- 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-grc2:1.9.1-1.9.8
- Generated
- Humanitext Reader · reader.humanitext.ai · 2026-11-12
Hiero established an alliance by marriage with the influential Leptines and strategically eliminated the troublesome old mercenaries by leaving them to be destroyed in battle. Afterward, with newly recruited mercenaries and a well-trained civic army, he defeated the Mamertines and was acclaimed king of Syracuse.
μενος ἐλπίδων ἢ κατὰ τὴν στρατηγίαν. θεωρῶν γὰρ τοὺς Συρακοσίους, ἐπειδὰν ἐκπέμψωσι τὰς δυνάμεις καὶ τοὺς ἄρχοντας μετὰ τῶν δυνάμεων, αὐτοὺς ἐν αὑτοῖς στασιάζοντας καὶ καινοτομοῦντας αἰεί τι, τὸν δὲ Λεπτίνην εἰδὼς καὶ τῇ προστασίᾳ καὶ τῇ πίστει πολὺ διαφέροντα τῶν ἄλλων πολιτῶν, εὐδοκιμοῦντα δὲ καὶ παρὰ τῷ πλήθει διαφερόντως, συνάπτεται κηδείαν πρὸς αὐτόν, βουλόμενος οἷον ἐφεδρείαν ἀπολιπεῖν ἐν τῇ πόλει τοῦτον, ὅτʼ αὐτὸν ἐξιέναι δέοι1 μετὰ τῶν δυνάμεων ἐπὶ τὰς πράξεις.
—namely, hopes greater than suited his office of general. For, seeing that the Syracusans, whenever they dispatched their forces and the commanders along with them, fell into factions among themselves and were always initiating some revolution, and knowing that Leptines far surpassed the other citizens in influence and credibility, and was exceptionally popular with the common people, he contracted an alliance of marriage with him, wishing to leave him behind in the city as a kind of rearguard whenever he himself had to march out with his forces on active service.
γήμας δὲ τὴν θυγατέρα τοῦ προειρημένου καὶ συνθεωρῶν τοὺς ἀρχαίους μισθοφόρους καχέκτας ὄντας καὶ κινητικοὺς ἐξάγει στρατείαν ὡς ἐπὶ τοὺς βαρβάρους2 τοὺς τὴν Μεσσήνην κατασχόντας.
Having married the daughter of the aforesaid man, and observing that the old mercenaries were disaffected and mutinous, he led out an expedition ostensibly against the barbarians who had occupied Messene.
ἀντιστρατοπεδεύσας δὲ περὶ Κεντόριπα καὶ παραταξάμενος περὶ τὸν Κυαμόσωρον ποταμὸν τοὺς μὲν πολιτικοὺς ἱππεῖς καὶ πεζοὺς αὐτὸς ἐν ἀποστήματι συνεῖχεν, ὡς κατʼ ἄλλον τόπον τοῖς πολεμίοις συμμίξων,3 τοὺς δὲ ξένους προβαλόμενος εἴασε πάντας ὑπὸ τῶν βαρβάρων διαφθαρῆναι·
Encamping opposite the enemy near Centuripa, and drawing up his line near the river Cyamosorus, he held back the civic cavalry and infantry at a distance under his own command, as if intending to engage the enemy in another quarter, but pushing the mercenaries forward, he allowed them all to be destroyed by the barbarians.
κατὰ δὲ τὸν τῆς ἐκείνων τροπῆς καιρὸν ἀσφαλῶς αὐτὸς ἀπεχώρησεν μετὰ τῶν πολιτῶν εἰς τὰς Συρακούσας.
During the retreat of the mercenaries, he himself retired safely with the citizens to Syracuse.
συντελεσάμενος δὲ τὸ προκείμενον πραγματικῶς καὶ παρῃρηκὼς πᾶν τὸ κινητικὸν καὶ στασιῶδες τῆς δυνάμεως, ξενολογήσας διʼ αὑτοῦ πλῆθος ἱκανὸν μισθοφόρων, ἀσφαλῶς ἤδη τὰ κατὰ τὴν ἀρχὴν διεξῆγεν.
Having thus successfully accomplished his purpose and cleared the army of all its turbulent and mutinous elements, Hiero enlisted for himself a sufficient body of new mercenaries, and henceforth conducted his government in security.
θεωρῶν δὲ τοὺς βαρβάρους ἐκ τοῦ προτερήματος θρασέως καὶ προπετῶς ἀναστρεφομένους, καθοπλίσας καὶ γυμνάσας ἐνεργῶς τὰς πολιτικὰς δυνάμεις ἐξῆγεν καὶ συμβάλλει τοῖς πολεμίοις ἐν τῷ Μυλαίῳ πεδίῳ περὶ τὸν Λογγανὸν καλούμενον ποταμόν.
But seeing that the barbarians, owing to their previous success, were behaving with boldness and rashness, he thoroughly armed and trained the civic forces, led them out, and engaged the enemy on the plain of Mylae near the river called Longanus.
τροπὴν δὲ ποιήσας αὐτῶν ἰσχυρὰν καὶ τῶν ἡγεμόνων ἐγκρατὴς γενόμενος ζωγρίᾳ τὴν μὲν τῶν βαρβάρων κατέπαυσε τόλμαν, αὐτὸς δὲ παραγενόμενος εἰς τὰς Συρακούσας βασιλεὺς ὑπὸ πάντων προσηγορεύθη τῶν συμμάχων.
Having utterly routed them and captured their leaders alive, he put an end to the audacity of the barbarians, and returning to Syracuse, he was saluted as king by all the allies.
- 1.9.2βουλόμενος οἷον ἐφεδρείαν ἀπολιπεῖν ἐν τῇ πόλει τοῦτον, ὅτʼ αὐτὸν ἐξιέναι δέοι
τοῦτον refers to Leptines, who was mentioned just before, while the accusative αὐτόν, which acts as the subject of the infinitive ἐξιέναι depending on the impersonal δέοι (optative of δεῖ), refers to Hiero himself. This contrast clarifies Hiero's intention to leave Leptines behind as a reserve in the city whenever he himself had to go out on a campaign.
- 1.9.3ὡς ἐπὶ τοὺς βαρβάρους
The particle ὡς combined with the prepositional phrase ἐπὶ τοὺς βαρβάρους expresses a pretext or subjective intention ("as if against the barbarians" or "on the pretext of marching against the barbarians") rather than an objective fact. Hiero's actual purpose was to eliminate the old mercenaries.
- 1.9.4ὡς κατʼ ἄλλον τόπον τοῖς πολεμίοις συμμίξων
The combination of ὡς with the future participle (συμμίξων) denotes the subjective intention of the subject (Hiero) or the pretext he put forward ("as if intending to join battle in another quarter"). It explains the excuse Hiero used for keeping the civic troops in the rear.