- 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-grc2:18.40.1-18.40.5
- Generated
- Humanitext Reader · reader.humanitext.ai · 2026-11-09
The author laments the human folly of repeatedly being deceived by the same tricks and quotes Epicharmus's maxim to stress the importance of caution and disbelief.
τί δήποτʼ ἐστὶν ὅτι τοῖς αὐτοῖς καὶ διὰ τῶν αὐτῶν1 ἀπατώμενοι πάντες οὐ δυνάμεθα λῆξαι τῆς ἀνοίας;
Why on earth is it that, although we are all deceived by the same things and through the same means, we cannot cease from this folly?
τοῦτο γὰρ τὸ γένος τῆς ῥᾳδιουργίας πολλάκις ὑπὸ πολλῶν ἤδη γέγονε·
For this kind of knavery has already occurred many times by many people.
καὶ τὸ μὲν παρὰ τοῖς ἄλλοις διαχωρεῖν ἴσως οὐ θαυμαστόν, τὸ δέ, παρʼ οἷς2 ἡ πηγὴ τῆς τοιαύτης ὑπάρχει κακοπραγμοσύνης.
And while its success among others is perhaps not surprising, its success among those with whom the very source of such mischief exists [is indeed surprising].
ἀλλʼ ἔστιν αἴτιον τὸ μὴ πρόχειρον ὑπάρχειν τὸ παρʼ Ἐπιχάρμῳ καλῶς εἰρημένον νᾶφε καὶ μέμνασʼ ἀπιστεῖν·3 ἄρθρα ταῦτα τᾶν φρενῶν. — Μεδίων, πόλις πρὸς τῇ Αἰτωλίᾳ.
But the cause is that what was well said by Epicharmus is not ready to hand: “Be sober and remember to disbelieve; these are the joints of the mind.” — Medion, a city near Aetolia.
Πολύβιος ὀκτωκαιδεκάτῳ.
Polybius in the eighteenth book.
- 18.40.1τοῖς αὐτοῖς καὶ διὰ τῶν αὐτῶν
Parallel expressions of means modifying the passive participle ἀπατώμενοι. τοῖς αὐτοῖς is a dative of instrument/cause, while διὰ τῶν αὐτῶν is a prepositional phrase expressing agency or means, emphasizing human vulnerability to being repeatedly deceived by the very same factors and methods.
- 18.40.3τὸ δέ, παρʼ οἷς
The second half of a contrastive structure. It corresponds to the preceding τὸ μὲν παρὰ τοῖς ἄλλοις διαχωρεῖν ἴσως οὐ θαυμαστόν (that it should succeed among others is perhaps not surprising). In the second part starting with τὸ δέ, the infinitive διαχωρεῖν and a predicate meaning 'is surprising/incredible' (conceptually opposite to οὐ θαυμαστόν) must be supplied.
- 18.40.4νᾶφε καὶ μέμνασʼ ἀπιστεῖν
A quotation from the poet Epicharmus, exhibiting Doric dialectal forms. νᾶφε corresponds to Attic νῆφε (present imperative of νήφω, 'be sober/wary'); μέμνασʼ is for μέμνασο, the perfect middle-passive imperative corresponding to Attic μέμνησο ('remember'); and τᾶν φρενῶν corresponds to Attic τῶν φρενῶν (genitive plural feminine).