- 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-grc2:20.11.1-20.11.12
- Generated
- Humanitext Reader · reader.humanitext.ai · 2026-11-10
Nicander of Aetolia, captured by King Philip of Macedon on his return journey from Asia, is unexpectedly treated with great generosity and sent home safely. This encounter instills in him a lasting gratitude to the Macedonian royal family, which later leads to his political difficulties during the war with Perseus.
περὶ δὲ τῆς συμβάσης τῷ Νικάνδρῳ περιπετείας οὐκ ἄξιον παρασιωπῆσαι.
But it is not right to pass over in silence the adventure that befell Nicander.
παρεγενήθη μὲν γὰρ ἐκ τῆς Ἐφέσου δωδεκαταῖος1 εἰς τὰ Φάλαρα πάλιν, ἀφʼ ἧς ὥρμηθʼ ἡμέρας·
For he arrived at Phalara again from Ephesus on the twelfth day from that on which he had started.
καταλαβὼν δὲ τοὺς Ῥωμαίους ἔτι περὶ τὴν Ἡράκλειαν, τοὺς δὲ Μακεδόνας ἀφεστῶτας μὲν ἀπὸ τῆς Λαμίας, οὐ μακρὰν δὲ στρατοπεδεύοντας τῆς πόλεως, τὰ μὲν χρήματʼ εἰς τὴν Λαμίαν διεκόμισε παραδόξως, αὐτὸς δὲ τῆς νυκτὸς ἐπεβάλετο κατὰ τὸν μεταξὺ τόπον τῶν στρατοπέδων διαπεσεῖν εἰς τὴν Ὑπάταν.
Finding that the Romans were still around Heraclea, and that the Macedonians, though they had withdrawn from Lamia, were encamped not far from the city, he unexpectedly conveyed the money safely into Lamia, but he himself attempted by night to slip through into Hypata by the space between the camps.
ἐμπεσὼν δʼ εἰς τοὺς προκοίτους τῶν Μακεδόνων ἀνήγετο πρὸς τὸν Φίλιππον ἔτι τῆς συνουσίας ἀκμαζούσης,2 προσδοκῶν πείσεσθαί τι δεινὸν πεσὼν ὑπὸ τοῦ Φιλίππου τὸν θυμὸν3 ἢ παραδοθήσεσθαι τοῖς Ῥωμαίοις.
But falling into the hands of the Macedonian advanced guards, he was brought before Philip while the carousal was still at its height, expecting to suffer some terrible fate by falling under Philip’s anger, or to be delivered up to the Romans.
τοῦ δὲ πράγματος ἀγγελθέντος τῷ βασιλεῖ, ταχέως ἐκέλευσε τοὺς ἐπὶ τούτων ὄντας θεραπεῦσαι τὸν Νίκανδρον καὶ τὴν λοιπὴν ἐπιμέλειαν αὐτοῦ ποιήσασθαι φιλάνθρωπον.
When the matter was reported to the king, he immediately ordered those in charge of these things to entertain Nicander and to show him every other kind office.
μετὰ δέ τινα χρόνον αὐτὸς ἐξαναστὰς συνέμιξε τῷ Νικάνδρῳ καὶ πολλὰ καταμεμψάμενος τὴν κοινὴν τῶν Αἰτωλῶν ἄγνοιαν, ἐξ ἀρχῆς μέν, ὅτι Ῥωμαίους ἐπαγάγοιεν τοῖς Ἕλλησι, μετὰ δὲ ταῦτα πάλιν Ἀντίοχον, ὅμως ἔτι καὶ νῦν παρεκάλει λήθην ποιησαμένους4 τῶν προγεγονότων ἀντέχεσθαι τῆς πρὸς αὑτὸν εὐνοίας καὶ μὴ θελῆσαι συνεπεμβαίνειν τοῖς κατʼ ἀλλήλων καιροῖς.
After some time, rising himself, he met with Nicander, and after much blaming of the general ignorance of the Aetolians—first in that they had brought the Romans into Greece, and afterwards again Antiochus—yet even now he exhorted him to forget the past and to cling to his goodwill towards himself, and not to choose to take part in the opportunities of other parties against one another.
ταῦτα μὲν οὖν παρῄνει τοῖς προεστῶσι τῶν Αἰτωλῶν ἀναγγέλλειν· αὐτὸν δὲ τὸν Νίκανδρον παρακαλέσας μνημονεύειν τῆς εἰς αὐτὸν γεγενημένης εὐεργεσίας ἐξέπεμπε μετὰ προπομπῆς ἱκανῆς, παραγγείλας τοῖς ἐπὶ τούτῳ τεταγμένοις ἀσφαλῶς εἰς τὴν Ὑπάταν αὐτὸν ἀποκαταστῆσαι.
This, then, he advised him to report to the leaders of the Aetolians; and exhorting Nicander himself to remember the benefit done to him, he sent him away with a sufficient escort, ordering those appointed for this duty to restore him safely to Hypata.
ὁ δὲ Νίκανδρος, τελέως ἀνελπίστου καὶ παραδόξου φανείσης αὐτῷ τῆς ἀπαντήσεως, τότε μὲν ἀνεκομίσθη πρὸς τοὺς οἰκείους, κατὰ δὲ τὸν ἑξῆς χρόνον ἀπὸ ταύτης τῆς συστάσεως εὔνους ὢν διετέλει τῇ Μακεδόνων οἰκίᾳ.
Nicander, since the reception appeared to him completely unexpected and incredible, for the time returned to his relatives, but for the subsequent period from this meeting he continued to be well-disposed to the house of the Macedonians.
διὸ καὶ μετὰ ταῦτα κατὰ τοὺς Περσικοὺς καιροὺς ἐνδεδεμένος τῇ προειρημένῃ χάριτι καὶ δυσχερῶς ἀντιπράττων ταῖς τοῦ Περσέως ἐπιβολαῖς,5 εἰς ὑποψίας καὶ διαβολὰς ἐμπεσὼν καὶ τέλος ἀνακληθεὶς εἰς Ῥώμην ἐκεῖ μετήλλαξε τὸν βίον. — κόραξ, ὄρος μεταξὺ Καλλιπόλεως καὶ Ναυπάκτου. Πολύβιος εἰκοστῷ. — Ἀπεράντεια, πόλις Θεσσαλίας.
Wherefore also afterwards, during the times of the Perseus war, being bound by the aforementioned gratitude and reluctantly opposing the enterprises of Perseus, he fell into suspicion and slander, and finally being summoned to Rome, he ended his life there. — Korax, a mountain between Callipolis and Naupactus. Polybius in the twentieth book. — Aperanteia, a city of Thessaly.
Πολύβιος εἰκοστῷ. —
Polybius in the twentieth book. —
- 20.11.2δωδεκαταῖος
The nominative adjective functions adverbially to denote time ('on the twelfth day'). The subsequent relative clause ἀφʼ ἧς ὥρμηθʼ ἡμέρας exhibits the incorporation of the antecedent into the relative clause, being equivalent to ἀπὸ τῆς ἡμέρας ἧς ὥρμητο.
- 20.11.5ἔτι τῆς συνουσίας ἀκμαζούσης
A genitive absolute construction, describing the attendant circumstance that the banquet or gathering was still at its height when Nicander was brought in.
- 20.11.5πεσὼν ὑπὸ τοῦ Φιλίππου τὸν θυμὸν
The preposition ὑπό governs the accusative τὸν θυμόν, indicating the movement of falling into or coming under the power and influence of Philip's anger.
- 20.11.7λήθην ποιησαμένους
This accusative participle refers to the object of the main verb παρεκάλει (the Aetolians) and agrees in case as the subject of the infinitives ἀντέχεσθαι and μὴ θελῆσαι.
- 20.11.10δυσχερῶς ἀντιπράττων ταῖς τοῦ Περσέως ἐπιβολαῖς
The phrase δυσχερῶς ἀντιπράττων means 'opposing with reluctance' or 'hesitating to oppose', showing Nicander's inner conflict and hesitation to actively oppose the plans of Philip's son, Perseus, because of the gratitude he owed.