Greek passages split into sentences with English translation
| Passage | Sentence | Greek | English | Era | Skepticism |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 4.4.1 | 1 | ἐπὶ δὲ Φίντα τοῦ Συβότα πρῶτον Μεσσήνιοι τότε τῷ Ἀπόλλωνι ἐς Δῆλον θυσίαν καὶ ἀνδρῶν χορὸν ἀποστέλλουσι· | Under Phintas, son of Sybotas, the Messenians first sent to Delos a sacrifice and a chorus of men in honor of Apollo. | ? | ? |
| 4.4.1 | 2 | τὸ δέ σφισιν ᾆσμα προσόδιον ἐς τὸν θεὸν ἐδίδαξεν Εὔμηλος, εἶναί τε ὡς ἀληθῶς Εὐμήλου νομίζεται μόνα τὰ ἔπη ταῦτα. | Eumelus composed for them the prosodion hymn for the god; indeed, these verses alone are genuinely accepted as the work of Eumelus. | ? | ? |
| 4.4.1 | 3 | ἐγένετο δὲ καὶ πρὸς Λακεδαιμονίους ἐπὶ τῆς Φίντα βασιλείας διαφορὰ πρῶτον, ἀπὸ αἰτίας ἀμφισβητουμένης μὲν καὶ ταύτης, γενέσθαι δὲ οὕτω λεγομένης. | It was also in the reign of Phintas that their first dispute arose with the Lacedaemonians; the reason for it is debated, but the following account is the one commonly given. | ? | ? |
| 4.4.2 | 1 | ἔστιν ἐπὶ τοῖς ὅροις τῆς Μεσσηνίας ἱερὸν Ἀρτέμιδος καλουμένης Λιμνάτιδος, μετεῖχον δὲ αὐτοῦ μόνοι Δωριέων οἵ τε Μεσσήνιοι καὶ οἱ Λακεδαιμόνιοι. | On the frontier of Messenia there is a sanctuary of Artemis, known as Limnatis, which only the Dorian Messenians and Lacedaemonians shared in common. | ? | ? |
| 4.4.2 | 2 | Λακεδαιμόνιοι μὲν δή φασιν ὡς παρθένους αὑτῶν παραγενομένας ἐς τὴν ἑορτὴν αὐτάς τε βιάσαιντο ἄνδρες τῶν Μεσσηνίων καὶ τὸν βασιλέα σφῶν ἀποκτείναιεν πειρώμενον κωλύειν, Τήλεκλον Ἀρχελάου τοῦ Ἀγησιλάου τοῦ Δορύσσου τοῦ Λαβώτα τοῦ Ἐχεστράτου τοῦ Ἄγιδος, πρός τε δὴ τούτοις τὰς βιασθείσας τῶν παρθένων διεργάσασθαι λέγουσιν αὑτὰς ὑπὸ αἰσχύνης· | Now, the Lacedaemonians say that their maidens had come to the festival, and that men of the Messenians violated them and killed their king, Teleclus, son of Archelaus, son of Agesilaus, son of Doryssus, son of Labotas, son of Echestratus, son of Agis, when he attempted to restrain them. | ? | ? |
| 4.4.3 | 1 | Μεσσήνιοι δὲ τοῖς ἐλθοῦσι σφῶν ἐς τὸ ἱερὸν πρωτεύουσιν ἐν Μεσσήνῃ κατὰ ἀξίωμα, τούτοις φασὶν ἐπιβουλεῦσαι Τήλεκλον, αἴτιον δὲ εἶναι τῆς χώρας τῆς Μεσσηνίας τὴν ἀρετήν, ἐπιβουλεύοντα δὲ ἐπιλέξαι Σπαρτιατῶν ὁπόσοι πω γένεια οὐκ εἶχον, τούτους δὲ ἐσθῆτι καὶ κόσμῳ τῷ λοιπῷ σκευάσαντα ὡς παρθένους ἀναπαυομένοις τοῖς Μεσσηνίοις ἐπεισαγαγεῖν, δόντα ἐγχειρίδια· καὶ τοὺς Μεσσηνίους ἀμυνομένους τούς τε ἀγενείους νεανίσκους καὶ αὐτὸν ἀποκτεῖναι Τήλεκλον, Λακεδαιμονίους δὲ---οὐ γὰρ ἄνευ τοῦ κοινοῦ ταῦτα βουλεῦσαι σφῶν τὸν βασιλέα---συνειδότας ὡς ἄρξαιεν ἀδικίας, τοῦ φόνου σφᾶς τοῦ Τηλέκλου δίκας οὐκ ἀπαιτῆσαι. | The Messenians say that Teleclus plotted against those of their men who came to the sanctuary, who were the principal citizens of Messene in prestige. | ? | ? |
| 4.4.3 | 2 | ταῦτα μὲν ἑκάτεροι λέγουσι, πειθέσθω δὲ ὡς ἔχει τις ἐς τοὺς ἑτέρους σπουδῆς. | The reason for his plot was the excellence of the Messenian land. | ? | ? |
| 4.4.4 | 1 | γενεᾷ δὲ ὕστερον βασιλεύοντος ἐν Λακεδαίμονι Ἀλκαμένους τοῦ Τηλέκλου, τῆς δὲ οἰκίας τῆς ἑτέρας Θεοπόμπου τοῦ Νικάνδρου τοῦ Χαρίλλου τοῦ Πολυδέκτου τοῦ Εὐνόμου τοῦ Πρυτάνιδος τοῦ Εὐρυπῶντος, Μεσσηνίων δὲ Ἀντιόχου καὶ Ἀνδροκλέους τῶν Φίντα, Λακεδαιμονίων καὶ Μεσσηνίων ἐξήρθη τὸ ἐς ἀλλήλους μῖσος· | A generation later, when Alcamenes, son of Teleclus, was reigning in Lacedaemon, and from the other royal house Theopompus, son of Nicander, son of Charillus, son of Polydectes, son of Eunomus, son of Prytanis, son of Eurypon, and when Antiochus and Androcles, sons of Phintas, ruled among the Messenians, the hatred between Lacedaemonians and Messenians flared up once more. | ? | ? |
| 4.4.4 | 2 | καὶ ἦρξαν οἱ Λακεδαιμόνιοι πολέμου, | The Lacedaemonians started the war. | ? | ? |
| 4.4.4 | 3 | ἐπιγενομένης ἀφορμῆς σφισιν ἐθελέχθρως μὲν ἔχουσι καὶ πολεμῆσαι πάντως ἐγνωκόσιν οὐ μόνον ἀποχρώσης ἀλλὰ καὶ τὰ μάλιστα εὐπροσώπου, μετὰ δὲ εἰρηνικωτέρας γνώμης κἂν διελύθη δικαστηρίου γνώσει. | An occasion arose, and, since they harbored deliberate enmity and were intent upon conflict at any cost, they took it as not merely sufficient, but entirely plausible grounds for war; yet, had they possessed a more peaceable mind, the matter could have been settled through judicial decision. | ? | ? |
| 4.4.4 | 4 | τὰ δὲ συμβάντα ἔσχεν οὕτω. | These were the events that led to war. | ? | ? |
| 4.4.5 | 1 | Πολυχάρης Μεσσήνιος τά τε ἄλλα οὐκ ἀφανὴς καὶ νίκην Ὀλυμπίασιν ἀνῃρημένος—τετάρτην Ὀλυμπιάδα ἦγον Ἠλεῖοι καὶ ἀγώνισμα ἦν σταδίου μόνον, ὅτε ὁ Πολυχάρης ἐνίκησεν—, τούτῳ τῷ ἀνδρὶ ἐγένοντο βοῦς· | Polychares, a Messenian distinguished in many ways and victor at Olympia—when he gained victory, the Eleans were celebrating their fourth Olympiad and the sole contest was the stadion race—this man possessed cattle. | ? | ? |
| 4.4.5 | 2 | καὶ—οὐ γὰρ ἐκέκτητο ἰδίαν γῆν ὡς νομὰς ταῖς βουσὶν ἱκανὰς εἶναι— Σπαρτιάτῃ σφᾶς δίδωσιν Εὐαίφνῳ βόσκεσθαί τε ἐν ἐκείνου καὶ μοῖραν εἶναι καὶ Εὐαίφνῳ τοῦ καρποῦ τῶν βοῶν. | However, as he owned no land sufficient for grazing them, he entrusted them to the Spartan Euaiphnos, allowing them to graze on Euaiphnos's property on the condition that Euaiphnos would receive a share of the produce from the herd. | ? | ? |
| 4.4.6 | 1 | ἦν δὲ ἄρα τοιόσδε τις ὁ Εὔαιφνος, κέρδη τε ἄδικα ἐπίπροσθεν ἢ πιστὸς εἶναι ποιούμενος καὶ ἄλλως αἱμύλος· | This Euaphnus was, it seems, a man of the following sort—he habitually preferred dishonest gain over trustworthy conduct, and was generally cunning. | ? | ? |
| 4.4.6 | 2 | ὃς καὶ τότε καταπλεύσασιν ἐς τὴν Λακωνικὴν ἐμπόροις ἀποδόμενος βοῦς τὰς Πολυχάρους ἦλθεν αὐτὸς ὡς Πολυχάρην ἄγγελος, ἐλθὼν δὲ ἀποβάντας ἔλεγεν ἐς τὴν χώραν λῃστὰς καὶ βιασαμένους αὐτὸν λείαν βοῦς τε ἄγεσθαι καὶ βουκόλους. | On that particular occasion, indeed, having sold cattle belonging to Polychares to some merchants who had sailed to Laconia, he himself went to Polychares as if bearing news; upon arriving, he told Polychares that pirates had come ashore in the region, assaulted him, and had taken his cattle along with the herdsmen as booty. | ? | ? |
| 4.4.6 | 3 | ἕως δὲ οὗτος παρέπειθεν, ἐν τούτῳ τῶν τις βουκόλων ἀποδιδράσκει τοὺς ἐμπόρους, ἐπανήκων δὲ καταλαμβάνει τε αὐτοῦ παρὰ τῷ δεσπότῃ τὸν Εὔαιφνον καὶ Πολυχάρους ἐναντίον ἤλεγχεν. | While Euaphnus was persuading him of this, one of the herdsmen escaped from the merchants, returned home, found Euaphnus there with his master, and openly denounced him before Polychares. | ? | ? |
| 4.4.7 | 1 | ἁλισκόμενος δὲ καὶ οὐκ ἔχων ἀπαρνήσασθαι πολλὰ μὲν αὐτὸν Πολυχάρην, πολλὰ δὲ καὶ τοῦ Πολυχάρους τὸν παῖδα ἱκέτευε νεῖμαί οἱ συγγνώμην· | Now that he had been caught and could offer no denial, Euaphnus repeatedly begged forgiveness from Polychares himself and from Polychares’ son. | ? | ? |
| 4.4.7 | 2 | ἐν γὰρ τῇ ἀνθρωπίνῃ φύσει καὶ ἄλλων ἐνόντων, ἐφʼ οἷς βιαζόμεθα ἄδικοι γίνεσθαι, τὰ κέρδη μεγίστην ἀνάγκην ἔχειν· | He argued that, although human nature is subject to various forces that compel us toward injustice, the lure of profit is the strongest compulsion of all. | ? | ? |
| 4.4.7 | 3 | τιμὴν δὲ ἥντινα εἰλήφει τῶν βοῶν, λόγῳ τε ἀπέφαινε καὶ τὸν παῖδα ἠξίου τὸν Πολυχάρους ἕπεσθαί οἱ κομιούμενον. | He further explained the price he had received for the cattle, and urged Polychares' son to accompany him to recover it. | ? | ? |
| 4.4.7 | 4 | ὡς δὲ προϊόντες ἐγίνοντο ἐν τῇ Λακωνικῇ, ἔργον ἐτόλμησεν Εὔαιφνος ἀνοσιώτερον τοῦ προτέρου· | But when they were advancing on their way into Laconia, Euaphnus ventured upon a deed still more wicked than the first. | ? | ? |
| 4.4.8 | 1 | φονεύει τοῦ Πολυχάρους τὸν υἱόν. | He killed Polycharus' son. | ? | ? |
| 4.4.8 | 2 | ὁ δὲ ὡς καὶ ταῦτα ἔγνω πεπονθώς, φοιτῶν ἐς τὴν Λακεδαίμονα τοῖς βασιλεῦσιν ἦν καὶ τοῖς ἐφόροις διʼ ὄχλου, πολλὰ μὲν τὸν παῖδα ἀνακλαίων, καταριθμούμενος δὲ οἷα ὑπὸ Εὐαίφνου πεπονθὼς ἦν, ὃν αὐτὸς ξένον ἐποιήσατο καὶ πρὸ πάντων Λακεδαιμονίων ἐπίστευσεν. | When Polycharus learned also of this misfortune, he regularly came to Sparta, forcefully confronting the kings and ephors: repeatedly lamenting his son's death and recounting the wrongs he had suffered at the hands of Euaephnus, whom he himself had made guest-friend and had trusted more than any other Spartan. | ? | ? |
| 4.4.8 | 3 | ὡς δέ οἱ συνεχῶς ἰόντι ἐπὶ τὰς ἀρχὰς οὐδεμία ἐγίνετο τιμωρία, ἐνταῦθα παρετράπη τε ὁ Πολυχάρης ἐκ τοῦ νοῦ καὶ τῷ θυμῷ χρώμενος, ἅτε ἔχων ἀφειδῶς ἤδη καὶ αὑτοῦ, πάντα τινὰ ὃν λάβοι Λακεδαιμονίων ἐτόλμα φονεύειν. | But as no redress was given by the magistrates notwithstanding his persistent protests, Polycharus, driven now entirely beyond reason and mastered by rage, caring nothing even for his own life, dared to kill any Spartan whom he could seize. | ? | ? |