- 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-grc2:18.36.1-18.36.9
- Generated
- Humanitext Reader · reader.humanitext.ai · 2026-11-09
Titus convenes a council of the allies for peace negotiations with Philip, where Amynander and Alexander the Aetolian voice their respective concerns and conditions.
ἀλλὰ γὰρ ὑπὲρ μὲν τούτων οἰκειότερον λαβόντες καιρὸν ποιησόμεθα τὴν ἐπὶ πλεῖον διαστολήν.1 ὁ δὲ Τίτος ταξάμενος ἡμέραν πρὸς τὸν Φίλιππον τοῖς μὲν συμμάχοις ἔγραψε παραχρῆμα, διασαφῶν πότε δεήσει παρεῖναι πρὸς τὸν σύλλογον, αὐτὸς δὲ μετά τινας ἡμέρας ἧκε πρὸς τὴν εἰσβολὴν τῶν Τεμπῶν εἰς τὸν ταχθέντα χρόνον.
But on this subject, we shall make a more detailed distinction when we find a more suitable opportunity. Meanwhile Titus, having arranged a day for meeting Philip, immediately wrote to the allies, explaining when they would need to be present at the conference, and he himself a few days later arrived at the pass of Tempe at the appointed time.
ἁθροισθέντων δὲ τῶν συμμάχων καὶ τοῦ συνεδρίου συναχθέντος ἐξ αὐτῶν τούτων, ἀναστὰς ὁ τῶν Ῥωμαίων στρατηγὸς ἐκέλευε λέγειν ἕκαστον ἐφʼ οἷς δεῖ ποιεῖσθαι τὰς πρὸς τὸν Φίλιππον διαλύσεις.
When the allies had assembled and the council had been formed from these very people, the Roman general stood up and requested each to state on what conditions they should make peace with Philip.
Ἀμύνανδρος μὲν οὖν ὁ βασιλεὺς βραχέα διαλεχθεὶς καὶ μέτρια κατέπαυσε τὸν λόγον·
Thereupon King Amynander spoke briefly and moderately, and then ended his speech.
ἠξίου γὰρ πρόνοιαν αὑτοῦ ποιήσασθαι πάντας, ἵνα μὴ χωρισθέντων Ῥωμαίων ἐκ τῆς Ἑλλάδος εἰς ἐκεῖνον ἀπερείδηται τὴν ὀργὴν ὁ Φίλιππος· εἶναι γὰρ εὐχειρώτους Ἀθαμᾶνας2 αἰεὶ Μακεδόσι διά τε τὴν ἀσθένειαν καὶ γειτνίασιν τῆς χώρας.
For he requested them all to take thought for him, so that when the Romans had departed from Greece, Philip might not vent his anger upon him; for the Athamanes, owing to their weakness and the proximity of their territory, were always easy prey for the Macedonians.
μετὰ δὲ τοῦτον Ἀλέξανδρος ὁ Αἰτωλὸς ἀναστάς, καθότι μὲν ἥθροικε τοὺς συμμάχους3 ἐπὶ τὸ περὶ τῶν διαλύσεων διαβούλιον καὶ καθόλου νῦν ἑκάστους ἀξιοῖ λέγειν τὸ φαινόμενον, ἐπῄνεσε τὸν Τίτον, τοῖς δʼ ὅλοις πράγμασιν4 ἀγνοεῖν ἔφη καὶ παραπίπτειν αὐτόν, εἰ πέπεισται διαλύσεις ποιησάμενος πρὸς Φίλιππον ἢ Ῥωμαίοις τὴν εἰρήνην ἢ τοῖς Ἕλλησι τὴν ἐλευθερίαν βέβαιον ἀπολείψειν· οὐδέτερον γὰρ εἶναι τούτων δυνατόν, ἀλλʼ εἰ βούλεται καὶ τὴν τῆς πατρίδος πρόθεσιν ἐπιτελῆ ποιεῖν καὶ τὰς ἰδίας ὑποσχέσεις, ἃς ὑπέσχηται πᾶσι τοῖς Ἕλλησι, μίαν ὑπάρχειν ἔφη διάλυσιν πρὸς Μακεδόνας τὸ Φίλιππον ἐκβάλλειν ἐκ τῆς ἀρχῆς.
After him Alexander the Aetolian stood up, and while on the one hand praising Titus for having assembled the allies for consultation about the peace and for now requesting everyone in general to state their opinion, on the other hand he declared that in the general state of affairs Titus was ignorant and fell into error, if he was convinced that by making peace with Philip he would leave either a secure peace for the Romans or liberty for the Greeks; for neither of these was possible. But if he wished both to carry out the purpose of his country and to fulfill his own promises which he had made to all the Greeks, he declared that there was only one condition of settlement with the Macedonians, namely, to expel Philip from his kingdom.
τοῦτο δʼ εἶναι καὶ λίαν εὐχερές,5 ἐὰν μὴ παρῇ τὸν ἐνεστῶτα καιρόν.
And that this was also very easy, if only he did not let the present opportunity slip.
πλείω δὲ πρὸς ταύτην τὴν ὑπόθεσιν διαλεχθεὶς κατέπαυσε τὸν λόγον.
Having spoken at greater length on this theme, he ended his speech.
- 18.36.1τὴν ἐπὶ πλεῖον διαστολήν
The noun διαστολή (distinction, detailed explanation) is modified attributively by the prepositional phrase ἐπὶ πλεῖον (at greater length, in detail) positioned after the article τὴν. Here it means 'a more detailed explanation' or 'distinction'.
- 18.36.4εἶναι γὰρ εὐχειρώτους Ἀθαμᾶνας
Under the influence of the main verb of asking (ἠξίου in the previous clause), the infinitive εἶναι is used after the causal conjunction γάρ in indirect speech to express Amynander's reasoning ('for, as he argued, the Athamanes were...').
- 18.36.5καθότι μὲν ἥθροικε τοὺς συμμάχους
In the μὲν... δέ contrast, the clause introduced by καθότι (explaining how or the fact that...) serves as the object of the main verb ἐπῄνεσε (praised) in the following section (§18.36.6). While he praises Titus for assembling the allies on the one hand, he criticizes his judgment on the other.
- 18.36.6τοῖς δʼ ὅλοις πράγμασιν
The dative τοῖς ὅλοις πράγμασιν is a dative of respect (or relation), meaning 'with regard to the overall situation' or 'in general matters'.
- 18.36.8τοῦτο δʼ εἶναι καὶ λίαν εὐχερές
Although no explicit verb of saying is present in this clause, the infinitive εἶναι continues the indirect speech dependent on ἔφη (he said) from the previous sentence (§18.36.7). The subject is the neuter demonstrative pronoun τοῦτο.