- 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-grc2:16.17.1-16.17.11
- Generated
- Humanitext Reader · reader.humanitext.ai · 2026-11-08
Polybius corrects Zeno's geographical errors regarding the gate of Messene and the Alpheus River, and points out that Zeno's primary fault lies in prioritizing rhetorical style over factual investigation.
πρὸς δὲ τούτοις φησὶ τὴν ἐπάνοδον ἐκ τῆς Μεσσήνης πεποιῆσθαι τὸν Νάβιν κατὰ τὴν πύλην τὴν φέρουσαν ἐπὶ Τεγέαν.
In addition to these things, he says that Nabis made his return from Messene by the gate leading to Tegea.
τοῦτο δʼ ἔστιν ἄλογον· πρόκειται γὰρ τῆς Τεγέας ἡ Μεγάλη πόλις ὡς πρὸς τὴν Μεσσήνην, ὥστʼ ἀδύνατον εἶναι καλεῖσθαί τινα πύλην παρὰ τοῖς Μεσσηνίοις ἐπὶ Τεγέαν.
And this is absurd; for Megalopolis lies in front of Tegea with respect to Messene, so that it is impossible for any gate among the Messenians to be called “to Tegea.”
ἀλλʼ ἔστι παρʼ αὐτοῖς πύλη Τεγεᾶτις προσαγορευομένη, καθʼ ἣν ἐποιήσατο τὴν ἐπάνοδον Νάβις· ᾧ πλανηθεὶς1 ἔγγιον ὑπέλαβε τὴν Τεγέαν εἶναι Μεσσηνίων.
But there is among them a gate called “Tegeatis,” through which Nabis made his return; misled by which name he supposed Tegea to be nearer to the Messenians.
τὸ δʼ ἔστιν οὐ τοιοῦτον, ἀλλʼ ἡ Λακωνικὴ καὶ [ἡ] Μεγαλοπολῖτις χώρα μεταξὺ κεῖται τῆς Μεσσηνίας καὶ Τεγεάτιδος.
But the case is not so, for the Laconian and Megalopolitan territory lies between Messenia and the Tegeatis.
τὸ δὲ τελευταῖον·2 φησὶ γὰρ τὸν Ἀλφειὸν ἐκ τῆς πηγῆς εὐθέως κρυφθέντα καὶ πολὺν ἐνεχθέντα τόπον ὑπὸ γῆς ἐκβάλλειν περὶ Λυκόαν τῆς Ἀρκαδίας.
And finally, for he says that the Alpheus, having immediately disappeared from its source and having been carried for a great distance under the earth, emerges near Lycoa in Arcadia.
ὁ δὲ ποταμὸς οὐ πολὺν τόπον ἀποσχὼν τῆς πηγῆς, καὶ κρυφθεὶς ἐπὶ δέκα στάδια, πάλιν ἐκπίπτει, καὶ τὸ λοιπὸν φερόμενος διὰ τῆς Μεγαλοπολίτιδος τὰς μὲν ἀρχὰς ἐλαφρός, εἶτα λαμβάνων αὔξησιν καὶ διανύσας ἐπιφανῶς πᾶσαν τὴν προειρημένην χώραν ἐπὶ διακοσίους σταδίους γίνεται πρὸς Λυκόαν, ἤδη προσειληφὼς καὶ τὸ τοῦ Λουσίου ῥεῦμα καὶ παντελῶς ἄβατος ὢν καὶ βαρύς.
But the river, at no great distance from its source, and having disappeared for ten stades, emerges again, and for the rest flowing through the Megalopolitan territory, at first light, then receiving an increase, and after visibly traversing the whole of the aforementioned territory for two hundred stades, reaches Lycoa, having already received also the stream of the Lousius and being completely unfordable and deep.
οὐ μὴν ἀλλὰ καὶ πάντα μοι δοκεῖ τὰ προειρημένα διαπτώματα μὲν εἶναι, πρόφασιν δʼ ἐπιδέχεσθαι καὶ παραίτησιν· τὰ μὲν γὰρ διʼ ἄγνοιαν γέγονε, τὸ δὲ περὶ τὴν ναυμαχίαν διὰ τὴν πρὸς τὴν πατρίδα φιλοστοργίαν.
Nevertheless, all the aforementioned errors seem to me to be indeed slips, yet to admit of excuse and defense; for some arose through ignorance, and that regarding the naval battle through affection for his fatherland.
τί τις οὖν εἰκότως ἂν Ζήνωνι μέμψαιτο; διότι3 τὸ πλεῖον οὐ περὶ τὴν τῶν πραγμάτων ζήτησιν οὐδὲ περὶ τὸν χειρισμὸν τῆς ὑποθέσεως, ἀλλὰ περὶ τὴν τῆς λέξεως κατασκευὴν ἐσπούδακε, καὶ δῆλός ἐστι πολλάκις ἐπὶ τούτῳ σεμνυνόμενος, καθάπερ καὶ πλείους ἕτεροι τῶν ἐπιφανῶν συγγραφέων;
What, then, might one reasonably find fault with in Zeno? Because he has exerted his greatest effort not on the investigation of facts, nor on the handling of his subject, but on the rhetorical embellishment of his style, and it is clear that he frequently prides himself on this, just as do several other of the distinguished writers.
ἐγὼ δὲ φημὶ μὲν δεῖν πρόνοιαν ποιεῖσθαι καὶ σπουδάζειν ὑπὲρ τοῦ δεόντως ἐξαγγέλλειν τὰς πράξεις — δῆλον γὰρ ὡς οὐ μικρά, μεγάλα δὲ συμβάλλεται τοῦτο πρὸς τὴν ἱστορίαν — οὐ μὴν ἡγεμονικώτατόν γε καὶ πρῶτον αὐτὸ παρὰ τοῖς μετρίοις ἀνδράσι τίθεσθαι·
For my part, I say that indeed one ought to take care and be earnest about reporting actions in a fitting manner—for it is clear that this contributes not a little, but greatly to history—but yet, that this should not be regarded by men of moderate judgment as the most principal and primary thing;
πολλοῦ γε δεῖν·4 ἄλλα γὰρ ἂν εἴη καλλίω μέρη τῆς ἱστορίας, ἐφʼ οἷς ἂν μᾶλλον σεμνυνθείη πολιτικὸς ἀνήρ.
far from it; for there are other more beautiful parts of history, in which a statesmanlike man might rather pride himself.
- 16.17.3ᾧ πλανηθεὶς
The relative pronoun ᾧ is a dative of means or cause, referring back to the name of the gate Τεγεᾶτις (or the fact that it was so called). It is translated as 'misled by which.'
- 16.17.5τὸ δὲ τελευταῖον
τὸ δὲ τελευταῖον is an accusative used adverbially, meaning 'and finally' or 'as the last point.'
- 16.17.9τί τις οὖν εἰκότως ἂν Ζήνωνι μέμψαιτο; διότι...
Following the question 'What, then, might one reasonably find fault with in Zeno?', the conjunction διότι (because) introduces the direct answer in a self-questioning-and-answering format.
- 16.17.11πολλοῦ γε δεῖν
An idiomatic absolute infinitive expression πολλοῦ γε δεῖν meaning 'far from it' or 'by no means,' expressing strong negation.