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The naturalist philosopher, who predicted the eclipse of the sun in the reign of Darius.[1]
And Aristophanes says, "The man [is] a Thales." Meaning [he is] great in astronomy. [The name *qalh=s] is declined *qalou= [in the genitive]; but [the form] *qa/lhs [has the genitive] *qa/lhtos.[2] But one should note that [as] from the nominative *qalh=s, like *(ermh=s, [accusative] *(ermh=n, Aristophanes declined [the name] *qalh=n [in the accusative]. Also *(erme/as like *qale/as.[3] The name is pronounced in two different ways: with barytone accent *qa/lhs, like *xre/mhs, from which the genitive [is] *qa/lhtos like *xre/mhtos.[4]

Thalês, ho phusikos philosophos, epi Dareiou proeipôn tên tou hêliou ekleipsin. kai Aristophanês phêsin, anthrôpos Thalês. anti tou akros tên astronomian. klinetai de Thalou: Thalês de Thalêtos. paratêrêteon de, hôs hoti ap' eutheias tês Thalês, hôs Hermês Hermên, Thalên eklinen Aristophanês. kai Hermeas hôs Thaleas. dichôs de tounoma ekphônêteon: barutonôs men Thalês, hôs Chremês, hou hê genikê Thalêtos, hôs Chremêtos.

[1] See already theta 17. The specific eclipse in question here has been dated to 585 BCE, which places Th. far earlier than the reign of Darius I of Persia (delta 72, delta 73).
[2] Aristophanes, Birds 1009 (web address 1), with scholion; cf. theta 20
[3] But *(erme/as and *qale/as are attested only in grammarians and lexicography.
[4] From a scholion on Aristophanes, Clouds 180 (web address 2). "Barytone accent" means that the name is not accented on the last syllable. The sentence should go on to mention the second pronunciation with circumflex accent on the last syllable.

David Whitehead (augmented n.1; cosmetics) on 7 November 2005@03:14:12.
David Whitehead (tweaking) on 24 December 2012@04:00:44.
Catharine Roth (expanded notes) on 16 January 2016@00:53:09.
Catharine Roth (tweaked translation, added links) on 27 September 2018@00:53:23.
Catharine Roth on 27 September 2018@00:54:05.

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