Xenophon of Ephesus, An Ephesian Tale 2.4.3 · 2.4.3
Habrocomes turns on Leucon
Read the full text in our reader
Ἀκούσας ὁ Ἁβροκόμης εὐθὺς μὲν ὀργῆς ἐνεπλήσθη, ἀποβλέψας δὲ ἀτενὲς εἰς τὸν Λεύκωνα ὦ πονηρὲ ἔφη καὶ Φοινίκων τῶν ἐνταῦθα βαρβαρώτερε, ἐτόλμησας εἰπεῖν πρὸς Ἁβροκόμην τοιαῦτα ῥήματα καὶ παρούσης Ἀνθείας ἄλλην παρθένον μοι διηγῇ; Δοῦλος μέν εἰμι ἀλλὰ συνθήκας οἶδα τηρεῖν.
When Habrocomes heard this he was at once filled with anger. He stared hard at Leucon and said: "You villain, more barbarous than the Phoenicians here, did you dare to say such words to Habrocomes, and do you tell me of another girl with Anthia present? I am a slave, but I know how to keep agreements."
Word by word
The setting
Book 2, chapter 4. Habrocomes answers Leucon in front of Anthia.
A note on this passage
Habrocomes speaks of himself by name, as the proud boy of the first chapter did when nothing seemed "worthy of Habrocomes" (1.1.4). What he claims for himself now is that he keeps his word. συνθῆκαι are agreements, from συντίθημι, "to put together, agree," and τηρεῖν, "to keep," is the verb used when the two of them swore again and again to keep what they had agreed (1.16.1). This is the first time the story calls their oath a συνθήκη; the word returns when Anthia refuses to break her agreements with Habrocomes (3.5.7, 5.9.12).
Read the full commentary — and tap any word for its dictionary entry — in the interlinear reader.
Open Xenophon of Ephesus, An Ephesian Tale 2.4.3 in the full reader
Always open passages in the reader
From the Great Library
You are reading a page of the Xenophon of Ephesus, An Ephesian Tale — the whole book is free in our interlinear reader.
The Great Library Project presses the classics in their original languages, glossed word by word — free to read, always. Browse the whole library.
Also on our shelves:
Xenophon of Ephesus, An Ephesian Tale 2.4.3 — The Great Library Project interlinear edition · greatlibraryproject.com/book/ephesiantale/2.4.3/