Condemnation of Philip and Antiochus and Their Retribution — Polybius, The Histories Book 15 (15.20.1–15.20.8), Greek & English

§15.20.1

τοῦτο δὲ τίς οὐκ ἂν θαυμάσειε, πῶς, ὅτε μὲν αὐτὸς ὁ Πτολεμαῖος ζῶν οὐ προσεδεῖτο τῆς τούτων ἐπικουρίας, ἕτοιμοι βοηθεῖν ἦσαν, ὅτε δʼ ἐκεῖνος μετήλλαξε καταλιπὼν παιδίον νήπιον, ᾧ κατὰ φύσιν ἀμφοῖν ἐπέβαλλε συσσῴζειν τὴν βασιλείαν,¹ τότε παρακαλέσαντες ἀλλήλους ὥρμησαν ἐπὶ τὸ διελόμενοι τὴν τοῦ παιδὸς ἀρχὴν ἐπανελέσθαι τὸν ἀπολελειμμένον, οὐδʼ οὖν, καθάπερ οἱ τύραννοι, βραχεῖαν δή τινα προβαλλόμενοι τῆς αἰσχύνης πρόφασιν, ἀλλʼ ἐξ αὐτῆς ἀνέδην καὶ θηριωδῶς οὕτως ὥστε προσοφλεῖν τὸν λεγόμενον τῶν ἰχθύων βίον,² ἐν οἷς φασιν ὁμοφύλοις οὖσι τὴν τοῦ μείονος ἀπώλειαν τῷ μείζονι τροφὴν γίνεσθαι καὶ βίον.

Who would not wonder at this, namely, how, while Ptolemy himself was alive and did not stand in need of their help, they were ready to help him, but when he died leaving an infant child, whose kingdom they were both bound by nature to help preserve, they then encouraged one another and rushed to divide the child’s dominions and make away with the one who was left behind. Nor indeed did they, like tyrants, put forward some slight pretext for their shame, but straightway so openly and brutally as to incur the charge of living the so-called life of fish, among whom they say that, although they are of the same species, the destruction of the smaller becomes food and life for the larger.

§15.20.4

ἐξ ὧν τίς οὐκ ἂν ἐμβλέψας οἷον εἰς κάτοπτρον εἰς τὴν συνθήκην ταύτην αὐτόπτης δόξειε γίνεσθαι τῆς πρὸς τοὺς θεοὺς ἀσεβείας καὶ τῆς πρὸς τοὺς ἀνθρώπους ὠμότητος, ἔτι δὲ τῆς ὑπερβαλλούσης πλεονεξίας τῶν προειρημένων βασιλέων;

Looking into this treaty as into a mirror, who would not seem to be an eyewitness of the impiety towards the gods and the cruelty towards men, and furthermore of the surpassing greed of the aforesaid kings?

§15.20.5

οὐ μὴν ἀλλὰ τίς οὐκ ἂν εἰκότως τῇ τύχῃ μεμψάμενος ἐπὶ τῶν ἀνθρωπείων πραγμάτων ἐν τούτοις ἀντικαταλλαγείη,³ διότι ἐκείνοις μὲν ἐπέθηκε μετὰ ταῦτα τὴν ἁρμόζουσαν δίκην, τοῖς δʼ ἐπιγενομένοις ἐξέθηκε κάλλιστον ὑπόδειγμα πρὸς ἐπανόρθωσιν τὸν τῶν προειρημένων βασιλέων παραδειγματισμόν;

Nay, rather, who would not, even if he reasonably blamed Fortune in human affairs, be reconciled to her in this instance, because she afterwards inflicted on them their fitting punishment, and set forth for posterity, in the exemplary chastisement of the aforesaid kings, a most excellent model for correction?

§15.20.6

ἔτι γὰρ αὐτῶν παρασπονδούντων μὲν ἀλλήλους, διασπωμένων δὲ τὴν τοῦ παιδὸς ἀρχήν, ἐπιστήσασα Ῥωμαίους, ἁκεῖνοι κατὰ τῶν πέλας ἐβουλεύσαντο παρανόμως, ταῦτα κατʼ ἐκείνων δικαίως ἐκύρωσε καὶ καθηκόντως.

For while they were still breaking faith with one another and tearing to pieces the child’s kingdom, Fortune brought the Romans upon them, and justly and properly enforced against them those very measures which they had unlawfully plotted against their neighbors.

§15.20.7

παραυτίκα γὰρ ἑκάτεροι διὰ τῶν ὅπλων ἡττηθέντες οὐ μόνον ἐκωλύθησαν τῆς τῶν ἀλλοτρίων ἐπιθυμίας, ἀλλὰ καὶ συγκλεισθέντες εἰς φόρους ὑπέμειναν Ῥωμαίοις τὸ προσταττόμενον ποιεῖν.

For immediately both of them, being defeated by force of arms, were not only prevented from satisfying their desire for the property of others, but were also reduced to paying tribute and submitted to doing what was commanded of them by the Romans.

§15.20.8

τὸ τελευταῖον ἐν πάνυ βραχεῖ χρόνῳ τὴν μὲν Πτολεμαίου βασιλείαν ἡ τύχη διώρθωσε, τὰς δὲ τούτων δυναστείας καὶ τοὺς διαδόχους τοὺς μὲν ἄρδην ἀναστάτους ἐποίησε καὶ πανωλέθρους, τοὺς δὲ μικροῦ δεῖν⁴ τοῖς αὐτοῖς περιέβαλε συμπτώμασι. —

Finally, in a very short time, Fortune restored the kingdom of Ptolemy, while she utterly overthrew and destroyed some of their dynasties and successors, and brought others all but to the same disasters. —

Syntax notes4 items

15.20.2ᾧ κατὰ φύσιν ἀμφοῖν ἐπέβαλλε συσσῴζειν τὴν βασιλείαν
The antecedent of the relative pronoun ᾧ is the neuter singular noun παιδίον νήπιον (infant child). The dual form ἀμφοῖν (referring to both Philip and Antiochus) stands in the dative as the complement of the verb ἐπέβαλλε, which is used impersonally ('it fell upon/was the duty of'). This indicates that, by the law of nature (κατὰ φύσιν), both kings were bound to preserve the kingdom of the infant.
15.20.3ὥστε προσοφλεῖν τὸν λεγόμενον τῶν ἰχθύων βίον
A consecutive clause introduced by ὥστε. The subject of the infinitive προσοφλεῖν (aorist of προσφλισκάνω, 'to incur') is the same as that of the main clause (the kings). It expresses that their conduct resulted in their incurring the charge of living 'the life of fish' (i.e., the law of the jungle).
15.20.5τῇ τύχῃ μεμψάμενος ... ἀντικαταλλαγείη
The aorist participle μεμψάμενος has a concessive force ('even though one blames'). The verb ἀντικαταλλαγείη is the third-person singular aorist passive optative of ἀντικαταλλάττομαι ('to be reconciled'). Together with the interrogative pronoun τίς and the particle ἄν, it forms a potential optative in a rhetorical question ('who would not be reconciled?').
15.20.8μικροῦ δεῖν
An idiomatic phrase using the absolute infinitive δεῖν, serving adverbially to mean 'almost' or 'all but,' modifying the verb περιέβαλε.

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-grc2:15.20.1-15.20.8