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Plato, Critias 114c · 114c

The ten kings and their lands

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Critias — τῷ δὲ μετὰ τοῦτον Αὐτόχθονα· τῶν δὲ τετάρτων Ἐλάσιππον μὲν τὸν πρότερον, Μήστορα δὲ τὸν ὕστερον· ἐπὶ δὲ τοῖς πέμπτοις τῷ μὲν ἔμπροσθεν Ἀζάης ὄνομα ἐτέθη, τῷ δʼ ὑστέρῳ Διαπρέπης. οὗτοι δὴ πάντες αὐτοί τε καὶ ἔκγονοι τούτων ἐπὶ γενεὰς πολλὰς ᾤκουν ἄρχοντες μὲν πολλῶν ἄλλων κατὰ τὸ πέλαγος νήσων, ἔτι δέ, ὥσπερ καὶ πρότερον ἐρρήθη, μέχρι τε Αἰγύπτου καὶ Τυρρηνίας τῶν ἐντὸς δεῦρο ἐπάρχοντες.

and to the one after him Autochthon. Of the fourth pair he named the elder Elasippus and the younger Mestor. After these, of the fifth pair, the earlier born was given the name Azaes and the later born Diaprepes. All of these, both themselves and their descendants, lived for many generations, ruling many other islands in the sea, and also, as was said before, ruling over the places on this side as far as Egypt and Tyrrhenia.

Word by word

Critias
τῷtôito theδὲdèandμετὰmetàafterτοῦτονtoûtonhimΑὐτόχθοναAutóchthonaAutochthon·τῶνtônof theδὲdèandτετάρτωνtetártōnfourthἘλάσιππονElásipponElasippusμὲνmèn—τὸνtòntheπρότερονpróteronelder,ΜήστοραMḗstoraMestorδὲdèandτὸνtòntheὕστερονhýsteronyounger·ἐπὶepìforδὲdèandτοῖςtoîstheπέμπτοιςpémptoisfifthτῷtôito theμὲνmèn—ἔμπροσθενémprosthenearlierἈζάηςAzáēsAzaesὄνομαónomathe nameἐτέθηetéthēwas given,τῷtôito theδʼdʼandὑστέρῳhystérōilaterΔιαπρέπηςDiaprépēsDiaprepes.οὗτοιhoûtoitheseδὴdḕthenπάντεςpántesallαὐτοίautoíthemselvesτεtebothκαὶkaìandἔκγονοιékgonoidescendantsτούτωνtoútōntheirἐπὶepìforγενεὰςgeneàsgenerationsπολλὰςpollàsmanyᾤκουνṓikounlivedἄρχοντεςárchontesrulingμὲνmèn—πολλῶνpollônmanyἄλλωνállōnotherκατὰkatàinτὸtòtheπέλαγοςpélagosseaνήσωνnḗsōnislands,ἔτιétibesidesδέdéand,ὥσπερhṓsperasκαὶkaì—πρότερονpróteronbeforeἐρρήθηerrḗthēwas said,μέχριméchrias far asτεte—ΑἰγύπτουAigýptouEgyptκαὶkaìandΤυρρηνίαςTyrrēníasTyrrheniaτῶνtônthoseἐντὸςentòsinsideδεῦροdeûroon this sideἐπάρχοντεςepárchontesruling over.

The setting

The last of the third pair and the fourth and fifth pairs are named, and all ten sons and their descendants rule many islands and lands as far as Egypt and Tyrrhenia.

A note on this passage

The names come in a fixed pattern. Each pair is split with mèn and dè, and the elder is marked by próteron or émprosthen, "before," while the younger is hýsteron, "later." Several of the ten names have clear Greek roots: Autóchthōn is literally "of the land itself," Mḗstōr is an adviser or contriver, and Diaprepḗs is "conspicuous." The verb etéthē, "was set," is the same verb Poseidon used for giving a name, now in the passive.

The last clause looks outward: mechri te Aigýptou kai Tyrrēnías tōn entòs deûro epárchontes. The prefix in epárchontes means ruling "over" or "in addition," and entòs deûro places the lands "inside," on the Greek side of the sea. Critias says hṓsper kai próteron errḗthē, "as was said before," pointing back to something already said in the account.

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