- 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-grc2:18.11.1-18.11.14
- Generated
- Humanitext Reader · reader.humanitext.ai · 2026-11-09
The Greek envoys petitioned the Roman Senate, arguing that Greek liberty would never be realized as long as Philip retained key strategic fortresses. Meanwhile, Philip's ambassadors were immediately silenced upon admitting they had no instructions to negotiate a withdrawal from these positions.
οὗτοι δὲ παρεγενήθησαν εἰς τὴν Ῥώμην πρὸ τοῦ τὴν σύγκλητον διαλαβεῖν1 ὑπὲρ τῶν εἰς τοῦτον τὸν ἐνιαυτὸν καθεσταμένων ὑπάτων, πότερον ἀμφοτέρους εἰς τὴν Γαλατίαν ἢ τὸν ἕτερον αὐτῶν δεήσει πέμπειν ἐπὶ Φίλιππον.
And these arrived in Rome before the Senate had decided concerning the consuls appointed for this year, whether it would be necessary to send both to Gaul or one of them against Philip.
πεπεισμένων δὲ τῶν τοῦ Τίτου φίλων2 μένειν τοὺς ὑπάτους ἀμφοτέρους κατὰ τὴν Ἰταλίαν διὰ τὸν ἀπὸ τῶν Κελτῶν φόβον, εἰσελθόντες εἰς τὴν σύγκλητον πάντες κατηγόρουν ἀποτόμως τοῦ Φιλίππου.
Since the friends of Titus were convinced that both consuls would remain in Italy owing to the fear of the Celts, they all entered the Senate and vehemently accused Philip.
τὰ μὲν οὖν ἄλλα παραπλήσια τοῖς καὶ πρὸς αὐτὸν τὸν βασιλέα πρότερον εἰρημένοις ἦν·
Now, other points were very similar to what had been said before to the king himself;
τοῦτο δʼ ἐπιμελῶς ἐντίκτειν ἐπειρῶντο τῇ συγκλήτῳ πάντες, διότι τῆς Χαλκίδος καὶ τοῦ Κορίνθου καὶ τῆς Δημητριάδος ὑπὸ τῷ Μακεδόνι ταττομένων οὐχ οἷόν τε τοὺς Ἕλληνας ἔννοιαν λαβεῖν ἐλευθερίας.
but they all endeavored to impress this carefully upon the Senate: that as long as Chalcis, Corinth, and Demetrias were stationed under the Macedonian, it was impossible for the Greeks to conceive any idea of liberty.
ὃ γὰρ αὐτὸς Φίλιππος εἶπε, τοῦτο καὶ λίαν ἀληθὲς ἔφασαν ὑπάρχειν· ὃς ἔφη τοὺς προειρημένους τόπους εἶναι πέδας Ἑλληνικάς, ὀρθῶς ἀποφαινόμενος.
For what Philip himself said, they declared to be only too true; who said that the aforementioned places were the “fetters of Greece,” declaring so rightly.
οὔτε γὰρ Πελοποννησίους ἀναπνεῦσαι δυνατὸν ἐν Κορίνθῳ βασιλικῆς φρουρᾶς ἐγκαθημένης, οὔτε Λοκροὺς καὶ Βοιωτοὺς καὶ Φωκέας θαρρῆσαι Φιλίππου Χαλκίδα κατέχοντος καὶ τὴν ἄλλην Εὔβοιαν, οὐδὲ μὴν Θετταλοὺς οὐδὲ Μάγνητας δυνατὸν ἐπαύρασθαι τῆς ἐλευθερίας οὐδέποτε, Δημητριάδα Φιλίππου κατέχοντος καὶ Μακεδόνων.
For neither was it possible for the Peloponnesians to draw breath while a royal garrison was stationed in Corinth, nor for the Locrians, Boeotians, and Phocians to feel secure while Philip held Chalcis and the rest of Euboea, nor indeed was it ever possible for the Thessalians or Magnetes to enjoy liberty while Philip and the Macedonians held Demetrias.
διὸ καὶ τὸ παραχωρεῖν τῶν ἄλλων τόπων τὸν Φίλιππον φαντασίαν εἶναι3 χάριν τοῦ τὸν παρόντα καιρὸν ἐκφυγεῖν· ᾗ δʼ ἂν ἡμέρᾳ βουληθῇ, ῥᾳδίως πάλιν ὑφʼ αὑτὸν ποιήσεσθαι τοὺς Ἕλληνας, ἐὰν κρατῇ τῶν προειρημένων τόπων.
Therefore, Philip’s yielding of other places was a mere show for the sake of escaping the present crisis; and on whatever day he wished, he would easily bring the Greeks under his power again, if he remained master of the aforementioned places.
διόπερ ἠξίουν τὴν σύγκλητον ἢ τούτων τῶν πόλεων ἀναγκάσαι τὸν Φίλιππον ἐκχωρεῖν ἢ μένειν ἐπὶ τῶν ὑποκειμένων καὶ πολεμεῖν ἐρρωμένως πρὸς αὐτόν.
Wherefore they requested the Senate either to compel Philip to evacuate these cities, or to abide by their undertaking and carry on the war against him with vigor.
καὶ γὰρ ἠνύσθαι τὰ μέγιστα τοῦ πολέμου, τῶν τε Μακεδόνων προηττημένων δὶς ἤδη καὶ κατὰ γῆν πλείστων αὐτοῖς χορηγιῶν ἐκδεδαπανημένων.
For indeed the greatest part of the war had been accomplished, since the Macedonians had already been twice defeated on land, and most of their resources had been exhausted.
ταῦτα δʼ εἰπόντες παρεκάλουν μήτε τοὺς Ἕλληνας ψεῦσαι τῶν περὶ τῆς ἐλευθερίας ἐλπίδων μήθʼ ἑαυτοὺς ἀποστερῆσαι τῆς καλλίστης ἐπιγραφῆς.
Having said this, they entreated them neither to disappoint the Greeks of their hopes of liberty, nor to deprive themselves of the fairest title.
οἱ μὲν οὖν παρὰ τῶν Ἑλλήνων πρέσβεις ταῦτα καὶ τούτοις παραπλήσια διελέχθησαν, οἱ δὲ παρὰ τοῦ Φιλίππου παρεσκευάσαντο μὲν ὡς ἐπὶ πλεῖον ποιησόμενοι4 τοὺς λόγους, ἐν ἀρχαῖς δʼ εὐθέως ἐκωλύθησαν·
The ambassadors from the Greeks, then, spoke to this and similar effect; but those from Philip had prepared themselves to make a longer speech, but were immediately cut short at the very beginning.
ἐρωτηθέντες γὰρ εἰ παραχωροῦσι Χαλκίδος καὶ Κορίνθου καὶ Δημητριάδος, ἀπεῖπαν μηδεμίαν ἔχειν περὶ τούτων ἐντολήν.
For on being asked whether they would evacuate Chalcis, Corinth, and Demetrias, they replied that they had no instructions regarding these matters.
οὗτοι μὲν οὖν ἐπιτμηθέντες οὕτως κατέπαυσαν
These, then, having been thus silenced, ceased speaking.
- 18.11.1πρὸ τοῦ τὴν σύγκλητον διαλαβεῖν
The preposition πρό with the genitive article τοῦ followed by the infinitive διαλαβεῖν expresses temporal priority ('before...'). The accusative τὴν σύγκλητον serves as the subject of the infinitive.
- 18.11.2πεπεισμένων δὲ τῶν τοῦ Τίτου φίλων
A genitive absolute construction consisting of the perfect middle-passive participle πεπεισμένων (from πείθω) and the noun phrase τῶν τοῦ Τίτου φίλων. Here, the perfect participle has a present-state meaning ('being convinced' or 'confident'), taking the following accusative-with-infinitive clause (μένειν τοὺς ὑπάτους) as its object.
- 18.11.8τὸ παραχωρεῖν τῶν ἄλλων τόπων τὸν Φίλιππον φαντασίαν εἶναι
An accusative-and-infinitive construction in indirect discourse. The articular infinitive τὸ παραχωρεῖν (with τὸν Φίλιππον as its subject accusative) acts as the subject of the infinitive clause, with φαντασίαν as the predicate accusative and εἶναι as the copula.
- 18.11.12ὡς ἐπὶ πλεῖον ποιησόμενοι
The conjunction ὡς with the future participle ποιησόμενοι (future middle participle of ποιέω) expresses the intention or purpose of the subject ('intending to make a longer speech' or 'prepared to speak at greater length').