- 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-grc2:10.13.1-10.13.11
- Generated
- Humanitext Reader · reader.humanitext.ai · 2026-11-06
It describes how Publius encouraged his troops while ensuring his own safety, and how the Roman assault with ladders faced extreme difficulties due to the height of the walls, leading the general to temporarily recall the soldiers.
ὁ δὲ Πόπλιος ἐδίδου μὲν αὑτὸν εἰς τὸν κίνδυνον, ἐποίει δὲ τοῦτο κατὰ δύναμιν ἀσφαλῶς·
Publius, on his part, exposed himself to danger, but he did this as safely as possible;
εἶχε γὰρ μεθʼ αὑτοῦ τρεῖς ἄνδρας θυρεοφοροῦντας, οἳ παρατιθέντες τοὺς θυρεοὺς καὶ τὴν ἀπὸ τοῦ τείχους ἐπιφάνειαν σκεπάζοντες ἀσφάλειαν αὐτῷ παρεσκεύαζον.
for he had with him three men bearing large shields, who, by holding their shields alongside him and covering the side facing the wall, provided safety for him.
διὸ παρὰ τὰ πλάγια καὶ τοὺς ὑπερδεξίους τόπους ἐπιπαριὼν1 μεγάλα συνεβάλλετο πρὸς τὴν χρείαν·
Therefore, going along past the flanks and the elevated positions, he contributed greatly to the operational needs;
ἅμα μὲν γὰρ ἑώρα τὸ γινόμενον, ἅμα δʼ αὐτὸς ὑπὸ πάντων ὁρώμενος ἐνειργάζετο προθυμίαν τοῖς ἀγωνιζομένοις.
for at once he saw what was happening, and at the same time, being himself seen by all, he inspired eagerness in those who were fighting.
ἐξ οὗ συνέβαινε μηδὲν ἐλλιπὲς γίνεσθαι τῶν πρὸς τὸν κίνδυνον, ἀλλʼ ὁπότε τινʼ αὐτῷ πρὸς τὸ προκείμενον ὁ καιρὸς ὑποδείξειε,2 πᾶν ἐκ χειρὸς ἀεὶ συνηργεῖτο πρὸς τὸ δέον.
As a result of this, it happened that nothing was lacking of what was needed for the danger, but whenever the occasion pointed out to him something regarding the task at hand, everything required was always immediately performed with combined effort.
ὁρμησάντων δὲ ταῖς κλίμαξι περὶ τὴν ἀνάβασιν τῶν πρώτων τεθαρρηκότως, οὐχ οὕτως τὸ πλῆθος τῶν ἀμυνομένων ἐπικίνδυνον ἐποίει τὴν προσβολὴν ὡς τὸ μέγεθος τῶν τειχῶν.
Although the first men eagerly rushed to ascend with the ladders, it was not so much the multitude of the defenders that made the assault dangerous as the height of the walls.
διὸ καὶ μᾶλλον ἐπερρώσθησαν οἱ κατὰ τὰ τείχη, θεωροῦντες τὴν δυσχρηστίαν τῶν συμβαινόντων.
Therefore, those on the walls were even more encouraged, seeing the difficulty of what was happening.
ἔνιαι μὲν γὰρ συνετρίβοντο τῶν κλιμάκων, πολλῶν ἅμα διὰ τὸ μέγεθος συνεπιβαινόντων· ἐφʼ αἷς δʼ οἱ πρῶτοι προσβαίνοντες ἐσκοτοῦντο διὰ τὴν εἰς ὕψος ἀνάτασιν καὶ βραχείας προσδεόμενοι τῆς ἐκ τῶν ἀμυνομένων ἀντιπράξεως3 ἐρρίπτουν σφᾶς αὐτοὺς ἀπὸ τῶν κλιμάκων.
For some of the ladders were broken, as many men mounted them together because of their height; and on others, those who were first ascending grew dizzy because of the extreme height, and needing only a slight resistance from the defenders, they threw themselves down from the ladders.
ὅτε δὲ καὶ δοκοὺς ἤ τι τοιοῦτον ἐγχειρήσαιεν ἐπιρρίπτειν ἀπὸ τῶν ἐπάλξεων, ὁμοῦ πάντες ἀπεσύροντο καὶ κατεφέροντο πρὸς τὴν γῆν.
And whenever they also attempted to hurl down beams or something of that sort from the battlements, all together were swept off and carried down to the ground.
οὐ μὴν ἀλλὰ τοιούτων ἀπαντωμένων οὐδὲν ἱκανὸν ἦν πρὸς τὸ κωλύειν τὴν ἐπιφορὰν καὶ τὴν ὁρμὴν τῶν Ῥωμαίων, ἀλλʼ ἔτι καταφερομένων τῶν πρώτων ἐπέβαινον οἱ συνεχεῖς ἐπὶ τὴν ἐκλείπουσαν ἀεὶ χώραν.
Nevertheless, although they met with such obstacles, nothing was sufficient to check the rush and onset of the Romans; but even while the first were falling, those following closely kept stepping into the place that was continually being left vacant.
ἤδη δὲ τῆς ἡμέρας προβαινούσης, καὶ τῶν στρατιωτῶν τετρυμμένων ὑπὸ τῆς κακοπαθείας, ἀνεκαλέσατο ταῖς σάλπιγξιν ὁ στρατηγὸς τοὺς προσβάλλοντας.
And now, as the day was advancing and the soldiers were worn out by their hardships, the general recalled the assailants with the trumpets.
- 10.13.3ἐπιπαριὼν
Present participle of ἐπιπάρειμι (to go along beside, inspect), describing how Publius moved parallel to the lines along the flanks and elevated spots to assess the situation and encourage his men.
- 10.13.5ὁπότε τινʼ αὐτῷ πρὸς τὸ προκείμενον ὁ καιρὸς ὑποδείξειε
The temporal conjunction ὁπότε followed by the aorist optative ὑποδείξειε expresses a past general condition or iterative action in the past ("whenever the occasion pointed out...").
- 10.13.8βραχείας προσδεόμενοι τῆς ἐκ τῶν ἀμυνομένων ἀντιπράξεως
The participle προσδεόμενοι ("needing") governs the genitive ἀντιπράξεως. The phrase literally means "needing only a slight counteraction from the defenders," graphically illustrating how unstable the soldiers were due to the extreme height and how easily they fell.