Need help with Herodot-passage

Greek Learning Greek
1

Hello!

I need help to understand a passage from Smith’s “Dictionary of Greek and Roman Antiquities”. I was reading the article TYRANNUS and stumbled upon a passage from Herodotus with no translation accompanying it:

The name of > tyrant > wa originally so far from denoting a person who abused his power, or treated his subjects with cruelty, that Peisistratus is praised by Thucycides (vi. 54) for the moderation of his government; and Herodotus says, he governed > οὒτε τιμὰς τὰς ἐούτας αυνταράξας, οὔτε θέσμια μεταλλάξας, ἐπί τε τοἵσι κατεστεῶσι ενεμε τὴν πόλιν κοσμέων καλῶς τε καὶ εῦ.

I used the web-site TypeGreek to transcribe the text and probably made errors when trying to transcribe it (especially the diacritics gave me some problems). The original dictionary-article with the Greek passage can be found at ancientlibrary.com

Thanks in advance for your help,

Carolus Raeticus

2

Hey there!

Copying the translation from Perseus Project:
" Pisistratus ruled the Athenians, disturbing in no way the order of offices nor changing the laws, but governing the city according to its established constitution and arranging all things fairly and well"

The original (copying again; I’m way too lazy today :smiley: ):
“ἔνθα δὴ ὁ Πεισίστρατος ἦρχε Ἀθηναίων, οὔτε τιμὰς τὰς ἐούσας συνταράξας οὔτε θέσμια μεταλλάξας, ἐπί τε τοῖσι κατεστεῶσι ἔνεμε τὴν πόλιν κοσμέων καλῶς τε καὶ εὖ.”
(Hdt. 1.59.6)