- 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-grc2:2.50.1-2.50.12
- Generated
- Humanitext Reader · reader.humanitext.ai · 2026-11-12
Antigonus, realizing the pragmatism of Aratus' plans, shows readiness to assist; Aratus welcomes the enthusiasm of the Megalopolitans and the Achaean assembly for inviting Antigonus, yet urges them to rely first on their own forces.
ὁ μὲν οὖν Ἀντίγονος ἀκούσας ταῦτα καὶ δόξας ἀληθινῶς καὶ πραγματικῶς ὑποδεικνύναι τὸν Ἄρατον, προσεῖχε τοῖς ἑξῆς πραττομένοις ἐπιμελῶς. ἔγραψε δὲ καὶ τοῖς Μεγαλοπολίταις, ἐπαγγελλόμενος βοηθήσειν, ἐὰν καὶ τοῖς Ἀχαιοῖς τοῦτο βουλομένοις ᾖ.1
Thus Antigonus, having heard this and thinking that Aratus was pointing out the situation truly and practically, paid careful attention to subsequent events. He also wrote to the Megalopolitans, promising to bring help, if this should also be to the liking of the Achaeans.
τῶν δὲ περὶ τὸν Νικοφάνη καὶ Κερκιδᾶν ἐπανελθόντων εἰς οἶκον καὶ τάς τε παρὰ τοῦ βασιλέως ἐπιστολὰς ἀποδόντων καὶ τὴν λοιπὴν εὔνοιαν αὐτοῦ καὶ προθυμίαν διασαφούντων, μετεωρισθέντες οἱ Μεγαλοπολῖται προθύμως ἔσχον ἰέναι πρὸς τὴν σύνοδον τῶν Ἀχαιῶν καὶ παρακαλεῖν ἐπισπάσασθαι τὸν Ἀντίγονον καὶ τὰ πράγματα κατὰ σπουδὴν ἐγχειρίζειν αὐτῷ.
When Nicophanes and Cercidas and their companions returned home, delivered the letters from the king, and explained his remaining goodwill and zeal, the Megalopolitans, being highly encouraged, were eager to go to the assembly of the Achaeans and to urge them to call in Antigonus and to entrust the affairs to him with haste.
ὁ δʼ Ἄρατος διακούσας κατʼ ἰδίαν τῶν περὶ τὸν Νικοφάνη τὴν τοῦ βασιλέως αἵρεσιν, ἣν ἔχοι πρός τε τοὺς Ἀχαιοὺς καὶ πρὸς αὐτόν, περιχαρὴς ἦν τῷ μὴ διὰ κενῆς πεποιῆσθαι τὴν ἐπίνοιαν μηδʼ εὑρῆσθαι κατὰ τὴν τῶν Αἰτωλῶν ἐλπίδα τὸν Ἀντίγονον εἰς τέλος ἀπηλλοτριωμένον ἑαυτοῦ.2
Aratus, having heard in private from Nicophanes and his companions the disposition which the king had toward the Achaeans and himself, was overjoyed that his design had not been made in vain, and that Antigonus had not been found, as the Aetolians had hoped, completely alienated from him.
πάνυ δὲ πρὸς λόγον ἡγεῖτο γίνεσθαι καὶ τὸ τοὺς Μεγαλοπολίτας προθύμους εἶναι διὰ τῶν Ἀχαιῶν φέρειν ἐπὶ τὸν Ἀντίγονον τὰ πράγματα. μάλιστα μὲν γάρ, ὡς ἐπάνω προεῖπον, ἔσπευδεν μὴ προσδεηθῆναι τῆς βοηθείας· εἰ δʼ ἐξ ἀνάγκης ἐπὶ τοῦτο δέοι καταφεύγειν, οὐ μόνον ἠβούλετο διʼ αὑτοῦ γενέσθαι τὴν κλῆσιν, ἔτι δὲ μᾶλλον ἐξ ἁπάντων τῶν Ἀχαιῶν.
And he thought it was highly advantageous that the Megalopolitans were eager to refer the affairs to Antigonus through the Achaeans. For, on the one hand, as I said above, he was anxious not to stand in need of assistance; but if of necessity they should have to resort to this, he wished that the invitation should come not only through himself, but still more from all the Achaeans.
ἠγωνία γάρ, εἰ παραγενόμενος ὁ βασιλεὺς καὶ κρατήσας τῷ πολέμῳ τοῦ Κλεομένους καὶ τῶν Λακεδαιμονίων ἀλλοιότερόν τι βουλεύσοιτο3 περὶ τῆς κοινῆς πολιτείας, μή ποθʼ ὁμολογουμένως τῶν συμβαινόντων αὐτὸς ἀναλάβῃ τὴν αἰτίαν, δόξαντος δικαίως τοῦτο πράττειν4 διὰ τὴν ἐξ αὐτοῦ προγεγενημένην ἀδικίαν περὶ τὸν Ἀκροκόρινθον εἰς τὴν Μακεδόνων οἰκίαν.
For he was anxious lest, if the king, having arrived and having conquered Cleomenes and the Lacedaemonians in the war, should form some different plan concerning their common constitution, he himself might admittedly incur the blame for the consequences, since he would be thought to have acted justly in doing this because of the injustice formerly committed by Aratus against the house of Macedon with regard to the Acrocorinth.
διόπερ ἅμα τῷ παρελθόντας τοὺς Μεγαλοπολίτας εἰς τὸ κοινὸν βουλευτήριον τά τε γράμματα τοῖς Ἀχαιοῖς ἐπιδεικνύναι καὶ διασαφεῖν τὴν ὅλην εὔνοιαν τοῦ βασιλέως, πρὸς δὲ τούτοις ἀξιοῦν ἐπισπάσασθαι τὸν Ἀντίγονον τὴν ταχίστην, εἶναι δὲ καὶ τὸ πλῆθος5 ἐπὶ τῆς αὐτῆς ὁρμῆς, προελθὼν Ἄρατος καὶ τήν τε τοῦ βασιλέως προθυμίαν ἀποδεξάμενος καὶ τὴν τῶν πολλῶν διάληψιν ἐπαινέσας παρεκάλει διὰ πλειόνων μάλιστα μὲν πειρᾶσθαι διʼ αὑτῶν σῴζειν καὶ τὰς πόλεις καὶ τὴν χώραν· οὐδὲν γὰρ εἶναι τούτου κάλλιον οὐδὲ συμφορώτερον·
Therefore, as soon as the Megalopolitans had entered the public council, displayed the letters to the Achaeans, and declared the full goodwill of the king, and in addition to this, demanded to call in Antigonus as quickly as possible, and the multitude was also of the same impulse, Aratus came forward and, while accepting the king’s zeal and praising the opinion of the multitude, urged them at some length above all to try to save both their cities and their territory by themselves; for nothing was more noble or more advantageous than this;
ἐὰν δʼ ἄρα πρὸς τοῦτο τὸ μέρος ἀντιβαίνῃ τὰ τῆς τύχης, πρότερον ἔφη δεῖν ἐξελέγξαντας πάσας τὰς ἐν αὑτοῖς ἐλπίδας τότε
but if, after all, the course of fortune should go against them in this regard, he said that they must first test all the hopes they had in themselves, and only then...
- 2.50.2τοῖς Ἀχαιοῖς τοῦτο βουλομένοις ᾖ
The dative participle βουλομένοις with ᾖ forms an idiomatic construction expressing subjective interest or desire, literally 'if this should be to the wishing Achaeans.'
- 2.50.5εὑρῆσθαι ... τὸν Ἀντίγονον εἰς τέλος ἀπηλλοτριωμένον ἑαυτοῦ
τὸν Ἀντίγονον is the subject accusative of the passive infinitive εὑρῆσθαι, and ἀπηλλοτριωμένον is a supplementary perfect passive participle in agreement with it, meaning 'that Antigonus was found to be alienated.'
- 2.50.8εἰ ... βουλεύσοιτο
This is a subordinate conditional clause depending on ἠγωνία ... μή... (a verb of fearing/anxiety in the past tense), where the future optative βουλεύσοιτο is used in place of a future indicative or ἐάν with the subjunctive as an oblique mood.
- 2.50.9δόξαντος δικαίως τοῦτο πράττειν
A genitive absolute construction with the subject (the king, implied by the context) omitted. It means 'since he (the king) would be thought to act justly in doing this.'
- 2.50.10ἅμα τῷ παρελθόντας τοὺς Μεγαλοπολίτας ... εἶναι δὲ καὶ τὸ πλῆθος
The preposition ἅμα with the articular dative infinitive τῷ governs the infinitives ἐπιδεικνύναι, διασαφεῖν, and ἀξιοῦν (with τοὺς Μεγαλοπολίτας as their subject accusative), and also extends to εἶναι δὲ καὶ τὸ πλῆθος to denote simultaneous actions.