- 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-grc2:1.81.1-1.81.11
- Generated
- Humanitext Reader · reader.humanitext.ai · 2026-11-12
The Carthaginians, grief-stricken by the slaughter of Gesco and his men, attempt to recover the bodies but are refused by the mercenaries. Polybius uses the mercenaries' brutal decisions to discuss how human souls, like incurable ulcers, can become utterly savage and lose their humanity, exacerbated by the insolence and greed of their leaders.
οἱ δὲ Καρχηδόνιοι τοῦ δυστυχήματος αὐτοῖς ἀναγγελθέντος ποιεῖν μὲν οὐδὲν εἶχον,1 ἐσχετλίαζον δὲ καὶ περιπαθεῖς γινόμενοι τῇ συμφορᾷ πρὸς μὲν Ἀμίλκαν καὶ τὸν ἕτερον τῶν στρατηγῶν Ἄννωνα πρεσβευτὰς ἐξέπεμπον, δεόμενοι βοηθεῖν καὶ τιμωρεῖν τοῖς ἠτυχηκόσι.
When this misfortune was reported to them, the Carthaginians indeed had nothing they could do, but, being deeply distressed and heart-broken at the calamity, they dispatched envoys to Amilcar and Hanno, the other general, begging them to come to their aid and to avenge those who had suffered.
πρὸς δὲ τοὺς ἠσεβηκότας κήρυκας ἐξαπέστελλον περὶ τῆς τῶν νεκρῶν ἀναιρέσεως.
To those who had committed the impious deed, they sent heralds concerning the recovery of the dead.
οἱ δʼ οὔτʼ ἔδοσαν, προεῖπόν τε τοῖς παροῦσιν μήτε κήρυκα πέμπειν πρὸς σφᾶς μήτε πρεσβευτήν, ὡς τῆς αὐτῆς κολάσεως ὑπομενούσης τοὺς παραγενομένους ἧς νῦν Γέσκων τέτευχε.2
But they not only refused to grant this, but warned those present not to send any herald or envoy to them, on the ground that the same punishment that Gesco had just suffered would await those who arrived.
πρὸς δὲ τὸ λοιπὸν ἐδογματοποίησαν καὶ παρῄνεσαν αὑτοῖς, ὃν μὲν ἂν λάβωσιν Καρχηδονίων, τιμωρησαμένους ἀποκτείνειν· ὃν δʼ ἂν τῶν συμμαχούντων αὐτοῖς, ἀποκόψαντας τὰς χεῖρας αὖθις εἰς Καρχηδόνʼ ἀποπέμπειν. ὃ δὴ καὶ διετέλεσαν ἐπιμελῶς ποιοῦντες.
Furthermore, for the future, they decreed and enjoined upon themselves that any Carthaginian they captured should be tortured and killed, and any of their allies should have his hands cut off and be sent back to Carthage. And indeed, they continued to do this with diligence.
διόπερ εἰς ταῦτα βλέπων οὐκ ἄν τις εἰπεῖν ὀκνήσειεν ὡς οὐ μόνον τὰ σώματα τῶν ἀνθρώπων καί τινα τῶν ἐν αὐτοῖς γεννωμένων ἑλκῶν καὶ φυμάτων ἀποθηριοῦσθαι συμβαίνει καὶ τελέως ἀβοήθητα γίνεσθαι, πολὺ δὲ μάλιστα τὰς ψυχάς.3
Looking at these things, therefore, one would not hesitate to say that not only does it happen that the bodies of men and certain ulcers and tumors arising in them become savage and utterly incurable, but much more so do their souls.
ἐπί τε γὰρ τῶν ἑλκῶν, ἐὰν μὲν θεραπείαν τοῖς τοιούτοις προσάγῃ τις, ὑπʼ αὐτῆς ἐνίοτε ταύτης ἐρεθιζόμενα θᾶττον ποιεῖται τὴν νομήν· ἐὰν δὲ πάλιν ἀφῇ, κατὰ τὴν ἐξ αὑτῶν φύσιν φθείροντα τὸ συνεχὲς οὐκ ἴσχει παῦλαν, ἕως ἂν ἀφανίσῃ τὸ ὑποκείμενον·
For in the case of ulcers, if one applies treatment, they are sometimes irritated by this very treatment and spread more rapidly; and if, on the other hand, one leaves them alone, following their own nature they destroy the adjacent parts and find no rest until they have destroyed the underlying substance;
ταῖς τε ψυχαῖς παραπλησίως τοιαῦται πολλάκις ἐπιφύονται μελανίαι καὶ σηπεδόνες ὥστε μηδὲν ἀσεβέστερον ἀνθρώπου μηδʼ ὠμότερον ἀποτελεῖσθαι τῶν ζῴων.
and similarly in souls, such blackness and gangrene often grow that no creature is rendered more impious or cruel than man.
οἷς ἐὰν μὲν συγγνώμην τινὰ προσάγῃς καὶ φιλανθρωπίαν, ἐπιβουλὴν καὶ παραλογισμὸν ἡγούμενοι τὸ συμβαῖνον ἀπιστότεροι καὶ δυσμενέστεροι γίνονται πρὸς τοὺς φιλανθρωποῦντας·
To whom, if you apply any pardon and kindness, they, regarding what happens as a plot and a deception, become more untrustworthy and hostile toward those who show them kindness;
ἐὰν δʼ ἀντιτιμωρῇ, διαμιλλώμενοι τοῖς θυμοῖς οὐκ ἔστι τι τῶν ἀπειρημένων ἢ δεινῶν ὁποῖον οὐκ ἀναδέχονται, σὺν καλῷ τιθέμενοι τὴν τοιαύτην τόλμαν· τέλος δʼ ἀποθηριωθέντες ἐξέστησαν4 τῆς ἀνθρωπίνης φύσεως.
but if you retaliate, contending with their passions, there is no forbidden or terrible deed that they will not undertake, regarding such audacity as an honorable thing; and finally, having become utterly savage, they depart from human nature.
τῆς δὲ διαθέσεως ἀρχηγὸν μὲν καὶ μεγίστην μερίδα νομιστέον ἔθη μοχθηρὰ καὶ τροφὴν ἐκ παίδων κακήν, συνεργὰ δὲ καὶ πλείω, μέγιστα δὲ τῶν συνεργῶν τὰς ἀεὶ τῶν προεστώτων ὕβρεις καὶ πλεονεξίας.
Of this disposition, we must regard as the origin and the greatest part bad habits and corrupt training from childhood, though there are many contributing factors, the greatest of which are the constant insolence and greed of their leaders.
ἃ δὴ τότε συνέβαινε καὶ περὶ μὲν τὸ σύστημα τῶν μισθοφόρων, ἔτι δὲ μᾶλλον περὶ τοὺς ἡγεμόνας αὐτῶν ὑπάρχειν.
These indeed then happened to exist both in the general body of the mercenaries, and still more in their leaders.
- 1.81.1ποιεῖν μὲν οὐδὲν εἶχον
The verb ἔχω with an infinitive (ποιεῖν) means "to be able to" or "to have the means to." Combined with the negative οὐδὲν, it expresses "had nothing they could do" or "were unable to do anything."
- 1.81.3ἧς νῦν Γέσκων τέτευχε
The relative pronoun ἧς is in the genitive case, governed by the verb τυγχάνω (τέτευχε) which takes the genitive, and also agreeing through attraction with its genitive antecedent κολάσεως.
- 1.81.5οὐ μόνον τὰ σώματα τῶν ἀνθρώπων ... πολὺ δὲ μάλιστα τὰς ψυχάς
A comparative structure within the ὡς clause: "not only A (bodies and ulcers) but much more B (souls) happen (συμβαίνει) to become savage (ἀποθηριοῦσθαι)." In the second part, after πολὺ δὲ μάλιστα τὰς ψυχάς, the infinitive phrase ἀποθηριοῦσθαι συμβαίνει is ellipted.
- 1.81.9ἐξέστησαν
Although this is the aorist (third-person plural) of ἐξίστημι, it functions here as a "gnomic aorist" expressing a general truth or universal law rather than a specific past event. It is therefore best translated in the present tense: "they depart from/lose."
Translated by Gemini 3.5 Flash (published 2026-05-25) · Revision history (1, latest 2026-09-21)
- 2026-09-21 AI review — translation 1