Isocrates 4.134

Greek Learning Greek
1

[134] καὶ τῷ μὲν οὐδὲν προὐργιαίτερόν ἐστιν ἢ σκοπεῖν ἐξ ὧν μηδέποτε παυσόμεθα πρὸς ἀλλήλους πολεμοῦντες. . . .

Throughout the speech, but especially in the previous section 133, Isocrates surveys the problem of the Hellenes’ disunity before the power of the Persian king.

Translation: And, in this regard [καὶ τῷ] on the one hand nothing is more important than [for the Persian king] to spy out the causes of which we never stop fighting among ourselves. . . .

I am reading τῷ as having an implied noun denoting the information Isocrates has just given in the preceding section.

I am reading ἐξ ὧν as “the causes of which”. It might be better Englished as “the reasons why”.

2

Hi Hugh,
I think τῷ μὲν has to be read as masculine, with reference to the King, just as with εκεινου and αυτω in the next sentence. The contrast is between τῷ μὲν and ημεις δε.

3

mwh wrote:
I think τῷ μὲν has to be read as masculine, with reference to the King, just as with εκεινου and αυτω in the next sentence. The contrast is between τῷ μὲν and ημεις δε.

Yes! Of course! Many thanks.