- 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-grc2:15.17.1-15.17.7
- Generated
- Humanitext Reader · reader.humanitext.ai · 2026-11-08
While the hypocritical attitude of the Carthaginian envoys is criticized, Scipio briefly addresses them, stating that for the sake of Roman dignity and human fortune, he will offer them terms consisting of both concessions and strict obligations.
τὰ γὰρ ὑπεραίροντα τὴν κοινὴν συνήθειαν τῶν παρʼ ἐνίοις ἐθισμῶν,1 ὅταν μὲν αὐτοπαθῶς δόξῃ γίνεσθαι διὰ τὸ μέγεθος τῶν συμπτωμάτων, ἔλεον ἐκκαλεῖται παρὰ τοῖς ὁρῶσι καὶ τοῖς ἀκούουσι, καὶ συγκινεῖ πως ἕκαστον ἡμῶν ὁ ξενισμός·
For actions that exceed the common custom among certain peoples’ practices, when they are deemed to arise from genuine feelings owing to the magnitude of the disasters, evoke pity in those who see and hear them, and their strangeness somehow moves each of us.
ἐπὰν δὲ φαίνηται γοητείας χάριν καὶ καθʼ ὑπόκρισιν γίνεσθαι τὸ τοιοῦτον, οὐκ ἔλεον, ἀλλʼ ὀργὴν ἐξεργάζεται καὶ μῖσος. ὃ καὶ τότε συνέβη γενέσθαι περὶ τοὺς πρεσβευτὰς τῶν Καρχηδονίων. —
But when such a thing appears to occur for the sake of deceit and through hypocrisy, it produces not pity but anger and hatred. Which is indeed what happened on that occasion regarding the Carthaginian ambassadors. —
ὁ δὲ Πόπλιος διὰ βραχέων ἤρξατο λέγειν πρὸς αὐτούς, ὡς ἐκείνων μὲν χάριν οὐδὲν ὀφείλουσι ποιεῖν φιλάνθρωπον, ὁμολογούντων αὐτῶν διότι2 καὶ τὸν πόλεμον ἐξ ἀρχῆς ἐπενέγκαιεν Ῥωμαίοις, παρὰ τὰς συνθήκας ἐξανδραποδισάμενοι τὴν Ζακανθαίων πόλιν, καὶ πρῴην παρασπονδήσαιεν, ἀθετήσαντες τοὺς ὅρκους καὶ τὰς ἐγγράπτους ὁμολογίας·
Publius began to speak to them briefly, saying that for their sake they owed no act of clemency, since they themselves admitted that from the very beginning, contrary to the treaties, they had enslaved the city of the Saguntines and brought war upon the Romans, and recently had violated the truce, setting aside their oaths and written agreements;
αὑτῶν δὲ χάριν3 ἔφησε καὶ τῆς τύχης καὶ τῶν ἀνθρωπίνων κεκρίσθαι σφίσι4 πρᾴως χρῆσθαι καὶ μεγαλοψύχως τοῖς πράγμασι.
But for their own sake, he said, and out of regard for fortune and human affairs, they had decided to deal with the situation mildly and magnanimously.
φανήσεσθαι δὲ τοῦτο κἀκείνοις ἔφησεν, ἐὰν ὀρθῶς διαλαμβάνωσι περὶ τῶν ἐνεστώτων· οὐ γὰρ εἴ τι πάσχειν ἢ ποιεῖν ἢ διδόναι σφίσιν ἐπιταχθήσεται, τοῦτο δεῖν νομίζειν δεινόν, ἀλλʼ εἴ τι συγχωρηθήσεται φιλάνθρωπον, τοῦτο μᾶλλον ἡγεῖσθαι παράδοξον, ἐπείπερ ἡ τύχη παρελομένη τὸν ἔλεον αὐτῶν καὶ τὴν συγγνώμην διὰ τὴν σφετέραν ἀδικίαν ὑποχειρίους πεποίηκε τοῖς ἐχθροῖς.
And he said that this would be clear to them too, if they formed a correct judgment about their present circumstances; for they must not think it hard if they were ordered to suffer or do or give anything, but rather consider it unexpected if any clemency should be granted to them, since fortune, having stripped them of pity and pardon because of their own wrongdoing, had made them subject to their enemies.
ταῦτα δʼ εἰπὼν ἔλεγε τὰ φιλάνθρωπα τὰ διδόμενα, καὶ πάλιν ἃ δέον ἦν ὑπομένειν αὐτούς.
Having said this, he stated the concessions that were being granted, and on the other hand, what they would have to submit to.
- 15.17.1τῶν παρʼ ἐνίοις ἐθισμῶν
A genitive limiting the preceding noun phrase τὴν κοινὴν συνήθειαν (the common custom). It means 'the common custom among the practices of certain peoples'.
- 15.17.3ὁμολογούντων αὐτῶν διότι
A genitive absolute construction expressing cause. The conjunction διότι is synonymous with ὅτι and introduces indirect speech. The verbs in the dependent clauses (ἐπενέγκαιεν, παρασπονδήσαιεν) are in the oblique optative because the leading verb of the main clause is in a past historical tense.
- 15.17.4αὑτῶν δὲ χάριν
In contrast to ἐκείνων μὲν χάριν (for their sake) in the preceding section, meaning 'for their own (the Romans') sake' or out of self-respect. χάριν is positioned postpositively and governs the genitive case.
- 15.17.4κεκρίσθαι σφίσι
The perfect passive infinitive κεκρίσθαι (from κρίνω) forms an accusative and infinitive construction (used impersonally) dependent on ἔφησε. The dative σφίσι represents the agent of the action (the Romans themselves): 'it had been decided by them'.