- 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-grc2:2.20.1-2.20.10
- Generated
- Humanitext Reader · reader.humanitext.ai · 2026-11-12
The allied forces of the Boii and Etruscans suffered a crushing defeat by the Romans at Lake Vadimon and, despite a desperate attempt the following year, were forced to make peace. These successive victories hardened the Romans, preparing them to face Pyrrhus and the Carthaginians without domestic distractions.
οἱ δὲ Βοῖοι θεωροῦντες ἐκπεπτωκότας τοὺς Σήνωνας,1 καὶ δείσαντες περὶ σφῶν καὶ τῆς χώρας μὴ πάθωσι τὸ παραπλήσιον ἐξεστράτευσαν πανδημεὶ παρακαλέσαντες Τυρρηνούς.
But the Boii, seeing that the Senones had been expelled, and fearing for themselves and their land lest they should suffer a similar fate, marched out with their full force after calling upon the Etruscans to join them.
ἁθροισθέντες δὲ περὶ τὴν Ὀάδμονα προσαγορευομένην λίμνην παρετάξαντο Ῥωμαίοις.
Having assembled around the lake called Vadimon, they drew up in battle array against the Romans.
ἐν δὲ τῇ μάχῃ ταύτῃ Τυρρηνῶν μὲν οἱ πλεῖστοι κατεκόπησαν, τῶν δὲ Βοίων τελέως ὀλίγοι διέφυγον.
In this battle, most of the Etruscans were cut to pieces, while of the Boii, only a very few escaped.
οὐ μὴν ἀλλὰ τῷ κατὰ πόδας ἐνιαυτῷ2 συμφρονήσαντες αὖθις οἱ προειρημένοι καὶ τοὺς ἄρτι τῶν νέων ἡβῶντας καθοπλίσαντες παρετάξαντο πρὸς Ῥωμαίους.
Nevertheless, in the following year, the aforementioned people made common cause again, and having armed those of their youth who had just reached manhood, they faced the Romans.
ἡττηθέντες δʼ ὁλοσχερῶς τῇ μάχῃ μόλις εἶξαν ταῖς ψυχαῖς3 καὶ διαπρεσβευσάμενοι περὶ σπονδῶν καὶ διαλύσεων συνθήκας ἔθεντο πρὸς Ῥωμαίους.
Being utterly defeated in the battle, they finally lost heart and yielded, and having sent envoys to treat for a truce and reconciliation, they made a treaty with the Romans.
ταῦτα δὲ συνέβαινεν γίνεσθαι τῷ τρίτῳ πρότερον ἔτει τῆς Πύρρου διαβάσεως εἰς τὴν Ἰταλίαν, πέμπτῳ δὲ τῆς Γαλατῶν περὶ Δελφοὺς διαφθορᾶς.
These events happened to take place in the third year before Pyrrhus’ crossing into Italy, and in the fifth year before the destruction of the Galatians around Delphi.
ἐν γὰρ τούτοις ἡ τύχη τοῖς καιροῖς ὡσανεὶ λοιμικήν τινα πολέμου διάθεσιν ἐπέστησε πᾶσι Γαλάταις.
For during these times, Fortune brought upon all the Galatians, as it were, a pestilential disposition for war.
ἐκ δὲ τῶν προειρημένων ἀγώνων δύο τὰ κάλλιστα συνεκύρησε Ῥωμαίοις· τοῦ γὰρ κατακόπτεσθαι συνήθειαν ἐσχηκότες4 ὑπὸ Γαλατῶν οὐδὲν ἠδύναντο δεινότερον ἰδεῖν οὐδὲ προσδοκῆσαι τῶν αὐτοῖς ἤδη πεπραγμένων·
From the aforementioned contests, two most favorable results befell the Romans; for having become accustomed to being cut to pieces by the Galatians, they could neither see nor expect anything more terrible than what had already been experienced by them.
ἐξ ὧν πρός τε Πύρρον ἀθληταὶ τέλειοι γεγονότες τῶν κατὰ πόλεμον ἔργων συγκατέστησαν, τήν τε Γαλατῶν τόλμαν ἐν καιρῷ καταπληξάμενοι λοιπὸν ἀπερισπάστως τὸ μὲν πρῶτον πρὸς Πύρρον περὶ τῆς Ἰταλίας ἐπολέμουν, μετὰ δὲ ταῦτα πρὸς Καρχηδονίους ὑπὲρ τῆς Σικελιωτῶν ἀρχῆς διηγωνίζοντο.
As a result of which, having become perfect athletes in the works of war, they took the field against Pyrrhus, and having struck terror into the daring of the Galatians in good time, they thereafter waged war without distraction, first against Pyrrhus for Italy, and after this, they contended with the Carthaginians for the dominion over Sicily.
- 2.20.1ἐκπεπτωκότας τοὺς Σήνωνας
The perfect active participle ἐκπεπτωκότας (from ἐκπίπτω, 'to be expelled') functions as a predicative participle modifying the accusative object τοὺς Σήνωνας after the verb of physical or mental perception θεωροῦντες, indicating the observed fact that 'the Senones had been expelled.'
- 2.20.4τῷ κατὰ πόδας ἐνιαυτῷ
The prepositional phrase κατὰ πόδας ('at one's heels', 'immediately after') is placed attributively between the article τῷ and the noun ἐνιαυτῷ (dative of time, 'year'), meaning 'in the immediately following year' or 'in the next year.'
- 2.20.5εἶξαν ταῖς ψυχαῖς
The dative plural ταῖς ψυχαῖς is a dative of respect or specification modifying the intransitive verb εἶξαν (aorist of εἴκω, 'to yield'). Literally, 'they yielded in their spirits,' denoting that they lost their resolve and surrendered.
- 2.20.8τοῦ γὰρ κατακόπτεσθαι συνήθειαν ἐσχηκότες
The genitive articular passive infinitive τοῦ κατακόπτεσθαι ('being cut to pieces') functions as an objective genitive modifying the noun συνήθειαν ('habit', 'familiarity'). Together with the participle ἐσχηκότες, it means 'having acquired a familiarity with being cut to pieces.'