The Envoy's Speech Urging the Aetolians to Peace — Polybius, The Histories Book 11 (11.4.1–11.4.10), Greek & English

§11.4.1

"ὅτι μὲν οὔτε Πτολεμαῖος ὁ βασιλεὺς οὔθʼ ἡ τῶν Ῥοδίων πόλις οὔθʼ ἡ τῶν Βυζαντίων καὶ Χίων καὶ Μυτιληναίων ἐν παρέργῳ τίθενται¹ τὰς ὑμετέρας, ὦ ἄνδρες Αἰτωλοί, διαλύσεις, ἐξ αὐτῶν τῶν πραγμάτων ὑπολαμβάνω τοῦτʼ εἶναι συμφανές.

”That neither King Ptolemy, nor the city of the Rhodians, nor that of the Byzantines, Chians, and Mytileneans regard your reconciliation, O Etolians, as a secondary matter, I conceive to be manifest from the facts themselves.

§11.4.2

οὐ γὰρ νῦν πρῶτον οὐδὲ δεύτερον ποιούμεθα πρὸς ὑμᾶς τοὺς ὑπὲρ τῆς εἰρήνης λόγους, ἀλλʼ ἐξ ὅτου τὸν πόλεμον ἐνεστήσασθε, προσεδρεύοντες καὶ πάντα καιρὸν θεραπεύοντες οὐ διαλείπομεν ὑπὲρ τούτων ποιούμενοι πρὸς ὑμᾶς μνήμην, κατὰ μὲν τὸ παρὸν τῆς ὑμετέρας καὶ Μακεδόνων στοχαζόμενοι² καταφθορᾶς, πρὸς δὲ τὸ μέλλον καὶ περὶ τῶν σφετέρων πατρίδων καὶ περὶ τῶν ἄλλων Ἑλλήνων προνοούμενοι.

For it is not now for the first or second time that we make proposals to you concerning peace, but ever since you undertook the war, we have not ceased, by assiduous attention and by watching every opportunity, to make mention of these things to you, aiming, as regards the present, at the prevention of the destruction of yourselves and of the Macedonians, and, as regards the future, taking thought both for our own homelands and for the other Greeks.

§11.4.4

καθάπερ γὰρ ἐπὶ τοῦ πυρός, ὅταν ὑφάψῃ τις ἅπαξ τὴν ὕλην, οὐκέτι τὸ λοιπὸν ἐπὶ τῇ τούτου προαιρέσει γίνεται³ τὸ συμβαῖνον, ἀλλʼ ᾗ ποτʼ ἂν τύχῃ λαμβάνει τὴν νομήν, τὸ πλεῖον τοῖς ἀνέμοις κυβερνώμενον καὶ τῇ τῆς ὑποκειμένης ὕλης διαφθορᾷ, καὶ πολλάκις ἐπʼ αὐτὸν τὸν ἐμπρήσαντα πρῶτον ὥρμησε παραλόγως, τὸν αὐτὸν τρόπον⁴ [καὶ] ὁ πόλεμος ὑπό τινων ὅταν ἅπαξ ἐκκαυθῇ, τοτὲ μὲν αὐτοὺς τούτους πρώτους ἀπόλλυσι, ποτὲ δὲ φέρεται φθείρων ἀδίκως πᾶν τὸ παραπεσόν, αἰεὶ καινοποιούμενος καὶ προσφυσώμενος, ὥσπερ ὑπʼ ἀνέμων, ὑπὸ τῆς τῶν πλησιαζόντων ἀγνοίας.

For just as in the case of a fire, when one has once set light to the fuel, what follows is no longer dependent on his choice, but the fire spreads in whatever direction chance may direct, being guided for the most part by the winds and the consumption of the underlying fuel, and often rushes contrary to expectation upon the very person who first kindled it; in the same manner, when war has once been kindled by some people, it sometimes destroys those very persons first, and at other times sweeps along, unjustly destroying everything in its path, ever renewing itself and being fanned, as if by winds, by the ignorance of those who come near it.

§11.4.6

διόπερ, ὦ ἄνδρες Αἰτωλοί, νομίσαντες καὶ τοὺς νησιώτας πανδημεὶ καὶ τοὺς τὴν Ἀσίαν κατοικοῦντας Ἕλληνας παρόντας ὑμῶν δεῖσθαι τὸν μὲν πόλεμον ἆραι, τὴν δʼ εἰρήνην ἑλέσθαι, διὰ τὸ καὶ πρὸς σφᾶς ἀνήκειν τὰ γινόμενα, σωφρονήσαντες ἐντράπητε καὶ πείσθητε τοῖς παρακαλουμένοις.

Therefore, O Etolians, considering that both the islanders in a body and the Greeks who inhabit Asia are present here entreating you to put an end to the war and to choose peace, because what is happening concerns them also, be wise, show respect, and yield to our exhortations.

§11.4.7

καὶ γὰρ εἰ κατά τινα τύχην ἐπολεμεῖτε πόλεμον ἀλυσιτελῆ μέν, ἐπειδὴ παντὶ πολέμῳ τοῦτο παρέπεται κατὰ τὸ πλεῖστον, ἔνδοξον δὲ καὶ κατὰ τὴν ἐξ ἀρχῆς ὑπόθεσιν καὶ κατὰ τὴν τῶν ἀποβαινόντων ἐπιγραφήν, ἴσως ἄν τις ὑμῖν ἔσχε συγγνώμην,⁵ φιλοτίμως διακειμένοις.

For if by some fortune you were waging a war which, though unprofitable (since this for the most part is a consequence of every war), was yet honorable both in its initial pretext and in the reputation resulting from its outcomes, someone might perhaps have excused you for being ambitiously disposed.

§11.4.8

εἰ δὲ πάντων αἴσχιστον καὶ πολλῆς ἀδοξίας πλήρη καὶ βλασφημίας, ἆρʼ οὐ μεγάλης προσδεῖται τὰ πράγματʼ ἐπιστάσεως;

But if it is of all wars the most shameful and full of great infamy and evil report, does not the matter demand great consideration?

§11.4.9

ῥηθήσεται γὰρ τὸ δοκοῦν μετὰ παρρησίας· ὑμεῖς δʼ, ἂν εὖ φρονῆτε, μεθʼ ἡσυχίας ἀνέξεσθε.

For what seems true shall be spoken with frankness; and you, if you are wise, will bear it with patience.

§11.4.10

πολλῷ γάρ ἐστιν ἄμεινον ὀνειδισθέντας ἐν καιρῷ σωθῆναι μᾶλλον ἢ πρὸς χάριν ἀκούσαντας μετʼ ὀλίγον ἀπολέσθαι μὲν αὐτούς, ἀπολέσαι δὲ καὶ τοὺς λοιποὺς Ἕλληνας.

For it is much better to be saved by being reproved in season, than, by listening to what is agreeable, to perish yourselves shortly after, and to bring destruction also upon the rest of the Greeks.”

Syntax notes5 items

11.4.1ἐν παρέργῳ τίθενται
Idiomatic expression meaning "to regard as of secondary importance" or "to neglect".
11.4.3στοχαζόμενοι
Present participle governing the genitive καταφθορᾶς. Although it usually means "to aim at", here it implies aiming to prevent or being mindful of their destruction.
11.4.4ἐπὶ τῇ τούτου προαιρέσει γίνεται
The preposition ἐπὶ with the dative expresses dependence: "becomes dependent on his choice/will".
11.4.5τὸν αὐτὸν τρόπον
Adverbial accusative meaning "in the same manner", modifying the following clause as a whole.
11.4.7ἄν τις ὑμῖν ἔσχε συγγνώμην
This forms the apodosis of a past contrary-to-fact condition (ἄν with the aorist indicative ἔσχε), corresponding to the protasis with εἰ and the imperfect ἐπολεμεῖτε.

Translated by Gemini 3.5 Flash (published 2026-05-25) · Revision history (1, latest 2026-10-09)

2026-10-09 Collated with the printed edition — source 1

urn:cts:greekLit:tlg0543.tlg001.humanitext-grc2:11.4.1-11.4.10