- 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
- Languages
- 日本語 · English · 简体中文 · 한국어
- CTS URN
- urn:cts:greekLit:tlg0060.tlg001.humanitext-grc6:19.5.1-19.5.6
- Generated
- Humanitext Reader · reader.humanitext.ai · 2026-11-10
Agathocles cleverly escapes an assassination plot by General Acestorides using a decoy. He is later recalled to his fatherland, swears loyalty to the democracy at the temple of Demeter, and is appointed general to mediate among the city's conflicting factions.
μετὰ δὲ ταῦτα ἐν ταῖς Συρακούσσαις αἱρεθέντος Ἀκεστορίδου τοῦ Κορινθίου στρατηγοῦ δόξας1 ἐπιθέσθαι τυραννίδι διὰ τὴν σύνεσιν ἐξέφυγε τὸν κίνδυνον. ὁ μὲν γὰρ Ἀκεστορίδης εὐλαβηθεὶς τὴν στάσιν καὶ διὰ τοῦτο οὐ βουλόμενος αὐτὸν φανερῶς ἀνελεῖν ἐκέλευεν ἐκ τῆς πόλεως μεταστῆναι καὶ τοὺς νυκτὸς κατὰ τὴν ὁδὸν ἀποκτενοῦντας2 ἐξαπέστειλεν.
After these things, when Acestorides the Corinthian was chosen general in Syracuse, Agathocles, having been thought to be aiming at tyranny because of his shrewdness, escaped the danger. For Acestorides, fearing civil strife and for this reason not wishing to put him to death openly, ordered him to depart from the city, and sent out men who would kill him by night along the road.
Ἀγαθοκλῆς δὲ καταστοχασάμενος πιθανῶς τὴν ἐπίνοιαν τοῦ στρατηγοῦ τῶν παίδων ἐξελέξατο τὸν ἑαυτῷ μάλιστα ἐοικότα καὶ κατὰ τὸ μέγεθος τοῦ σώματος καὶ κατὰ τὴν ὄψιν· τούτῳ δὲ δοὺς τὴν ἑαυτοῦ πανοπλίαν καὶ τὸν ἵππον, ἔτι δὲ τὴν ἐσθῆτα παρεκρούσατο τοὺς ἐπὶ τὴν ἀναίρεσιν ἀποσταλέντας.
But Agathocles, having correctly guessed the plan of the general, chose from among his servants the one who most resembled himself both in the size of his body and in his appearance; and having given to this man his own armor and his horse, and furthermore his clothing, he deceived those who had been sent for his assassination.
αὐτὸς δὲ ῥάκη περιβαλόμενος ἀνοδίᾳ τὴν ὁδοιπορίαν ἐποιήσατο. ἐκεῖνοι δὲ ἀπὸ τῶν ὅπλων καὶ τῶν ἄλλων συσσήμων ὑπολαβόντες εἶναι τὸν Ἀγαθοκλέα καὶ τἀκριβὲς διὰ τὸ σκότος οὐ συνιδόντες τὸν μὲν φόνον ἐπετέλεσαν, τῆς δὲ προκεχειρισμένης πράξεως διήμαρτον.3
He himself, having put on rags, made his journey through trackless country. And those men, supposing from the arms and the other tokens that the man was Agathocles, and not seeing the truth because of the darkness, accomplished the murder indeed, but missed the intended deed.
μετὰ δὲ ταῦτα τῶν Συρακοσίων καταδεξαμένων τοὺς μετὰ Σωστράτου φυγάδας καὶ πρὸς Καρχηδονίους εἰρήνην συνθεμένων Ἀγαθοκλῆς φυγὰς ὢν ἰδίαν δύναμιν ἐν τῇ μεσογείῳ συνεστήσατο. γενόμενος δὲ φοβερὸς οὐ μόνον τοῖς πολίταις, ἀλλὰ καὶ τοῖς Καρχηδονίοις ἐπείσθη κατελθεῖν εἰς τὴν πατρίδα καὶ παραχθεὶς εἰς τὸ τῆς Δήμητρος ἱερὸν ὑπὸ τῶν πολιτῶν ὤμοσε μηδὲν ἐναντιωθήσεσθαι τῇ δημοκρατίᾳ.
After these things, when the Syracusans had received back the exiles with Sostratus and had concluded peace with the Carthaginians, Agathocles, being an exile, assembled a private force in the interior. But having become formidable not only to the citizens but also to the Carthaginians, he was persuaded to return to his fatherland, and having been brought to the temple of Demeter by the citizens, he swore that he would in no way oppose the democracy.
προσποιηθεὶς δὲ τῆς δημοκρατίας προΐστασθαι καὶ δημαγωγήσας ποικίλως τὰ πλήθη στρατηγὸς κατεστάθη καὶ φύλαξ τῆς εἰρήνης, μέχρι ἂν γνησίως ὁμονοήσωσιν4 οἱ συνεληλυθότες εἰς τὴν πόλιν.
And having pretended to champion the democracy and having won over the multitudes by various demagogic means, he was appointed general and guardian of the peace, until those who had gathered into the city should genuinely reach agreement.
εἰς πολλὰ γὰρ μέρη συνέβαινε διαιρεῖσθαι τὰς ἑταιρίας τῶν συνιόντων καὶ πρὸς ἀλλήλους ἑκάστοις εἶναι μεγάλας διαφοράς, μέγιστον δʼ ἦν ἀντίταγμα τοῖς περὶ τὸν Ἀγαθοκλέα τὸ τῶν ἑξακοσίων συνέδριον, κατὰ τὴν ὀλιγαρχίαν ὑφηγημένον τῆς πόλεως· οἱ προέχοντες γὰρ τῶν Συρακοσίων ταῖς δόξαις καὶ ταῖς οὐσίαις ἐν τούτοις ὑπῆρχον καταλελεγμένοι.
For it happened that the associations of those coming together were divided into many factions and that there were great disputes among them against one another; and the greatest opposing force to Agathocles and his faction was the council of the Six Hundred, which had led the city during the oligarchy; for those of the Syracusans who were preeminent in reputation and in property happened to be enrolled among them.
- 19.5.1δόξας
Nominative masculine singular aorist active participle, modifying the implied subject (Agathocles) of the main verb ἐξέφυγε. It functions either concessively ('although he was thought') or causally in relation to the danger he faced.
- 19.5.1τοὺς ... ἀποκτενοῦντας
The future active participle ἀποκτενοῦντας (from ἀποκτείνω) with the article, meaning 'those who were going to kill him by night along the road'. The future participle here implies the purpose or intention of the sending.
- 19.5.3διήμαρτον
Aorist of διαμαρτάνω ('to miss, fail'), which governs the genitive of separation/object τῆς ... πράξεως ('the intended deed'), meaning 'failed to achieve their intended purpose'.
- 19.5.5μέχρι ἂν ... ὁμονοήσωσιν
The conjunction μέχρι with the particle ἄν and the aorist subjunctive ὁμονοήσωσιν (from ὁμονοέω), forming a temporal clause that refers to a limit expected in the future ('until they should reach agreement').