- 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-grc2:2.47.1-2.47.11
- Generated
- Humanitext Reader · reader.humanitext.ai · 2026-11-12
While the Achaeans initially tried to resist the Lacedaemonians on their own, the progress of Cleomenes forced Aratus to secretly plan an alliance with Antigonus of Macedon, concealing his true intentions from the public.
τοὺς καιρούς.1 οἱ δʼ Ἀχαιοὶ τὸ μὲν πρῶτον διὰ τῆς ἰδίας δυνάμεως ὥρμησαν ἀντοφθαλμεῖν τοῖς Λακεδαιμονίοις, ἅμα μὲν ὑπολαμβάνοντες κάλλιστον εἶναι τὸ μὴ διʼ ἑτέρων σφίσι πορίζεσθαι τὴν σωτηρίαν, ἀλλʼ αὐτοὺς διʼ αὑτῶν σῴζειν τὰς πόλεις καὶ τὴν χώραν, ἅμα δὲ βουλόμενοι καὶ τὴν πρὸς Πτολεμαῖον τηρεῖν φιλίαν διὰ τὰς προγεγενημένας εὐεργεσίας καὶ μὴ φαίνεσθαι πρὸς ἑτέρους ἐκτείνοντες τὰς χεῖρας, ἤδη δʼ ἐπὶ ποσὸν τοῦ πολέμου προβαίνοντος, καὶ τοῦ Κλεομένους τό τε πάτριον πολίτευμα καταλύσαντος καὶ τὴν ἔννομον βασιλείαν εἰς τυραννίδα μεταστήσαντος, χρωμένου δὲ καὶ τῷ πολέμῳ πρακτικῶς καὶ παραβόλως, προορώμενος Ἄρατος τὸ μέλλον καὶ δεδιὼς τήν τε τῶν Αἰτωλῶν ἀπόνοιαν καὶ τόλμαν ἔκρινε πρὸ πολλοῦ λυμαίνεσθαι τὴν ἐπιβολὴν αὐτῶν.
...times. At first, then, the Achaeans hastened to oppose the Lacedaemonians by their own power, at once conceiving that it was most honorable not to procure safety for themselves through others, but to preserve their cities and country by themselves, and at the same time wishing to preserve their friendship with Ptolemy on account of past benefits, and not to appear to be stretching out their hands to others. But when the war had already progressed to some extent, and Cleomenes had abolished the ancestral constitution and transformed the lawful kingship into a tyranny, and was conducting the war both efficiently and hazardously, Aratus, looking forward to the future and fearing the madness and daring of the Aetolians, decided to ruin their plan long beforehand.
κατανοῶν δὲ τὸν Ἀντίγονον καὶ πρᾶξιν ἔχοντα καὶ σύνεσιν καὶ πίστεως ἀντιποιούμενον, τοὺς δὲ βασιλεῖς σαφῶς εἰδὼς φύσει μὲν οὐδένα νομίζοντας οὔτε συνεργὸν οὔτε πολέμιον,2 ταῖς δὲ τοῦ συμφέροντος ψήφοις αἰεὶ μετροῦντας τὰς ἔχθρας καὶ τὰς φιλίας, ἐπεβάλετο λαλεῖν πρὸς τὸν εἰρημένον βασιλέα καὶ συμπλέκειν τὰς χεῖρας, ὑποδεικνύων αὐτῷ τὸ συμβησόμενον ἐκ τῶν πραγμάτων.
Observing that Antigonus was a man of action and sense, and laid claim to good faith, and knowing clearly that kings by nature regard no one either as an ally or an enemy, but always measure enmity and friendship by the calculations of utility, he undertook to speak to the said king and to join hands with him, pointing out to him what would happen from the course of events.
προδήλως μὲν οὖν αὐτὸ πράττειν ἀσύμφορον ἡγεῖτο διὰ πλείους αἰτίας. τόν τε γὰρ Κλεομένη καὶ τοὺς Αἰτωλοὺς ἀνταγωνιστὰς παρασκευάζειν ἤμελλε πρὸς τὴν ἐπιβολήν, τούς τε πολλοὺς τῶν Ἀχαιῶν διατρέψειν, καταφεύγων ἐπὶ τοὺς ἐχθροὺς καὶ δοκῶν ὁλοσχερῶς ἀπεγνωκέναι τὰς ἐν αὐτοῖς ἐλπίδας· ὅπερ ἥκιστα φαίνεσθαι πράττων ἐβούλετο.
Now he thought it disadvantageous to do this openly for several reasons. For he was likely to set Cleomenes and the Aetolians as adversaries against his undertaking, and to alienate the majority of the Achaeans, by taking refuge with their enemies and appearing to have entirely despaired of their own hopes—which was the last thing he wished to appear to do.
διόπερ ἔχων τοιαύτην πρόθεσιν ἀδήλως αὐτὰ διενοεῖτο χειρίζειν.
Therefore, having such a purpose, he intended to manage these matters secretly.
ἐξ οὗ πολλὰ παρὰ τὴν ἑαυτοῦ γνώμην ἠναγκάζετο καὶ λέγειν καὶ ποιεῖν πρὸς τοὺς ἐκτός, διʼ ὧν ἤμελλε τὴν ἐναντίαν ἔμφασιν ὑποδεικνύων ταύτην ἐπικρύψεσθαι τὴν οἰκονομίαν.3
As a result of this, he was forced, contrary to his own opinion, to say and do many things to those outside, through which, by displaying the opposite impression, he was going to conceal this policy.
ὧν χάριν ἔνια τούτων οὐδʼ ἐν τοῖς ὑπομνήμασι κατέταξεν.
For which reason he did not even record some of these things in his memoirs.
- 2.47.1τοὺς καιρούς.
This noun phrase continues from καὶ κατὰ τούτους at the end of the previous chapter (§2.46.7), meaning "at these times". The sentence is split across the chapter division in the manuscript tradition.
- 2.47.5τοὺς δὲ βασιλεῖς σαφῶς εἰδὼς φύσει μὲν οὐδένα νομίζοντας οὔτε συνεργὸν οὔτε πολέμιον
The participle εἰδὼς (knowing) takes the accusative τοὺς βασιλεῖς as the subject of the participles νομίζοντας and μετροῦντας in a supplementary participle construction, functioning like an indirect statement ("knowing that kings regard... and measure...").
- 2.47.10την εναντιαν εμφασιν υποδεικνυων ταυτην επικρυψεσθαι την οικονομιαν
ἤμελλε is combined with the future infinitive ἐπικρύψεσθαι to express intention or destiny ("he was going to conceal"). The participle ὑποδεικνύων (by displaying) functions instrumentally.