- Source
- Diodorus Siculus. Diodori Bibliotheca Historica. Vols. 4-5 (partial). Bekker, Immanuel; Dindorf, Ludwig; Fischer, Curt Theodor; editors. Leipzig: Teubner, 1903-1906.
- Translation
- AI-generated (gemini-3.5-flash) — machine translation; may contain errors
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- CTS URN
- urn:cts:greekLit:tlg0060.tlg001.humanitext-grc6:18.63.1-18.63.6
- Generated
- Humanitext Reader · reader.humanitext.ai · 2026-11-10
The Macedonian soldiers face a dilemma upon receiving Antigonus's threatening letter from Philotas, but Eumenes defuses the situation with a persuasive speech and secures their loyalty. Having escaped danger, Eumenes advances to Phoenicia to assemble a fleet.
τρόπον·1 τοῦ δὲ Φιλώτου τὴν κοινὴν ἐπιστολὴν ἀναδόντος τοῖς ἡγεμόσι συνήχθησαν οἵ τε ἀργυράσπιδες καὶ οἱ ἄλλοι Μακεδόνες κατʼ ἰδίαν ἄνευ τοῦ Εὐμενοῦς καὶ τὴν ἐπιστολὴν προσέταξαν ἀναγνωσθῆναι.
manner. But when Philotas delivered the common letter to the commanders, the Silver Shields and the other Macedonians gathered privately without Eumenes and ordered the letter to be read.
ἦν δʼ ἐν αὐτῇ γεγραμμένη κατηγορία μὲν τοῦ Εὐμενοῦς, παράκλησις δὲ τῶν Μακεδόνων συλλαβεῖν τὸν Εὐμενῆ ταχέως καὶ ἀποκτεῖναι· ἐὰν δὲ ταῦτα μὴ πράξωσιν, ὅτι μετὰ πάσης τῆς δυνάμεως ἥξει2 πολεμήσων αὐτοῖς καὶ τοῖς μὴ πειθαρχοῦσι τὴν προσήκουσαν ἐπιθήσει τιμωρίαν.
Now in it was written an accusation against Eumenes, and an entreaty to the Macedonians to seize Eumenes quickly and kill him; and if they did not do this, that he would come with all his force to make war upon them and would inflict the appropriate punishment on those who disobeyed.
ἀναγνωσθείσης δὲ τῆς ἐπιστολῆς εἰς πολλὴν ἀπορίαν ἐνέπεσον οἵ τε ἡγεμόνες καὶ οἱ Μακεδόνες πάντες· ἀναγκαῖον γὰρ ἦν αὐτοῖς ἢ πρὸς τοὺς βασιλεῖς ἀποκλίναντας ὑπʼ Ἀντιγόνου τιμωρίας τυχεῖν ἢ πειθαρχήσαντας3 Ἀντιγόνῳ ὑπὸ Πολυπέρχοντος καὶ τῶν βασιλέων κολασθῆναι.
When the letter was read, the commanders and all the Macedonians fell into great perplexity; for it was necessary for them either, by leaning toward the kings, to receive punishment from Antigonus, or, by obeying Antigonus, to be punished by Polyperchon and the kings.
τοιαύτης δὲ συγχύσεως ἐπεχούσης τὰ πλήθη ἧκεν ὁ Εὐμενὴς καὶ τὴν ἐπιστολὴν ἀναγνοὺς παρεκάλεσε τοὺς Μακεδόνας πράττειν τὰ τοῖς βασιλεῦσι δεδογμένα, τῷ δὲ ἀποστάτῃ γεγονότι μὴ προσέχειν.
While such confusion possessed the multitudes, Eumenes arrived, and having read the letter, urged the Macedonians to do what had been decided by the kings, and not to pay attention to the one who had become a rebel.
πολλὰ δὲ διαλεχθεὶς οἰκεῖα τῆς ὑποθέσεως οὐ μόνον αὐτὸς ἀπελύθη τῶν ἐνεστώτων κινδύνων, ἀλλὰ καὶ τὸ πλῆθος εἰς εὔνοιαν μείζονα τῆς προϋπαρχούσης παρεστήσατο.
By speaking many things appropriate to the situation, he not only freed himself from the present dangers, but also brought the multitude to a greater goodwill than what had previously existed.
οὗτος μὲν οὖν πάλιν εἰς ἀνελπίστους κινδύνους ἐμπεσὼν παραδόξως ἰσχυροτέραν κατεσκεύασε τὴν περὶ αὑτὸν δύναμιν. διὸ καὶ τοῖς στρατιώταις παραγγείλας ἀναζευγνύειν προῆγεν ἐπὶ Φοινίκης, σπεύδων τὰς ναῦς ἐξ ἁπασῶν τῶν πόλεων ἀθροῖσαι καὶ στόλον ἀξιόλογον κατασκευάσαι, ὅπως Πολυπέρχων μὲν προσλαβόμενος τὰς ἐκ τῆς Φοινίκης ναῦς θαλαττοκρατῇ καὶ δύνηται διαβιβάζειν ἀσφαλῶς, ὅταν βούληται, τὰς ἐκ τῆς Μακεδονίας δυνάμεις εἰς τὴν Ἀσίαν ἐπʼ Ἀντίγονον. οὗτος μὲν οὖν ἐν Φοινίκῃ διέτριβε κατασκευαζόμενος τὴν ναυτικὴν δύναμιν.
Thus he, having fallen again into unexpected dangers, unexpectedly made the power around him stronger. Therefore, having ordered the soldiers to strike camp, he advanced toward Phoenicia, hastening to collect the ships from all the cities and to construct a remarkable fleet, so that Polyperchon, having joined the ships from Phoenicia, might rule the sea and be able to transport the forces from Macedonia safely to Asia against Antigonus whenever he wished. Thus he remained in Phoenicia, preparing his naval force.
- 18.63.1τρόπον·
The word is the final part of the phrase "in the aforementioned manner" (τὸν προειρημένον τρόπον) from the end of the previous chapter, which has been separated by the chapter division and placed at the beginning of chapter 63.
- 18.63.2ὅτι μετὰ πάσης τῆς δυνάμεως ἥξει
The ὅτι clause introduces indirect speech explaining the contents of the letter. It depends on ἦν... γεγραμμένη ("it was written"), and the subject is Antigonus, the author of the letter, understood from the context.
- 18.63.3ἀποκλίναντας ... πειθαρχήσαντας
Despite the presence of the dative αὐτοῖς ("for them"), these participles are in the accusative plural masculine, agreeing with the omitted subject of the infinitives τυχεῖν and κολασθῆναι (an implied accusative "them"). This is a common attraction to the subject of the infinitive.