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HERODOTUS 1.66 AND DEMOSTHENES 19.231: THE CASE AGAINST ΕΥΘΗΝΕΟΜΑΙ / ΕΥΘΕΝΕΟΜΑΙ

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  27 April 2020

David-Artur Daix*
Affiliation:
École Normale Supérieure (Paris) – PSL

Extract

In Demosthenes’ speech On the False Embassy (Oration 19), we read an obelized infinitive at §231, †εὐθενεῖσθαι†, ‘to be flourishing’, in an imaginary dialogue designed to captivate and persuade the judges through its striking antitheses and dramatic tone:

— τί οὖν μετὰ ταῦτα;

Type
Research Article
Copyright
Copyright © The Classical Association 2020

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Footnotes

I would like to thank the anonymous referee, whose comments have been very useful, as well as M. Trédé, C. Hunzinger, S. Gotteland, D. Petit, J. Yvonneau, M. Rashed, R. Hancock and P. Finglass for their help and advice. The place of publication of editions of ancient authors that belong to the series Bibliotheca Teubneriana (Leipzig), Oxford Classical Texts (Oxford), Loeb Classical Library (Cambridge, Mass.) and Collection des Universités de France, Les Belles Lettres (Paris) is referred to in the footnotes with the acronyms BT, OCT, LCL and CUF respectively.

References

1 On my theatrical arrangement of the text, cf. Pernot, L., ‘Un rendez-vous manqué’, Rhetorica: A Journal of the History of Rhetoric 11 (1993), 421–34CrossRefGoogle Scholar, at 427–8; Bers, V., Speech in Speech: Studies in Incorporated Oratio Recta in Attic Drama and Oratory (Lanham, 1997), 195–6Google Scholar; Chiron, P., ‘Le dialogue entre dialogue et rhétorique’, Ktèma 28 (2003), 155–81Google Scholar, at 177–81; Gotteland, S., ‘Du discours au dialogue: Démosthène et ses interlocuteurs fictifs’, in Dubel, S. and Gotteland, S. (edd.), Formes et genres du dialogue antique (Pessac, 2015), 87106Google Scholar (with bibliography); and n. 32 below.

2 According to LSJ s.v. εὐθενέω and εὐθηνέω, both εὐθενεῖσθαι and εὐθηνήθησαν are passive in form and sense. But according to Bailly, A., Dictionnaire Grec-Français, rev. Chantraine, P. (Paris, 2000 4)Google Scholar, s.v. εὐθηνέω-ῶ (hereafter Bailly), they are used in the middle voice, the aorist εὐθηνήθησαν being passive only in form, probably to account for the problematic fact that the mediopassive sense and construction of this stative verb are supposed to be identical to the regular active and intransitive ones (see also nn. 12 and 19 below).

3 See the Thesaurus Linguae Graecae: TLG® Digital Library, ed. M.C. Pantelia, University of California, Irvine, http://www.tlg.uci.edu (hereafter TLG).

4 See H.B. Rosén, Herodoti Historiae (BT, 1987), 1.42, 1.191, 1.217; N.G. Wilson, Herodoti Historiae (OCT, 2015), 1.37, 1.176, 1.200.

5 For the manuscripts’ εὐθηνούσης, see L. Dindorf, Xenophontis scripta minora (BT, 18632), 194; Lenfant, D., Pseudo-Xénophon: Constitution des Athéniens (CUF, 2017), 11Google Scholar and 113 ad loc. n. 1. For the correction εὐθενούσης, see Dindorf, L., Xenophontis opuscula (Oxford, 1866), 52Google Scholar; Marchant, E.C., Xenophontis opera omnia (OCT, 1920)Google Scholar, 5.228; Bowersock, G.W., Pseudo-Xenophon: Constitution of the Athenians (LCL, 1968), 7.490Google Scholar.

6 See Chantraine, P., Dictionnaire étymologique de la langue grecque (Paris, 1999 2)Google Scholar, s.v. εὐθενέω (hereafter Chantraine). The etymology of the verb is uncertain: see also Beekes, R., Etymological Dictionary of Greek (Leiden, 2010)Google Scholar, s.v. εὐθενέω.

7 See n. 5 above. In Aristotle, the TLG reports only one occurrence with the Attic spelling (Mete. 352a, εὐθενεῖ) and eighteen with the Ionic spelling, dominant in the koinē (see n. 26 below).

8 Hude, K., Herodoti Historiae (OCT, 1928 3)Google Scholar, vol. 1, ad loc.; P.-E. Legrand, Hérodote: Enquêtes (CUF, 1930–55), 1.70, 2.124, 2.153. About Attic and false Ionic forms in Herodotus, see Bowie, A.M., ‘Language and dialect’, in Bowie, A.M., Herodotus: Histories Book VIII (Cambridge, 2007), 22–7Google Scholar, at 22–3.

9 Manutius, Lambin, Wolf, Reiske, Schaefer, Bekker (Oxford, 1823 and Berlin, 1824), Dobson.

10 S (Paris, gr. 2934), fol. 223v; A (Munich, gr. 485), fol. 200v; F (Venice, gr. 416), fol. 103v; Y (Paris, gr. 2935), fol. 172v. On their merit and importance, see Dilts, M.R., Demosthenis Orationes (OCT, 2002), 1.xiv–xviiGoogle Scholar; and 1.xxxi for the conspectus siglorum.

11 Baiter and Sauppe, Vœmel (Paris, 1843 and BT, 1862), Shilleto, Dindorf, Bekker (Leipzig, 1854), Whiston, Heslop, Blass; as well as Weil, Les Plaidoyers politiques de Démosthène (Paris, 18832), 1.337; Butcher, S.H., Demosthenis orationes (OCT, 1903), 1.412–13Google Scholar, ad loc.; Fuhr, K., Demosthenis orationes (BT, 1914), 1.3.489Google Scholar; Mathieu, G., Démosthène: Plaidoyers politiques (CUF, 1946), 3.95Google Scholar; MacDowell, D.M., Demosthenes: On the False Embassy (Oration 19) (Oxford, 2000), 154Google Scholar; Dilts, M.R., Demosthenis orationes (OCT, 2005), 2.74Google Scholar.

12 Excluding εὐλαβέομαι, ‘to be cautious’, which is always middle, often transitive, and used as a verb of fearing, the sole exception is found at Eur. Med. 91, where we read the middle—so LSJ and Bailly—present participle δυσθυμουμένῃ. However, the atypical passive usage of εὐθυμέομαι (see n. 18 below) makes a passive form much more likely here (see also Bailly's mistake about εὐπορέομαι: n. 19 below).

13 A notable exception are the verbs meaning ‘to do anything to’ (εὐεργετέω, κακουργέω, κακοποιέω: cf. εὖ / κακῶς ποιέω) or ‘say anything of’ (εὐλογέω, κακηγορέω, κακολογέω: cf. εὖ / κακῶς λέγω) a person, which are also used transitively. Chantraine s.v. δίκη asserts that ἀδικέω has been derived ‘accidentellement’ from δικέω and δίκησις (i.e. not from ἄδικος), but ἀδικέω behaves just like its antonym εὐεργετέω: intransitive, it means ‘to be unjust’ (cf. ‘to be a benefactor’); transitive, ‘to wrong’ with accusative of person (cf. ‘to do a kindness to one’); and passive, with the ‘victim’ as its subject, ‘to be wronged’ (cf. ‘to have a kindness done one’). See Smyth, H.W., Greek Grammar (Cambridge, MA, 1920)Google Scholar, §1591 (hereafter Smyth); Gerth, R. Kühner & B., Ausführliche Grammatik der griechischen Sprache: Satzlehre (Hannover, 1898)Google Scholar, 2.1.295, at §409, A.a.2 (hereafter K.–G.).

14 See Smyth §§1573, 1749; Goodwin, W.W., Greek Grammar (London, 1892)Google Scholar, §1240 (hereafter Goodwin; only ‘things’ can be cognate accusatives: see §§1051–4).

15 Dem. 18.286. This antithetical sentence, by contrasting εὐθενέω and ἡ πόλις, brings them together and makes the reading τὴν πόλιν †εὐθενεῖσθαι† at 19.231 look deceptively appealing.

16 The sole active form is dubious: Ast reads εὔνομος οὖσα rather than εὐνομοῦσα at Pl. Leg. 927b. See Bailly s.v. εὐνομέω-ῶ (LSJ does not list the active verb).

17 Xen. Oec. 4.2.4.

18 Xen. Hell. 7.4.36; Cyr. 4.1.19; Arist. Rh. 1379b18.

19 Arist. [Oec.] 1347b4, misinterpreted as middle by Bailly s.v. II; 1348a2.

20 The TLG lists eighty instances of εὐπορέομαι after the first century a.d. See also n. 26 below.

21 εὐσεβηθῇ in Pl. [Ax.] 364c is not classical.

22 Thuc. 7.77.3; [Lys.] 2.70, 6.5, 6.6; Andoc. 1.1, 1.71; Pl. Leg. 877e; Aeschin. In Ctes. 221; Dem. De cor. 212; [Dem.] 59.74. Six examples are neuter passive participles, common ‘in the case of verbs ordinarily intransitive but allowing a cognate accusative in the active’ (Smyth): see n. 14 above. Six involve the passive perfect of ἀσεβέω. And six contain an agent (four include ἠσέβηται / τὰ ἠσεβημένα), which would be the subject in the active. The example in Pl. Leg. 877e is exceptional, because the subject τις τῶν οἴκων would be an external object in the active: ἀσεβηθῇ, combined with δυστυχηθῇ in an hendiadys, makes the estate the unfortunate victim of its owner's sins (cf. [Lys.] 2.7 below and, in the active voice with accusative of thing, Pl. Leg. 941a, misclassified by LSJ: see K.–G. 2.1.293, at §409, A.a.1).

23 The only classical occurrence with accusative of person is Aesch. Eum. 271 (lyr.). See Smyth §1558, as well as n. 13 above about ἀδικέω. When intransitive, ἀσεβέω, εὐσεβέω and ἀδικέω behave in the same way (εἴς, πρός or περί τινα): K.–G. 2.1.294, at §409, Anmerk. 1.δ–ε; see also Smyth §1592.

24 See Gernet, L., Discours & Fragments d'Antiphon le Sophiste (CUF, 1923)Google Scholar, 81; Dilts, M.R. and Murphy, D.J., Antiphontis et Andocidis orationes (OCT, 2018), 42Google Scholar.

25 Maidment, K.J., Minor Attic Orators (LCL, 1941), 1.106Google Scholar, n. a: ‘Verba εὐσεβοῖντ’ ἂν ut corrupta obelis inclusi’; and n. 1: ‘εὐσεβοῖντ’ ἂν could only mean “would be reverenced”; and that clearly gives an impossible meaning to the passage.’

26 According to the TLG, until the first century a.d., there are sixty occurrences of εὐθηνέω / εὐθενέω, only three of which are mediopassive (5%). After that date, though, the verb becomes much more common in both the active (about 275 instances) and the mediopassive voices (180 instances: 35%), which could explain how copyists may have become inured to this usage (the Ionic spelling is pervasive: almost 415 examples).

27 A (Florence, plut. 70.3), fol. 16v. See Wilson (n. 4), ix: A ‘is often rated the best manuscript overall, and certainly in Book 1, if not elsewhere, its superiority is evident’; and 2 for the conspectus siglorum.

28 Wilson (n. 4), ix: B (Rome, Ang. gr. 83), fol. 13r.

29 Sleeman, J.H., Herodotus: Histories I (Cambridge, 1909), 41Google Scholar; Godley, A.D., Herodotus: The Persian Wars (LCL, 1926), 1.76, 1.374, 1.424Google Scholar.

30 Bowie (n. 8), 22.

31 See nn. 9, 10 and 11 above.

32 As a figure of speech, hypophora consists in ‘supposing’ (ὑποφέρω, ὑποβάλλω, ὑποτίθημι) an anticipated objection or suggestion (§229: τίς ἔσται λόγος περὶ ὑμῶν) which one places on the lips of an interlocutor, usually one's opponent, but sometimes a third party, or even oneself, in order to immediately reply—and often lay waste—to it. Thus hypophora shares much with procatalepsis and usually comes in the form of a sequence of short questions and answers which Demosthenes often turns into an imaginary dialogue, i.e. the figure called dialogism. See n. 1 above as well as Tiberius, De figuris Demosthenicis §§19, 39; [Longinus], Subl. 18.1 on Dem. 4.10–11; Denniston, J.D., The Greek Particles (Oxford, 1950 2)Google Scholar, s.v. ἀλλά, I.3.iii, 8–9, and II.1.iv, 10–11; Ronnet, G., Étude sur le style de Démosthène dans les discours politiques (Paris, 1951), 122–31Google Scholar; Usher, S., Demosthenes: On the Crown (Warminster, 1993), 25, 180–1Google Scholar, 273; Lausberg, H., Handbook of Literary Rhetoric (Leiden, 1998), 341–3Google Scholar (‘subiectio’); MacDowell (n. 11), 29, 295 and MacDowell, D.M., Demosthenes the Orator (Oxford, 2009), 404–5;CrossRefGoogle Scholar Wooten, C., A Commentary on Demosthenes’ Philippic I (Oxford, 2008), 63–4Google Scholar; Daix, D.-A. and Fernandez, M., Démosthène: Contre Aphobos I & II, Contre Midias (Paris, 2017), xxxvGoogle Scholar with n. 98 and 85 with n. 205; Herrman, J., Demosthenes: Selected Political Speeches (Cambridge, 2019), 18Google Scholar.

33 Weil (n. 11), n. on lines 6–8: ‘Καὶ τὴν πόλιν εὐθενεῖσθαι, et que la cité prospérait. Mais il ne s'agit pas de cela, et le changement de sujet est très choquant. Il faudrait quelque chose qui fît antithèse à τὴν πόλιν ἀγνοεῖν.’

34 Weil (n. 11), ‘note critique’ on line 8.

35 MacDowell (n. 11), 154; and 299, at §231, s.v. εὐθενεῖσθαι: ‘What is required is a verb giving the sense that Ais. and his friends are patriotic.’

36 See Butcher, Fuhr, Mathieu, MacDowell and Dilts (n. 11). Like Fuhr and Mathieu, J.H. and Vince, C.A., Demosthenes: Orations 18–19 (LCL, 1939 2), 2.392–3Google Scholar and Yunis, H., Demosthenes: Speeches 18–19 (Austin, 2005), 182Google Scholar accept εὐθενεῖσθαι and translate the text accordingly. As does Paulsen, T., Die Parapresbeia-Reden des Demosthenes und des Aischines (Trier, 1999), 233Google Scholar, who merely finds it ‘surprising’ (‘D. ist oft für überraschende Wendungen gut’).

37 L (Florence, conv. sopp. 136); P (Florence, plut. 59.9), fol. 27v; see Dilts (n. 10).

38 Dilts (n. 10): A2 (Munich, gr. 441).

39 Before Aristotle, it is a hapax legomenon: Eur. Cyc. 2 (εὐσθένει).

40 O (Brussels, 11294–5): see n. 10 above.

41 Wolf, H., Demosthenis et Aeschinis opera (Frankfurt, 1604), 328Google Scholar (cf. εὐθηνεῖσθαι in his original edition of 1572: see n. 9 above).

42 The only passive example in Thuc. 1.95.5 hardly counts.

43 See Dem. 19.247: Soph. Ant. 178 (ὅστις πᾶσαν εὐθύνων πόλιν κ.τ.λ.); and Dem. 19.255: Solon, fr. 4.36 (εὐθύνει δὲ δίκας σκολιάς).

44 For those ‘audits’, called εὔθυναι, see Demosthenes’ speech at §§2, 17, 69, 81–2, 104–9, 132, 182, 211, 223, 256, 273, 334–5; and MacDowell (n. 11), 15–20.

45 Muñoz, F.G. Hernández, ‘Demosthenica’, CFC(G) 16 (2006), 269–82Google Scholar, at 270. He only mentions Dem. 24.139, not Hdt. 1.66.1, to support his conjecture.

46 See Madvig, J.N., Adversariorum criticorum volumen tertium (Copenhagen, 1884), 36Google Scholar, on 19.231: ‘Non quæritur, quid Athenienses de statu rei publicæ iudicaverint, sed quid de illorum hominum rei publicæ administratione. Itaque ubi scribitur εὐθενεῖσθαι, necessario requiritur activæ significationis verbum ad illos homines pertinens, quemadmodum in altero membro omnia pertinent ad τὸν κατηγοροῦντα.’

47 Madvig (n. 46), 36: ‘Sententiæ satisfacit καὶ τὴν πόλιν εὖ διαθεῖναι, litterarum vestigiis minus, ad quæ propius accederet εὖ θέσθαι; sed id de rebus bene suo usui accommodandis dicitur, quod hoc loco minus aptum est.’

48 See Poll. Onom. 9.36: ἄμφοδον ἐχρῆν αὐτῷ τεθεῖσθαι τοὔνομα (see also FCG, 2.2.1083, fr. 9; CAF, 1.478, fr. 327). Cobet, however, preferred to read the middle present infinitive τίθεσθαι and is followed by Hall, F.W. and Geldart, W.M., Aristophanis comoediae (OCT, 1907)Google Scholar, 2.291, fr. 327, and Kassel–Austin, PCG 3.2.193, fr. 342. In [Demades’] On the Twelve Years 12, one reads the middle perfect participle τεθειμένους used as a passive form, contrary to Attic usage, but that work is not classical: see Worthington, I., ‘The context of [Demades] On the Twelve Years’, CQ 41 (1991), 90–5CrossRefGoogle Scholar, at 91 (with n. 12) and 95; J.O. Burtt, Minor Attic Orators (LCL, 1954), 2.334.

49 See Goodwin §1244; Smyth §1728. For numerous examples with diverse objects, if not τὴν πόλιν, some personal (τὰ ἴδια, τὰ οἰκεῖα, τὰ αὑτοῦ πράγματα), some general (τὸ παρόν, τὰ πάντα, πάντα, τὸν πόλεμον), see LSJ s.v. τίθημι, ‘Med.’, VII; Bailly s.v. τίθημι, ‘Moy. τίθεμαι’, III.1. Many are found in Thucydides’ Histories (1.25, 1.31, 1.82, 4.17, 4.59, 4.61, 6.11, 8.84), which Demosthenes greatly admired: see Pernot, L., L'Ombre du Tigre. Recherches sur la réception de Démosthène (Naples, 2006), 222–3Google Scholar, with nn. 113–15; Gotteland, S., ‘Conseiller et persuader: Quelques échos thucydidéens dans les harangues de Démosthène’, in Fromentin, V., Gotteland, S., Payen, P. (edd.), Ombres de Thucydide (Pessac, 2010), 3550CrossRefGoogle Scholar; Mader, G., ‘Literary readings of oratory’, in Martin, G. (ed.), The Oxford Handbook of Demosthenes (Oxford, 2018), 1923Google Scholar, at 20 and Westwood, G., ‘Views on the past’, in Martin, G. (ed.), The Oxford Handbook of Demosthenes (Oxford, 2018), 179–90Google Scholar, at 183–4.

50 See Mazon, P., Hésiode (CUF, 1928), 87Google Scholar.

51 At least eight hundred occurrences since the first century a.d. vs only thirty-five or so before, according to the TLG.

52 E.g. [Demades] in n. 48 above.