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τὸ στράτευμα τὸ Περσικόν: the word στράτευμα is used both for ‘expedition’ and ‘army’ or ‘host’; here perhaps (with ὅρμα) rather in the latter sense. It was a ‘Persian’ army, not merely politically, but in the main ethnically, while at Sardes in 481-480 B.C. (cp. 7. 26, 40), and this passage is an undesigned homage to the fact.
καταβάς: from inland to the coast. κατὰ δή τι πρῆγμα, ‘on some (other) business.’ — Perhaps Panionios was a reformed character by this time, with a wife and family of his own, and only engaged in lawful trade: all the more terrible the vengeance. But l. 11 infra hardly supports this.
γῆν τὴν Μυσίην: the term is partitive or restrictive, and plainly not used with the same extension as in 7. 42 supra, as the next words prove. τὴν Χῖοι μὲν νέμονται Ἀταρνεὺς δὲ καλέεται. Cp. 1. 160 χῶρος τῆς Μυσίης Λέσβου ἀντίος. The dreadful story of this ‘field of blood’ is told 1. 160. Cp. 7. 42 supra. The specification here was hardly necessary after that passage. The notice here is probably reproduced from the ‘Source,’ and without any memory of the other passages. The absence of a cross reference is suggestive of Hdt.'s method of work.
εὑρίσκει: not that he was looking for him; it is a casual meeting apparently.
ἐπιγνούς: as Hermotimos ‘recognizes’ his tormentor he will not have been a mere child at the time of his capture.
καταλέγων, of a series, or list; cp. 7. 110. δἰ ἐκεῖνον, ‘thanks to him.’
ὑπισχνεύμενος: Hdt. apparently uses freely both forms ὑπισχνέομαι and ὑπίσχομαι. Cp. 7. 104, 168, 9. 109, 2. 152, etc. ἀντί, in return for.
τοὐς οἰκέτας: τὰ τέκνα και τὴν γυναῖκα infra; cp. c. 41 supra. ἐκείνῃ: sc. ἐν τῷ Ἀταρνέι, Stein; or possibly ἐν Σάρδισι. ὑποδεξάμενον ἄσμενον: this construction is paralleled in Thuc. 6. 12. 2 “ἄρχειν ἄσμενος αἱρεθείς. ἄσμενος” is a curious adjective, itself at times almost participially constructed; cp. c. 14 supra.
πανοικίῃ: 7. 39 supra. περιέλαβε: cp. περιῆλθε ad fin.
ἤδη: as in c. 105 supra.
ἔργων is here (and there) used perhaps of industrial ‘works’ (ἔργα καὶ ἧμέραι). The formula τῶν ἡμ. ἴδ. would be very dull here! Cp. c. 105 supra. τὸν βίον κτησάμενε: a variant on τὴν ζόην κατεστήσατο c. 105. τί σε ἐγώ κτλ.: a vendetta might have justified the cruelty of Panionios to Hermotimos—as it now justifies that of Hermotimos to Panionios.
ὅτι με ἀντ᾽ ἀνδρὸς ἐποίησας τὸ μηδὲν εἶναι, ‘that thou hast made me to be, instead of a man, the merest cipher.’ τὸ μηδέν, cp 9. 58 infra οὐδένες ἄρα ἐόντες κτλ. and 1. 32 ἡ δ᾽ ἡμετέρη εὐδαιμονίη οὕτω τοι άπέρριπται ἐς τὸ μηδέν . ., neither of which passages is so forcible as this. Contr. Plato Laws 716 B πολλοῖς τισὶν ἔδοξεν εἶναί τις. ἐδόκεές τε θεοὺς λήσειν οἷα ἐμηχανῶ τότε, ‘thou wast thinking to escape the eyes of God in such deeds as thou wast then contriving.’
νόμῳ δικαίῳ χρεώμενοι: the Divine justice to Hdt. is strictly anthropomorphic. Cp. Introduction, § 11. ὥστε σε μὴ μέμψασθαι, ferocious irony: ‘so that you (should) find no fault with . .,’ ‘so that you (should) have no fault to find with.’ Not merely, ‘so that you have no right to complain that I revenge myself on you’ Cp. Xenoph. Hell. 6. 2. 34 εἰ δέ τις μὴ ἀκολουθήσει, προεῖπε μὴ μέμψεσθαι τὴν δίκην: Plato Laws 716 B ὑποσχὼν τιμωρίαν οὐ μεμπτὴν τῇ δίκῃ ἑαυτόν τε καὶ οἶκον καὶ πόλιν ἄρδην ἀνάστατον ἐποίησε The aorist infinitive with the future participle is piquant.
ἀναγκαζόμενος, passive: no doubt by torture.
περιῆλθε ἥ τε τίσις καὶ Ἑρμότιμος: is it possible that Hdt. should have meant to spoil his grim story with a pun? Yet be τίσις never so much personified the phrase seems not quite happy. Cp. 3. 4 σοφίῃ γάρ μιν περιῆλθε ὁ Φάνης. L. & S. render the word here ‘came at last upon . .’ (περιέλαβε up above seems the complement), and in c. 6 supra ‘surround,’ in potestatem habuit (Baehr). Perhaps the explanation should be sought not so much in a zeugma (περιῆλθε) as in a hendiadys (ἥ τε τίσις καὶ Ἑρμότιμος), ‘Vengeance in the person of Hermotimos laid hands on Panionios.’
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