- 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-grc2:10.14.1-10.14.15
- Generated
- Humanitext Reader · reader.humanitext.ai · 2026-11-06
Publius takes advantage of the ebb tide to send a detachment of 500 men to launch a surprise attack on the undefended lakeside wall and occupy it. Simultaneously, the main army, believing in divine providence, is inspired to charge the gate.
οἱ μὲν οὖν ἔνδον περιχαρεῖς ἦσαν ὡς ἀποτετριμμένοι τὸν κίνδυνον·1
The people inside, then, were overjoyed, as if they had shaken off the danger;
ὁ δὲ Πόπλιος, προσδοκῶν ἤδη τὸν τῆς ἀμπώτεως καιρόν, κατὰ μὲν τὴν λίμνην ἡτοίμασε πεντακοσίους ἄνδρας μετὰ κλιμάκων, κατὰ δὲ τὴν πύλην καὶ τὸν ἰσθμὸν νεαλεῖς ποιήσας τοὺς στρατιώτας καὶ παρακαλέσας προσανέδωκε κλίμακας πλείους τῶν πρότερον, ὥστε συνεχῶς πλῆρες γενέσθαι τὸ τεῖχος τῶν προσβαινόντων.
but Publius, already expecting the time of the ebb tide, stationed five hundred men with ladders along the side of the lagoon, while at the gate and the isthmus, after giving his soldiers rest and encouraging them, he provided even more ladders than before, so that the wall was continuously full of those making the assault.
ἅμα δὲ τῷ σημῆναι τὸ πολεμικὸν καὶ προσθέντας τῷ τείχει τὰς κλίμακας προσβαίνειν2 κατὰ πάντα τὰ μέρη τεθαρρηκότως μεγάλην συνέβαινε ταραχὴν καὶ διατροπὴν γίνεσθαι τῶν ἔνδον.
And as soon as the trumpet sounded the charge, and they applied the ladders to the wall and began to mount courageously on every side, it happened that a great confusion and panic arose among those inside.
νομίζοντες γὰρ ἀπολελύσθαι τῆς περιστάσεως, αὖθις ἀρχὴν ἑώρων λαμβάνοντα τὸν κίνδυνον ἐξ ἄλλης ὁρμῆς·
For thinking that they had been delivered from their critical situation, they saw the danger starting afresh from another onset;
ἅμα δὲ καὶ τῶν βελῶν αὐτοὺς ἤδη λειπόντων, καὶ τοῦ πλήθους τῶν ἀπολωλότων εἰς ἀθυμίαν ἄγοντος, δυσχερῶς μὲν ἔφερον τὸ γινόμενον, οὐ μὴν ἀλλʼ ἠμύνοντο δυνατῶς.
at the same time, as their missiles were already failing them and the number of the slain led them to despondency, they bore what was happening with difficulty; nevertheless, they defended themselves vigorously.
κατὰ δὲ τὴν ἀκμὴν τοῦ διὰ τῶν κλιμάκων ἀγῶνος ἤρχετο τὰ κατὰ τὴν ἄμπωτιν, καὶ τὰ μὲν ἄκρα τῆς λίμνης ἀπέλειπε τὸ ὕδωρ κατὰ βραχύ, διὰ δὲ τοῦ στόματος ὁ ῥοῦς εἰς τὴν συνεχῆ θάλατταν ἅθρους ἐφέρετο καὶ πολύς, ὥστε τοῖς ἀπρονοήτως θεωμένοις ἄπιστον φαίνεσθαι τὸ γινόμενον.
But just at the height of the struggle at the ladders, the ebb tide began, and the water gradually left the edges of the lagoon, and through the outlet the current rushed in a body and in great volume into the adjacent sea, so that to those who were watching without foresight, what was happening appeared incredible.
ὁ δὲ Πόπλιος ἔχων ἑτοίμους τοὺς καθηγεμόνας ἐμβαίνειν παρεκελεύετο καὶ θαρρεῖν τοὺς πρὸς τὴν χρείαν ταύτην ἡτοιμασμένους·
Publius, having his guides ready, exhorted those who had been prepared for this service to enter and to have courage;
καὶ γὰρ ἦν εὖ πεφυκώς, εἰ καὶ πρὸς ἄλλο τι,3 πρὸς τὸ θάρσος ἐμβαλεῖν καὶ συμπαθεῖς ποιῆσαι τοὺς παρακαλουμένους.
for he was naturally well gifted, if for anything else, for inspiring courage and making those whom he exhorted share his feelings.
τότε δὴ πειθαρχησάντων αὐτῶν καὶ διὰ τοῦ τέλματος ἁμιλλωμένων, ἅπαν τὸ στρατόπεδον ὑπέλαβε μετά τινος θεοῦ προνοίας γίνεσθαι τὸ συμβαῖνον.
Then indeed, when they obeyed and rushed through the marsh in emulation of one another, the whole army took what was happening to be occurring by some divine providence.
ἐξ οὗ καὶ μνησθέντες τῶν κατὰ τὸν Ποσειδῶ καὶ τῆς τοῦ Ποπλίου κατὰ τὴν παράκλησιν ἐπαγγελίας, ἐπὶ τοσοῦτο ταῖς ψυχαῖς παρωρμήθησαν ὡς συμφράξαντες καὶ βιασάμενοι πρὸς τὴν πύλην ἔξωθεν ἐπεχείρουν διακόπτειν τοῖς πελέκεσι καὶ ταῖς ἀξίναις τὰς θύρας.
In consequence of this, remembering also what had been said about Poseidon and Publius’ promise made during his exhortation, they were so encouraged in their minds that, forming a lock of shields and forcing their way to the gate from the outside, they attempted to chop down the doors with axes and hatchets.
οἱ δὲ διὰ τῶν τελμάτων ἐγγίσαντες τῷ τείχει, καὶ καταλαβόντες ἐρήμους τὰς ἐπάλξεις, οὐ μόνον προσέθεσαν ἀσφαλῶς τὰς κλίμακας, ἀλλὰ καὶ κατέσχον ἀναβάντες ἀμαχητὶ τὸ τεῖχος, ἅτε τῶν ἔνδον περισπωμένων μὲν περὶ τοὺς ἄλλους τόπους, καὶ μάλιστα τοὺς κατὰ τὸν ἰσθμὸν καὶ τὴν ταύτῃ πύλην, οὐδέποτε δʼ ἂν ἐλπισάντων4 ἐγγίσαι τῷ τείχει τοὺς πολεμίους κατὰ τὸν τῆς λίμνης τόπον, τὸ δὲ πλεῖστον, ὑπὸ τῆς ἀτάκτου κραυγῆς καὶ τῆς συμμίκτου πολυοχλίας οὐ δυναμένων οὔτʼ ἀκούειν οὔτε συνορᾶν τῶν δεόντων οὐδέν.
Meanwhile, those who had approached the wall through the marshes, finding the battlements deserted, not only applied their ladders safely but also ascended and occupied the wall without a struggle, because the defenders inside were distracted about the other places, especially those near the isthmus and the gate there, and had never expected the enemy to approach the wall by the side of the lagoon, and most of all, because of the disorderly shouting and the mixed crowd, they were unable either to hear or to perceive any of the things that were necessary.
- 10.14.1ὡς ἀποτετριμμένοι τὸν κίνδυνον
The combination of ὡς and the perfect passive/middle participle ἀποτετριμμένοι (from ἀποτρίβω, 'to rub off, shake off') expresses the subjective belief of the defenders that they had averted the danger. Although passive in form, the participle here has a middle force and directly governs the accusative object τὸν κίνδυνον.
- 10.14.4ἅμα δὲ τῷ σημῆναι τὸ πολεμικὸν καὶ προσθέντας τῷ τείχει τὰς κλίμακας προσβαίνειν
The construction ἅμα τῷ with the infinitives (σημῆναι and προσβαίνειν) expresses 'as soon as' or 'at the same time as'. The accusative plural aorist active participle προσθέντας modifies the omitted accusative subject of the second infinitive προσβαίνειν (referring to the Roman soldiers).
- 10.14.10εἰ καὶ πρὸς ἄλλο τι
A parenthetical conditional/concessive clause meaning 'even if for anything else (he had a natural talent)'. The main structure of the sentence is ἦν εὖ πεφυκώς followed by the infinitives (πρὸς τὸ θάρσος ἐμβαλεῖν...), emphasizing Publius' natural gift for inspiring courage in others.
- 10.14.14οὐδέποτε δʼ ἂν ἐλπισάντων
The combination of ἂν with the genitive participle ἐλπισάντων (agreeing with τῶν ἔνδον from the preceding genitive absolute). The particle ἂν imparts a potential (or past unreal) force to the participle, representing the apodosis of an implied condition: 'they would never have expected (the enemy to approach)'.