- 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-grc2:12.26d.1-12.26d.6
- Generated
- Humanitext Reader · reader.humanitext.ai · 2026-11-08
Polybius analyzes the influence of Timaeus's historical work, pointing out how his claims on colonies and foundations create a false impression of precision, and discusses the negative intellectual impact on readers who passionately devote themselves to such writings.
τὸ δʼ αὐτὸ καὶ Τιμαίῳ συμβέβηκε περὶ τὴν ἱστορίαν καὶ τοῖς τούτου ζηλωταῖς· παραδοξολόγος γὰρ ὢν καὶ φιλόνεικος περὶ τὸ προτεθὲν τοὺς μὲν πολλοὺς καταπέπληκται1 τοῖς λόγοις, ἠνάγκακε δʼ αὑτῷ προσέχειν διὰ τὴν ἐπίφασιν τῆς ἀληθινολογίας, τινὰς δὲ καὶ προσκέκληται καὶ μετʼ ἀποδείξεως δοκεῖ πείσειν.
The very same thing has happened to Timaeus in regard to his history and to his followers; for being a paradox-monger and contentious about the subject proposed, he has astounded the majority of people by his arguments, and has forced them to pay attention to him because of his appearance of truthfulness, and has even attracted some, and seems likely to convince them with proof.
καὶ μάλιστα ταύτην γʼ ἐνείργασται τὴν δόξαν ἐκ τῶν περὶ τὰς ἀποικίας καὶ κτίσεις καὶ συγγενείας ἀποφάσεων·
And he has especially produced this impression from his statements concerning colonies, foundations of cities, and relationships.
ἐν γὰρ τούτοις τηλικαύτην ἐπίφασιν ποιεῖ διὰ τῆς ἀκριβολογίας καὶ τῆς πικρίας τῆς ἐπὶ τῶν ἐλέγχων, οἷς χρῆται κατὰ τῶν πέλας, ὥστε δοκεῖν τοὺς ἄλλους συγγραφέας ἅπαντας συγκεκοιμῆσθαι τοῖς πράγμασι καὶ κατεσχεδιακέναι τῆς οἰκουμένης, αὐτὸν δὲ μόνον ἐξητακέναι τὴν ἀκρίβειαν καὶ διευκρινηκέναι τὰς ἐν ἑκάστοις ἱστορίας, ἐν οἷς πολλὰ μὲν ὑγιῶς λέγεται, πολλὰ δὲ καὶ ψευδῶς.
For in these matters he makes such a great impression of precision and through the bitterness of the refutations which he uses against his neighbors, that all other writers seem to have been fast asleep over the facts and to have written about the inhabited world offhand, whereas he alone has investigated with precision and has cleared up the histories in each case—in which, indeed, many things are said soundly, but many also falsely.
οὐ μὴν ἀλλʼ2 οἱ πλείω χρόνον συντραφέντες αὐτοῦ τοῖς πρώτοις ὑπομνήμασιν, ἐν οἷς αἱ περὶ τῶν προειρημένων εἰσὶ συντάξεις, ὅταν ἅπασαν συνταξαμένῳ3 τὴν ὑπερβολὴν τῆς ἐπαγγελίας ἀποπιστεύσωσι, κἄπειτά τις αὐτοῖς ἀποδεικνύῃ τὸν Τίμαιον, ἐν οἷς πικρότατός ἐστι κατὰ τῶν πέλας, αὐτὸν ἔνοχον ὄντα, καθάπερ ἡμεῖς ἀρτίως ἐπὶ τῶν Λοκρῶν καὶ τῶν ἑξῆς παραπαίοντα συνεστήσαμεν, δυσέριδες γίνονται καὶ φιλόνεικοι καὶ δυσμετάθετοι, καὶ σχεδὸν ὡς ἔπος εἰπεῖν οἱ φιλοπονώτατα προσεδρεύσαντες τοῖς ὑπομνήμασιν αὐτοῦ τοῦτʼ ἀποφέρονται τὸ λυσιτελὲς4 ἐκ τῆς ἀναγνώσεως.
Nevertheless, those who have spent a longer time nurtured on his early treatises, in which are the accounts concerning the aforementioned matters, when they have placed full confidence in his excessive promise as he composed them, and then someone demonstrates to them that Timaeus himself is guilty of the very things in which he is most bitter against his neighbors—just as we have just now shown him to be blundering in the case of the Locrians and what follows— become argumentative, contentious, and obstinate; and, almost so to speak, those who have most industriously devoted themselves to his treatises carry away this very ‘benefit’ from their reading.
οἵ γε μὴν ταῖς δημηγορίαις προσσχόντες αὐτοῦ καὶ καθόλου τοῖς διεξοδικοῖς λόγοις μειρακιώδεις καὶ διατριβικοὶ καὶ τελέως ἀναλήθεις γίνονται διὰ τὰς ἄρτι ῥηθείσας αἰτίας.
Those, on the other hand, who have paid attention to his public speeches and in general to his detailed narratives become childish, pedantic, and utterly untruthful due to the reasons just mentioned.
- 12.26d.1καταπέπληκται
The third-person singular perfect middle/passive of καταπλήσσω (to astound, amaze). Here it is used with active/transitive force, taking the accusative τοὺς μὲν πολλοὺς (the majority of people) as its direct object.
- 12.26d.4οὐ μὴν ἀλλʼ
An idiomatic expression introducing a strong contrast ('nevertheless', 'yet indeed'). This long and complex sentence starts with the subject participle phrase οἱ πλείω χρόνον συντραφέντες... in the nominative plural, which is then interrupted by two dependent clauses (introduced by ὅταν and κἄπειτα), and finally finds its main verb in §12.26d.5 (δυσέριδες γίνονται...).
- 12.26d.4συνταξαμένῳ
Aorist middle participle, dative singular masculine, from συντάσσω. It functions as the dative complement of the verb ἀποπιστεύσωσι (to place full confidence in), modifying an implied dative pronoun referring to Timaeus (such as αὐτῷ). It means 'when they trust [him] who has incorporated [his extreme pretensions]'.
- 12.26d.5τοῦτʼ ... τὸ λυσιτελὲς
The demonstrative pronoun τοῦτο refers back to the qualities mentioned just before ('quarrelsome, contentious, and obstinate'). The adjective λυσιτελές (beneficial, profitable) is used ironically here to denote a highly questionable or negative 'benefit' carried away from their reading.