- 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-grc2:16.14.1-16.14.10
- Generated
- Humanitext Reader · reader.humanitext.ai · 2026-11-08
Polybius subjects the Rhodian historians Zeno and Antisthenes, who wrote about the same historical events, to critical examination, discussing the necessity of objectivity in historical writing and the evils of deliberate falsehood.
ὅτι φησὶ Πολύβιος ἐπεὶ δέ τινες τῶν τὰς κατὰ μέρος γραφόντων πράξεις γεγράφασι καὶ περὶ τούτων τῶν καιρῶν, ἐν οἷς τά τε κατὰ Μεσσηνίους καὶ τὰ κατὰ τὰς προειρημένας ναυμαχίας συνετελέσθη, βούλομαι βραχέα περὶ αὐτῶν διαλεχθῆναι.
Polybius says that since some of those who write history in detail have also written about these times, in which the affairs of the Messenians and the aforementioned naval battles were accomplished, I wish to speak briefly about them.
ποιήσομαι δʼ οὐ πρὸς ἅπαντας, ἀλλʼ ὅσους ὑπολαμβάνω μνήμης ἀξίους εἶναι καὶ διαστολῆς· εἰσὶ δʼ οὗτοι Ζήνων καὶ Ἀντισθένης οἱ Ῥόδιοι.
I shall do so not in regard to all of them, but only to those whom I consider worthy of memory and distinction; and these are Zeno and Antisthenes, the Rhodians.
τούτους δʼ ἀξίους εἶναι κρίνω διὰ πλείους αἰτίας. καὶ γὰρ κατὰ τοὺς καιροὺς γεγόνασι καὶ προσέτι πεπολίτευνται καὶ καθόλου πεποίηνται τὴν πραγματείαν οὐκ ὠφελείας χάριν, ἀλλὰ δόξης καὶ τοῦ καθήκοντος ἀνδράσι πολιτικοῖς.
I judge them to be worthy for several reasons. For they lived during these times, and furthermore were engaged in public affairs, and on the whole composed their work not for the sake of profit, but for glory and the duty fitting for statesmen.
τῷ δὲ τὰς αὐτὰς γράφειν ἡμῖν πράξεις1 ἀναγκαῖόν ἐστι μὴ παρασιωπᾶν, ἵνα μὴ τῷ τῆς πατρίδος ὀνόματι καὶ τῷ δοκεῖν οἰκειοτάτας εἶναι Ῥοδίοις τὰς κατὰ θάλατταν πράξεις, ἡμῶν ἀντιδοξούντων2 πρὸς αὐτοὺς ἐνίοτε, μᾶλλον ἐπακολουθήσωσιν ἐκείνοις ἤπερ ἡμῖν οἱ φιλομαθοῦντες.
Since they write the same events as we do, it is necessary for us not to remain silent, lest, because of the name of their fatherland and because naval affairs seem most familiar to the Rhodians, when we sometimes hold opinions contrary to theirs, those who are eager to learn should follow them rather than us.
οὗτοι τοιγαροῦν ἀμφότεροι πρῶτον μὲν τὴν περὶ Λάδην ναυμαχίαν οὐχ ἥττω τῆς περὶ Χίον, ἀλλʼ ἐνεργεστέραν καὶ παραβολωτέραν ἀποφαίνουσι καὶ τῇ κατὰ μέρος τοῦ κινδύνου χρείᾳ καὶ συντελείᾳ καὶ καθόλου φασὶ τὸ νίκημα γεγονέναι κατὰ τοὺς Ῥοδίους.
These two, therefore, first of all declare that the naval battle around Lade was not inferior to that of Chios, but more active and adventurous, and they say that on the whole, in terms of the danger and the outcome of the individual actions, the victory belonged to the Rhodians.
ἐγὼ δὲ διότι3 μὲν δεῖ ῥοπὰς διδόναι ταῖς αὑτῶν πατρίσι τοὺς συγγραφέας, συγχωρήσαιμʼ ἄν, οὐ μὴν τὰς ἐναντίας τοῖς συμβεβηκόσιν ἀποφάσεις ποιεῖσθαι περὶ αὐτῶν.
For my part, I might concede that writers should give some weight to their own fatherlands, but certainly not make assertions contrary to what actually happened concerning them.
ἱκανὰ γὰρ τὰ κατʼ ἄγνοιαν γινόμενα τοῖς γράφουσιν, ἃ διαφυγεῖν ἄνθρωπον δυσχερές·
For the errors made through ignorance are sufficient for writers, which it is difficult for a human being to escape;
ἐὰν δὲ κατὰ προαίρεσιν ψευδογραφῶμεν ἢ πατρίδος ἕνεκεν ἢ φίλων [ἢ] χάριτος, τί διοίσομεν τῶν ἀπὸ τούτου τὸν βίον ποριζομένων;
but if we write falsehoods deliberately, either for the sake of our country, or friends, or out of favor, how shall we differ from those who make their living from this?
ὥσπερ γὰρ ἐκεῖνοι τῷ λυσιτελεῖ μετροῦντες ἀδοκίμους ποιοῦσι τὰς αὑτῶν συντάξεις, οὕτως οἱ πολιτικοὶ τῷ μισεῖν ἢ τῷ φιλεῖν ἑλκόμενοι πολλάκις εἰς ταὐτὸ τέλος ἐμπίπτουσι τοῖς προειρημένοις.
For just as those men, by measuring everything by utility, make their own writings of no repute, so statesmen, dragged away by hatred or affection, often fall into the same end as the aforementioned.
διὸ δεῖ καὶ τοῦτο τὸ μέρος ἐπιμελῶς τοὺς μὲν ἀναγινώσκοντας παρατηρεῖν, τοὺς δὲ γράφοντας αὐτοὺς4 παραφυλάττεσθαι.
Therefore, readers must carefully observe this aspect, and writers themselves must guard against it.
- 16.14.4τῷ δὲ τὰς αὐτὰς γράφειν ἡμῖν πράξεις
The dative article τῷ with the infinitive clause γράφειν functions as a dative of cause, expressing 'because of their writing the same events...'.
- 16.14.4ἡμῶν ἀντιδοξούντων
A genitive absolute construction, functioning as a temporal or conditional/concessive clause ('when we sometimes hold opinions contrary to theirs').
- 16.14.6διότι
Although originally meaning 'because', here διότι is used in the sense of ὅτι to introduce a noun clause acting as the direct object of συγχωρήσαιμι ἄν ('I might concede that...').
- 16.14.10τοὺς μὲν ἀναγινώσκοντας ... τοὺς δὲ γράφοντας αὐτοὺς
Accusative subjects of the infinitives (παρατηρεῖν and παραφυλάττεσθαι respectively) depending on the impersonal verb δεῖ.