Hellenica excerpt, IV.i.1-15

[1] ὁ δὲ Ἀγησίλαος ἐπεὶ ἀφίκετο ἅμα μετοπώρῳ εἰς τὴν τοῦ Φαρναβάζου Φρυγίαν,
Agesilaos, when he arrived in late autumn in Pharnabazos’ Phyrgia,

τὴν μὲν χώραν ἔκαε καὶ ἐπόρθει,
put the land to fire and sword,

πόλεις δὲ τὰς μὲν βίᾳ, τὰς δ᾽ ἑκούσας προσελάμβανε.
and took the cities, some by force, some voluntarily.

[2] λέγοντος δὲ τοῦ Σπιθριδάτου ὡς εἰ ἔλθοι πρὸς τὴν Παφλαγονίαν σὺν αὐτῷ,
And when Spithradates (a Persian exile) said that if he came to Paphlagonia with him,

τὸν τῶν Παφλαγόνων βασιλέα καὶ εἰς λόγους ἄξοι καὶ σύμμαχον ποιήσοι,
he would bring the king of Paphlagonia to a conference and make him an ally,

προθύμως ἐπορεύετο, πάλαι τούτου ἐπιθυμῶν, τοῦ ἀφιστάναι τι ἔθνος ἀπὸ βασιλέως.
enthusiastically he went, for this was a long-held desire, to pull away a nation from the [Persian] king.

[3] ἐπεὶ δὲ ἀφίκετο εἰς τὴν Παφλαγονίαν,
And when he arrive in Paphlagonia,

ἦλθεν Ὄτυς καὶ συμμαχίαν ἐποιήσατο:
Otys came and made an alliance:

καὶ γὰρ καλούμενος ὑπὸ βασιλέως οὐκ ἀνεβεβήκει.
for he had been summoned by the king and had not gone up.

πείσαντος δὲ τοῦ Σπιθριδάτου κατέλιπε τῷ Ἀγησιλάῳ Ὄτυς
At the urging of Spithradates, Otys left behind for Agesilaos,

χιλίους μὲν ἱππέας, δισχιλίους δὲ πελταστάς.
one thousand horsemen, and two thousand peltasts.

[4] χάριν δὲ τούτων εἰδὼς Ἀγησίλαος τῷ Σπιθριδάτῃ,
Being grateful to Spithradtes for this, Agesilaos [said]:

Εἰπέ μοι, ἔφη, ὦ Σπιθριδάτα, οὐκ ἂν δοίης Ὄτυϊ τὴν θυγατέρα;
“Tell me Spithradates, would you not give your daughter to Otys?”

Πολύ γε, ἔφη, μᾶλλον ἢ ἐκεῖνος ἂν λάβοι φυγάδος ἀνδρὸς βασιλεύων πολλῆς καὶ χώρας καὶ δυνάμεως.
“Of course,” he said, “rather than he, a man ruling many lands and powers, might take an exile.

τότε μὲν οὖν ταῦτα μόνον ἐρρήθη περὶ τοῦ γάμου.
Thus then, nothing more (“only this” – ταῦτα μόνον) was said about the marriage.

[5] ἐπεὶ δὲ Ὄτυς ἔμελλεν ἀπιέναι,
But when Otys was about to leave,

ἦλθε πρὸς τὸν Ἀγησίλαον ἀσπασόμενος:
he came to Agesilaos, embracing him:

ἤρξατο δὲ λόγου ὁ Ἀγησίλαος παρόντων τῶν τριάκοντα,
Agesilaos began to converse with him, in the presence of his thirty Spartan nobles,

μεταστησάμενος τὸν Σπιθριδάτην:
but removed from Spithradates:

[6] Λέξον μοι, ἔφη, ὦ Ὄτυ, ποίου τινὸς γένους ἐστὶν ὁ Σπιθριδάτης;
“Tell me,” he said, “Otys, of what sort of family is Spithradates?”

ὁ δ᾽ εἶπεν ὅτι Περσῶν οὐδενὸς ἐνδεέστερος.
He (O.) said that of the Persians, he was inferior (ἐνδεέστερος) to no one.

Τὸν δὲ υἱόν, ἔφη, ἑόρακας αὐτοῦ ὡς καλός ἐστι;
“About his son,” he (A.) said,” have you noticed (ἑόρακας) how handsome he is?”

Τί δ᾽ οὐ μέλλω; καὶ γὰρ ἑσπέρας συνεδείπνουν αὐτῷ.
“Certainly. For I dined with him last evening.”

Τούτου μέν φασι τὴν θυγατέρα αὐτῷ καλλίονα εἶναι.
“It is said that his daughter is better-looking than him [the son].”

[7] Νὴ Δί᾽, ἔφη ὁ Ὄτυς, καλὴ γάρ ἐστι.
“By Zeus,” said Otys, “she is beautiful.”

Καὶ ἐγὼ μέν, ἔφη, ἐπεὶ φίλος ἡμῖν γεγένησαι,
“And I,” he (A.) said, “since you have become a friend of ours,

συμβουλεύοιμ᾽ ἄν σοι τὴν παῖδα ἄγεσθαι γυναῖκα,
“would advise you to take the young woman as your wife,

καλλίστην μὲν οὖσαν, οὗ τί ἀνδρὶ ἥδιον;
“being beautiful, and what is more pleasing to a husband?

πατρὸς δ᾽ εὐγενεστάτου, δύναμιν δ᾽ ἔχοντος τοσαύτην,
“while also having a most well-born father, who has such power,

ὃς ὑπὸ Φαρναβάζου ἀδικηθεὶς οὕτω τιμωρεῖται αὐτὸν ὥστε φυγάδα πάσης τῆς χώρας, ὡς ὁρᾷς, πεποίηκεν.
“who when wronged by Pharnabazos, in this way punished him, having made him (Ph.) an exile from all his territory, as you see.”

[8] εὖ ἴσθι μέντοι, ἔφη, ὅτι ὥσπερ ἐκεῖνον ἐχθρὸν ὄντα δύναται τιμωρεῖσθαι,
“Indeed, you should know well,” he said, “that just as he is able to punish that one, being an enemy,

οὕτω καὶ φίλον ἄνδρα εὐεργετεῖν δύναιτο.
“thus also he would be able to be a benefactor to a friend.

νόμιζε δὲ τούτων πραχθέντων μὴ ἐκεῖνον ἄν σοι μόνον κηδεστὴν εἶναι,
“And believe (me), if you do these things, not only would you be a connection, “like family” (κηδεστὴν – in-law) of his,

ἀλλὰ καὶ ἐμὲ καὶ τοὺς ἄλλους Λακεδαιμονίους,
“but also me and the other Lacedaimonians,

ἡμῶν δ᾽ ἡγουμένων τῆς Ἑλλάδος καὶ τὴν ἄλλην Ἑλλάδα.
“and by our leadership of Greece, the rest of Greece.

[9] καὶ μὴν μεγαλειοτέρως γε σοῦ, εἰ ταῦτα πράττοις, τίς ἄν ποτε γήμειε;
“And more magnificently than you, if you do this, who might wed/have a wedding?

ποίαν γὰρ νύμφην πώποτε τοσοῦτοι ἱππεῖς καὶ πελτασταὶ καὶ ὁπλῖται προύπεμψαν
“For what woman might ever have so many horsemen, peltasts, and hoplites in her procession

ὅσοι τὴν σὴν γυναῖκα εἰς τὸν σὸν οἶκον προπέμψειαν ἄν;
“as those who might accompany this woman into your house?”

[10] καὶ ὁ Ὄτυς ἐπήρετο: Δοκοῦντα δ᾽, ἔφη, ὦ Ἀγησίλαε, ταῦτα καὶ Σπιθριδάτῃ λέγεις;
And Otys replied, “Does it seem, Agesilaos, that Spithridates also says this?”

Μὰ τοὺς θεούς, ἔφη ὁ Ἀγησίλαος, ἐκεῖνος μὲν ἐμέ γε οὐκ ἐκέλευσε ταῦτα λέγειν:
“By the gods,” said Agesilaos, “he certainly did not urge me to say this:

ἐγὼ μέντοι, καίπερ ὑπερχαίρων, ὅταν ἐχθρὸν τιμωρῶμαι,
“Certainly, while I rejoice when wreaking vengeance on an enemy,

πολὺ μᾶλλόν μοι δοκῶ ἥδεσθαι, ὅταν τι τοῖς φίλοις ἀγαθὸν ἐξευρίσκω.
“very much more seems gratifying to me, when I find out something good for my friends.”

[11] Τί οὖν, ἔφη, οὐ πυνθάνῃ εἰ καὶ ἐκείνῳ βουλομένῳ ταῦτ᾽ ἐστί;
“Why then,” said O., “do you not inquire if he (Sp.) also would want this?”

καὶ ὁ Ἀγησίλαος: Ἴτ᾽, ἔφη, ὑμεῖς, ὦ Ἡριππίδα, καὶ διδάσκετε αὐτὸν βουληθῆναι ἅπερ ἡμεῖς.
And Agesilaos said, “Herippides, go you, and persuade him to desire what we do.”

[12] οἱ μὲν δὴ ἀναστάντες ἐδίδασκον.
Standing up, they told him.

ἐπεὶ δὲ διέτριβον,
and when they had spent some time (with Sp.),

Βούλει, ἔφη, ὦ Ὄτυ, καὶ ἡμεῖς δεῦρο καλέσωμεν αὐτόν;
“Do you wish,” he (A) said, “Otys, that we summon him hither?”

Πολύ γ᾽ ἂν οἶμαι μᾶλλον ὑπὸ σοῦ πεισθῆναι αὐτὸν ἢ ὑπὸ τῶν ἄλλων ἁπάντων.
“I believe he would be much more likely persuaded by you, than by all these others.”

ἐκ τούτου δὴ ἐκάλει ὁ Ἀγησίλαος τὸν Σπιθριδάτην τε καὶ τοὺς ἄλλους.
At this, Agesilaos called in both Spithradates and the others.

[13] προσιόντων δ᾽ εὐθὺς εἶπεν ὁ Ἡριππίδας:
Immediately coming in, Herippides said:

Τὰ μὲν ἄλλα, ὦ Ἀγησίλαε, τὰ ῥηθέντα τί ἄν τις μακρολογοίη;
“Why would one make a long harangue about what was said?

τέλος δὲ λέγει Σπιθριδάτης πᾶν ποιεῖν ἂν ἡδέως ὅ τι σοι δοκοίη.
“In short, Spithridates would gladly do all that you think best.”

[14] Ἐμοὶ μὲν τοίνυν, ἔφη, δοκεῖ, ὁ Ἀγησίλαος, σὲ μέν, ὦ Σπιθριδάτα, τύχῃ ἀγαθῇ διδόναι Ὄτυϊ τὴν θυγατέρα, σὲ δὲ λαμβάνειν.
Agesilaos replied, “For me it seems, that you, Spithridates, in good fortune, give Otys your daughter, and you (Otys) take her.

τὴν μέντοι παῖδα πρὸ ἦρος οὐκ ἂν δυναίμεθα πεζῇ ἀγαγεῖν.
Indee, might we not have the girl brought before spring.

Ἀλλὰ ναὶ μὰ Δί᾽, ἔφη ὁ Ὄτυς, κατὰ θάλατταν ἤδη ἂν πέμποιτο, εἰ σὺ βούλοιο.
“But rather … by Zeus,” said Otys, “she could be sent by sea right now, if you wish.”

[15] ἐκ τούτου δεξιὰς δόντες καὶ λαβόντες ἐπὶ τούτοις ἀπέπεμπον τὸν Ὄτυν.
Thereupon, taking and giving right hands on these matters, they sent away Otys.