Herodotus here resumes the narrative interrupted at the end of chapter 38 for his lengthy digression on Samos. Dewald notes the structural framing of this section - which deals with the transfer of power from Cambyses to Darius - by the excursus on Samos before it, and an equally long survey of the extent of the Persian empire after it (Chapters 88-116). Chapter 61 begins the account of the rebellion of two Magians against Cambyses, one of whom had the name Smerdis and claimed to be Cambyses' brother of the same name. As Dewald notes, Herodotus' story stays fairly close to Darius' own account in the Behistun inscription, although (as we have noted) Darius calls the rebel Mede Gaumata and mentions no second brother.

61.1 ejpanistevatai = Attic ejpanivstantai, "they rebelled against" (+ dat.).

a[ndre" Mavgoi: Cf. the expression ajnh;r aJlieuv" in 42.1. The Magi belonged to the Persian priestly caste, and are often linked with the Persian religious prophet Zoroaster. However, "they were probably a hereditary caste entrusted with the supervision of the national religion, whatever form this religion might take. They were natives of Media and appear to have held a monopoly on conducting religious ceremonies throughout the western half of the Achaemenid empire." (McNeill & Sedlar)

maqwvn...genovmeno": Literally: having perceived both the death of Smerdis, that it was being kept secret having occurred (i.e. that its occurrence was kept secret), (and....)

aujtovn refers back to qavnaton.

eijdeivhsan: they believed. The verb oi\da occasionally means "believe" rather than "know" in Herodotus.

61.2 ejpiceivrhse toi'si basilhvioisi: he made an attempt upon the throne

to;n ei\pa oiJ sunepanasth'nai: Literally: whom I said to have rebelled with him

ei\pa = Attic ei\pon.

oijkw;" mavlista to; ei\do" Smevrdi: Literally: particularly resembling Smerdis with respect to appearance

oijkwv" = Attic ejoikwv", which is the partic. of e[oika, a perf. form meaning "be like" (+ dat.).

61.3 ajnagnwvsa" is the (1st) aor. partic. of ajnagignwvskw, which basically means "recognise". In Ionic Greek, the 1st aor. form is used as here with the meaning "persuade".

ei|se is the 3rd sing. aor. indic. of i{zw, used causally here with the meaning "make sit, seat": bringing his brother to the throne, he seated him upon it.

khvruka"...proerevonta: Literally: he sent heralds both to other places (th'/ a[llh/ (gh'/)) and besides (he sent a herald) to Egypt in order to proclaim...

proerevonta is the partic. (agreeing with khvruka understood from khvruka" above) of the fut. form proerevw, "proclaim". The partic. here indicates purpose: in order to proclaim...

wJ" Smevrdio"....Kambuvsew: Literally: that henceforth (tou' loipou') there must be listening to Smerdis, son of Cyrus, but not Cambyses.

More freely: that henceforth Smerdis, son of Cyrus, was the one to obey, and not Cambyses.

ajkousteva is the neut. plur. verbal adjective, used impersonally, of ajkouvw, here followed by the gens. Smevrdio" and Kambuvsew.

62.1 oJ ejp! Ai[gupton tacqeiv": the one appointed (to go) to Egypt

This is an example of what is called a constructio praegnans - a pregnant construction. The aor. partic.tacqeiv" (from tavssw, here meaning "appoint") does not in itself contain the idea of motion, but is given this force by the prepositional phrase ejp! Ai[gupton.

th'" Surivh" ejn !Agbatavnoisi: in Agbatana (Ecbatana) in Syria. This is clearly a mistake on Herodotus' part. Ecbatana, the one-time capital of the Median empire, lay in Iran (on the site of modern Hamadan). No ancient city of this name is attested in Syria.

ej" mevson: publicly

ejntetalmevna, literally things commanded, is the perf. partic. pass. of ejntevllw.

62.2 ejlpisa": here means having believed.

(pemfqevnta....poih'sai tau'ta): This parenthesis explains why Cambyses believed he had been betrayed. It is a further accus. and infin. construction after ejlpivsa": for (Cambyses believed) him (Prexaspes) having been sent to kill Smerdis not to have done this

wJ" + the fut. infin. ajpoktenevonta forms a purpose construction.

62.3 o{kw" = "that".

62.4 ajnestevasi = Attic ajnesta'si, the 3rd plur. (2nd) perf. indic. of ajnivsthmi, used intransitively with the meaning "rise up, rebel".

prosdevkeo = Attic prosdecou', the 2nd sing. pres. imperat. of prosdevcomai, which here means "expect".

As noted in the Introduction, Astyages was the Median king overthrown by Cyrus.

eij d! e[sti w{sper pro; tou': Literally: but if it is (now) just as before. That is to say: if the course of nature has not changed

ouj mhv ti....ajnablavsth/: Nothing untoward shall spring up. Thus Newmyer, who notes the use of ouj mhv + aor. subjunct. (ajnablavsth/, from ajnablastavnw) to express an emphatic denial.

nu'n w\n moi dokevei...ajkouvein: Literally: Now it seems to me (i.e. it is my advice) that (your attendants) having tracked down the herald should interrogate him, asking from whom he having come proclaims to us to obey king Smerdis.

63.1 h[rese ga;r Kambuvsh/: for it pleased Cambyses. h[rese, the 3rd sing. aor. indic. of ajrevskw, is used here with the meaning "it pleased" (+ dat.). gavr anticipates the statement in the following clause. We might indicate this by translating tau'ta....h|ke thus: Since Cambyses approved of Prexaspes' advice, the herald was tracked down forthwith and brought back.

#Wnqrwpe = w| a[nqrwpe (another example of crasis).

fh;/" ga;r.... A further instance of gavr used to anticipate a following statement. This again is perhaps best translated by converting fh;/" ga;r .... into a causal subordinate clause: Since you say (that you have come) ....

caivrwn here has the sense "unharmed, with impunity".

kovtera (= Attic povtera)...... h[..... introduce an alternative indirect question in apposition to th;n ajlhqeivhn: (having told) the truth - whether Smerdis himself....or one of his servants....

63.2 ejx o{teu: from what (time), i.e. since.

h[lase, the 3rd sing. aor. indic. of ejlauvnw, is here used intransitively with the meaning "he proceeded/advanced".

ajpevdexe = Attic ajpevdeixe, the 3rd sing. aor. indic. act. of ajpodeivknumi, which here means "appoint".

ou|to"...pro;" uJmeva": Literally: this man (the Magus) ordered these things, having said Smerdis, son of Cyrus, to be the one having commanded (ejpiqevmenon, the aor. partic. midd. of ejpitivqhmi) to say these things to you.

More freely: it was the Magus who gave me this order, claiming that Smerdis, son of Cyrus, had commanded that this message be delivered to you.

fav" is the aor. partic. of fhmiv. ei\pai = the Attic aor. infin. eijpei'n.

63.3 oujde;n ejpikatayeusavmeno": having told no lies in addition - i.e. having told the whole truth

aijtivhn ejkpevfeuga": you are entirely innocent.

ejpibateuvwn here = laying claim to (+ gen.).

ou[noma = Attic o[noma.

64.1 hJ ajlhqeivh tw'n lovgwn: i.e. the truth of what Prexaspes had told him.

o}" ejdokeve ..... tou' oujranou: Refer back to 30.2 for this dream (and the notes thereon).

64.2 maqw;n... to;n ajdelfevon: having realised that he had needlessly (mavthn) killed his brother

ajpolwlekw;" ei[h is the 3rd sing. perf. opt. act. of ajpovllumi. For the so-called periphrastic forms of the perf. tense, see JACT p. 216, sec. 190.

perihmekthvsa": having been greatly aggrieved at (+ dat.).

ajnaqrwvskei is a historic present indic.; see the note on ajpopevmpei in 1.3.

th;n tacivsthn (oJdovn) strateuvesqai: to march the quickest route.

64.3 tou' koleou'....ajpopivptei: the tip of the scabbard of his sword fell off. The sword would have been curved like a scimitar and needed to be capped to protect its wearer.

gumnwqe;n to; xivfo": the sword laid bare

trwmatisqei;" de; kata; tou'to th'/: having been wounded in the same place where...

to;n tw'n....e[plhxe: This refers to Cambyses' alleged act of desecration recorded in 29.1. "The details here are suspicious, since they evidently come from the Egyptian priests who wish to represent the death of Cambyses as a judgment upon him for his impiety." (Rawlinson)

wJ" oiJ..tetuvfqai: Literally: as he seemed to himself to have been struck by a fatal (blow)

64.4 tw'/ ejkevcrhsto, the 3rd sing. pluperf. indic. pass. of cravw, is here used impersonally to indicate a divine pronouncement: it had been declared to him (by an oracle)

ejk Boutou'" povlio": from the city of Buto (which lay in the Egyptian Delta). How & Wells comment on the apparent oddness of Cambyses paying attention to an Egyptian oracle.

to; de; crhsthvrion....a[ra: But the oracle in fact meant (that he would die) in the Syrian Ecbatana. (!Agbavtana is plur. in form.) As we have noted above, there was no city of this name in Syria.

64.5 uJpo; th'" sumforh'"....ejswfrovnhse: Literally: having been struck by the (twofold) misfortune, both the one from the Magus and from his wound, he came to his senses.

sullabwvn here means "having understood"

ejnqau'ta .... teleuta'n: Here it is fated that Cambyses, son of Cyrus, should die.

65.1 tovte me;n tosau'ta: At this time (he said) just so much. That is to say, At this time that is all he said.

wJ" here = "about" (used with a numeral as in 3.3).

katalelavbhke....ejkfh'nai: I have no choice but to disclose to you something which above all things I kept concealed (more freely: something which I have made every effort to conceal)

katalelavbhke, the Ionic 3rd sing. perf. indic. (= Attic kateivlhfe) of katalambavnw, is here used impersonally with the meaning "it has befallen".

65.2 th;n mhdama; w[felon ijdei'n: which I wish I had never seen.

w[felon is the 1st sing aor. indic. of ojfeivlw. This verb is regularly used with the infin.to express an unfulfilled wish in past time; see JACT p. 167, sec. 153.

65.3 ajpaireqevw = Attic ajfh/reqw', the 1st sing. aor. subjunct. pass. of ajfairevw, "take from"). The subjunct. is used in a clause introduced by mhv after a verb of fearing (deivsa"). In the active, ajfairevw takes a double accus., the person deprived and the thing of which (s)he is deprived. If we convert the verb into the passive, the thing taken away remains in the accus.: fearing that I might be robbed of my power...

ejpoihvsa tacuvtera h] sofwvtera: I acted with more haste than wisdom.

ejn th'/ ga;r ajnqrwphivh/....ajpotrevpein: Literally: for it was not after all (a[ra) within (the capability of) human nature to turn aside that being about to be (to; mevllon givnesqai - more freely, what is to come).

ajdew'": without fear.

ejpilexavmeno": reckoning with the danger that... Thus Newmyer, who notes that mhv + opt. here points out the element of fear contained in ejpilexavmeno".

uJparairhmevnou is the perf. partic. pass. of uJpairevw (= Attic uJfairevw), which has the sense of removing something secretly/by stealth. The partic. forms with Smevrdio" a gen. absolute construction.

65.4 pavnto"...aJmartwvn: Literally: having mistaken (failed to perceive) all that was about to be

aJmartwvn is the aor. partic. of aJrmatavnw, why is here followed by the gen.

ajdelfeoktovno"...gevgona: Literally: I became a brother-slayer, there being no need.

oujde;n devon is an accus. absolute. gevgona is the 1st sing. perf. indic. of givgnomai.

oujde;n h|sson ejstevrhmai: none the less I have been deprived (of)...

ejstevrhmai is the 1st sing. perf. indic. pass. of sterivskw, "deprive (of)".

65.5 kai; Smevrdin....logivzesqai: and you must accept that Smerdis, the son of Cyrus, is no longer alive for you (i.e. to help you).

to;n mevn nun....oijkhiotavtwn: Literally: (the one) upon whom it was particularly incumbent (to;n mavlista crh'n) to avenge me for having suffered disgraces from the Magi, this man has died by a horrible fate at the hands of those closest to him.

crh'n, the imperf. indic. (here without augment) of the impersonal verb crh, is used with the infin. to indicate an unfulfilled obligation in the past: the one who should have avenged...

65.6 touvtou de; mhkevti....to;n bivon: Literally: This man no longer being alive, (as) the next (best) of the remaining (options) (deutevra tw'n loipw'n), it becomes most necessary for me to charge you, Persians, (with responsibility for those things) which I, ending my life, wish to happen.

mh; periidei'n...perielqou'san: Literally: not to disregard the sovereignty coming back again to the Medes.

More freely: not to allow the sovereignty to pass back once more to the Medes.

ei[te dovlw/...uJpo; uJmevwn: Literally: If they possess it having acquired it by trickery, let it be taken by trickery by you

ajpaireqh'nai, the aor. infin. pass. of ajpairevw, here has the force of an imperative. Similarly ajnaswvsasqai below.

tew'/ = Attic tini.

65.7 kai; tau'ta me;n poieu'si uJmi'n: The participle has conditional force, equivalent to the protasis, or "if clause", of a conditional sentence: If you do these things. (mevn gives notice of a contrasting conditional statement below.) Since the reference is to fut. time, we would expect an apodosis, or main clause, containing a[n + an optative verb (see JACT p. 166, sec. 151). The following clauses do contain optatives (ejkfevroi and tivktoien) but without a[n. We should therefore translate these clauses as wishes rather than as the main clauses of conditional sentences. Thus: If you do these things, may the earth bring forth fruit, and may your wives and flocks be fertile.

mh; de; ajnaswsamevnoisi...: But if you do not win back... The participle again has conditional force, as is made quite clear in this instance by mhv which is regularly used to make negative a conditional clause, or participial expression with conditional force. dev balances and contrasts the mevn referred to above.

ajrw'mai = ajravomai, "pray". The use of this verb makes clear that Cambyses in these statements is expressing a series of wishes.

kai; pro;" e[ti touvtoisi....ejpigevgone: Literally: and in addition further to these things, (I pray) that the end, of what kind has fallen upon me, will fall upon each of the Persians.

a{ma ei[pa" tau'ta: Literally: at the same time having said these things

ajpevklaie is another example of an imperf tense used with inchoative force: he began to weep

prh'xin here has the sense "(mis)fortune".

66.1 pavnte"....kathreivkonto: Literally: they all rent what they had being-in-the-nature-of garments

For ejcovmena with the meaning "being in the nature of" (+ gen.), see the note on pavnta...ejpeleloivpee in 25.4.

kathreivkonto is the 3rd plur. imperf. indic. midd. of katereivkw, "rend, tear apart".

66.2 meta; de; tau'ta....Kambuvsea: Literally: But after this as both the bone became gangrenous (ejsfakevlise) and the thigh became rotten (ejsavph, the 3rd sing. aor. indic. pass. of shvpw, "cause to rot"), (disease) carried off (ajphvneike = Attic ajphvnegke, 3rd sing. aor. indic. act. of ajpofevrw) Cambyses.

e[rseno" is gen. sing. (after a[paida) of e[rshn (= Attic a[rshn), "male".

66.3 Persevwn....prhvgmata: Literally: Much distrust had stolen over the Persians being present that the Magi had gained control (e[cein ta; prhvgmata). That is to say, the Persians were very distrustful of the report that the Magi had assumed authroity in their land.

uJpekevcuto is the 3rd sing. pluperf. midd. of uJpocevw, "spread over, steal over" (+ dat.).

hjpistevato is the (Ionic) 3rd plur. imperf. indic. of ejpivstamai, which here means "think" (as often in Herodotus).

i{na oiJ...Persikovn: so that the wholePersian (race) might be made hostile towards him (oiJ - i.e. Smerdis).

67.1 deinw'"....Smevrdin: For Prexaspes too was vigorously denying that he had killed Smerdis.

e[xarno" h\n mhv = "was denying that". mhv is regularly used (with infin.) after a verb or phrase of denial to reinforce the denial.

ouj ga;r h\n... aujtoceirivh/: For it would not have been safe for him, after Cambyses' death, to say that he had killed the son of Cyrus with his own hands.

67.2 ejpibateuvwn...Kuvrou: passing himself off as his namesake Smerdis, son of Cyrus

mh'na"...plhrwvsio": (reigned) for the seven months that remained to complete the eight years of Cambyses' (reign).

67.3 ajpedevxato = Attic ajpedeivxato which is the 3rd sing. aor. indic. midd. of ajpodeivknumi, which here means "display, perform".

w{ste....Persevwn: with the result that all the peoples in Asia except the Persians themselves greatly missed him after his death.

diapevmya"...h\rce: for the Magus having-sent-in-different-directions (messengers) to every tribe which he ruled, ...

Chapters 68-79 deal with the "conspiracy of the seven" against the "false" Smerdis, who had seized the Persian throne after Cambyses' death. Details of the conspiracy and the identity of the conpirators are provided in Chapter 70.

68.1 aujtivka....ajrchvn: at the very beginning of his reign

ejgevneto katavdhlo": Literally: he became very clear. That is to say, his identity was exposed.

Otanes was the brother of Cassandane, wife of Cambyses, and the father of another of his wives, Phaedyme..

gevnei>....Persevwn: Literally: in birth and wealth resembling the first of (the) Persians.

More freely: one of the noblest and wealthiest of the Persians. (Waterfield)

68.2 ajll! o{" per h\n: but who he really was.

th'/de sumbalovmeno": having inferred (his identity) in this way: Note that sumbalovmeno" (with single l) is the aor. partic. of sumbavllw.

ajkropovlio" is a reference to the palace at Susa. As How & Wells note, Herodotus wrongly lays the scene at Susa, "because it was to him, as to all Greeks and Jews, the capital of the empire."

68.3 e[sce here = "had married".

th;n aujth;n....gunaixiv: Literally: At the time in question, the Magus was married to this same woman and cohabited both with her and with all the other wives of Cambyses.

par! o{tew/ ajnqrwvpwn koimw'/to: with which of (the) men she slept

o{tew/ = Attic w|/tini

68.4 ginwvskein = Attic gigvnwskein.

Atossa was (as we have noted above in 31.1 and 31.6) one of the sisters, and also one of the wives, of Cambyses.

puvqeu (= Attic puvqou) is the 2nd sing. aor. imperat. of punqavnomai.

o{tew/ touvtw/....kai; suv: with what man this (is) both that woman and you cohabit.

More freely: the identity of the man to whom both you and she are married.

68.5 sugkathmevnwn gunaikw'n: of the women sitting with (Atossa) - i.e. the maidservants of Atossa.

ejpeivte tavcista: as soon as

dievspeire....tavxa": Literally: he separated us, having installed one in one place, another in another place (much more concisely expressed in Greek by a[llhn a[llh/).

More freely: he separated us, putting each of us in different quarters.

69.1 ajkouvonti....to; prh'gma: Literally: The matter appeared clearer to Otanes hearing these things.

69.2 gegonui'an eu\: The participle has causal force: since you are nobly born.

ou[toi....divkhn: Literally: it is necessary for him both sleeping with you and holding power over the Persians not indeed (ou[toi) to escape (thus ajpallavsein, here used intransitively) unpunished (caivronta - cf. the expressions using this word in 29.2 and 36.3), but to pay the penalty.

69.3 a[fason is the 2nd sing. aor. imperat. of ajfavssw, "feel for". Phaidyme would, in Herodotus' version, need to feel for his ears since Herodotus assumes that the Persians wore their felt caps all the time, even when they went to bed (cf. note on 12.4 above).

69.4 ejpivlampto" "caught, detected" is here fem. (the adjective is a two-termination one).

aji>stwvsei, the 3rd sing. fut. indic. of aji>stovw, basically "make unseen", is used in the sense "destroy".

o{mw"...tau'ta: However (she said she) would do it.

katergavsesqai: The fut. infin. is regularly used after verbs of promising (here uJpedevxato), hoping, and swearing.

69.5 tou' de; Mavgou....smikrh'/: Literally: Cyrus, the son of Cambyses, during his reign (a[rcwn) cut off the ears of this Magus, Smerdis, for some not insignificant reason.

ajpevtame = Attic ajpevteme, the 3rd sing. aor. indic. act. of \ajpotevmnw.

ouj smikrh'/ is another example of litotes.

For a similar mutilation, see Chapters 154-58 (not included in our prescription) which record the story of Zopyrus.

69.6 ejpeivte...ejgivneto: Literally: when it became the turn of her of approach (to) (i.e. to approach)

ajpivxio" = Attic ajfivxio".

ouj calepw'" ajll! eujpetevw": without any difficulty at all

wJ" hJmevrh tavcista ejgegovnee: as soon as it was morning.

70.1 eJwutw'/ ejpithdeotavtou" ej" pivstin: most suitable for him to trust - i.e. most worthy of his trust.

ajneneivkanto"...ejdevxanto: they accepted the account of Otanes having put (the matter before them).

ajneneivkanto" is the gen. sing. of the aor. partic. act. of ajnafevrw, here meaning "refer (a matter to someone for information/advice)".

kai; ejdovxev sfi...mavlista: Literally: And it was resolved by them to-take-as-ally (prosetairivsasqai) each man from among the Persians in whom he most trusted.

!Otavnh"....!Udavrnea: This list of the conspirators corresponds very closely with that given by Darius in his Behistun inscription (sec. 68). The only discrepancy is Herodotus' Aspathines, in place of Darius' Ardumanish. How & Wells note that the families of all the conspirators were to play prominent roles in later history (with the exception of Intaphrenes, for reasons which will become obvious).

70.3 Darei'o" !Ustavspeo": Darius = Darius I, king of Persia from 521 to 486.

Hystaspes, the father of Darius, had been satrap of Parthia and Hyrcania under Cyrus. He was still alive when Darius acceded to the throne, and in fact served as general under his son. As McNeill & Sedlar comment, "this fact alone suggests extraordinary circumstances; for had Darius been in the direct line of succession, his father and grandfather would have inherited the throne before him." He was none the less, according to the Behistun inscription (secs. 1-4), a direct descendant of Achaemenes, the founder of the Achaemenid dynasty.

71.1 pivsti" is accus. plur. See note on 7.2.

ejpeivte ej" Darei'on ajpivketo: Literally: When it came to Darius - i.e., When it was Darius' turn

71.2 susthvswn is the fut. partic. of sunivsthmi, "put together, arrange", here used with wJ" to express purpose.

sunhvneike w{ste: See the note on 14.7.

uJperbavllesqai is here used with the meaning "to delay" (also to be understood with ouj ga;r a[meinon).

71.3 ei\" = Attic ei\, the 2nd sing. pres. indic. of eijmiv, "I am".

kai; ejkfaivnein....h{ssw: Literally: and you seem likely to show yourself in no way inferior to your father.

ejpi; to; swfronevsteron: more circumspectly

dei'....ejpiceirevein: Literally: For it is necessary (for us) having become more to undertake thus.

More freely: We must wait until there are more of us before embarking on this.

71.4 ejpivstasqe...kavkista: know that you will die horribly.

ajpolevesqe is the (uncontracted) 2nd plur. fut indic. midd. of ajpovllumi.

ijdivh/...kevrdea: Literally: aiming at gain for himself on-his-own-account (ijdivh/ is here used as an adverb, "on one's own account, privately").

71.5 wjfeivlete...poievein: you ought to be doing. As Newmyer notes, the imperf. indic. indicates an obligation unfulfilled.

ejp! uJmevwn aujtw'n balovmenoi: throwing (your dice) for yourselves - i.e. on your own (thus Newmyer).

uJperevqesqe is the 2nd plur. aor. indic. midd. of uJpertivqhmi, here with the meaning "share with" (+ dat.).

poievwmen (= Attic poiw'men) is the 1st plur. pres. subjunct. of poievw. The subjunct. here expresses will: let us do.

ujperpevsh/ is the 3rd sing. aor. subjunct. of uJperpivptw, used here with hJmevrh as an expression of time meaning "pass by": if the day passes by for you. Darius warns his fellow-conspirators not to let the day pass without taking action.

wJ" oujk a[llo"....e[stai: (know) that no other (person) will be accuser having-anticipated (i.e. before) me.

fqav" is the aor. partic. of fqavnw, used here with ejmeu', which is virtually a gen. of comparison "since the sense is simply `faster than I'. No-one will be an accuser first before Darius if his companions refuse to heed his advice." (Newmyer)

sfeva: these things.

72.1 w{ra is the 3rd sing. imperf. indic. act. (= eJwvra) of oJravw. Distinguish from w{ra, "season" (etc.) and w[ra, "care, concern".

i[qi is the 2nd sing. imperat. of ei\mi, used here with the meaning "come now!".

ejxhgevo = Attic ejxhgou', the 2nd sing. pres. imperat. of ejxhgevomai, here with the meaning "relate, explain".

o{tew/ trovpw' pavrimen ej" ta; basilhiva: Literally: in what way we shall approach the palace

fulaka;"....ajkouvsa": Literally: for doubtless (ga;r dh; kou (= pou)) you know guards having-been-stationed-at-regular-intervals (diestewvsa") and you yourself having heard (tell of them) (even) if not having seen (them).

More freely: For doubtless you know that guards have been posted throughout the palace - you must have heard tell of them even if you haven't seen them.

ta;" tevw/ trovpw/ perhvsomen; In what way shall we get past them?

tevw/ is an interrog. pronoun, = Attic tivni.

72.2 pollav ejsti....e[rgw/ dev: Literally: There are many things which (being) not possible to reveal by speech (it is possible to reveal) by action.

On the construction oi|av te (ejsti) + infin., cf. the note on oi|on t! e{stiv in 23.3 above. Here oi|a (agreeing with the rel. pronoun tav) takes the place of the impersonal oi|on.

On lovgw' mevn...e[rgw/ dev, see the note on 17.2.

ajll! d! ejsti;....givnetai: Literally: But there are other things which (are) possible (to reveal) by speech, but no illustrious action comes from them.

72.3 tou'to mevn is here balanced by tou'to dev in the following sentence. Translate: In the first place, .... In the second, ....

parhvsei is the 3rd sing. fut. indic. of parivhmi, which here means "let pass".

ta; mevn...ta; dev...: in some cases, ... in others, ...

72.4 tou' ga;r aujtou'...diacrewvmenoi: For we struggle after (glivcomai + gen.) the same thing - both those (of us) lying and those telling the truth.

ejpitravphtai is the 3rd sing. aor. subjunct. midd. of ejpitrevpw, "turn to/towards".

twjutou' (= tou' aujtou') periecovmeqa: Literally: we hold fast to the same thing. For the gen., see the note on periecovmeno" tou' nehnivew in 53.2.

72.5 aujtw/ oiJ...e[stai: it will be better for him in the future. That is to say, he will be better off in the long run.

deiknuvsqw is the 3rd sing. pres. imperat. pass. of deiknuvmi: let him be declared...

wjsavmenoi is the aor. partic. midd. of wjqevw, "thrust, push".

e[rgou ejcwvmeqa: let us stick to our task. The verb is here used in the sense of "clinging to, fastening upon", and is hence used with the gen. case; cf. periecovmeqa in sec. 1 above.

The portrayal of Darius, in this and the preceding section, as a cynical pragmatist should be borne in mind in an overall assessment of Herodotus' depiction of the Persian king. We should note in particular his alleged indifference to telling the truth for its own sake, and the apparent contradiction between his attitude as depicted here and the importance attached to "truth-telling" as one of the highest ideals of Persian education (as noted by Herodotus in 1.136).

73.1 hJmi'n...parevxei....; when will the time be better for us (to)...? That is to say, When will we have a better chance (to)...?

oi|oiv te ejsovmeqa is analogous to the impersonal expression oi|on t! e{stiv in 23.3.

73.2 pavntw"...th;n ajrchvn: Literally: you doubtless remember what (curses) he, ending his life, invoked upon the Persians (if) not attempting to win back the kingship.

The partic. peirwmevnoisi is conditional in force.

ejpi; diabolh'/: out of malice.

73.3 nu'n w\n....ijqevw": Literally: Now therefore I vote that (we) give heed to Darius and disband this council, going nowhere else except directly against the Magus.

pavnte" tauvth/ ai[neon: Literally: all gave approval in this way.

74.1 ejn w|/: while

kata; suntucivhn: by coincidence

Prhxavspea fivlon prosqevsqai: to make a friend of Prexaspes

pro;" d! e[ti...ejn Pevrsh/si: Literally: and still further, Prexaspes being in very great esteem among the Persians. The participial phrase (Prhxavspea ejovnta...) is causal in force, parallel to the clause introduced by o{ti above. Prhxavspea is accus. after prosqevsqai, as in its previous occurrence in the sentence.

o}"....ajpolwlevkee: As recorded in Chapter 35.

74.2 prosektw'nto...oJrkivoisi: Literally: they gained (him as) friend, having bound (labovnte") (him) by pledge and by oaths

h\ me;n e{xein par! eJwutw/: (swearing) that he would keep to himself and reveal to no-one....

h\ mevn (= Attic h\ mhvn) is commonly used to introduce oaths and strong assertions, both in direct and indirect statements. The latter applies here, with the infins. e{xein and ejxoivsein (fut. infin. of ejkfevrw) being dependent on an implicit verb of swearing.

mhd! and mhdeniv reinforce each other to produce a strong negative.

uJpiscneuvmenoi...dwvsein: promising to give him everything in-vast-abundance.

pavnta muriva literally means "ten thousand of everything" (i.e. of things which were customarily given). This expression is sometimes used in a strictly literal sense, but here is obviously used to convey the sense of an unimaginable abundance of gifts.

dwvsein is fut. infin. after a verb of promising.

74.3 deuvtera....tei'co": they put forward a second proposal, saying that they would call together all the Persians under the palace wall.

Note that sugkalevein is fut. infin. of sugkalevw.

74.4 wJ" dh'qen: presumably on the grounds that ....

pistotavtou ejovnto" aujtou' and ajpodexamevnou are gen. absolute constructions.

How & Wells regard this story as very improbable. They argue that "the Magians were not likely to have put up Prexaspes to speak, for the strength of their position lay in its being unchallenged, and the act here described could only excite suspicion."

75.1 o} de; tw'n...ejpelhvqeto: Literally: He deliberately (eJkwvn) forgot (ejpilhvqeto + gen.) these things which (tw'n) those (people) asked of him

prosedevonto is here used both with the gen. of the thing asked and the gen. of the persons from whom it is asked.

pepoihvkoi, the 3rd sing. perf. opt. act. of poievw (the opt. is used in an indirect question), is here used with two accusatives, o{sa ajgaqav and Pevrsa". Literally: how many good things Cyrus did (for) the Persians

75.2 ejn de; tw'/ pareovnti...faivnein: Literally: but (he said that) now compulsion took hold of him (katalambavnein) to reveal (the truth).

75.3 Pevrsh/si....tisaivato: Having invoked many curses (polla; ejparhsavmeno") upon the Persians if they did not win back the throne and take vengeance on the Magi

tisaivato is the 3rd plur. aor. opt. (Ionic form) of tivnw.

ajph'ke...kavtw: Literally: he threw himself (ajph'ke eJwutovn) headlong so-as-to-be-carried down from the tower.

fevresqai is an epexegetic, or explanatory, infin., here used to complete the sense of ajph'ke.

Prhxavsph"...ejteleuvthse: Thus now died Prexaspes, being through all his life a man of high principles. Again a typically Herodotean "rounding off" sentence.

76.2 ejdivdosan...lovgou": and consulted once more with one another.

oi} de; ajmfi; !Otavnhn: those on the one hand supporting Otanes

oijdeovntwn tw'n prhgmavtwn: while conditions were unsettled (gen. absolute phrase).

oi} de] ajmfi; Darei'on...uJperbavllesqai: Literally: those on the other hand supporting Darius urging to go on immediately and to do what had been decided (ta; dedogmevna - the perf. partic. reflects the tense of the speaker's actual words) and not to delay.

76.3 wjqizomevnwn d! aujtw'n: While they wrangled,

tivllontav te kai; ajmuvssonta: plucking and clawing

thvn (after ejptav) belongs with gnwvmhn. Newmyer notes that such separation (of article from its noun) is rare.

teqarshkovte" toi'si o[rnoisi: taking heart from (the sight of) the birds.

teqarshkovte" is the perf. partic. of qarsevw, "be of good cheer, take heart".

77.1 ejpista'si...e[fere: Literally: When they reached the gate, what happened was just as Darius predicted.

parivesan qeivh/ pomph'/ crewmevnou": they (the guards) let them pass (as if they - the seven- were) enjoying divine guidance.

77.2 ejnevkursan....eujnouvcoisi: they met the eunuchs bearing messages to (i.e. whose job it was to convey messages to) (the king).

ejnevkursan is the 3rd plur. aor. indic. act. of ejgkuvrw, "meet with, encounter" (+ dat.).

toi'si pulouroi'si...parh'kan: they (the eunuchs) began to threaten (the imperf. ajpeivleon has inchoative force) the gatekeepers for letting them (the seven) pass.

i\scon....parivenai: Literally: and stopped the seven wanting to go further in.

77.3 aujtou' tauvth/: there in this place.

to;n ajndrew'na: the men's quarters.

78.1 ta; ajpo;...e[conte": deliberating over the outcome of Prexaspes' actions.

teqorubhmevnou" is the perf. partic. pass. of qorubevw, "throw into disorder, confusion".

ajnav belongs as prepositional prefix with e[dramon. Its separation from it by te is another instance of tmesis.

wJ" e[maqon.....ejtravponto: when they realised what was happening, they set about defending themselves (Waterfield).

78.2 fqavnei ta; tovxa katelovmeno": fqavnw basically means "anticipate, come before". We might thus, with Newmyer, translate the phrase: got the jump in seizing his bows and arrows - i.e. he seized them before the attackers arrived.

As we have noted in 36.4, ta; tovxa in the plur. = "bows and arrows". 

sunevmisgon is the 3rd plur. imperf. indic. of summisgw, the Ionic form of summivgnumi, which here means "join in battle". The imperf. tense has inchoative force: they began to do battle with each other.

h\n crhsta; oujdevn: Understand ta; tovxa as the subject. The fact that the enemy pressed in closely upon the Magus meant that he did not have the space to use his bow and arrows against them.

78.3 ou{tero" = oJ e{tero"

prosqei'nai is the aor. infin. of prostivqhmi, which here means "shut, bar".

78.4 sumplakevnto"...Mavgw/: Literally: Gobryas being entangled with the Magus.

sumplakevnto" is the gen. sing. of the aor. partic. pass. of sumplevkw, "entangle with", used here in the sense "engage in close combat with" (+ dat.).

oi|a ejn skovtei>: as (happens) in darkness. "The Persian, like the Assyrian palaces, consisted of one or more central halls or courts, probably open to the sky, on which adjoined a number of sealed chambers of small size, without windows, and only lighted through the doorway, which opened into the court." (Rawlinson)

plhxh/ is the 3rd sing. aor. subjunct. act. of plhvssw, "strike".

78.5 ei[reto...th'/ ceiri: he asked why he did not strike.

sevo = Attic sou'. The gen. is used after a verb expressing care or concern (promhqeovmeno").

kai; di! ajmfotevrwn: Note the force of kaiv here: even (if it means thrusting it) through both (of us).

kai; e[tuce kw" tou' Mavgou: and by chance struck (only) the Magus.

79.1 tou;" me;n....leivpousi: they left their wounded in-that-place (aujtou').

tou;" mevn is balanced by oiJ de; pevnte below.

kai; fulakh'" th'" ajkropovlio" (ei{neken): and to guard the acropolis.

fulakh'" is, like ajdunasivh" above, gen. dependent on the postposition ei{neken. th'" ajkropovlio" is an objective gen. dependent on fulakh'".

ejxhgeovmenoiv te to; prh'gma: both explaining what they (the seven) had done (and...)

pavnta tina;...ginovmenon: any (one) of the Magi being in their way (posiv is the dat. plur. of pouv", "foot").

79.2 eij de; mh;...e[sce: if the onset of night had not stopped (e[sce) them, ...

79.3 qerapeuvousi here means "they observe, keep holy".

Mavgon oudevna...fw'": no Magus is allowed to appear in public

th;n hJmevrhn tauvthn: accus. of time throughout which

Chapters 80-83 These chapters deal with three types of government - monarchy, democracy, and oligarchy. As Dewald notes, this tripartite typology of governments is found already in Pindar (Pythian Odes 2.85 ff.), and later in Plato, Aristophanes, Isocrates, and Polybius. Dewald comments further: "Although Herodotus emphasises here and again in 6.43 the fact that this debate really occurred, his account of it owes a great deal to 5th century sophistic thought. It is highly structured, so that each speaker contradicts the previous one, and it is the most theoretical discussion of political systems in the Histories".

80.1 ejpeivte...qovrubo": When the uproar had abated, ....

ejkto;" pevnte hJmerevwn: beyond (ejktov" + gen.) five days; with ejgevneto: five days had elapsed.

lovgoi...ejlevcqhsan: speeches to which some Greeks give no credence, but even so (d! w\n) they were delivered.

80.2 ej" mevson...prhvgmata: Literally: to deposit the power in the midst of the Persians (thus Newmyer) - i.e. to establish some form of democracy.

ei[dete...ejpexh'lqe: Literally: You know the arrogance of Cambyses, to what lengths it went.

u{bri" should strictly be the subject of the indirect question, but is here transferred to the main clause as the object of the verb in this clause. We would more naturally translate: You know to what lengths the arrogance of Cambyses went. Cf. the Biblical expression I know thee who thou art.

meteschvkate is the 2nd plur. perf. indic. of metevcw, "share in" (+ gen.).

80.3 kw'"...mounarcivh: Literally: How would monarchy be a well-ordered thing...?

kathrthmevnon is the perf. partic. pass. of katartavw, "fasten, attach", here "set in order".

th'/ e[xesti...bouvletai: Literally: (monarchy) with which, being-unaccounatble (ajneuquvnw'/ - dat. sing. fem agreeing with th'/; the adjective is two-termination), it is possible (for a ruler) to do whatever he wishes.

kai; ga;r....sthvseie: Literally: For it would place (a[n belongs with sthvseie) even (kai;) the best of all men having been appointed to this (position) (stavnta ej" tauvthn - note the meaning "be appointed" as one of the meanings of the intransitive forms of i{sthmi) beyond his usual ways-of-thinking (nohmavtwn).

More freely: For by making him a king you would cause even the best of men to abandon his usual ways of thinking.

fqovno"...ajnqrwvpw/: envy is ingrained in human nature from-the-outset (ajrch'qen).

80.4 duvo d! e[cwn tau'ta: (a man) having these two things - i.e. u{bri" and fqovno".

ta; me;n...ta; de;... on the one hand, ... on the other, ...

kekorhmevno" is the perf. partic. pass. of korevnnumi, "glut with".

tuvranno" is best translated, in a general context as here, as "absolute ruler".

to; de; uJpenantivon...pevfuke: Literally: yet he-comes-by-nature (to be) the opposite of this towards his citizens.

polihvta" = Attic polivta".

fqonevei...ajstw'n: Literally: For he-is-jealous-of (fqonevei + dat.) the best men existing and being alive, and he rejoices in the basest of his people.

diabola;" de; a[risto" ejndevkesqai: and is most ready to believe calumnies.

80.5 ajnarmostovtaton de; pavntwn: (an absolute ruler is) the most inconsistent thing of all

ouj kavrta qerapeuvetai: is not toadied to (Newmyer)

a[cqetai a{te qwpiv: Literally: he is angered as if by a flatterer.

e[rcomai ejrevwn: See the note on e[rcomai fravswn in 6.1.

kinevei here means "subverts", and bia'tai "rapes". ajkrivtou" = "without a trial".

80.6 plh'qo" a[rcon, literally "multitude ruling", = "majority rule".

ijsonomiva "signified that perfect equality of all civil and political rights which was the fundamental notion of the Greek democracy." (Rawlinson)

touvtwn tw'n...oujdevn: Literally: (majority rule) does none of those things which the monarch does. That is to say, it commits none of the outrages which are typical of a monarch.

The rel. pronoun tw'n is attracted into agreement with its antecedent touvtwn.

metevnta" = Attic meqevnta", the aor. partic. act. of meqivhmi, "let loose, abandon".

81.1 Megavbuzo"...ejpitravpein: Literally: Megabyzus urged (them) to entrust (their affairs) to oligarchy.

ejpitravpein is the aor. infin. of ejpitrevpw.

"ta; me;n !Otavnh"...tau'ta: Literally: What things Otanes said (in favour of) abolishing (pauvwn) absolute rule, let-have-said (lelevcqw - 3rd sing. perf. imperat. pass. of levgw) these things by me also.

More freely: I too agree with Otanes' arguments for abolishing monarchy.

kajmoi = kai; ejmoiv, which is dat. of agent with lelevcqw.

gnwvmh"...hJmavrthke: Literally: falls short of the best advice.

hJmavrthke is the 3rd sing. perf. indic. of ajmartavnw (+ gen.).

oJmivlou ajcrhivou: useless mob (gen. of comparison).

81.2 kaivtoi....ajnascetovn: Literally: And yet it is in no way tolerable for men escaping the arrogance of a despot to fall-victim to the arrogance of an unbridled populace.

o} me;n - the despot... tw'/ de; - the mob...

e[ni = e[nesti, as in 80.6, but here with the meaning "it is allowed/possible" (+ dat.).

tw'/...e[ni: but the mob is quite devoid of knowledge.

oijkhvion = Attic oijkei'on, here with the meaning "right, proper, fitting".

ceimavrrw/ potamw'/ ei[kelo": like (ei[kelo" + dat.) a river in full flood.

81.3 dhvmw/...cravsqwn: Let Persia's enemies adopt (rule by the) people.

periqevwmen = Attic periqw'men, the 1st plur. aor. subjunct. act. of peritivqhmi, which here means "confer (something - accus.) upon (someone - dat.).

oijkov": See the note on 38.2.

82.1 "ejmoi; de; .....oujk ojrqw'": Literally: "To me Megabyzus seems to have said rightly (the things) pertaining (e[conta) to the masses, but not rightly the things (pertaining) to oligarchy.

triw'n....levgw: Literally: For three being proposed, and all being in word (the) best (of their kind), democracy (being) best and oligarchy (being best) and monarchy (being best), I say this (last - i.e. monarchy) excells by far.

More freely: For take these three forms of government - democracy, oligarchy, and monarchy - and let them each be at their best. I maintain that monarchy far surpasses the other two. (Rawlinson)

82.2 ajndro;"...a[n faneivh: Literally: For nothing could appear better (than the rule) of one best man.

ejpitropeuvoi...mavlista: Literally: he would govern blamelessly (ajmwmhvtw") the masses ...

ejpitropeuvoi is followed by the gen., as is regular with verbs of governing, ruling.

bouleuvmata ejpi; dusmeneva" a[ndra": plans against hostile men.

82.3 ejn de; ojligarcivh...ejggivnesqai: Literally: but in an oligarchy, violent personal enmities tend (thus filevei in this context) to occur for many labouring-at (ejpaskevousi) good-service in the common interest (ej" to; koinovn).

aujto;" ga;r....ajpiknevontai: Literally: for each one wishing to be chief and to prevail in his views, (such people) incur violent enmities among one another.

Note the shift from sing. (aujtov"...boulovmeno") to plur. (ajpiknevontai), the latter representing the subject in a collective sense.

stavsie" = Attic stavsei", "factions".

ajpevbh is 3rd sing. aor. indic. of ajpobaivnw, here used impersonally with the meaning: it ends in... Note that this and the following dievdexe (= Attic dievdeixe) are gnomic aorists, which are used to express a general and timeless truth - what was true in the past, is true in the present, and will be true in the future.

82.4 dhvmou...ejggivnesqai: Literally: Then again (au\), the people ruling, (it is) impossible for wickedness not to occur

The negatives mh; ou, used after a verb or phrase which is negative in sense, reinforce rather than cancel out each other.

kakovthto"....ijscuraiv: Literally: So wickedness occurring in the public (sphere) (ej" ta' koinav), enmities do not occur for the wicked, but firm friendships.

oiJ ga;r kakou'nte"...poieu'si: Literally: for those doing-harm-to the common interest, do (so) having conspired (sugkuvyante").

ej" o{ = "until".

ajn(av) belongs as prepositional prefix with ejfavnh. The separation of the two parts of the compound verb is another example of tmesis. ajnevfanh is the 3rd sing. aor. indic. pass. of ajnafaivnw, which in the passive means "is shown, turns out (to be)" (+ partic.). We also have here another example of a gnomic aorist.

82.5 eJni;... eijpei'n: Literally: For-one-having-gathered-together (sullabovnta) all things, to say (them) in a single word, ...

More freely: To sum up all this in one word, ...

kovqen....teu' dovnto"; Literally: From where came freedom for us, and who having given it? teu' (= Attic tivno") is an interrogative pronoun, used here with dovnto" in a gen. absolute construction.

e[cw toivnun....peristevllein: Literally: I therefore maintain that we having been made free because of one man (i.e. Cyrus) should preserve this thing (i.e. monarchy), ....

novmou" e[conta" eu\: laws working well (e[cw is here used intransitively).

83.1 gnw'mai....tauvth/: Literally: These three proposals were put forward, and four of the seven men favoured (prosevqento + dat.) this (last) (i.e. Darius' proposal).

e[lexe...tavde: Literally: he said these things publicly to them (i.e. he said these things to them all):

83.2 gavr (after dh'la) is anticipatory, as in 63.1 (see there the note on h[rese ga;r Kambuvsh/).

klhvrw/ lacovnta: having obtained office by lot. lacovnta is the aor. partic. of lagcavnw.

h] (hJmw'n) ejpitreyavntwn....e{lhtai: Literally: or (us) entrusting (the matter) to the populace of the Persians, whomever that (populace) chose (to elect),

e{lhtai is the 3rd sing. aor. subjunct. midd. of aiJrevw.

ejnagwnieu'mai = Attic ejnagwniou'mai, 1st sing. fut. indic. of ejnagwnivzomai, "contend with".

ejpi; touvtw/ anticipates ejp! w|/ te below: On this condition ... on condition that ....

ou[te aujto;"....ginovmenoi: neither I myself nor my descendants forever after (literally: those forever being from me).

83.3 ejk mesou' kath'sto: he withdrew

kath'sto = Attic kaqh'sto, the 3rd sing imperf. indic. of kavqhmai, which basically means "be seated, sit".

hJ oijkivh mouvnh Persevwn: the only house in Persia

kai; a[rcetai....qevlei: Literally: and is ruled so much how much it itself is willing

More freely: and submits to rule only to the extent that it is willing

oujk uJperbaivnousa: unless transgressing - i.e. provided it does not transgress...

The partic. is conditional in force.

84.1 wJ" basileva dikaiovtata sthvsontai: Literally: how most fairly they would set up a king.

kaiv sfi....timiwtavth: Literally: And it was resolved by them that to Otanes and his descendants forever after, if kingship should come to another of the seven, Median clothing and every gift as being (considered) most honourable among the Persians should be given as special (privileges) (ejxaivreta divdosqai).

Rawlinson notes that garments have at all times been gifts of honour in the East, comparing the Biblical references Gen. xlv.22, 2 Kings v.5, 2 Chron. iv.24 etc., and noting that the practice has continued with the kaftan today.

84.2 ej" to; koinovn: for all to share.

parievnai...pavnta to;n boulovmenon is an accus. and infin. construction, giving the substance of what the seven resolved (ejbouvleusan).

The infin. ejxei'nai is used impersonally with tw'/ basilevi, to indicate a further resolution by the seven: (and it was resolved) that it not be permitted to the king (to marry ...)

a[lloqen h] ejk tw'n sunepanastavntwn: outside (the families) of the fellow-revolutionaries.

84.3 aujtw'n ejpibebhkovtwn: while they were mounted.

85.1 iJppokovmo" ajnhvr: "groom". Note again the use of ajnhvr to indicate a profession.

ejpeivte dieluvqhsan: when they were disbanded - i.e. when the council (of the seven) broke up.

mhcanw' is the 2nd sing. pres. imperat. of mhcanavomai, "contrive, devise".

wJ" (after mhcanw') introduces two purpose clauses.

85.2 eij....ei\nai h] mhv: Literally: If (you) to be king or not .... depends indeed on this (ejn touvtw/ toi estiv)

toiau'ta e[cw favrmaka: I possess magical arts of such a kind (as to ensure your success).

w{rh: (it is) time (to...)

th'" ejpiouvsh" hJmevrh": The gen. indicates time within which.

85.3 kai; ta; me;n polla;....th'/ qhlevh/: and bringing (Darius' horse) near the mare, he led it around her many times (ta; pollav)

ejph'ke...i{ppon: he allowed the horse to mount (the mare).

86.1 kata; suneqhvkanto: in accordance with (what) they had agreed.

i{na here = "where".

86.2 ejx aijqrivh": out of a clear sky. Thunder and lightning from a clear sky was a sign from the gods - in this case declaring divine support for Darius. In the Behistun inscription, Darius attributes his elevation to the god Ahura Mazda. Understandably, perhaps, he makes no reference to any chicanery on the part of his groom - though this story is in fact repeated in later sources.

w{sper...genovmena: Literally:as if happening by (prior) agreement (with the gods).

kataqorovnte" is the aor. partic. of kataqrwvskw, "leap from".

prosekuvneon to;n Darei'on: they prostrated themselves before Darius. This was the typical gesture of Persian abasement and subservience before an exalted superior. We have retained the term proskynesis in English.

kai; ga;r...Persevwn: For the recording of alternative versions of a particular event, see again the note on 3.1.

th'" i{ppou...th'/ ceiriv: having touched with his hand the genitals of this mare. Note again the use of the gen. (tw'n a[rqrwn) after a verb of touching, laying hold of.

e[coi aujth;n kruvya": Literally: he kept (his hand) having hidden it in his trousers.

ajnaxurivsi is the dat. of ajnaxurivde" which refers to the trousers commonly worn in the East.

wj" de; a{ma...prosenei'kai: Literally: (the story goes on to say that) when at the same time as the sun rising (the six) were about to let go their horses, this Oibares having thrust out (ejxeivranta - the aor. partic. of ejxeivrw) his hand, brought it to the nostrils of Darius' horse....

wJ"...mevllein: For the use of an accus. and infin. construction in a subordinate clause; cf. the note on e[nqa...dedevsqai in 23.4.