- 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-grc2:18.17.1-18.17.6
- Generated
- Humanitext Reader · reader.humanitext.ai · 2026-11-09
This passage describes how the tyrant Nabis sent his wife to Argos to extort money through brutal means, and how King Attalus addressed the people, reminding them of their ancestral virtue.
ὅτι Νάβις ὁ τύραννος ἀπολιπὼν ἐπὶ τῆς τῶν Ἀργείων πόλεως Τιμοκράτην τὸν Πελληνέα διὰ τὸ μάλιστα τούτῳ πιστεύειν καὶ χρῆσθαι πρὸς τὰς ἐπιφανεστάτας πράξεις, ἐπανῆλθεν εἰς τὴν Σπάρτην, καὶ μετά τινας ἡμέρας ἐξέπεμψε τὴν γυναῖκα, δοὺς ἐντολὰς παραγενομένην1 εἰς Ἄργος περὶ πόρον γίνεσθαι χρημάτων.
The tyrant Nabis, having left Timocrates of Pellene in charge of the city of the Argives because he especially trusted him and employed him for his most important undertakings, returned to Sparta, and after a few days sent out his wife, giving her orders that, when she arrived in Argos, she should busy herself with the procurement of money.
ἡ δʼ ἀφικομένη πολὺ κατὰ τὴν ὠμότητα Νάβιν ὑπερέθετο·
She, on her arrival, far surpassed Nabis in cruelty.
ἀνακαλεσαμένη γὰρ τῶν γυναικῶν τινὰς μὲν κατʼ ἰδίαν, τινὰς δὲ κατὰ συγγένειαν, πᾶν γένος αἰκίας καὶ βίας προσέφερε, μέχρι σχεδὸν ἁπασῶν οὐ μόνον τὸν χρυσοῦν ἀφείλετο κόσμον, ἀλλὰ καὶ τὸν ἱματισμὸν τὸν πολυτελέστατον. — ὁ δὲ Ἄτταλος περιβαλλόμενος πλείω λόγον,2 ὑπεμίμνησκεν αὐτοὺς τῆς ἀνέκαθεν τῶν προγόνων ἀρετῆς. —
For, having summoned some of the women individually and others by family group, she inflicted every kind of outrage and violence upon them, until she had stripped almost all of them not only of their gold ornaments but even of their most costly clothing. But Attalus, wrapping himself in more discourse, reminded them of the ancient virtue of their ancestors.
- 18.17.2παραγενομένην
An accusative feminine singular aorist participle agreeing with τὴν γυναῖκα in the preceding clause. It also functions as the subject of the following infinitive γίνεσθαι, indicating the condition under which she is to carry out the orders.
- 18.17.5περιβαλλόμενος πλείω λόγον
The middle participle περιβαλλόμενος is used here with the meaning of "wrapping oneself in" or "adopting," and combined with πλείω λόγον (more discourse) it means "spending many words" or "speaking at length."