- 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-grc2:12.13.1-12.13.12
- Generated
- Humanitext Reader · reader.humanitext.ai · 2026-11-07
Polybius refutes Timaeus's shameless sexual slander against Demochares, arguing that it is a baseless fabrication based on Demochares's respectable background and career, as well as the fact that none of his prominent political opponents ever exploited such a scandal.
ὅτι Τίμαιός φησι Δημοχάρην ἡταιρηκέναι μὲν τοῖς ἄνω μέρεσι τοῦ σώματος,1 οὐκ εἶναι δʼ ἄξιον τὸ ἱερὸν πῦρ φυσᾶν, ὑπερβεβηκέναι δὲ τοῖς ἐπιτηδεύμασι τὰ Βότρυος ὑπομνήματα καὶ τὰ Φιλαινίδος καὶ τῶν ἄλλων ἀναισχυντογράφων·
That Timaeus says that Demochares prostituted himself with the upper parts of his body, and was not worthy to blow the sacred fire, and that in his practices he surpassed the memoirs of Botrys and Philaenis and the other shameless writers.
ταύτην δὲ τὴν λοιδορίαν καὶ τὰς ἐμφάσεις οὐχ οἷον ἄν τις διέθετο2 πεπαιδευμένος ἀνήρ, ἀλλʼ οὐδὲ τῶν ἀπὸ τέγους ἀπὸ τοῦ σώματος εἰργασμένων οὐδείς.
Such abuse and insinuations are of a kind that no educated man would employ, nor indeed any of those who make a living from their bodies under a brothel’s roof.
ὁ δʼ ἵνα πιστὸς φανῇ κατὰ τὴν αἰσχρολογίαν καὶ τὴν ὅλην ἀναισχυντίαν, καὶ προσκατέψευσται τἀνδρός, κωμικόν τινα μάρτυρα προσεπισπασάμενος ἀνώνυμον.
But he, in order to appear credible in his foul language and utter shamelessness, has even added false charges against the man, dragging in some anonymous comic writer as a witness.
πόθεν δʼ ἐγὼ καταστοχάζομαι τοῦτο; πρῶτον μὲν ἐκ τοῦ καὶ πεφυκέναι καὶ τεθράφθαι καλῶς Δημοχάρην, ἀδελφιδοῦν ὄντα Δημοσθένους, δεύτερον ἐκ τοῦ μὴ μόνον στρατηγίας αὐτὸν ἠξιῶσθαι παρʼ Ἀθηναίοις, ἀλλὰ καὶ τῶν ἄλλων τιμῶν, ὧν οὐδὲν ἂν αὐτῷ συνεξέδραμε τοιαύταις ἀτυχίαις παλαίοντι.3
From what do I conjecture this? First, from the fact that Demochares was well-born and well-bred, being a nephew of Demosthenes, second, from the fact that he was deemed worthy by the Athenians not only of the generalship but also of other honors, none of which would have accompanied him if he had been struggling with such disasters.
διὸ καὶ δοκεῖ μοι Τίμαιος οὐχ οὕτως Δημοχάρους κατηγορεῖν ὡς Ἀθηναίων, εἰ τοιοῦτον ἄνδρα προῆγον καὶ τοιούτῳ τὴν πατρίδα καὶ τοὺς ἰδίους βίους ἐνεχείριζον.
Wherefore it seems to me that Timaeus is not so much accusing Demochares as the Athenians, if they promoted such a man and entrusted their country and their private lives to such a person.
ἀλλʼ οὐκ ἔστι τούτων οὐδέν. οὐ γὰρ ἂν Ἀρχέδικος ὁ κωμῳδιογράφος ἔλεγε ταῦτα μόνος περὶ Δημοχάρους, ὡς Τίμαιός φησιν, ἀλλὰ πολλοὶ μὲν ἂν τῶν Ἀντιπάτρου φίλων, καθʼ οὗ πεπαρρησίασται4 πολλὰ καὶ δυνάμενα λυπεῖν οὐ μόνον αὐτὸν Ἀντίπατρον, ἀλλὰ καὶ τοὺς ἐκείνου διαδόχους καὶ φίλους γεγονότας, πολλοὶ δὲ τῶν ἀντιπεπολιτευμένων, ὧν ἦν καὶ Δημήτριος ὁ Φαληρεύς.
But none of these things is true. For the comic poet Archedicus would not have been the only one to say these things about Demochares, as Timaeus says, but many of the friends of Antipater would have said them—against whom Demochares had spoken with much freedom, capable of annoying not only Antipater himself but also his successors and friends—and many of his political opponents would have said them too, among whom was Demetrius of Phalerum.
οὗ ʼκεῖνος οὐ τὴν τυχοῦσαν πεποίηται κατηγορίαν ἐν ταῖς ἱστορίαις, φάσκων αὐτὸν γεγονέναι τοιοῦτον προστάτην τῆς πατρίδος καὶ ἐπὶ τούτοις σεμνύνεσθαι κατὰ τὴν πολιτείαν, ἐφʼ οἷς ἂν καὶ τελώνης σεμνυνθείη βάναυσος.
Against him, Demochares made no ordinary accusation in his histories, asserting that he was such a leader of his country and prided himself in his administration on things of which even a vulgar tax-gatherer might be proud.
ἐπὶ γὰρ τῷ πολλὰ καὶ λυσιτελῶς πωλεῖσθαι κατὰ τὴν πόλιν καὶ δαψιλῆ τὰ πρὸς τὸν βίον ὑπάρχειν πᾶσιν, ἐπὶ τούτοις φησὶ μεγαλαυχεῖν αὐτόν·
For he says that Demetrius boasted of the fact that many goods were sold cheaply in the city, and that the necessaries of life were abundant for all;
καὶ διότι κοχλίας αὐτομάτως βαδίζων προηγεῖτο τῆς πομπῆς αὐτῷ, σίαλον ἀναπτύων, σὺν δὲ τούτοις ὄνοι διεπέμποντο διὰ τοῦ θεάτρου, διότι δὴ πάντων τῶν τῆς Ἑλλάδος καλῶν ἡ πατρὶς παρακεχωρηκυῖα τοῖς ἄλλοις ἐποίει Κασσάνδρῳ τὸ προσταττόμενον, ἐπὶ τούτοις αὐτὸν οὐκ αἰσχύνεσθαί φησιν.
and he says that he was not ashamed of the fact that a mechanical snail, moving of its own accord, led his procession, spitting out saliva, and that along with these, donkeys were driven through the theater, because indeed his country, having yielded all the glories of Greece to others, did what was commanded by Cassander.
ἀλλʼ ὅμως οὔτε Δημήτριος οὔτʼ ἄλλος οὐδεὶς εἰρή
But nevertheless, neither Demetrius nor any other said...
- 12.13.1τοῖς ἄνω μέρεσι τοῦ σώματος
The phrase "with the upper parts of the body" is a euphemism referring to oral sexual acts. This interpretation is confirmed by the subsequent mention that he was "not worthy to blow the sacred fire," implying that his mouth was ritually impure.
- 12.13.2οὐχ οἷον ἄν τις διέθετο
The phrase οὐχ οἷον here does not mean "not only" but functions with ἄν and the potential indicative διέθετο to express a strong negative comparison: "not of the kind that any educated man would employ."
- 12.13.5ὧν οὐδὲν ἂν αὐτῷ συνεξέδραμε τοιαύταις ἀτυχίαις παλαίοντι
The dative participle παλαίοντι (agreeing with αὐτῷ) expresses a condition, functioning as "if he had been struggling with such disasters." In the main clause, ἄν with the indicative aorist συνεξέδραμε forms the apodosis of a past contrary-to-fact condition ("none of these honors would have accompanied him").
- 12.13.8καθʼ οὗ πεπαρρησίασται
The antecedent of the relative pronoun οὗ is the immediately preceding Ἀντιπάτρου. The subject of the verb πεπαρρησίασται is Demochares; the sentence argues that since Demochares had spoken so boldly against Antipater, the latter's friends would have surely brought up any scandals against him had they been true.