τρίτῳ μὲν γἄρ ἔτεϊ κ.τ.λ. ↩

867. στάδια: see V. 52, note 40. ↩

868. See III. 80. ↩

869. ἐντὸς Μακεδόνων, “on their side of the Macedonians.” ↩

870. Or (according to some MSS.) “about three hundred.” ↩

871. Or “Scaptesyle.” (The Medicean MS. however has σκαπτῆς ὕλης, not σκαπτησύλης, as reported by Stein.) ↩

872. τὰ προΐσχετο αἰτέων, “that which he put forward demanding it.” ↩

873. I.e. “ram.” ↩

874. τὸν γεραίτερον. ↩

875. ἐν τῷ δημοσίψ. ↩

876. This is commonly understood to mean, leaving out of account the god who was father of Perseus; but the reason for stopping short at Perseus is given afterwards, and the expression τοῦ θεοῦ ἀπεόντος refers perhaps rather to the case of Heracles, the legend of whose birth is rejected by Herodotus (see II. 43), and rejected also by this genealogy, which passes through Amphitryon up to Perseus. I take it that τοῦ θεοῦ ἀπεόντος means “reckoning Heracles” (who is mentioned by name just below in this connection) “as the son of Amphitryon and not of Zeus.” ↩

877. I.e. “of heaven.” ↩

878. μέδιμνον, the Lacedaemonian μέδιμνος being equal to rather more than two bushels. ↩

879. τετάρτην Λακωνικήν, quantity uncertain. ↩

880. προξείνους. ↩

881. χοίνικας. There were 48 χοίνικες in the μέδιμνος. ↩

882. κοτύλην. ↩

883. The loose manner in which this is expressed, leaving it uncertain whether each king was supposed by the writer to have two votes given for him (cp. Thucydides I. 20), or whether the double vote was one for each king, must of course be reproduced in the translation. ↩

884. περιοίκων. ↩

885. See ch. 51. ↩

886. προεργαζόμενον: a conjectural emendation of προσεργαζόμενον. ↩

887. τῆς ἀπάτης τῇ παραγωγῇ, “by the misleading of the deception.” ↩

888. I.e. lunar months. ↩

889. ἐν θώκῳ λατημένῳ. ↩

890. πανδημεί. ↩

891. ἀρήν. ↩

892. I.e. “prayed for by the people.” ↩

893. δἰ ἃ: a conjectural emendation of διὰ τὰ. Some Editors suppose that other words have dropped out. ↩

894. πρόμαντιν: cp. VII. III. ↩

895. τῶν σπλάγχνων. ↩

896. τοῦ ἑρκείου. ↩

897. τοῦ ματαιότερον λόγον λέγοντες. ↩

898. Lit. “on the third night after the first,” but the meaning is as given. ↩

899. Most of the MSS. have “Astrobacos,” which may be right. ↩

900. Or “to the honour of the Lacedaemonians.” ↩

901. I.e. any more than his predecessor. ↩

902. See ch. 50. ↩

903. νεώτερα ἔπρησσε πρήγματα. ↩

904. ὑπ’ Ἀρκάδων: several good MSS. have τῶν Ἀρκάδων, which is adopted by some Editors. The meaning would be “near this city it is said that there is the Styx water of the Arcadians.” ↩

905. ὑπομαργότερον. ↩

906. Demeter and Core. ↩

907. The MSS. give also “Sepeia” and “Sipeia.” The place is not elsewhere mentioned. ↩

908. See ch. 19. ↩

909. δύο μνέαι: cp. V. 77. ↩

910. ὁ θεός, i.e. Hera: cp. I. 105. ↩

911. καλλιερευμένῳ. ↩

912. κατ’ ἄκρης: cp. ch. 18. ↩

913. I.e. was acquitted of the charge brought against him. ↩

914. ἐπισκλύθιον. ↩

915. βουλεύεσθε: some MSS. and editions have βούλεσθε, “desiring.” ↩

916. ἐν χρόνῳ ἱκνευμένῳ. ↩

917. I.e. take an oath to that effect. ↩

918. See V. 80. ↩

919. πεντετηρίς. The reading πεντήρης, which is given by most of the MSS. and by several Editors, can hardly be defended. ↩

920. καὶ ἦ γάρ, “and since there was.” ↩

921. Κνοίθου καλεόμενος: cp. VII. 143. ↩

922. θεσμοφόρου. ↩

923. πεντάεθλον ἐπασκήσας. ↩

924. μουνομαχίην ἐπασκέων, “practising single combat,” as if training for the games. ↩

925. παρά τε Ἰκάριον: the use of παρά and the absence of the article may justify the conjecture παρά τε Ἰκαρίην (or Ἴκαρον) “by Icaria” (or “Icaros”), the island from which the Icarian Sea had its name. ↩

926. This perhaps should be emended, for the event referred to occurred two years before, cp. ch. 46 and 48: The reading τρίτῳ πρότερον ἔτεϊ has been proposed. ↩

927. See V. 33 ff. ↩

928. I.e. Apollo: or perhaps more generally, “God,” as in ch. 27. ↩

929. This in brackets is probably an interpolation. It is omitted by some of the best MSS. Some Editors suspect the genuineness of the next four lines also, on internal grounds. ↩

930. ἑρξέης, perhaps meaning “worker.” ↩

931. ἀρήιος. ↩

932. μέγας ἀρήιος. ↩

933. ἱπποβοτέων, lit. “horse-breeding”: see V. 77. ↩

934. Or (according to some MSS.), “having come to shore at these places.” ↩

935. κατέργοντες: the word is not elsewhere found intransitive, yet it is rather difficult to supply τοὺς Ἀθηναίους. Some alterations have been proposed, but none probable. ↩

936. Lit. “and it happened that in winning this victory he won the same victory as his half-brother Miltiades.” See ch. 36. ↩

937. Or, according to some authorities, “Philippides.” ↩

938. Lit. “except the circle were full.” ↩

939. Or “Aigileia.” ↩

940. Lit. “by violence, having coughed.” ↩

941. “By the bean.” ↩

942. ἐς σέ τοι, a conjectural emendation of ἐς σέ τι. ↩

943. πρυτανηίη τῆς ἡμέρης. ↩

944. Some Editors propose to omit γάρ or alter it. If it be allowed to stand, the meaning must be that the importance of the place is testified by the commemoration mentioned. ↩

945. ἐς τὰς πανηγύριας, some MSS. have καὶ πανηγύριας, “hold sacrifices and solemn assemblies.” ↩

946. πεντετηρίσι. ↩

947. Lit. “the good things.” ↩

948. στάδιοι: the distance would be rather over 1600 yards. ↩

949. Whether this is thrown in here by the historian as an explanation of the rapid advance, or as an additional source of wonder on the part of the Persians at the boldness of the Athenians, is not clear. ↩

950. Or (according to some MSS.) “having taken hold.” ↩

951. The account of how the oil was dealt with has perhaps dropt out: one MS. and the Aldine edition have “the oil they collect in vessels, and this,” etc. ↩

952. This chapter is omitted by several of the best MSS., and is almost certainly an interpolation. (In the Medicean MS. it has been added in the margin by a later hand.) ↩

953. Answering to “Callias for his part” at the end of ch. 121, the connection being broken by the interpolated passage. ↩

954. οὐδὲν ἧσσον. ↩

955. πάτρῃ, “family,” or possibly “country,” as in ch. 128. ↩

956. τῷ λεγομένῳ ἐς τὸ μέσον: perhaps only “general conversation.” ↩

957. κατέχων πολλὸν τοὺς ἄλλους. ↩

958. I.e. “though the dancing may be good.” ↩

959. ἀπονοστήσειν: some MSS. have ἀπαναστήσειν, “he would not take away his army thence.” ↩

960. ὑποζάκορον. ↩

961. τῶν χθονίων θεῶν, i.e. Demeter and Persephone: cp. VII. 153. ↩

962. θεσμοφόρου. ↩

963. τὸ μέγαρον. ↩

964. σφι αὐτοὶ: a conjectural rendering of σφίσι αὐτοῖσι, which can only be taken with ἐοῦσαν, meaning “belonging to them” i.e. the Athenians, and involves the insertion of Πελασγοῖσι or something equivalent with ἔδοσαν. ↩

965. κτησάμενοι: some MSS. and editions have στησάμενοι, “set fifty-oared galleys in place.” ↩

966. καὶ πλοῖα, for transport of horses and also of provisions: however these words are omitted in some of the best MSS. ↩

967. ὰλλ’ ἐι: this is the reading of the better class of MSS. The rest have ἀλλὰ, which with πρήσσοις could only express a wish for success, and not an exhortation to action. ↩

968. οὗτος μλεν οἱ ὁ λόγος ἧν τιμωρός: the words may mean “this manner of discourse was helpful for his purpose.” ↩

969. χρησμολόγον τε καὶ διαθέτην χρησμῶν τῶν Μουσαίου. ↩

970. ἀφανιζοίατο, representing the present tense ἀφανίζονται in the oracle. ↩

971. τὸν θρόνον τοῦτον: most MSS. have τὸν θρόνον, τοῦτο. ↩

972. ἐπίστασθέ κου πάντες: the MSS. have τὰ ἐπίστασθέ, which is given by most Editors. In that case οἷα ἔρξαν would be an exclamation, “What evils they did to us,⁠ ⁠… things which ye all know well, I think.” ↩

973. τούτων μέντοι εἵνεκα: it is hardly possible here to give μέντοι its usual meaning: Stein in his latest edition reads τούτων μὲν τοίνυν. ↩

974. συνήνεικε: Stein reads συνήνεικέ σε, “supposing that thou art worsted.” ↩

975. ἐπ’ ἀνδρί γε ἑνί, as opposed to a god. ↩

976. ἀκούσεσθαί τινά φημι τῶν κ.τ.λ., “each one of those who are left behind.” ↩

977. καὶ Κύρου, a conjectural emendation of τοῦ Κύρου. The text of the MSS. enumerates all these as one continuous line of ascent. It is clear however that the enumeration is in fact of two separate lines, which combine in Teïspes, the line of ascent through the father Darius being, Darius, Hystaspes, Arsames, Ariamnes, Teïspes, and through the mother, Atossa, Cyrus, Cambyses, Teïspes. ↩

978. καὶ μάλα: perhaps, “even.” ↩

979. Lit. “nor is he present who will excuse thee.” ↩

980. Lit. “my youth boiled over.” ↩

981. Lit. “words more unseemly than was right.” ↩

982. ἀλλ’ οὐδὲ ταῦτά ἐστι ὦ παῖ θεῖα. ↩

983. πεπλανῆσθαι. ↩

984. αὗται: a correction of αὐταὶ. ↩

985. σὲ δὲ ἐπιφοιτήσει: the better MSS. have οὐδὲ ἐπιφοιτήσει, which is adopted by Stein. ↩

986. πέμπτῳ δὲ ἔτεϊ ἀνομένῳ. ↩

987. τὸν Ιόνιον. ↩

988. καὶ οὐδ’ εἰ ἕτεραι πρὸς ταύτῃσι προσγενόμεναι: some MSS. read οὐδ’ ἕτεραι πρὸς ταύτῃσι γενόμεναι, which is adopted (with variations) by some Editors. The meaning would be “not all these, nor others which happened in addition to these, were equal to this one.” ↩

989. ἅμα στρατευιμένοισι: ἅμα is omitted in some MSS. ↩

990. σταδίων, and so throughout. ↩

991. ἐντὸς Σάνης: some MSS. read ἐκτὸς Σάνης, which is adopted by Stein, who translates “beyond Sane, but on this side of Mount Athos”: this however will not suit the case of all the towns mentioned, e.g. Acrothoon, and τὸν Ἄθων just below clearly means the whole peninsula. ↩

992. λεθκολίνου. ↩

993. τὸν δὲ ὦ πλεῖστον: if this reading is right, σῖτον must be understood, and some MSS. read ἄλλον for ἄλλα in the sentence above. Stein in his latest edition reads σίτον instead of πλεῖστον. ↩

994. Lit. “the name of which happens to be Catarractes.” ↩

995. I.e. 4,000,000. ↩

996. The στατὴρ δαρεικὸς was of nearly pure gold (cp. IV. 166), weighing about 124 grains. ↩

997. στήλη, i.e. a square block of stone. ↩

998. ἀθανάτῳ ἀνδρί, taken by some to mean one of the body of “Immortals.” ↩

999. ἀκτὴ παχέα: some inferior MSS. read ἀκτὴ τραχέα, and hence some Editors have ἀκτὴ τρηχέα, “a rugged foreland.” ↩

1000. σολερῷ: some Editors read θολερῷ, “turbid,” by conjecture. ↩

1001. The meaning is much disputed. I understand Herodotus to state that though the vessels lay of course in the direction of the stream from the Hellespont, that is presenting their prows (or sterns) to the stream, yet this did not mean that they pointed straight towards the Propontis and Euxine; for the stream after passing Sestos runs almost from North to South with even a slight tendency to the East (hence εὔρου a few lines further on), so that ships lying in the stream would point in a line cutting at right angles that of the longer axis (from East to West) of the Pontus and Propontis. This is the meaning of ἐπικάπσιος elsewhere in Herodotus (I. 180 and IV. 101), and it would be rash to assign to it any other meaning here. It is true however that the expression πρὸς ἑσπέρης is used loosely below for the side toward the Aegean. For ἀνακωχεύῃ a subject must probably be supplied from the clause πενηκοντέρους⁠—συνθέντες, “that it (i.e. the combination of ships) might support etc.,” and τὸν τόνον τῶν ὅπλων may either mean as below “the stretched ropes,” or “the tension of the ropes,” which would be relieved by the support: the latter meaning seems to me preferable.

      Mr. Whitelaw suggests to me that ἐπικάρσιος (ἐπί κάρ) may mean rather “head-foremost,” which seems to be its meaning in Homer (Odyss. IX. 70), and from which might be obtained the idea of intersection, one line running straight up against another, which it has in other passages. In that case it would here mean “heading towards the Pontus.” ↩

1002. τὰς μὲν πρὸς τοῦ Πόντου τῆς ἑτέρης. Most commentators would supply γεφύρης with τῆς ἑτέρης, but evidently both bridges must have been anchored on both sides. ↩

1003. εὔρου: Stein adopts the conjecture ζεφύρου. ↩

1004. τῶν πεντηκοντέρων καὶ τριηρέων τριχοῦ: the MSS. give τῶν πεντηκοντέρων καὶ τριχοῦ, “between the fifty-oared galleys in as many as three places,” but it is strange that the fifty-oared galleys should be mentioned alone, and there seems no need of καὶ with τριχοῦ. Stein reads τῶν πεντηκοντέρων καὶ τριηρέων (omitting τριχοῦ altogether), and this may be right. ↩

1005. I.e. in proportion to the quantity: there was of course a greater weight altogether of the papyrus rope. ↩

1006. αὖτις ἐπεζεύγνυον. ↩

1007. ἔκλειψιν: cp. ἐκλιπών above. ↩

1008. Or, according to some MSS., “Nisaian.” ↩

1009. I.e. not downwards. ↩

1010. τινὰ αὐτοῦ συχνόν ὅμιλον. ↩

1011. τὸ Πριάμου Πέργαμον. ↩

1012. ἐν Ἀβύδῳ μέσῃ: some inferior authorities (followed by most Editors) omit μέσῃ: but the district seems to be spoken of, as just above. ↩

1013. προεξέδρη λίθου λευκοῦ: some kind of portico or loggia seems to be meant. ↩

1014. δαιμόνιε ἀνδοῶν. ↩

1015. ἕνα αὐτον. ↩

1016. τὸ πρόσω αἰεὶ κλεπτόμενος: “stealing thy advance continually,” i.e. “advancing insensibly further.” Some take κεπτόμενος as passive, “insensibly lured on further.” ↩

1017. νεώτερόν τι ποιήσειν. ↩

1018. Or, according to some MSS., “the Persian land.” ↩

1019. Lit. “the name of which happens to be Agora.” ↩

1020. I.e. 1,700,000. ↩

1021. συννάξαντες: a conjectural emendation very generally adopted of συνάξαντες or συνάψαντες. ↩

1022. ἀπαγέας, i.e. not stiffly standing up; the opposite to πεπηγυλίας (ch. 64). ↩

1023. λεπίδος σιδηρέης ὄψιν ἰχθυοειδέος: many Editors suppose that some words have dropped out. The κιθών spoken of may have been a coat of armour, but elsewhere the body armour θώρηξ is clearly distinguished from the κιθών, see IX. 22. ↩

1024. γέρρα: cp. IX. 61 and 102. ↩

1025. Cp. I. 7. ↩

1026. μιτρηφόροι ἦσαν: the μίτρη was perhaps a kind of turban. ↩

1027. τῆσι Αἰγυπτίῃσι, apparently μαχαίρῃσι is meant to be supplied: cp. ch. 91. ↩

1028. ἐκλήθησαν, “were called” from the first. ↩

1029. These words are by some Editors thought to be an interpolation. The Chaldeans in fact had become a caste of priests, cp. I. 181. ↩

1030. κθρβασίας: supposed to be the same as the tiara (cp. V. 49), but in this case stiff and upright. ↩

1031. I.e. Areians, cp. III. 93. ↩

1032. σισύρνας: cp. IV. 109. ↩

1033. ἀκινάκας. ↩

1034. σισυρνοφόροι. ↩

1035. ζειράς. ↩

1036. τόξα παλίντονα. ↩

1037. σπἀθης, which perhaps means the stem of the leaf. ↩

1038. γύψῳ, “white chalk.” ↩

1039. μίλτῳ, “red ochre.” ↩

1040. Some words have apparently been lost containing the name of the nation to which the following description applies. It is suggested that this might be either the Chalybians or the Pisidians. ↩

1041. λυκιοςργέας, an emendation from Athenaus of λυκοεργέας (or λυκεργέας), which might perhaps mean “for wolf-hunting.” ↩

1042. ἀνασπάστους: cp. III. 93. ↩

1043. Some Editors place this clause before the words: “and Smerdomenes the son of Otanes,” for we do not hear of Otanes or Smerdomenes elsewhere as brother and nephew of Darius. On the other hand Mardonios was son of the sister of Darius. ↩

1044. τυχῇ, “hits.” ↩

1045. κέλητας, “single horses.” ↩

1046. This name is apparently placed here wrongly. It has been proposed to read Κάσπειροι or Πάκτυες. ↩

1047. ἵππευε: the greater number of MSS. have ἱππέυει here as at the beginning of ch. 84, to which this is a reference back, but with a difference of meaning. There the author seemed to begin with the intention of giving a full list of the cavalry force of the Persian Empire, and then confined his account to those actually present on this occasion, whereas here the word in combination with μοῦνα refers only to those just enumerated. ↩

1048. I.e. 80,000. ↩

1049. Σύροισι, see note on II. 104. ↩

1050. τύκους, which appears to mean ordinarily a tool for stone-cutting. ↩

1051. μίτρῃσι, perhaps “turbans.” ↩

1052. κιθῶνας: there is some probability in the suggestion of κιτάριας here, for we should expect mention of a head-covering, and the word κίταρις (which is explained to mean the same as τιάρα), is quoted by Pollux as occurring in Herodotus. ↩

1053. κιθῶνας. ↩

1054. δρέπανα, “reaping-hooks,” cp. V. 112. ↩

1055. See I. 171. ↩

1056. Πελασγοί Αἰγιαλέες. ↩

1057. ἐς ἱστορίης λόγον, “with regard to the inquiry,” i.e. “by the plan of the history.” ↩

1058. κέρκουροι. ↩

1059. μακρά: some MSS. and editions have σμικρά, “small.” ↩

1060. Or “Mapen.” ↩

1061. Or “Seldomos.” ↩

1062. μετωπηδόν. ↩

1063. μὴ ἐόντες ἄρθμιοι. This is generally taken to mean, “unless they were of one mind together”; but that would very much weaken the force of the remark, and ἄρθμιος elsewhere is the opposite of πολέμιος, cp. VI. 83 and IX. 9, 37: Xerxes professes enmity only against those who had refused to give the tokens of submission. ↩

1064. μὲν μπύνοισι: these words are omitted in some good MSS., and μούνοισι has perhaps been introduced from the preceding sentence. The thing referred to in τοῦτο is the power of fighting in single combat with many at once, which Demaratos is supposed to have claimed for the whole community of the Spartans. ↩

1065. στέργειν μάλιστα. ↩

1066. οὐδαμοί κω. ↩

1067. Or, “Strauos.” ↩

1068. Or, “Compsatos.” ↩

1069. τὰς ἠπειρώτιδας πόλις: it is not clear why these are thus distinguished. Stein suggests Θασίων τὰς ἠπειτώτιδας πόλις, cp. ch. [Footnote 118; and if that be the true reading ἰὼν is probably a remnant of Θασίων after χώρας. ↩

1070. Or, “Pistiros.” ↩

1071. οἱ προφητεύοντες, i.e. those who interpret the utterances of the Oracle, cp. VIII. 36. ↩

1072. πρόμαντις. ↩

1073. καὶ οὐδὲν ποικιλώτερον, an expression of which the meaning is not quite clear; perhaps “and the oracles are not at all more obscure,” cp. Eur. Phoen. 470 and Hel. 711 (quoted by Bähr). ↩

1074. “Ennea Hodoi.” ↩

1075. Cp. III. 84. ↩

1076. The “royal cubit” is about 20 inches; the δάκτυλος, “finger’s breadth,” is rather less than ¾ inch. ↩

1077. Or, “Cape Canastraion.” ↩

1078. τὴν μεσόγαιαν τάμνων τῆς ὁδοῦ: cp. IV. 12 and IX. 89. ↩

1079. Or “Echeidoros”: so it is usually called, but not by any MS. here, and by a few only in ch. 127. ↩

1080. πρὸ πολλοῦ ἐφυλάξαντο: cp. IV. 12 and IX. 89. ↩

1081. Cp. ch. 6 and 174: but it does not appear that the Aleuadai, of whom Xerxes is here speaking, ever thought of resistance, and perhaps γνωσιμαχέοντες means, “when they submitted without resistance.” ↩

1082. Some MSS. have Αἰνιῆνες for Ἐνιῆνες. ↩

1083. δεκατῦσαι: there is sufficient authority for this rendering of δεκατεύειν, and it seems better here than to understand the word to refer only to a “tithing” of goods. ↩

1084. ἐς τὸ βάραθρον, the place of execution at Athens. ↩

1085. “Undesirable thing.” ↩

1086. οὐκ ἐξ ἴσου: i.e. it is one-sided, because the speaker has had experience of only one of the alternatives. ↩

1087. Cp. ch. 143 (end), and VIII. 62. ↩

1088. τειχέων κιθῶνες, a poetical expression, quoted perhaps from some oracle; and if so, κιθῶν may here have the Epic sense of a “coat of mail,” equivalent to θώρηξ in I. 181: see ch. 61, note 56. ↩

1089. τὸ μέγαρον. ↩

1090. The form of address changes abruptly to the singular number, referring to the Athenian people. ↩

1091. ἄζηλα, probably for ἀΐδηλα, which has been proposed as a correction: or possibly “wretched.” ↩

1092. ὀξὺς Ἄρης. ↩

1093. I.e. Assyrian, cp. ch. 63. ↩

1094. μιν, i.e. the city, to which belong the head, feet, and body which have been mentioned. ↩

1095. κακοῖς δ’ ἐπικίδνατε θυμόν: this might perhaps mean (as it is taken by several Editors), “show a courageous soul in your troubles,” but that would hardly suit with the discouraging tone of the context. ↩

1096. ὧναξ, cp. IV. 15. ↩

1097. οὗρος: the word might of course be for ὄρος, “mountain,” and Κροπος οὖρος would then mean the Acropolis (so it is understood by Stein and others), but the combination with Kithairon makes it probable that the reference is to the boundaries of Attica, and this seems more in accordance with the reference to it in VIII. 53. ↩

1098. Δημήτερος. ↩

1099. συστάς, “having been joined” cp. VIII. 142. ↩

1100. τῶν περὶ τὴν Ἑλλάδα Ἑλλήνων τὰ ἀμείνω φρονεόντων: the MSS. have τῶν also after Ἑλλήνων, which would mean “those of the Hellenes in Hellas itself, who were of the better mind;” but the expression τῶν τὰ ἀμείνω φρονεουσέων περὶ τὴν Ἑλλάδα occurs in ch. 172: Some Editors omit Ἑλλήνων as well as τῶν. ↩

1101. ἐγκεκρημένοι (from ἐγκεράννυμι, cp. V. 124), a conjectural emendation (by Reiske) of ἐγκεχρημένοι. Others have conjectured ἐγκεχειρημένοι or ἐγηγερμένοι. ↩

1102. τῇ γε ἄλλῃ: many Editors adopt the conjecture τῇδε ἄλλῃ “is like the following, which he expressed on another occasion.” ↩

1103. See VI. 77: This calamity had occurred about fourteen years before, and it was not in order to recover from this that the Argives wished now for a thirty years’ truce; but warned by this they desired (they said) to guard against the consequence of a similar disaster in fighting with the Persians, against whom, according to their own account, they were going to defend themselves independently. So great was their fear of this that, “though fearing the oracle,” they were willing to disobey it on certain conditions. ↩

1104. προβόλαιον, cp. προβόλους, ch. 76. ↩

1105. ἐς τοὺς πλεῦνας. ↩

1106. Cp. V. 53. ↩

1107. ἐθέλουσι: this is omitted in most of the MSS., but contained in several of the best. Many Editors have omitted it. ↩

1108. τὰ οἰκήια κακά seems to mean the grievances which each has against his neighbours, “if all the nations of men should bring together into one place their own grievances against their neighbours, desiring to make a settlement with them, each people, when they had examined closely the grievances of others against themselves, would gladly carry away back with them those which they had brought,” judging that they had offended others more than they had suffered themselves. ↩

1109. οἰκήτωρ ὁ ἐν Γέλῃ: some Editors read by conjecture οἰκήτωρ ἐὼν Γέλης, others οἰκήτωρ ἐν Γέλῃ. ↩

1110. ἱροφάνται τῶν χθονίων θεῶν: cp. VI. 134. ↩

1111. I.e. by direct inspiration. ↩

1112. ἦν δορυφόρος: the MSS. have ὃς ἦ δορυφόρος. Some Editors mark a lacuna. ↩

1113. γαμόρους, the name given to the highest class of citizens. ↩

1114. Or, “Killyrians.” They were conquered Sicanians, in the position of the Spartan Helots. ↩

1115. παχέας: cp. V. 30. ↩

1116. γὰρ: inserted conjecturally by many Editors. ↩

1117. See V. 46. ↩

1118. ἦ κε μέγ’ οἰμώξελε, the beginning of a Homeric hexameter, cp. Iliad VII. 125. ↩

1119. Or, “since your speech is so adverse.” ↩

1120. See Iliad II. 552. ↩

1121. Some Editors mark this explanation “Now this is the meaning⁠—year,” as interpolated. ↩

1122. τυραννίδα. ↩

1123. ἐς μέσον Κῴοισι καταθεὶς τὴν ἀρχήν. ↩

1124. παρὰ Σαμίων: this is the reading of the best MSS.: others have μετὰ Σαμίων, “together with the Samians,” which is adopted by many Editors. There can be little doubt however that the Skythes mentioned in VI. 23 was the father of this Cadmos, and we know from Thucydides VI. 4 that the Samians were deprived of the town soon after they had taken it, by Anaxilaos, who gave it the name of Messene, and no doubt put Cadmos in possession of it, as the son of the former king. ↩

1125. Cp. ch. 154. ↩

1126. I.e. 300,000. ↩

1127. The MSS. add either ὡς Καρχηδόνιοι, or ὡς Καρχηδόνιοι καὶ Συρηκόσιοι, but the testimony of the Carthaginians has just been given, ὡς Φοίνικες λέγουσι, and the Syracusans professed to be unable to discover anything of him at all. Most of the Editors omit or alter the words. ↩

1128. ἐπιμέμφεσθε: some Editors have tried corrections, e.g. οὔ τι μέμνησθε, “do ye not remember,” or ἐπιμέμνησθε, “remember”; but cp. VIII. 106, ὥστε δε μὴ μέμψασθαι τὴν⁠ ⁠… δίκην. ↩

1129. ὅσα ὑμῖν⁠ ⁠… Μίνως ἔπεμψε μηνίων δακρύματα. The oracle would seem to have been in iambic verse. ↩

1130. παρενθήκη. ↩

1131. οὐ βουλόμενοι, apparently equivalent to μὴ βουλόμενοι. ↩

1132. Cp. VIII. 111. ↩

1133. I.e. the six commanders of divisions μόραι in the Spartan army. ↩

1134. μία: for this most MSS. have ἅμα. Perhaps the true reading is ἅμα μία. ↩

1135. ἁμαξιτὸς μούνη, cp. ch. 200. ↩

1136. Χύτρους. ↩

1137. τῶν ἐπιβατέρων αὐτῆς. ↩

1138. ἡμεροσκόπους: perhaps simply “scouts,” cp. ch. 219, by which it would seem that they were at their posts by night also, though naturally they would not see much except by day. ↩

1139. I.e. “Ant.” ↩

1140. αὐτοί. ↩

1141. I.e. 241,400. ↩

1142. ἐπεβάτευον. ↩

1143. 36,210. ↩

1144. ὅ τι πλέον ἦν αὐτῶν ἢ ἔλασσον. In ch. 97, which is referred to just above, these ships are stated to have been of many different kinds, and not only fifty-oared galleys. ↩

1145. 240,000. ↩

1146. 517,610. ↩

1147. 1,700,000: see ch. 60. ↩

1148. 80,000. ↩

1149. 2,317,610. ↩

1150. δόκησιν δὲ δεῖ λέγειν. ↩

1151. Some MSS. have Αἰνιῆνες for Ἐνιῆνες. ↩

1152. 300,000. ↩

1153. 2,641,610. ↩

1154. τοῦ μαχίμου τούτου. ↩

1155. ἀκάτοισι. ↩

1156. 5,283,220. ↩

1157. χοίνικα, the usual daily allowance. ↩

1158. The μέδιμνος is about a bushel and a half, and is equal to 48 χοίνικες. The reckoning here of 110,340 μέδιμνοι is wrong, owing apparently to the setting down of some numbers in the quotient which were in fact part of the dividend. ↩

1159. πρόκροσσαι ὁρμέοντο ἐς πόντον: the meaning of πρόκροσσαι is doubtful, but the introduction of the word is probably due to a reminiscence of Homer, Iliad xiv. 35, where the ships are described as drawn up in rows one behind the other on shore, and where προκρόσσας is often explained to mean κλιμακηδόν, i.e. either in steps one behind the other owing to the rise of the beach, or in the arrangement of the quincunx. Probably in this passage the idea is rather of the prows projecting in rows like battlements κρόσσαι, and this is the sense in which the word is used by Herodotus elsewhere (IV. 152). The word κρόσσαι however is used for the successively rising stages of the pyramids (II. 125), and πρόκροσσος may mean simply “in a row,” or “one behind the other,” which would suit all passages in which it occurs, and would explain the expression πρόκροσσοι φερόμενοι ἐπὶ τὸν κίνδυνον, quoted by Athenaus. ↩

1160. ἀπηλιώτης. Evidently, from its name Ἑλλησποντίας and from its being afterwards called Βορέας, it was actually a Northeast Wind. ↩

1161. I.e. “Ovens.” ↩

1162. ἐξεβράσσοντο. ↩

1163. θεσαυρούς. ↩

1164. The word χρύσεα, “of gold,” is omitted by some Editors. ↩

1165. “In his case also καὶ τοῦτον there was an unpleasing misfortune of the slaying of a child παιδοφόνος which troubled him,” i.e. he like others had misfortunes to temper his prosperity. ↩

1166. γοῇσι, (from a supposed word γοή): a correction of γοήσι, “by enchanters,” which is retained by Stein. Some read χοῇσι, “with libations,” others βοῇσι, “with cries.” ↩

1167. ἀφήσειν, whence the name Ἀφεταί was supposed to be derived. ↩

1168. Or, “had crucified⁠ ⁠… having convicted him of the following charge, namely,” etc. Cp. III. 35 (end). ↩

1169. τριταῖος. According to the usual meaning of the word the sense should be “on the third day after” entering Thessaly, but the distance was much greater than a two-days’ march. ↩

1170. I.e. “the Devourer.” ↩

1171. Πρυτανηίου, “Hall of the Magistrates.” ↩

1172. λήιτον. ↩

1173. ἐστέλλοντο: many Editors, following inferior MSS., read ἐσελθόντες and make changes in the rest of the sentence. ↩

1174. Some MSS. have Αἰνιήνων for Ἐνιήνων. ↩

1175. σταδίων. ↩

1176. δισχίλιά τε γὰρ καὶ δισμύρια πλέθρα τοῦ πεδίου ἐστί. If the text is right, the πλέθρον must here be a measure of area. The amount will then be about 5000 acres. ↩

1177. μέχρι Τρηχῖνος, “up to Trachis,” which was the Southern limit. ↩

1178. τὸ ἐπὶ ταύτης τῆς ἠπείρου. I take τὸ ἐπὶ ταῦτης to be an adverbial expression like τῆς ἑτέρης in ch. 36, for I cannot think that the rendering “towards this continent” is satisfactory. ↩

1179. See V. 45. ↩

1180. τοὺς κατεστεῶτας. There is a reference to the body of 300 so called ἱππεῖς (cp. I. 67), who were appointed to accompany the king in war; but we must suppose that on special occasions the king made up this appointed number by selection, and that in this case those were preferred who had sons to keep up the family. Others (including Grote) understand τοὺς κατεστῶτας to mean “men of mature age.” ↩

1181. τῶν Πυλαγόρων. ↩

1182. ἐς τὴν Πυλαίην. ↩

1183. An indication that the historian intended to carry his work further than the year 479. ↩

1184. See ch. 83. ↩

1185. ἔκ τε τόσου δὴ κατεδέδεκτο ἐοῦσα οὐδὲν χρηστὴ Μηλιεῦσι, i.e. ἡ ἐσβολή. ↩

1186. Μελάμπυγον. ↩

1187. Lit. “had set out to go at first.” ↩

1188. Lit. “and afterwards deserters were they who reported.” ↩

1189. διακριθέντες. ↩

1190. ταύτῃ καὶ μᾶλλον τῇ γνώμῃ πλεῖστός εἰμι. ↩

1191. I.e. the Persian. ↩

1192. πρὶν τῶνδ’ ἕτερον διὰ πάντα δάσηται: i.e. either the city or the king. ↩

1193. μοῦνον Σπαρτιητέων: some Editors (following Plutarch) read μούνων Σπαρτιητέων, “lay up for the Spartans glory above all other nations.” ↩

1194. τὸ μὲν γὰρ ἔρυμα τοῦ τείχεος ἐφυλάσσετο, οἱ δὲ κ.τ.λ. ↩

1195. I.e. the Lacedaemonians. ↩

1196. ἵζοντο ἐπὶ τὸν κολωνόν. ↩

1197. Some Editors insert τοὺς after ἢ, “before those who were sent away by Leonidas had departed.” ↩

1198. ʽρήμασι. ↩

1199. λειποψυχέοντα, a word which refers properly to bodily weakness. It has been proposed to read φιλοψυχέοντα, “loving his life,” cp. VI. 29. ↩

1200. ἀλγήσαντα: some good MSS. have ἀλογήσαντα, which is adopted by Stein, “had in his ill-reckoning returned alone.” ↩

1201. τῆς αὐτῆς ἐχομένου προφάσιος. ↩

1202. ἀτιμίην. ↩

1203. ὁ τρέσας. ↩

1204. Thucydides II. 2 ff. ↩

1205. τὰς διεξάδους τῶς βουλευμάτων, cp. III. 156. ↩

1206. τῶν νέες κ.τ.λ.: some Editors insert ἐκ before τῶν, “by which four hundred ships have suffered shipwreck.” ↩

1207. τὰ σεωυτοῦ δὲ τιθέμενος εὖ γνώμην ἔχω: for ἔχω some inferior MSS. have ἔχε, which is adopted by several Editors, “Rather set thy affairs in good order and determine not to consider,” etc. ↩

1208. τὸ παρεὸν τρῶμα, i.e. their defeat. ↩

1209. καὶ ἔστι δυσμενὴς τῇ σιγῇ. Some commentators understand τῇ σιγῇ to mean “secretly,” like σιγῇ, VIII. 74. ↩

1210. See ch. 220. ↩

1211. Many Editors pronounce the last chapter to be an interpolation, but perhaps with hardly sufficient reason. ↩

1212. See V. 77. ↩

1213. I.e. triremes. ↩

1214. ὡς τὸ πλῆθος ἕκαστοι τῶν νεῶν παρείχοντο: some read by conjecture ὅσον τὸ πλῆθος κ.τ.λ. ↩

1215. Perhaps “also” refers to the case of those who had come to Thermopylai, cp. VII. 207: Others translate, “these Hellenes who had come after all to Artemision,” i.e. after all the doubt and delay. ↩

1216. πάντες: some MSS. have πληγέντες, which is adopted by most Editors, “smitten by bribes.” ↩

1217. δῆθεν, with ironical sense. ↩

1218. μηδὲ πυρφόρον: the πυρφόρος had charge of the fire brought for sacrifices from the altar of Zeus Agetor at Sparta, and ordinarily his person would be regarded as sacred; hence the proverb οὐδὲ πυρφόρος ἐσώθη, used of an utter defeat. ↩

1219. τοῦ διεκπλόου. ↩

1220. κατὰ στόμα. ↩

1221. σκληραὶ βρονταί: the adjective means “harsh-sounding.” ↩

1222. ἄχαρι. ↩

1223. τὰ Κοῖλα τῆς Εὐβοίης. ↩

1224. “Having been roughly handled.” ↩

1225. ἐπὶ τὴν θάλασσαν ταύτην: some MSS. read ταύτῃ for ταύτην, which is to be taken with συλλέξας, “he assembled the generals there.” ↩

1226. περιπετέα ἐποιήσαντο σφίσι αὐτοῖσι τὰ πρήγματα. ↩

1227. παλήσειε, a word which does not occur elsewhere, and is explained by Hesychius as equivalent to διαφθαρείη. Various emendations have been proposed, and Valla seems to have had the reading ἀπελάσειε, for he says discessisset. Stein explains παλήσειε (as from πάλη) “should contend.” ↩

1228. Some suppose the number “four thousand” is interpolated by misunderstanding of the inscription in VII. 228; and it seems hardly possible that the dead were so many as four thousand, unless at least half were Helots. ↩

1229. Some MSS. have “Tritantaichmes,” which is adopted by many Editors. ↩

1230. νηοῦ. ↩

1231. ὡς ἀναρπασόμενοι τοὺς Φωκέας: cp. IX. 60. ↩

1232. ποδεὼν στεινός, like the neck of a wineskin; cp. II. 121, note 102. ↩

1233. τοῦ προφήτεω, the interpreter of the utterances of the πρόμαντις. ↩

1234. νηοῦ. ↩

1235. μεγάτου. ↩

1236. I.e. of Athene Polias, the Erechtheion; so throughout this account. ↩

1237. συνέρρεε, “kept flowing together.” ↩

1238. Or, “Hermione.” ↩

1239. See I. 56. ↩

1240. See ch. 31. ↩

1241. πρὸς πάντας τοῦς ἄλλους, “in comparison with all the rest,” cp. III. 94. ↩

1242. στρατάρχεω: a vague expression, because being introduced after Kecrops he could not have the title of king. ↩

1243. The number obtained by adding up the separate contingents is 366. Many Editors suppose that the ships with which the Aeginetans were guarding their own coast (ch. 46) are counted here, and quote the authority of Pausanias for the statement that the Aeginetans supplied more ships than any others except the Athenians. Stein suggests the insertion of the number twelve in ch. 46. ↩

1244. Or, “Thespeia.” ↩

1245. I.e. “Areopagus.” ↩

1246. I.e. the North side. ↩

1247. μέγαρον. ↩

1248. νηός. ↩

1249. πολλὸς ἦν ἑν τοῖς λόγοις: cp. IX. 91. ↩

1250. See VII. 141⁠–⁠143. ↩

1251. αὐτόθεν ἐκ Σαλαμῖνος. ↩

1252. τῇ Μητρὶ καὶ τῇ Κούρῃ, Demeter and Persephone. ↩

1253. τῇ ἀνακρίσι: cp. ἀνακρινομένους, IX. 56: Some Editors, following inferior MSS., read τῇ κρίσι, “at the judgment expressed.” ↩

1254. μυριάδων, “ten thousands.” ↩

1255. Or, “Hermione.” ↩

1256. οἱ περίοικοι: some Editors omit the article and translate “and these are the so-called Orneates or dwellers round (Argos),” Orneates being a name for the περίοικοι of Argos, derived from the conquered city of Orneai. ↩

1257. ἐλπίδι μαινομένῃ, “with a mad hope.” ↩

1258. κρατερὸν Κόρον Ὕβριος νἱόν. ↩

1259. δοκεῦντ’ ἀνὰ πάντα τίθεσθαι: the MSS. have also πιθέσθαι. Possibly τίθεσθαι might stand, though ἀνατίθεσθαι is not found elsewhere in this sense. Stein adopts in his last edition the conjecture πίεσθαι, “swallow up.” ↩

1260. Κρονίδης. ↩

1261. πότνια Νίκη. ↩

1262. I.e. about rivalry. ↩

1263. τῶν ἐπιβατέων. ↩

1264. Many Editors reading ὅσα δὲ and παραινέσας δὴ, make the stop after ἀντιτιθέμενα: “and in all that is produced in the nature and constitution of man he exhorted them to choose the better.” ↩

1265. ὦ δαιμόνιοι, “strange men.” ↩

1266. See ch. 22. ↩

1267. πρὸς δὲ ἔτι καὶ προσελάβετο: the MSS. have προσεβάλετο. Most Editors translate, “Moreover Ariamnes⁠ ⁠… contributed to the fate of the Phoenicians, being a friend (of the Ionians);” but this does not seem possible unless we read φίλος ἐὼν Ἴωσι (or Ἰώνων). Valla translates nearly as I have done. (It does not appear that προσβάλλεσθαι is found elsewhere in the sense of συμβάλλεσθαι.) ↩

1268. I.e. they who were commanded to execute them. ↩

1269. See VII. 179, 181. ↩

1270. See VI. 49, etc., and 73. ↩

1271. κέλετα. ↩

1272. συμβάλλονται: the Athenians apparently are spoken of, for they alone believed the story. ↩

1273. ἀποπλῆσαι: this is the reading of the MSS.; but many Editors adopt corrections (ἀποπλῆσθαι or ἀποπλησθῆναι). The subject to ἀποπλῆσαι is to be found in the preceding sentence and the connection with τόν τε ἄλλον πάντα κ.τ.λ. is a loose one. This in fact is added as an afterthought, the idea being originally to call attention simply to the fulfilment of the oracle of Lysistratos. ↩

1274. φρύξουσι: a conjectural emendation, adopted by most Editors, of πρίξουσι, “will shudder (at the sight of oars).” ↩

1275. κατ’ ἄλλον καὶ ἄλλον: the MSS. have κατ’ ἄλλον, but Valla’s rendering is “alium atque alium.” ↩

1276. ὑπὲρ μεγάλων αἰωρηθέντα. ↩

1277. I.e. 300,000. ↩

1278. ὡς ἐκ κακῶν: some translate, “thinking that he had escaped from his troubles.” ↩

1279. τοῖισ ἐπικλήτοισι, cp. VII. 8 and IX. 42. ↩

1280. I.e. Asia, as opposed to “these parts.” ↩

1281. Stein would take περὶ οἶκον τὸν σόν with οὐδεμία συμφορή, but the order of words is against this. ↩

1282. πολλπὺς πολλάκις ἀγῶνας δραμέονται περὶ σφέων αὐτῶν. ↩

1283. See I. 175: The manner of the repetition and some points in the diction raise suspicion that the passage is interpolated here; and so it is held to be by most Editors. In I. 175 we find τρίς instead of δίς. ↩

1284. ὑπήγαγον, cp. VI. 72, with the idea of bringing before a court for punishment, not “by underhand means,” as it is understood by Larcher and Bähr. ↩

1285. “Vengeance and Hermotimos.” ↩

1286. σφεῖς⁠ ⁠… ἐργασαλιατο: the MSS. read σφι (one σφέας) and ἐργάσαιτο, and this is retained by some Editors. ↩

1287. “Taken.” ↩

1288. μεταβαλών: others translate, “he turned from them to the Athenians”; but cp. VII. 52: The words πρὸς τοὺς Αθηναίους are resumed by σφι with ἔλεγε. ↩

1289. καὶ ἐπὶ σφέων αὐτῶν βαλόμενοι, “even at their own venture,” cp. III. 71. ↩

1290. τὰ ἴδια, “things belonging to private persons.” ↩

1291. σοφός. ↩

1292. γεωπείνας, “poor in land.” ↩

1293. It seems necessary to insert ἄν with εἶναι. For the sentiment cp. VII. 172. ↩

1294. χρεώμενος τοῖσι καὶ πρὸς βασιλέα ἐχρήσατο. This is the reading of the best MSS.: the rest have χρεώμενος λόγοισι τοῖσι καὶ πρὸς Ἀνδρίους ἐχρήσατο, “using the same language as he had before used to the Andrians.” ↩

1295. καὶ τὴν ἄλλην ἵππον: some MSS. omit ἅλλην. ↩

1296. ὅλα, i.e. not the whole number of them, but great masses without individual selection. ↩

1297. οὐδὲν μέρος ὡς εἰπεῖν. ↩

1298. ἄνεμον Στρυμονίην, “the wind called Strymonias.” ↩

1299. τὰ ἀκροθίνια, i.e. the tithe. ↩

1300. I.e. the corner of the entrance-hall, ἐπὶ τοῦ προνηίου τῆς γωνίης, I. 51. ↩

1301. διένεμον: some understand this to mean “distributed the voting tablets,” and some MSS. read διενέμοντο, “distributed among themselves,” which is adopted by many Editors. ↩

1302. σοφώτατος. ↩

1303. See I. 67. ↩

1304. A small island near Attica, taken here as the type of insignificance. To suppose that Timodemos was connected with it is quite unnecessary. The story in Plutarch about the Seriphian is different. ↩

1305. I.e. 60,000. ↩

1306. κατέσφαξε, “cut their throats.” ↩

1307. παρὰ τὰς γλυφίδας: some Editors read περὶ τὰς γλυφίδας on the authority of Aeneas Tacticus. The γλθφίδες are probably notches which give a hold for the fingers as they draw back the string. ↩

1308. καταπλῆξαι, “strike down” by the charge. ↩

1309. The way was shut against them ordinarily by the town of Potidaia, which occupied the isthmus. ↩

1310. I.e. most of those who before served as ἐπιβάται (VII. 96) continued to serve still. The sentence is usually translated, “of those who served as fighting-men in them the greater number were Persians or Medes,” and this may be right. ↩

1311. The MSS. have “Charilos” or “Charillos.” ↩

1312. Some Editors read “Eurypon,” which is the form found elsewhere. ↩

1313. Cp. VII. 204. ↩

1314. δυῶν. It seems certain that the number required here is seven and not two, and the emendation ἑπτά for δθῶν (ζ’ for β’) is approved by several Editors. ↩

1315. χρησόμενον: the best MSS. read χρησάμενον, which is retained by Stein, with the meaning “charging him to consult the Oracles everywhere⁠ ⁠… and then return.” ↩

1316. I.e. Mardonios and the Persians. ↩

1317. I.e. Theban citizens. ↩

1318. πρόμαντιν: he is afterwards called προφήτης. ↩

1319. Cp. V. 21. ↩

1320. Some Editors would read “Alabastra.” Alabanda was a Carian town. ↩

1321. Counting Alexander himself as one. ↩

1322. ἦσαν γὰρ: this is the reading of the best MSS.: others have ἦσαν δὲ. Stein (reading ἦσαν γὰρ) places this clause after the next, “The wife of the king herself baked their bread, for in ancient times, etc.” This transposition is unnecessary; for it would be easy to understand it as a comment on the statement that three members of the royal house of Argos became farm-servants. ↩

1323. αἱ τυραννίδες τῶν ἀνθρῶπων. ↩

1324. ἐξαίρετον μεταίχμιόν τε τὴν γῆν ἐκτημένων: there are variations of reading and punctuation in the MSS. ↩

1325. αυνέπιπτε ὥστε ὁμοῦ σφεων γίνεσθαι τὴν κατάστασιν, i.e. their introduction before the assembly, cp. III. 46. ↩

1326. ἐπέξιμεν ἀμυνόμενοι, which possibly might be translated, “we will continue to defend ourselves.” ↩

1327. κάρτα ἀνθρωπήιον. ↩

1328. “The same who at the former time also were of one accord together.” ↩

1329. τὰ ἐκείνων ἰσχυρὰ βουλεύματα: some good MSS. omit ἰσχυρά, and so many Editors. ↩

1330. ὑπ’ ἀγνωμοσύνης. ↩

1331. βουλήν. ↩

1332. ἐξενεῖκαι ἐς τὸν δῆμον. ↩

1333. ἀλεωρήν. ↩

1334. Cp. VIII. 140 (a). ↩

1335. τὸ μὲν ἀπ’ ἡμέων οὕτω ἀκίβδηλον νέμεται ἐπὶ τοὺς Ἕλληνας, “that which we owe to the Hellenes is thus paid in no counterfeit coin.” ↩

1336. ἐκέλευσαν, i.e. “their bidding was” when they sent us. ↩

1337. This clause, “with no less⁠—each man of them,” is omitted in some MSS. and considered spurious by several Editors. ↩

1338. Cp. ch. 55. ↩

1339. περιοίκων. ↩

1340. τῶν ἡμεροδρόμων, cp. VI. 105. ↩

1341. τύγχανε εὖ βουλευόμενος: perhaps, “endeavour to take measures well.” ↩

1342. πρόδρομον, a conjectural emendation of πρόδρομος. ↩

1343. βοιωτάρχαι, i.e. the heads of the Boeotian confederacy. ↩

1344. ὡς ἐπὶ δέκα σταδίους μάλιστά κῃ. ↩

1345. κλῖναι: several Editors have altered this, reading κλιθῆναι or κλινῆναι, “they were made to recline.” ↩

1346. δαιπινόντων, cp. V. 18. ↩

1347. πολλὰ φρονέοντα μηδενὸς δρατέειν. ↩

1348. σφόδρα: not quite satisfactory with ἐμήδιζου, but it can hardly go with οὐκ ἑκόντες, as Krüger suggests. ↩

1349. φέμη, as in ch. 100. ↩

1350. προόπτῳ θανάτῳ. ↩

1351. προσβάλλοντες: most of the MSS. have προσβαλόντες, and so also in ch. 21 and 22 they have προσβαλούσης. ↩

1352. I.e. the retreat with which each charge ended and the turn from retreat in preparation for a fresh charge. So much would be done without word of command, before reining in their horses. ↩

1353. ἐποίτεον. ↩

1354. Or, according to some MSS., “much contention in argument.” ↩

1355. I.e. the left wing. ↩

1356. The name apparently should be Kepheus, but there is no authority for changing the text. ↩

1357. This is the number of nations mentioned in VII. 61⁠–⁠80 as composing the land-army of Xerxes. ↩

1358. οἱ ἐπιφοιτόντες. ↩

1359. περὶ ἄνδρα ἕκαστον. ↩

1360. I.e. 38,700. ↩

1361. I.e. 69,500. ↩

1362. I.e. 110,000. ↩

1363. ὅπλα δὲ οὐδ’ οὗτοι εἶχον: i.e. these too must be reckoned with the light-armed. ↩

1364. Cp. II. 164. ↩

1365. μαχαιροφόροι: cp. VII. 89. ↩

1366. I.e. 300,000: see VIII. 113. ↩

1367. γένεος τοῦ Ἰαμιδέων: the MSS. have Κλυτιάδην after Ἰαμιδἐων, but the Clytiadai seem to have been a distinct family of soothsayers. ↩

1368. πεντάεθλον. ↩

1369. παρὰ ἓν πάλαισμα ἔδραμε νικᾶν Ὀλυμπιάδα. The meaning is not clear, because the conditions of the πεντάεθλον are not known: however the wrestling πάλη seems to have been the last of the five contests, and the meaning may be that both Tisamenos and Hieronymos had beaten all the other competitors and were equal so far, when Tisamenos failed to win two out of three falls in the wrestling. ↩

1370. μετιέντες: some MSS. have μετιόντες, “they went to fetch him.” ↩

1371. αἰτιέντες: this is the reading of the MSS., but the conjecture αἰτεομένοθς (or αἰτεόμενον) seems probable enough: “if one may compare the man who asked for royal power with him who asked only for citizenship.” ↩

1372. I.e. instead of half for himself, he asks for two-thirds to be divided between himself and his brother. ↩

1373. ὁ πρὸς Ἰθώμῃ: a conjectural emendation of ὁ πρὸς Ἰσθμῷ. ↩

1374. τὸν ταρσὸν ἑωυτοῦ. ↩

1375. Τρεῖς Κεφαλάς. ↩

1376. Δρυὸς Κεφαλάς. ↩

1377. See ch. 2. ↩

1378. τῶν ἐπικλήτων: cp. VII. 8. ↩

1379. Μαρδονίῳ τε καὶ τῇ στρατιῇ τὰ σφάγια οὐ δύναται καταθύμια γενέσθαι. ↩

1380. He asks for their help to free his country also from the Persian yoke. ↩

1381. ἐμαχεσάμεθα. ↩

1382. ψυχρῇ, cp. VI. 108. ↩

1383. δέκα σταδίους. ↩

1384. νῆσος δὲ οὔτω ἂν εἴη ἐν ἠπείρῶ. ↩

1385. περισχίζεται. ↩

1386. ἔγευγον ἄσμενοι. ↩

1387. τοῦ Πιτανητέων λόχου, called below τὸν λόχον τὸν Πιτανήτην. Evidently λόχος here is a division of considerable size. ↩

1388. ἀναινομένου: some MSS. and many Editors read νενωμένου, “since he was thus minded.” ↩

1389. ὡς ἄλλα φρονεόντων καὶ ἄλλα λεγόντων. ↩

1390. Cp. ch. 11. ↩

1391. The structure of the sentence is rather confused, and perhaps some emendation is required. ↩

1392. ἔτι τι λέξετε. The MSS. and most Editors read τί, “what will ye say after this?” The order of the words is against this. ↩

1393. ἀναρπασόμενοι: cp. VIII. 28. ↩

1394. φράξαντες τὰ γέρρα: cp. ch. 99. ↩

1395. ἄνοπλοι, by which evidently more is meant than the absence of shields; cp. the end of ch. 63, where the equipment of the Persians is compared to that of light-armed troops. ↩

1396. See VIII. 114. ↩

1397. ἐς Λεωνίδην: this is ordinarily translated “as far as Leonidas;” but to say “his ancestors above Anaxandrides have been given as far as Leonidas” (the son of Anaxandrides), is hardly intelligible. The reference is to VII. 204. ↩

1398. Most of the MSS. call him Aeimnestos (with some variation of spelling), but Plutarch has Arimnestos. ↩

1399. See ch. 15: There is no sharp distinction here between camp and palisade, the latter being merely the fortified part of the encampment. ↩

1400. ἀνάκτορον, a usual name for the temple of Demeter and Persephone at Eleusis. ↩

1401. I.e. 40,000. ↩

1402. ἦγε λατηρτημένως: the better MSS. have ἤϊε for ἤγε, which is retained by some Editors (τούυους being then taken with ἱέναι πάντας): for κατηρτημένως we find as variations κατηρτημένος and κατηρτισμένως. Many Editors read κατηρτισμένος (“well prepared”), following the Aldine tradition. ↩

1403. ἐθελοκακεόντων. ↩

1404. ἐν οὐδενὶ λόγῳ ἀπῶλοντο. ↩

1405. Stein proposes to substitute “Athenians” for “Lacedaemonians” here, making the comparative ἐρρωμενεστέρη anticipate the account given in the next few clauses. ↩

1406. ἐρρωμενεστέρη. ↩

1407. Cp. I. 66. ↩

1408. ἀλύκταζον, a word of doubtful meaning which is not found elsewhere. ↩

1409. I.e. 300,000. ↩

1410. ὁ Σπαρτιήτης: it has been proposed to read Σπαρτιῆται, for it can hardly be supposed that the other two were not Spartans also. ↩

1411. One MS. at least calls him Aeimenstos, cp. ch. 64: Thucydides (III. [Footnote 52) mentions Aeimnestos as the name of a Plataian citizen, the father of Lacon. Stein observes that in any case this cannot be that Arimnestos who is mentioned by Plutarch as commander of the Plataian contingent. ↩

1412. ἑωυτοῦ ἄξιον ποθυμευμένου ἀποδέξασθαι. ↩

1413. ἀτελείη τε καὶ προεδρίη. ↩

1414. VI. 92. ↩

1415. ἄνδρα πεντάεθλον. ↩

1416. οὔτε δαιμόνων οὔτε θεῶν: heroes and in general divinities of the second order are included under the term δαιμόνων. ↩

1417. Most of the commentators (and following them the historians) understand the imperfect ἐδίωκον to express the mere purpose to attempt, and suppose that this purpose was actually hindered by the Lacedaemonians, but for a mere half-formed purpose the expression μέχρι Θεσσαλίης seems to definite, and Diodorus states that Artabazos was pursued. I think therefore that Krüger is right in understanding ἔων of an attempt to dissuade which was not successful. The alternative version would be “they were for pursuing them as far as Thessaly, but the Lacedaemonians prevented them from pursuing fugitives.” ↩

1418. ἀκινάκας. ↩

1419. Whether three tithes were taken or only one is left uncertain. ↩

1420. “Furniture furnished” is hardly tolerable; perhaps Herodotus wrote σκηνήν for κατασκευήν here. ↩

1421. The connection here is not satisfactory, and the chapter is in part a continuation of chapter 81: It is possible that ch. 82 may be a later addition by the author, thrown in without much regard to the context. ↩

1422. “Whereas however the body of Mardonios had disappeared on the day after the battle (taken by whom I am not able to say.⁠ ⁠…), it is reported with some show of reason that Dionysophanes, an Ephesian, was he who buried it.” The construction however is irregular and broken by parentheses: possibly there is some corruption of text. ↩

1423. τοὺς ἰρένας. Spartans between twenty and thirty years old were so called. The MSS. have ἱρέας. ↩

1424. πρόξεινον. ↩

1425. “Fill up more calamities,” cp. V. 4. ↩

1426. ἐς ἀντιλογίην. ↩

1427. ἀντιλογίης κυρήσειν. ↩

1428. τὴν μεσογαλιαν τάμνων τῆς ὁδοῦ, cp. VII. 124: The expression seems almost equivalent to τάμνων τὴν μέσην ὁδόν, apart from any question of inland or coast roads. ↩

1429. λιμῷ συστάντας καὶ καμάτῳ, “having struggled with hunger and fatigue.” ↩

1430. αὐτὸς: some MSS. read οὗτος. If the text is right, it means Artabazos as distinguished from his troops. ↩

1431. I.e. “leader of the army.” ↩

1432. ἐν τῷ Ἰονίῳ κόλπῳ. ↩

1433. Stein reads παρὰ Χῶνα ποταμόν, “by the river Chon,” a conjecture derived from Theognostus. ↩

1434. It is thought by some Editors that “the prophets” just above, and these words, “and they told them,” are interpolated. ↩

1435. ἔμφυτον μαντικήν, as opposed to the ἔντεχνος μαντική possessed for example by Melampus, cp. II. 49. ↩

1436. Or possibly “Calamoi.” ↩

1437. I.e. 60,000. ↩

1438. τῳν Ποτνιέων, i.e. either the Eumenides or Demeter and Persephone. ↩

1439. ἀπίστους τοῖσι Ἕλλησι. Perhaps the last two words are to be rejected, and ἀπίστους to be taken in its usual sense, “distrusted”; cp. VIII. 22. ↩

1440. νεοχμὸν ἄν τι ποιέειν. ↩

1441. φήμη ἐσέπτατο. ↩

1442. ἑτεραλκέα, cp. VIII. 11. ↩

1443. τῶν Περσέων: perhaps we should read ἐκ Περοσέων, “appointed by the Persians to guard the passes.” ↩

1444. τι νεοχμὸν ποιέοιεν. ↩

1445. τὴν κεφαλὴν ποιέοιεν: the meaning is uncertain. ↩

1446. οὐ δή κού με ἀπώλεσας: some Editors read κώ for κού (by conjecture), and print the clause as a statement instead of a question, “not yet hast thou caused by ruin.” ↩

1447. ἐν τῷ ἀδύτῳ. ↩

1448. ἀφύκτως: many Editors adopt the reading ἀφυλάκτῳ from inferior MSS., “they fell upon him when he was, as one may say, off his guard.” ↩

1449. ἔστεργον τὰ παρεόντα. ↩

1450. ἐκφεύγοντα: many Editors have ἐκφυγόντα, “after he had escaped.” ↩

1451. τάριχος ἐών. The word τάριχος suggests the idea of human bodies embalmed, as well as of dried or salted meat. ↩

1452. οἱ: some Editors approve the conjecture μοι, “impose upon myself this penalty.” ↩

1453. σανίδας: some read by conjecture σανίδι, or πρὸς σανίδα: cp. VII. 33. ↩

1454. Or, “when he had heard this, although he did not admire the proposal, yet bade them do so if they would.” ↩