Ὁρμηθεὶς γάρ ποτε ἀπὸ Ἡρακλείων στηλῶν καὶ ἀφεὶς εἰς τὸν ἑσπέριον ὠκεανὸν οὐρίῳ ἀνέμῳ τὸν πλοῦν ἐποιούμην. αἰτία δέ μοι τῆς ἀποδημίας καὶ ὑπόθεσις ἡ τῆς διανοίας περιεργία καὶ πραγμάτων καινῶν ἐπιθυμία καὶ τὸ βούλεσθαι μαθεῖν τί τὸ τέλος ἐστὶν τοῦ ὠκεανοῦ καὶ τίνες οἱ πέραν κατοικοῦντες ἄνθρωποι. τούτου γέ τοι ἕνεκα πάμπολλα μὲν σιτία ἐνεβαλόμην, ἱκανὸν δὲ καὶ ὕδωρ ἐνεθέμην, πεντήκοντα δὲ τῶν ἡλικιωτῶν προσεποιησάμην τὴν αὐτὴν ἐμοὶ γνώμην ἔχοντας, ἔτι δὲ καὶ ὅπλων πολύ τι πλῆθος παρεσκευασάμην καὶ κυβερνήτην τὸν ἄριστον μισθῷ μεγάλῳ πείσας παρέλαβον καὶ τὴν ναῦν - ἄκατος δὲ ἦν - ὡς πρὸς μέγαν καὶ βίαιον πλοῦν ἐκρατυνάμην.

    The narrator recounts his intention to sail out beyond the Pillars of Heracles because of a thirst for knowledge.

    ὁρμηθείς: aor. pass. part. nom. sg., "having set out from."

    ἀπὸ Ἡρακλείων στηλῶν: "from the pillars of Heracles," bestriding the straits of Gibraltar.

    ἀφεὶς: aor. part. nom. masc. sg. of ἀφίημι.

    οὐρίῳ ἀνέμῳ: “with a tailwind.”

    πραγμάτων καινῶν:  gen. object of verbal noun ἐπιθυμία (S. 1328; cf. S. 1331), as normally occurs with objects of verbs of caring for or desiring (G. 511c).

    τὸ βούλεσθαι: articular infin. “the desire (to)” (+ infin.), parallel with αἰτία, ὑπόθεσις, and ἐπιθυμία.

    μαθεῖν τί τὸ τέλος ἐστὶν... τίνες ἄνθρωποι:  indirect questions (G. 661; S. 2663), “to learn what the end of the Ocean was and who the men were…"

    ἐνεβαλόμην: aor. of ἐμβάλλω, “I put onboard.”

    ἐνεθέμην: aor. of ἐντίθημι, “I put in.”

    τῶν ἡλικιωτῶν: partitive gen. as is normal after numerals (S. 1317).

    τὴν αὐτὴν ἐμοὶ γνώμην: “the same intention as me.”

    πείσας: aor. part. nom. sg. of πείθω, "having persuaded."

    ὡς πρὸς μέγαν καὶ βίαιον πλοῦν: "as (one would do) for a long and violent voyage," ὡς functioning as a conjunction introducing an elliptical clause with an implied verb (S. 3001). 

    VERB LIST

    Ἡράκλειος, -α, -ον: of Hercules

    στήλη, ἡ: a block of stone, pillar

    ἀφίημι: sail, make for 

    ἑσπέριος, -α, -ον: western

    ὠκεανός, ὁ: the ocean

    οὔριος, -α, -ον: prosperous, favoring

    πλοῦς (πλόος), πλοῦ (πλόου), ὁ: a sailing, voyage

    ἀποδημία, ἡ: a being from home, a going abroad

    ὑπόθεσις, -εως, ἡ: a supposition, purpose

    διάνοια, ἡ: a thought, intention

    περιεργία, ἡ: over-exactness, officiousness, curiosity

    πρᾶγμα, -ατος, τό: a deed, act

    καινός, -ή, -όν: new, fresh

    ἐπιθυμία, ἡ: desire, yearning, longing

    πέραν: on the other side, across

    κατοικέω: dwell in 

    πάμπολυς, -πόλλη, -πολυ: very much; pl. very many

    σιτίον, τό: food; pl. provisions

    ἐμβάλλω: throw in, put in

    ἐντίθημι: put in or into

    πεντήκοντα: fifty

    ἡλικιώτης, -ου, ὁ: fellow, comrade

    προσποιέω: win over, enlist

    κυβερνήτης, -ου, ὁ: a helmsman, pilot

    μισθός, ὁ: wages, pay, hire

    παραλαμβάνω: secure, obtain, engage

    ἄκατος, ὁ: a light vessel

    βίαιος, -α, -ον: violent, constrained

    κρατύνω: strengthen

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    Suggested Citation

    Eric Casey, Evan Hayes, and Stephen Nimis, Lucian True History. Carlisle, Pennsylvania: Dickinson College Commentaries, 2023. ISBN: .
    https://dcc.dickinson.edu/lucian-true/book-1/1-5