Greek passages split into sentences with English translation
| Passage | Sentence | Greek | English | Era | Skepticism |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 4.12.1 | 1 | Λακεδαιμονίους δὲ ἐλύπει μὲν καὶ τὸ γεγονὸς πταῖσμα, τεθνεώτων ἐν τῇ μάχῃ πολλῶν τε καὶ ἀξίων λόγου, παρίστατο δὲ καὶ ἐς τὴν πᾶσαν ἐλπίδα τοῦ πολέμου σφίσιν ἀθύμως ἔχειν· | The Lacedaemonians were deeply grieved by the disaster that had occurred, having lost many notable and worthy men in the battle, and furthermore the situation appeared hopeless to them with respect to their entire expectation for the war. | ? | ? |
| 4.12.1 | 2 | καὶ διὰ τοῦτο θεωροὺς ἀποστέλλουσιν ἐς Δελφούς. | For this reason, they sent messengers to Delphi to consult the oracle. | ? | ? |
| 4.12.1 | 3 | τούτοις ἐλθοῦσιν ἡ Πυθία χρᾷ τάδε· | When these envoys arrived, the Pythia declared this oracle to them: | ? | ? |
| 4.12.1 | 4 | οὔ σε μάχης μόνον ἔργʼ ἐφέπειν χερὶ Φοῖβος ἄνωγεν, ἀλλʼ ἀπάτῃ μὲν ἔχει γαῖαν Μεσσηνίδα λαός, ταῖς δʼ αὐταῖς τέχναισιν ἁλώσεται αἷσπερ ὑπῆρξεν. | Phoebus commands you not only to rely upon deeds of war with your hand, but the people hold the Messenian land by deceit, and by the same arts through which they prevailed, they shall themselves be conquered. | ? | ? |
| 4.12.10 | 1 | Μεσσηνίους δέ, ὡς εἶδον, ἐτάραξε μὲν μεγάλως, καὶ εἴκαζον---ὥσπερ ἦν---παρὰ Λακεδαιμονίων εἶναι· | When the Messenians saw it, however, they were greatly dismayed and concluded—as indeed it was—that it was from the Spartans. | ? | ? |
| 4.12.10 | 2 | παρεμυθεῖτο δὲ ὅμως αὐτοὺς ὁ Ἀριστόδημος λέγων ἄλλα τε ἃ ἐν τοῖς παροῦσιν εἰκὸς ἦν καὶ τοὺς ξυλίνους τρίποδας---ἐπεποίηντο γὰρ ἤδη ---περὶ τοῦ Ἰθωμάτα τὸν βωμὸν ἔστησε. | Nevertheless, Aristodemus tried to encourage them, both by speaking whatever seemed fitting in the circumstances, and by placing around the altar of Zeus Ithomatas the wooden tripods—for they already had been crafted. | ? | ? |
| 4.12.10 | 3 | συνέβη δὲ καὶ Ὀφιονέα τὸν μάντιν τοῦτον, τὸν ἐκ γενετῆς τυφλόν, ἀναβλέψαι παραλόγως δὴ μάλιστα ἀνθρώπων· | It happened, moreover, that Ophioneus, the blind prophet, gained his sight in the most extraordinary and inexplicable way. | ? | ? |
| 4.12.10 | 4 | ἐπέλαβε γὰρ τῆς κεφαλῆς ἄλγημα αὐτὸν ἰσχυρόν, καὶ ἀνέβλεψεν ἀπʼ αὐτοῦ. | A severe pain seized his head, and from this he recovered his sight. | ? | ? |
| 4.12.2 | 1 | ὁ πρὸς ταῦτα τοῖς βασιλεῦσι καὶ τοῖς ἐφόροις τέχνας μὲν οὖν προθυμουμένοις οὐκ ἐγίνετο ἀνευρεῖν· | Since the kings and ephors were eager to devise some stratagem for this situation, but could not discover one, they resolved instead to imitate the craft of Odysseus at Troy. | ? | ? |
| 4.12.2 | 2 | οἱ δὲ Ὀδυσσέως τῶν ἔργων ἀπομιμούμενοι τὸ ἐπὶ Ἰλίῳ πέμπουσιν ἄνδρας ἑκατὸν ἐς Ἰθώμην συνήσοντας ἃ μηχανῶνται, λόγῳ δὲ αὐτομόλους· | They sent a hundred men into Ithome, ostensibly as deserters, who were actually to gather information on the enemy's plans. | ? | ? |
| 4.12.2 | 3 | ἦν δὲ καὶ φυγὴ τῶν ἀνδρῶν ἐκ τοῦ φανεροῦ κατεγνωσμένη. | To make the deception convincing, these men's supposed defection had been publicly condemned. | ? | ? |
| 4.12.2 | 4 | τούτους ἥκοντας ἀπέπεμπεν αὐτίκα Ἀριστόδημος, Λακεδαιμονίων φήσας τὰ ἀδικήματα καινὰ εἶναι, τὰ δὲ σοφίσματα ἀρχαῖα. | But as soon as they arrived, Aristodemus immediately sent them away, asserting that the wrongdoings of the Lacedaemonians might be new, but their tricks were very old indeed. | ? | ? |
| 4.12.3 | 1 | ἁμαρτόντες δὲ οἱ Λακεδαιμόνιοι τοῦ ἐγχειρήματος δεύτερα ἐπειρῶντο τῶν Μεσσηνίων διαλῦσαι τὸ συμμαχικόν· | Having failed in their enterprise, the Lacedaemonians then attempted a second plan, trying to dissolve the alliance of the Messenians. | ? | ? |
| 4.12.3 | 2 | ἀντειπόντων δὲ τῶν Ἀρκάδων ---παρὰ γὰρ τούτους πρότερον ἀφίκοντο οἱ πρέσβεις ---οὕτω τὴν ἐπʼ Ἄργος ἐπέσχον πορείαν. | But since the Arcadians objected—for the ambassadors had first come to them—they thus halted their march against Argos. | ? | ? |
| 4.12.3 | 3 | Ἀριστόδημος δὲ πυνθανόμενος τὰ πρασσόμενα ὑπὸ τῶν Λακεδαιμονίων πέμπει καὶ αὐτὸς ἐρησομένους τὸν θεόν, ἡ δὲ Πυθία σφίσιν ἔχρησε· | Aristodemus, upon learning what the Lacedaemonians were plotting, himself also sent messengers to inquire of the god, and the Pythia gave them this oracle: | ? | ? |
| 4.12.4 | 1 | κῦδός σοι πολέμοιο διδοῖ θεός· ἀλλʼ ἀπάταισι φράζεο μὴ Σπάρτης δόλιος λόχος ἐχθρὸς ἀνέλθῃ κρείσσων· | The god grants you glory in war, yet beware treacheries, lest the deceptive ambush of Sparta rise superior as your enemy. | ? | ? |
| 4.12.4 | 2 | ἦ γὰρ Ἄρης κείνων εὐήρεα τεύχη καί τὸ χορῶν στεφάνωμα πικροὺς οἰκήτορας ἕξει, τῶν δύο συντυχίαις κρυπτὸν λόχον ἐξαναδύντων. | For surely Ares shall hold their finely crafted armor and the crown of dances inhabited by bitter dwellers, when two by chance shall disclose the hidden ambuscade. | ? | ? |
| 4.12.4 | 3 | οὐ πρόσθεν δὲ τέλος τόδʼ ἐπόψεται ἱερὸν ἦμαρ, πρὶν τὰ παραλλά ξαν τα φύσιν τὸ ξαν χρεὼν ἀφίκηται. | But this sacred day shall not behold its consummation before that which naturally is flax shall reach its ordained end. | ? | ? |
| 4.12.4 | 4 | τότε μὲν δὴ Ἀριστόδημος καὶ οἱ μάντεις ἀπείρως εἶχον συμβαλέσθαι τὸ εἰρημένον· ἔτεσι δὲ ὕστερον οὐ πολλοῖς ἀναφαίνειν τε καὶ ἐς τέλος ἄξειν ἔμελλεν ὁ θεός. | At that time Aristodemus and the seers were utterly unable to interpret this utterance; yet, not many years later, the god was destined to reveal it and bring it fully to pass. | ? | ? |
| 4.12.5 | 1 | ἕτερα δὲ ἐν τῷ τότε τοῖς Μεσσηνίοις συνέβαινε τοιαῦτα. | At that time another event befell the Messenians, as follows. | ? | ? |
| 4.12.5 | 2 | Λυκίσκου μετοικοῦντος ἐν Σπάρτῃ τὴν θυγατέρα ἐπέλαβεν ἀποθανεῖν, ἣν ἅμα ἀγόμενος ἔφυγεν ἐκ Μεσσήνης. | The daughter of Lykiskos, who had moved his residence to Sparta, happened to die; she was the very girl he had taken with him when fleeing Messene. | ? | ? |
| 4.12.5 | 3 | πολλάκις δὲ αὐτὸν φοιτῶντα ἐπὶ τὸ μνῆμα τῆς παιδὸς λοχήσαντες ἱππεῖς τῶν Ἀρκάδων αἱροῦσιν· | While he was repeatedly visiting the tomb of his daughter, a group of Arcadian horsemen, ambushing him, captured him. | ? | ? |
| 4.12.5 | 4 | ἀναχθεὶς δὲ ἐς τὴν Ἰθώμην καὶ ἐς ἐκκλησίαν καταστὰς ἀπελογεῖτο ὡς οὐ προδιδοὺς τὴν πατρίδα ἀποχωρήσαι, πειθόμενος δὲ τοῖς ῥηθεῖσιν ὑπὸ τοῦ μάντεως ἐς τὴν παῖδα ὡς οὖσαν οὐ γνησίαν. | Being led back to Ithome and brought before the assembly, he defended himself by arguing that he had not left the country in betrayal, but rather had followed the instruction given by the oracle regarding his child—namely, that she was not genuinely his own. | ? | ? |
| 4.12.6 | 1 | ταῦτα ἀπολογούμενος οὐ πρότερον ἔδοξεν ἀληθῆ λέγειν πρὶν ἢ παρῆλθεν ἐς τὸ θέατρον ἡ τὴν ἱερωσύνην τότε τῆς Ἥρας ἔχουσα. | Making this defense, he was not believed to be telling the truth until the woman who at that time held the priesthood of Hera came forward into the theater. | ? | ? |
| 4.12.6 | 2 | αὕτη δὲ τεκεῖν τε τὴν παῖδα ὡμολόγει καὶ τῇ Λυκίσκου γυναικὶ ὑποβαλέσθαι δοῦναι· | She confessed openly that she herself had given birth to the child and had secretly handed it over to the wife of Lykiskos. | ? | ? |
| 4.12.6 | 3 | "νῦν δὲ" ἔφη "τό τε ἀπόρρητον ἐκφαίνουσα ἥκω καὶ παύσουσα ἐμαυτὴν ἱερωμένην." | She declared, "I have come now to reveal that which was hidden and to resign my priesthood voluntarily." | ? | ? |
| 4.12.6 | 4 | ταῦτα δὲ ἔλεγεν, ὅτι ἦν ἐν τῇ Μεσσήνῃ καθεστηκός, ἢν γυναικὸς ἱερωμένης ἢ καὶ ἀνδρὸς προαποθάνῃ τις τῶν παίδων, ἐς ἄλλον τὴν ἱερωσύνην μεταχωρεῖν. | She spoke thus because there was an established custom in Messenia whereby, if any child of the priestess or priest should die prematurely, the priesthood must pass to another. | ? | ? |
| 4.12.6 | 5 | νομίζοντες οὖν τὴν γυναῖκα ἀληθῆ λέγειν, τῇ θεῷ τε εἵλοντο ἱερατευσομένην ἀντʼ ἐκείνης καὶ Λυκίσκον συγγνωστὰ ἔφασαν εἰργάσθαι. | Therefore, believing the woman spoke the truth, they selected another priestess to serve the goddess in her place and declared that Lykiskos had acted understandably. | ? | ? |
| 4.12.7 | 1 | μετὰ δὲ ταῦτα ἐδόκει σφίσι---καὶ γὰρ εἰκοστὸν ἔτος ἐπῄει τῷ πολέμῳ---πέμπειν αὖθις ἐς Δελφοὺς ἐρησομένους ὑπὲρ νίκης. | Afterwards, since it was now the twentieth year of the war, they determined once again to send messengers to Delphi to inquire about victory. | ? | ? |
| 4.12.7 | 2 | ἐρομένοις δὲ ἔχρησεν ἡ Πυθία· τοῖς τρίποδας περὶ βωμὸν Ἰθωμάτᾳ Διὶ πρώτοις στήσασιν δεκάδων ἀριθμὸν δὶς πέντε δίδωσι σὺν κύδει πολέμου γαῖαν Μεσσηνίδα δαίμων. | Asking their question, the Pythia responded with the oracle: | ? | ? |
| 4.12.7 | 3 | Ζεὺς γὰρ ἔνευσʼ οὕτως. | "The god grants the land of Messene, along with the glory of war, to the first to set ten times two tripods around the altar of Zeus Ithomatas—for so has Zeus granted. | ? | ? |
| 4.12.7 | 4 | ἀπάτη δέ σε πρόσθε τίθησιν ἥ τʼ ὀπίσω τίσις ἐστί, καὶ ἔνθεον ἐξαπατῴης. | But deception lies before you, and vengeance follows afterward, so you shall deceive even heaven itself. | ? | ? |
| 4.12.7 | 5 | ἕρδʼ ὅππῃ τὸ χρεών· ἄτη δʼ ἄλλοισι πρὸ ἄλλων. | Act as fate requires; ruin shall befall others before you." | ? | ? |
| 4.12.8 | 1 | ταῦτʼ ἀκούσαντες γεγονέναι τε ἡγοῦντο ὑπὲρ αὑτῶν τὴν μαντείαν καὶ σφίσι διδόναι τὸ τοῦ πολέμου κράτος· οὐ γὰρ αὐτῶν γε ἐχόντων ἐντὸς τείχους τοῦ Ἰθωμάτα τὸ ἱερὸν Λακεδαιμονίους προτέρους ἀναθέντας φθήσεσθαι. | When they heard these things, they thought that the oracle had been given concerning themselves and that victory in war was being granted to them; for while they held within their walls the sanctuary of Ithome, they believed the Lacedaemonians would not surpass them by being the first to dedicate the offering. | ? | ? |
| 4.12.8 | 2 | καὶ οἱ μὲν ξυλίνους κατασκευάσεσθαι τρίποδας ἔμελλον, οὐ γάρ σφισι περιῆν χρήματα ὡς χαλκοῦς ποιήσασθαι· | Therefore, they intended to make wooden tripods, as they did not possess enough money to craft bronze ones. | ? | ? |
| 4.12.8 | 3 | τῶν δέ τις Δελφῶν τὸν χρησμὸν ἐξήγγειλεν ἐς Σπάρτην. | But someone from Delphi revealed the oracle to Sparta. | ? | ? |
| 4.12.8 | 4 | πυθομένοις δὲ ἐν κοινῷ μὲν οὐδέν σφισιν ἐξεγένετο ἀνευρεῖν σοφόν, | Although the Lacedaemonians collectively considered it, they were unable to find a clever solution. | ? | ? |
| 4.12.8 | 5 | Οἴβαλος δὲ | However, Oibalos— | ? | ? |
| 4.12.9 | 1 | τὰ μὲν ἄλλα οὐ τῶν ἐπιφανῶν, γνώμην δὲ ὡς ἐδήλωσεν ἀγαθός, ποιησάμενος ὡς ἔτυχε πηλοῦ τρίποδας ἑκατόν, τούτους τε ἀποκεκρυμμένους ἐν πήρᾳ καὶ δίκτυα ἅμα αὐτοῖς ἔφερεν ὡς ἀνὴρ θηρευτής. | He was otherwise not notable, but intelligent, as he demonstrated through his stratagem: having crafted one hundred tripods of clay in a casual manner, he concealed them in a leather sack and carried nets along with them, appearing to be a hunter. | ? | ? |
| 4.12.9 | 2 | ἅτε δὲ ὢν ἀγνὼς καὶ Λακεδαιμονίων τοῖς πολλοῖς, ῥᾷον Μεσσηνίους ἐλάνθανεν· | Because he was unknown and unrecognized by the majority of the Lacedaemonians, it was easier for him to escape the attention of the Messenians. | ? | ? |
| 4.12.9 | 3 | ἀναμίξας δὲ αὑτὸν ἀνδράσιν ἀγροίκοις ἐσῆλθέ τε μετʼ αὐτῶν ἐς τὴν Ἰθώμην καὶ ὡς νὺξ τάχιστα ἐπελάμβανεν ἀναθεὶς τοὺς τρίποδας τῷ θεῷ | Having mixed among farmers, he entered Ithome alongside them, and as soon as night fell, he dedicated the clay tripods to the god. | ? | ? |
| 4.12.9 | 4 | τούτους δὴ τοὺς πηλίνους αὖθις ἐς Σπάρτην ἀπαγγελῶν Λακεδαιμονίοις ᾤχετο. | He then returned to Sparta to report this to the Lacedaemonians. | ? | ? |