- 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-grc2:18.39.1-18.39.7
- Generated
- Humanitext Reader · reader.humanitext.ai · 2026-11-09
Titus's underlying motive for hastening the peace—the threat of Antiochus's advance—is described, along with the agreement to grant Philip a four-month truce in exchange for immediate payments and hostages, leaving the final decision to the Roman Senate.
τοῖς μὲν οὖν ἄλλοις ὁ Τίτος ἤρεσκε ταῦτα λέγων, οἱ δʼ Αἰτωλοὶ βαρέως ἤκουον καί τις οἷον ἀρχὴ κακῶν ἐγεννᾶτο μεγάλων·
Thus Titus pleased the others by saying these things, but the Aetolians heard them with resentment, and a kind of beginning of great evils was being generated.
ἐκ γὰρ ταύτης τῆς διαφορᾶς καὶ τούτου τοῦ σπινθῆρος μετʼ ὀλίγον ὅ τε πρὸς Αἰτωλοὺς ὅ τε πρὸς Ἀντίοχον ἐξεκαύθη πόλεμος.
For from this disagreement and this spark, shortly after, both the war against the Aetolians and that against Antiochus burst into flame.
τὸ δὲ συνέχον ἦν1 τῆς ὁρμῆς τῆς τοῦ Τίτου πρὸς τὰς διαλύσεις, ἐπυνθάνετο τὸν Ἀντίοχον ἀπὸ Συρίας ἀνῆχθαι μετὰ δυνάμεως, ποιούμενον τὴν ὁρμὴν ἐπὶ τὴν Εὐρώπην.
Now the decisive factor in Titus’s eagerness for the settlement was that he received news that Antiochus had set sail from Syria with a force, making his push toward Europe.
διόπερ ἠγωνία μὴ ταύτης ὁ Φίλιππος τῆς ἐλπίδος ἀντιλαμβανόμενος ἐπὶ τὸ πολιοφυλακεῖν ὁρμήσῃ καὶ τρίβειν τὸν πόλεμον, εἶθʼ ἑτέρου παραγενηθέντος ὑπάτου τὸ κεφάλαιον τῶν πράξεων εἰς ἐκεῖνον ἀνακλασθῇ.
Therefore, he was anxious lest Philip, taking hold of this hope, should turn to guarding his strongholds and dragging out the war, and then, upon the arrival of another consul, the crowning credit for the achievements should be transferred to him.
διὸ συνεχωρήθη τῷ βασιλεῖ, καθάπερ ἠξίου, λαβόντα2 τετραμήνους ἀνοχὰς παραχρῆμα μὲν δοῦναι τῷ Τίτῳ τὰ διακόσια τάλαντα καὶ Δημήτριον τὸν υἱὸν εἰς ὁμηρείαν καί τινας ἑτέρους τῶν φίλων, περὶ δὲ τῶν ὅλων πέμπειν εἰς τὴν Ῥώμην καὶ διδόναι τῇ συγκλήτῳ τὴν ἐπιτροπήν.
For this reason, it was conceded to the king, just as he requested, that having obtained a four-month truce, he should immediately pay Titus the two hundred talents and give his son Demetrius and certain others of his friends as hostages, and regarding the main issues, send envoys to Rome and entrust the decision to the Senate.
καὶ τότε μὲν ἐχωρίσθησαν πιστωσάμενοι περὶ τῶν ὅλων πρὸς ἀλλήλους, ἐφʼ ᾧ3 Τίτον, ἐὰν μὴ συντελῆται τὰ κατὰ τὰς διαλύσεις, ἀποδοῦναι Φιλίππῳ τὰ διακόσια τάλαντα καὶ τοὺς ὁμήρους·
And on that occasion they dispersed, having given mutual pledges regarding the whole matter, on condition that Titus, if the terms of the settlement were not carried out, should restore the two hundred talents and the hostages to Philip.
μετὰ δὲ ταῦτα πάντες ἔπεμπον εἰς τὴν Ῥώμην, οἱ μὲν συνεργοῦντες, οἱ δʼ ἀντιπράττοντες τῇ διαλύσει. —
After this, everyone sent envoys to Rome, some cooperating with the settlement, others working against it.
- 18.39.3τὸ δὲ συνέχον ἦν
The phrase τὸ συνέχον ("the decisive factor/point") acts as the subject with the copula ἦν, and the following clause starting with the finite verb ἐπυνθάνετο acts as the predicate, implicitly functioning like a ὅτι-clause ("that he was learning...").
- 18.39.5λαβόντα
Although logically referring to the dative τῷ βασιλεῖ, this participle (aorist active of λαμβάνω) is in the accusative masculine singular because it serves as the subject of the following infinitives (δοῦναι, etc.) in the accusative-and-infinitive construction dependent on the impersonal verb συνεχωρήθη.
- 18.39.6ἐφʼ ᾧ
A combination of the preposition ἐπί and the dative relative pronoun ᾧ, which, followed by the accusative and infinitive (Τίτον ... ἀποδοῦναι), is an idiomatic construction expressing "on condition that."