fɔːɹ ðɪs stˈeɪtmənt hɪɹˈɑːdəɾəs kˌʊdɐv hæd nˈoʊ ˈʌðɚɹ ɐθˈɔːɹɪɾi ðɐn tɹɐdˈɪʃən, ænd ðɛɹ ɪz ðˈɛɹfoːɹ nˈoʊ ɹˈiːzən fɔːɹ ɐksˈɛptɪŋ ɪɾ æz æn hɪstˈɔːɹɪkəl ɹᵻlˈeɪʃən ʌv fˈækts, æz mˈɛni mˈɑːdɚn skˈɑːlɚz hæv dˈʌn.
For this statement Herodotus could have had no other authority than tradition, and there is therefore no reason for accepting it as an historical relation of facts, as many modern scholars have done.