- 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-grc2:13.7.1-13.7.11
- Generated
- Humanitext Reader · reader.humanitext.ai · 2026-11-08
The passage describes the structure of "Apega," a gruesome torture machine designed to look like the wife of the Spartan tyrant Nabis, and how he used it to extort money from wealthy citizens.
τρόπῳ τοὺς μὲν πλείστους αὐτῶν ἠφάνισε. κατεσκευάσατο δὲ καί τινα μηχανήν, εἰ μηχανὴν ταύτην χρὴ λέγειν.
In this way he made away with the greatest part of them. He also constructed a certain machine, if indeed one ought to call it a machine.
ἦν γὰρ εἴδωλον γυναικεῖον, πολυτελέσιν ἱματίοις ἠμφιεσμένον, κατὰ δὲ τὴν μορφὴν εἰς ὁμοιότητα τῇ τοῦ Νάβιδος γυναικὶ διαφόρως ἀπειργασμένον.
For it was a female image, dressed in expensive clothes, and fashioned with extraordinary skill into a close resemblance to the wife of Nabis.
ὁπότε δέ τινας τῶν πολιτικῶν ἀνακαλέσαιτο,1 βουλόμενος εἰσπρᾶξαι χρήματα, τὰς μὲν ἀρχὰς διετίθετο λόγους πλείονας καὶ φιλανθρώπους, ὑποδεικνύων μὲν τὸν ὑπὸ τῶν Ἀχαιῶν ἐπικρεμάμενον τῇ χώρᾳ καὶ τῇ πόλει φόβον, διασαφῶν δὲ τὸ πλῆθος τῶν μισθοφόρων τὸ τρεφόμενον τῆς ἐκείνων ἀσφαλείας χάριν, ἔτι δὲ τὰς εἰς τοὺς θεοὺς καὶ τὰς κοινὰς τῆς πόλεως δαπάνας.
Whenever he summoned any of the citizens, wishing to extort money, at first he would deliver long and friendly speeches, pointing out the fear hanging over the country and the city from the Achaeans, and explaining the large number of mercenaries maintained for the sake of their safety, and furthermore the expenses for the gods and the public expenditures of the city.
εἰ μὲν οὖν ἐντρέποιντο διὰ τῶν τοιούτων λόγων, εἶχεν ἀποχρώντως αὐτῷ πρὸς τὸ προκείμενον·
If, then, they were influenced by such speeches, it was sufficient for him for the purpose in hand;
εἰ δέ τινες ἐξαρνούμενοι διωθοῖντο τὴν ἐπιταγήν, ἐπεφθέγγετο λόγον τοιοῦτον "3ἴσως ἐγὼ μὲν οὐ δύναμαί σε πείθειν, Ἀπῆγαν μέντοι ταύτην δοκῶ σε πείσειν2"3 τοῦτο δʼ ἦν ὄνομα τῇ γυναικὶ τοῦ Νάβιδος.
but if any refused and rejected the demand, he would utter such words: “3Perhaps I cannot persuade you, but Apega here, I think, will persuade you”3 (this was the name of the wife of Nabis).
καὶ τοῦτʼ ἔλεγε, καὶ παρῆν ὃ μικρῷ πρότερον ἔλεγον εἴδωλον.
No sooner had he said this than the image I mentioned a little earlier was present.
καὶ δεξιωσάμενος, ἐπειδὰν ἐκ τῆς καθέδρας ἀνέστησε τὴν γυναῖκα καὶ περιέπτυξε ταῖς χερσί, προσήγετο κατὰ βραχὺ πρὸς τὰ στέρνα.
And having greeted it, as soon as he raised the wife from her seat and embraced her with his arms, he drew her gradually to his breast.
τοὺς δὲ πήχεις εἶχε καὶ τὰς χεῖρας πλήρεις σιδηρῶν γόμφων ὑπὸ τοῖς ἱματίοις, ὁμοίως καὶ κατὰ τοὺς μαστούς.
Now the figure had its forearms and hands full of iron spikes under its clothes, and likewise also upon its breasts.
ὅταν προσήρεισε ταῖς χερσὶ πρὸς τὰ νῶτα τῆς γυναικός, κἄπειτα διὰ τῶν ὀργάνων ἑλκόμενον3 ἐπέτεινε καὶ προσῆγε πρὸς τοὺς μαστοὺς κατʼ ἐλάχιστον, πᾶσαν ἠνάγκαζε φωνὴν προΐεσθαι τὸν πιεζόμενον.
Whenever he pressed his hands against the back of the woman, and then, as she was being drawn by means of the mechanisms, tightened and brought her closer to the breasts by very slow degrees, he forced the victim who was being squeezed to utter every kind of shriek.
καὶ πολλοὺς δή τινας τῷ τοιούτῳ τρόπῳ διέφθειρε τῶν ἐξαρνουμένων.
And indeed in such a manner he destroyed quite a number of those who refused.
- 13.7.3ὁπότε δέ τινας τῶν πολιτικῶν ἀνακαλέσαιτο
The optative ἀνακαλέσαιτο is used with the temporal adverb ὁπότε to express a past general condition (repeated action in past time, "whenever he summoned..."). The main verb is in the imperfect (διετίθετο).
- 13.7.6Ἀπῆγαν μέντοι ταύτην δοκῶ σε πείσειν
The verb δοκῶ is personal, meaning "I think." Normally, the subject of the infinitive would be the same as the main subject (Nabis). However, here the accusative proper name Ἀπῆγαν and the accusative demonstrative ταύτην are placed together to function as the subject of the future infinitive πείσειν ("this Apega here will persuade you"), representing a syntax shift or anacoluthon.
- 13.7.10ἑλκόμενον
Present middle-passive participle, neuter accusative singular. It modifies the implied neuter direct object εἴδωλον (the image, coreferential with γυναικός in the preceding clause) of the verbs ἐπέτεινε and προσῆγε, meaning "as it was being drawn/pulled (by the mechanisms)."
Translated by Gemini 3.5 Flash (published 2026-05-25) · Revision history (1, latest 2026-09-21)
- 2026-09-21 AI review — note 1