- 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-grc2:10.23.1-10.23.10
- Generated
- Humanitext Reader · reader.humanitext.ai · 2026-11-06
Philopoemen meticulously defined the various maneuvers that the Achaean cavalry had to practice and, after demonstrating them, inspected the progress of both soldiers and officers across the cities.
ἦσαν δὲ κινήσεις, ἃς ὑπελάμβανε πρὸς πάντα καιρὸν ἁρμόζειν, αἷς ἔδει συνειθίσθαι τοὺς ἱππεῖς,1 αὗται·
The movements which he believed to be suitable for every occasion, and in which the cavalrymen had to be trained, were these:
αἱ καθʼ ἵππον μὲν κλίσεις ἐφʼ ἡνίαν καὶ πάλιν ἐπὶ δόρυ, πρὸς δὲ τούτοις ἀναστροφὴ καὶ μεταβολή, κατʼ οὐλαμὸν δʼ ἐπιστροφὴ καὶ περισπασμός, ἔτι δʼ ἐκπερισπασμός, πρὸς δὲ τούτοις ἐξαγωγαὶ κατὰ λόχους καὶ διλοχίας ἀφʼ ἑκατέρων τῶν κεράτων μετὰ τάχους, ποτὲ δʼ ἀπὸ τῶν μέσων, καὶ συναγωγαὶ πάλιν μετʼ ἐποχῆς εἰς οὐλαμούς, εἰς ἴλας, εἰς ἱππαρχίας, ἐπὶ δὲ τούτοις ἐκτάξεις ἐφʼ ἑκατέρων τῶν κεράτων ἢ διὰ παρεμβολῆς ἢ διὰ παραγωγῆς τῆς παρὰ τοὺς οὐραγούς.
individual turnings toward the reins and back toward the spear, and in addition to these, wheeling back and facing about; by squadrons, wheeling and sweeping round, and furthermore out-wheeling; and in addition to these, rapid deployments by sections and double sections from both flanks, and sometimes from the center, and bringing them together again with checking into squadrons, troops, and brigades; and besides these, deploying into line on both flanks, either by insertion or by lateral march along the file-closers.
τὰς μὲν γὰρ κατὰ περίκλασιν οὐ προσδεῖσθαι μελέτης ἔφη· σχεδὸν γὰρ ὡς ἂν εἰ πορείας ἔχειν διάθεσιν.
For he said that movements by wheeling did not require practice, since they have almost the same character as a march.
ἐκ δὲ τούτου τὰς ἐπαγωγὰς τὰς ἐπὶ τοὺς ἐναντίους καὶ τὰς ἀποχωρήσεις ἔδει συνεθίζειν ἐν πάσαις ταῖς κινήσεσιν ἐπὶ τοσοῦτον ὥστε δεινῷ τῷ τάχει προσάγειν, ἐφʼ ὅσον συζυγοῦντας καὶ συστοιχοῦντας διαμένειν,2 ἅμα δὲ καὶ τὰ διαστήματα κατὰ τοὺς οὐλαμοὺς τηρεῖν, ὡς ἱππέων λελυκότων τὴν τάξιν τὴν ἐν οὐλαμοῖς, αἱρουμένων κινδυνεύειν, οὐδὲν ἐπισφαλέστερον ὑπάρχον οὐδʼ ἀχρειότερον.3
After this, it was necessary to accustom them in all movements to charges against the enemy and retreats, to such an extent that they should advance with formidable speed, as long as they remained aligned in rank and file, and at the same time maintained the intervals between the squadrons; since when cavalrymen who have broken their formation in squadrons choose to face danger, nothing is more hazardous or useless.
ταῦτα δʼ ὑποδείξας τοῖς τε πολλοῖς καὶ τοῖς ἀποτελείοις, αὖθις ἐπεπορεύετο τὰς πόλεις, ἐξετάζων πρῶτον μὲν εἰ συμπεριφέρονθʼ οἱ πολλοὶ τοῖς παραγγελλομένοις, δεύτερον δʼ εἰ κρατοῦσιν οἱ κατὰ πόλεις ἄρχοντες τοῦ σαφῶς καὶ δεόντως διδόναι τὰ παραγγέλματα,4 κρίνων πρὸς τὴν ἀλήθειαν οὐδὲν ἀναγκαιότερον εἶναι τῆς τῶν
Having demonstrated these things both to the common soldiers and to the officers, he again went round the cities, inspecting first whether the common soldiers conformed to the orders, and secondly whether the local commanders were skilled in giving the orders clearly and properly, judging that in truth nothing was more necessary than the [of the...]
- 10.23.1ἃς ὑπελάμβανε πρὸς πάντα καιρὸν ἁρμόζειν, αἷς ἔδει συνειθίσθαι τοὺς ἱππεῖς
A structure with consecutive relative clauses. ἃς is an accusative relative pronoun referring to κινήσεις, serving as the subject of the infinitive ἁρμόζειν in the indirect discourse dependent on ὑπελάμβανε. αἷς is a dative relative pronoun, also referring to κινήσεις, governed by the perfect passive infinitive συνειθίσθαι ('to have been accustomed to'). τοὺς ἱππεῖς is the subject of the infinitive phrase governed by the impersonal ἔδει.
- 10.23.7ἐφʼ ὅσον συζυγοῦντας καὶ συστοιχοῦντας διαμένειν
The relative adverbial phrase ἐφʼ ὅσον with the infinitive διαμένειν expresses limit or qualification ('as long as'). The accusative participles συζυγοῦντας καὶ συστοιχοῦντας agree with the omitted subject of the infinitive (the cavalrymen), describing their state of remaining in rank and file during the charge.
- 10.23.8ὡς ἱππέων λελυκότων τὴν τάξιν τὴν ἐν οὐλαμοῖς, αἱρουμένων κινδυνεύειν, οὐδὲν ἐπισφαλέστερον ὑπάρχον οὐδʼ ἀχρειότερον
A complex causal structure introduced by ὡς, combining a genitive absolute (ἱππέων λελυκότων ... αἱρουμένων κινδυνεύειν, expressing condition) with an accusative absolute (οὐδὲν ἐπισφαλέστερον ὑπάρχον ... , where ὑπάρχον is the neuter singular participle of ὑπάρχει). The whole construction functions as a subordinate clause of reason, explaining why keeping intervals and order is of utmost importance.
- 10.23.9τοῦ σαφῶς καὶ δεόντως διδόναι τὰ παραγγέλματα
An articular infinitive phrase in the genitive case, serving as the genitive object required by the verb κρατοῦσιν ('to be masters of,' 'to have control over,' or 'to be skilled in').