- Source
- Polybius. Vols. 1-4. Büttner-Wobst, Theodor, editor. Leipzig: Teubner, 1893.
- 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:tlg0543.tlg001.humanitext-grc2:1.59.1-1.59.12
- Generated
- Humanitext Reader · reader.humanitext.ai · 2026-11-12
Realizing that land operations alone could not end the war and to counter Hamilcar's success, Rome builds a new fleet through private contributions and dispatches it to Sicily under Gaius Lutatius, who prepares the crews for naval battle.
διὰ τὰς πολυχρονίους εἰσφορὰς καὶ δαπάνας.1 ὁμοίως δὲ Ῥωμαῖοι ψυχομαχοῦντες, καίπερ ἔτη σχεδὸν ἤδη πέντε τῶν κατὰ θάλατταν πραγμάτων ὁλοσχερῶς ἀφεστηκότες διά τε τὰς περιπετείας καὶ διὰ τὸ πεπεῖσθαι διʼ αὐτῶν τῶν πεζικῶν δυνάμεων κρινεῖν τὸν πόλεμον, τότε συνορῶντες οὐ προχωροῦν αὑτοῖς τοὔργον2 κατὰ τοὺς ἐκλογισμοὺς καὶ μάλιστα διὰ τὴν τόλμαν τοῦ τῶν Καρχηδονίων ἡγεμόνος, ἔκριναν τὸ τρίτον ἀντιποιήσασθαι τῶν ἐν ταῖς ναυτικαῖς δυνάμεσιν ἐλπίδων, ὑπολαμβάνοντες διὰ τῆς ἐπινοίας ταύτης, εἰ καιρίως ἅψαιντο τῆς ἐπιβολῆς, μόνως ἂν οὕτως πέρας ἐπιθεῖναι τῷ πολέμῳ συμφέρον.3 ὃ καὶ τέλος ἐποίησαν.
This was owing to the long-continued war-taxes and expenses. In like manner the Romans, though struggling with all their might, had completely held aloof from naval affairs for already nearly five years, both on account of their disasters and because they were convinced that they would decide the war by means of their land forces alone; but at this time, seeing that the business was not progressing for them according to their calculations, and especially owing to the daring of the Carthaginian commander, they decided for the third time to lay claim to their hopes in naval forces, conceiving that through this design, if they should lay hold of the enterprise at a critical moment, they could only in this way bring a beneficial end to the war. And this they actually accomplished in the end.
τὸ μὲν γὰρ πρῶτον ἐξεχώρησαν τῆς θαλάττης εἴξαντες τοῖς ἐκ τῆς τύχης συμπτώμασιν, τὸ δὲ δεύτερον ἐλαττωθέντες τῇ περὶ τὰ Δρέπανα ναυμαχίᾳ·
For on the first occasion they withdrew from the sea, yielding to the disasters sent by fortune, and on the second occasion they were defeated in the naval battle at Drepana;
τότε δὲ τρίτην ἐποιοῦντο ταύτην τὴν ἐπιβολήν, διʼ ἧς νικήσαντες καὶ τὰ περὶ τὸν Ἔρυκα στρατόπεδα τῶν Καρχηδονίων ἀποκλείσαντες τῆς κατὰ θάλατταν χορηγίας τέλος ἐπέθηκαν τοῖς ὅλοις.
but on this occasion they made this third attempt, through which, by winning a victory and cutting off the Carthaginian forces around Eryx from their supplies by sea, they put an end to the whole war.
ἦν δὲ τῆς ἐπιβολῆς τὸ πλεῖον ψυχομαχία. χορηγία μὲν γὰρ οὐχ ὑπῆρχε πρὸς τὴν πρόθεσιν ἐν τοῖς κοινοῖς, οὐ μὴν ἀλλὰ διὰ τὴν τῶν προεστώτων ἀνδρῶν εἰς τὰ κοινὰ φιλοτιμίαν καὶ γενναιότητα προσευρέθη πρὸς τὴν συντέλειαν.
But the greater part of this enterprise was a test of spirit. For public funds did not exist for this purpose, but nevertheless, through the patriotism and nobility of the leading men toward the public interest, the money was found for its completion.
κατὰ γὰρ τὰς τῶν βίων εὐκαιρίας καθʼ ἕνα καὶ δύο καὶ τρεῖς ὑφίσταντο παρέξειν πεντήρη κατηρτισμένην, ἐφʼ ᾧ τὴν δαπάνην κομιοῦνται,4 κατὰ λόγον τῶν πραγμάτων προχωρησάντων.
For according to their means, individually, or in groups of two or three, they undertook to provide a fully equipped quinquereme, on the condition that they should recover their expenses when affairs had turned out successfully.
τῷ δὲ τοιούτῳ τρόπῳ ταχέως ἑτοιμασθέντων διακοσίων πλοίων πεντηρικῶν, ὧν ἐποιήσαντο τὴν ναυπηγίαν πρὸς [παράδειγμα] τὴν τοῦ Ῥοδίου ναῦν, μετὰ ταῦτα στρατηγὸν καταστήσαντες Γάϊον Λυτάτιον ἐξέπεμψαν ἀρχομένης τῆς θερείας.
By such means, two hundred quinqueremes were quickly made ready, of which they had constructed the shipbuilding after the model of the Rhodian ship; after this, they appointed Gaius Lutatius as general and sent him out at the beginning of summer.
ὃς καὶ παραδόξως ἐπιφανεὶς τοῖς κατὰ τὴν Σικελίαν τόποις τόν τε περὶ τὰ Δρέπανα λιμένα κατέσχε καὶ τοὺς περὶ τὸ Λιλύβαιον ὅρμους, παντὸς ἀνακεχωρηκότος εἰς τὴν οἰκείαν τοῦ τῶν Καρχηδονίων ναυτικοῦ.
And he, appearing unexpectedly in the regions of Sicily, seized both the harbor of Drepana and the anchorages around Lilybaeum, for the entire Carthaginian navy had withdrawn to their own home.
συστησάμενος δὲ περὶ τὴν ἐν τοῖς Δρεπάνοις πόλιν ἔργα καὶ τἄλλα πρὸς τὴν πολιορκίαν παρασκευασάμενος, ἅμα μὲν ταύτῃ προσεκαρτέρει τὰ δυνατὰ ποιῶν, ἅμα δὲ προορώμενος τὴν παρουσίαν τοῦ Καρχηδονίων στόλου καὶ μνημονεύων τῆς ἐξ ἀρχῆς προθέσεως ὅτι μόνως δύναται διὰ τοῦ κατὰ θάλατταν κινδύνου κρίσεως τὰ ὅλα τυχεῖν, οὐκ ἀχρεῖον οὐδʼ ἀργὸν εἴα γίνεσθαι τὸν χρόνον, ἀλλʼ ἀνʼ ἑκάστην ἡμέραν ἀναπείρας καὶ μελέτας ποιῶν τοῖς πληρώμασιν οἰκείως τῆς ἐπιβολῆς τῇ τε λοιπῇ τῇ κατὰ τὴν δίαιταν ἐπιμελείᾳ προσκαρτερῶν ἀθλητὰς ἀπετέλεσεν πρὸς τὸ προκείμενον ἐν πάνυ βραχεῖ χρόνῳ τοὺς ναύτας.
Having established siege-works around the city of Drepana and prepared everything else for the siege, on the one hand he persisted in this, doing all that was possible, and on the other hand, anticipating the arrival of the Carthaginian fleet and keeping in mind the original plan that only through a hazard at sea could the whole matter reach a decision, he did not allow the time to be useless or idle, but by making trial trips and practices for the crews every day in a manner suited to the enterprise, and by persisting in the rest of the care regarding their training, he made the sailors perfect athletes for the task before them in a very short time.
- 1.59.1διὰ τὰς πολυχρονίους εἰσφορὰς καὶ δαπάνας
A prepositional phrase expressing cause, qualifying the end of the previous section 1.58.9 ("ἀπήλγουν... παρεῖντο"). Although standing independently without a verb, it syntactically accounts for the state of exhaustion of both nations.
- 1.59.2οὐ προχωροῦν αὑτοῖς τοὔργον
A participle construction functioning as the object of συνορῶντες (seeing/realizing). The neuter singular present participle προχωροῦν is used from the impersonal προχωρεῖ (to progress), with τοὔργον (the business/work) as its subject, indicating that the enterprise was not progressing for them (αὑτοῖς).
- 1.59.3μόνως ἂν οὕτως πέρας ἐπιθεῖναι τῷ πολέμῳ συμφέρον
An accusative and infinitive construction dependent on the participle ὑπολαμβάνοντες (conceiving/assuming). Here, συμφέρον is the neuter present participle of the impersonal συμφέρει (it is beneficial) with [εἶναι] omitted, and the infinitive phrase with potential ἂν (ἂν ... ἐπιθεῖναι) serves as its subject.
- 1.59.7ἐφʼ ᾧ τὴν δαπάνην κομιοῦνται
The conjunctional phrase ἐφʼ ᾧ followed by the future indicative (κομιοῦνται) introduces a restrictive condition: "on condition that" or "with the understanding that". It specifies the terms of the private citizens' contribution, ensuring they would recoup their expenses once public affairs improved.