- 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-grc2:1.70.1-1.70.9
- Generated
- Humanitext Reader · reader.humanitext.ai · 2026-11-12
Although Gesco attempted to negotiate, his angry refusal to the insolent Libyans, telling them to demand their rations from Mathos, provoked a violent mutiny. Mathos and Spendius seized Gesco, openly declared war, and after securing the support of nearly all Libyan cities, initiated the siege of Utica and Hippacritae.
στρατηγοὺς Μάθω καὶ Σπένδιον. ὁ δὲ Γέσκων ἑώρα μὲν τὴν ὅλην ἀκαταστασίαν καὶ ταραχήν, περὶ πλείστου δὲ ποιούμενος τὸ τῇ πατρίδι συμφέρον καὶ θεωρῶν ὅτι τούτων ἀποθηριωθέντων1 κινδυνεύουσι προφανῶς οἱ Καρχηδόνιοι τοῖς ὅλοις πράγμασι, παρεβάλλετο καὶ προσεκαρτέρει, ποτὲ μὲν τοὺς προεστῶτας αὐτῶν εἰς τὰς χεῖρας λαμβάνων, ποτὲ δὲ κατὰ γένη συναθροίζων καὶ παρακαλῶν.
...generals Mathos and Spendius. Gesco saw the overall instability and confusion, but, considering the interest of his country of the highest importance and seeing that if these men became utterly brutalized, the Carthaginians would face obvious danger in their entire fortune, he exposed himself to danger and held out persistently, sometimes treating with their leaders in person, and sometimes assembling and exhorting them according to their nationalities.
οὐ μὴν ἀλλὰ τῶν Λιβύων οὐδέπω κεκομισμένων τὰς σιταρχίας, οἰομένων δὲ δεῖν ἀποδεδόσθαι σφίσι καὶ προσιόντων θρασέως, βουλόμενος ὁ Γέσκων ἐπιπλῆξαι τὴν προπέτειαν αὐτῶν, Μάθω τὸν στρατηγὸν ἀπαιτεῖν ἐκέλευεν.2
Nevertheless, since the Libyans had not yet received their rations, and thinking that these ought to be given to them, they approached him insolently; Gesco, wishing to chastise their rashness, ordered them to demand them from Mathos their general.
οἱ δʼ ἐπὶ τοσοῦτον διωργίσθησαν ὥστʼ οὐδὲ τὸν τυχόντα χρόνον ἀναστροφὴν δόντες ὥρμησαν τὸ μὲν πρῶτον ἐπὶ τὸ διαρπάζειν τὰ πρόχειρα τῶν χρημάτων, μετὰ δὲ ταῦτα συλλαμβάνειν τόν τε Γέσκωνα καὶ τοὺς μετʼ αὐτοῦ Καρχηδονίους.
And they were so enraged at this that, without giving even a moment’s respite, they rushed first of all to plunder the money close at hand, and after this to seize Gesco and the Carthaginians with him.
οἱ δὲ περὶ τὸν Μάθω καὶ τὸν Σπένδιον ὑπολαμβάνοντες τάχιστʼ ἂν οὕτως ἐκκαυθῆναι τὸν πόλεμον, εἰ παράνομόν τι πράξειαν3 καὶ παράσπονδον, συνήργουν ταῖς τῶν ὄχλων ἀπονοίαις καὶ τὴν μὲν ἀποσκευὴν τῶν Καρχηδονίων ἅμα τοῖς χρήμασι διήρπαζον, τὸν δὲ Γέσκωνα καὶ τοὺς σὺν αὐτῷ δήσαντες ὑβριστικῶς εἰς φυλακὴν παρεδίδοσαν.
Mathos and Spendius and their party, supposing that in this way the war would be most quickly kindled, if they should commit some unlawful and treaty-breaking act, cooperated with the madness of the crowd, and plundered the baggage of the Carthaginians along with the money, and having bound Gesco and those with him in an insulting manner, committed them to prison.
καὶ τὸ λοιπὸν ἐπολέμουν ἤδη φανερῶς πρὸς τοὺς Καρχηδονίους, συνωμοσίας ἀσεβεῖς καὶ παρὰ τὰ κοινὰ τῶν ἀνθρώπων ἔθη ποιησάμενοι.
And henceforth they already waged war openly against the Carthaginians, having formed impious alliances contrary to the common customs of mankind.
ὁ μὲν οὖν πρὸς τοὺς ξένους καὶ Λιβυκὸς ἐπικληθεὶς πόλεμος διὰ ταῦτα καὶ τοιαύτην ἔλαβε τὴν ἀρχήν.
The war, therefore, against the mercenaries, which was also called the Libyan War, for these reasons and in this manner had its beginning.
οἱ δὲ περὶ τὸν Μάθω συντελεσάμενοι τὰ προειρημένα παραυτίκα μὲν ἐξαπέστελλον πρέσβεις ἐπὶ τὰς κατὰ τὴν Λιβύην πόλεις, παρακαλοῦντες ἐπὶ τὴν ἐλευθερίαν καὶ δεόμενοι σφίσι βοηθεῖν καὶ συνεπιλαμβάνεσθαι τῶν πραγμάτων.
And Mathos and his party, having accomplished the aforementioned things, immediately dispatched ambassadors to the cities throughout Libya, calling them to freedom, and begging them to assist them and take part in the cause.
μετὰ δὲ ταῦτα πάντων σχεδὸν τῶν κατὰ τὴν Λιβύην ἑτοίμως συνυπακουσάντων αὐτοῖς πρὸς τὴν ἀπὸ τῶν Καρχηδονίων ἀπόστασιν καὶ τάς τε χορηγίας καὶ τὰς βοηθείας προθύμως ἐξαποστελλόντων, διελόντες σφᾶς πολιορκεῖν ἐνεχείρησαν οἱ μὲν τὴν Ἰτύκην, οἱ δὲ τοὺς Ἱππακρίτας, διὰ τὸ ταύτας τὰς πόλεις μὴ βούλεσθαι
After this, since almost all the cities in Libya readily listened to them for the rebellion against the Carthaginians and eagerly sent supplies and reinforcements, they divided their forces and undertook to besiege, some Utica, and others Hippacritae, because these cities did not wish...
- 1.70.1τούτων ἀποθηριωθέντων
Genitive absolute. The pronoun τούτων refers to the mercenaries (especially the Libyans) from the preceding context. The participle ἀποθηριωθέντων means "to become brutalized" and functions here with a conditional nuance ("if they should become brutalized"), modifying the main verb κινδυνεύουσι.
- 1.70.3Μάθω τὸν στρατηγὸν ἀπαιτεῖν ἐκέλευεν
The object of the commanding verb ἐκέλευεν (the soldiers, in the accusative) is omitted, serving as the subject of the infinitive ἀπαιτεῖν. Although ἀπαιτεῖν can take a double accusative (demanding something of someone), the thing to be demanded (rations) is omitted because it is obvious from the context, leaving only the person (Μάθω τὸν στρατηγὸν) in the accusative.
- 1.70.5τάχιστʼ ἂν οὕτως ἐκκαυθῆναι τὸν πόλεμον, εἰ παράνομόν τι πράξειαν
An accusative with infinitive construction (indirect speech) dependent on the verb of thinking ὑπολαμβάνοντες. The potential/hypothetical optative with ἄν of direct speech is retained here in indirect speech as the infinitive ἐκκαυθῆναι with ἄν, accompanied by the optative πράξειαν in the conditional clause.
Translated by Gemini 3.5 Flash (published 2026-05-25) · Revision history (1, latest 2026-09-21)
- 2026-09-21 AI review — source 1