- 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-grc2:21.11.1-21.11.13
- Generated
- Humanitext Reader · reader.humanitext.ai · 2026-11-10
King Antiochus proposes an alliance to King Prusias, but Prusias decides to side with the Romans after receiving a letter from the Scipio brothers detailing Rome's history of generous treatment toward defeated and allied rulers. Antiochus, losing hope, resolves to seek command of the sea through a naval battle.
ὅτι Ἀντίοχος ὁ βασιλεὺς παραγενόμενος εἰς τὰς Σάρδεις ἀπὸ τῆς προρρηθείσης στρατείας διεπέμπετο συνεχῶς πρὸς Προυσίαν, παρακαλῶν αὐτὸν εἰς τὴν σφετέραν συμμαχίαν.
King Antiochus, having arrived in Sardis from the aforementioned expedition, sent messages continuously to Prusias, urging him to join his alliance.
ὁ δὲ Προυσίας κατὰ μὲν τοὺς ἀνώτερον χρόνους οὐκ ἀλλότριος ἦν τοῦ κοινωνεῖν1 τοῖς περὶ τὸν Ἀντίοχον· πάνυ γὰρ ἐδεδίει τοὺς Ῥωμαίους, μὴ ποιῶνται τὴν εἰς Ἀσίαν διάβασιν ἐπὶ καταλύσει πάντων τῶν δυναστῶν.
Now, in former times, Prusias had not been averse to joining alliance with Antiochus and his party; for he was greatly afraid of the Romans, lest they should make the crossing into Asia for the overthrow of all dynasts.
παραγενομένης δʼ ἐπιστολῆς αὐτῷ παρά τε Λευκίου καὶ Ποπλίου τῶν ἀδελφῶν, κομισάμενος ταύτην καὶ διαναγνοὺς ἐπὶ ποσὸν ἔστη τῇ διανοίᾳ καὶ προείδετο τὸ μέλλον ἐνδεχομένως, ἅτε τῶν περὶ τὸν Πόπλιον ἐναργέσι κεχρημένων καὶ πολλοῖς μαρτυρίοις πρὸς πίστιν διὰ τῶν ἐγγράπτων.
But when a letter arrived for him from the brothers Lucius and Publius, having received and read it through, he hesitated for a time in his mind, and then foresaw the future as far as was possible, inasmuch as Publius and his associates had employed clear and numerous proofs in their writing to win his trust.
οὐ γὰρ μόνον ὑπὲρ τῆς ἰδίας προαιρέσεως ἔφερον ἀπολογισμούς, ἀλλὰ καὶ περὶ τῆς κοινῆς ἁπάντων Ῥωμαίων, διʼ ὧν παρεδείκνυον οὐχ οἷον2 ἀφῃρημένοι τινὸς τῶν ἐξ ἀρχῆς βασιλέων τὰς δυναστείας, ἀλλὰ τινὰς μὲν καὶ προσκατεσκευακότες αὐτοὶ δυνάστας, ἐνίους δʼ ηὐξηκότες καὶ πολλαπλασίους αὐτῶν τὰς ἀρχὰς πεποιηκότες.
For they not only offered justifications for their own policy, but also concerning the common policy of all Romans, through which they demonstrated that, far from having deprived any of the original kings of their dominions, they had actually established some dynasts themselves, and had increased others, making their empires many times larger.
ὧν κατὰ μὲν τὴν Ἰβηρίαν Ἀνδοβάλην καὶ Κολίχαντα προεφέροντο, κατὰ δὲ τὴν Λιβύην Μασαννάσαν, ἐν δὲ τοῖς κατὰ τὴν Ἰλλυρίδα τόποις Πλευρᾶτον·
Of these, they adduced Andobales and Colichas in Iberia, Masannasa in Libya, and Pleuratus in the regions of Illyria;
οὓς ἅπαντας ἔφασαν ἐξ ἐλαφρῶν καὶ τῶν τυχόντων δυναστῶν πεποιηκέναι βασιλεῖς ὁμολογουμένως.
all of whom they declared they had admittedly made kings from insignificant and ordinary dynasts.
ὁμοίως κατὰ τὴν Ἑλλάδα Φίλιππον καὶ Νάβιν, ὧν Φίλιππον μὲν καταπολεμήσαντες καὶ συγκλείσαντες εἰς ὅμηρα καὶ φόρους, βραχεῖαν αὐτοῦ νῦν λαβόντες ἀπόδειξιν εὐνοίας ἀποκαθεστακέναι3 μὲν αὐτῷ τὸν υἱὸν καὶ τοὺς ἅμα τούτῳ συνομηρεύοντας νεανίσκους, ἀπολελυκέναι δὲ τῶν φόρων, πολλὰς δὲ τῶν πόλεων ἀποδεδωκέναι τῶν ἁλουσῶν κατὰ πόλεμον·
Likewise, in Greece, Philip and Nabis: of whom, though they had defeated Philip and reduced him to giving hostages and paying tribute, yet now, having received a brief proof of his goodwill, they had restored to him his son and the young men who had been hostages with him, had released him from tribute, and had restored many of the cities captured during the war;
Νάβιν δὲ δυνηθέντες ἄρδην ἐπανελέσθαι, τοῦτο μὲν οὐ ποιῆσαι, φείσασθαι δʼ αὐτοῦ, καίπερ ὄντος τυράννου, λαβόντες πίστεις τὰς εἰθισμένας.
and as for Nabis, though they had been able to destroy him utterly, they had not done this, but had spared him, tyrant though he was, after receiving the customary pledges.
εἰς ἃ βλέποντα παρεκάλουν τὸν Προυσίαν διὰ τῆς ἐπιστολῆς μὴ δεδιέναι περὶ τῆς ἀρχῆς, θαρροῦντα δʼ αἱρεῖσθαι τὰ Ῥωμαίων· ἔσεσθαι γὰρ ἀμεταμέλητον αὐτῷ τὴν τοιαύτην προαίρεσιν.
Looking to these examples, they exhorted Prusias through the letter not to fear for his dominion, but to choose the cause of the Romans with confidence; for such a choice would bring him no regret.
ὧν ὁ Προυσίας διακούσας ἐπʼ ἄλλης ἐγένετο γνώμης. ὡς δὲ καὶ παρεγενήθησαν πρὸς αὐτὸν πρέσβεις οἱ περὶ τὸν Γάιον Λίβιον, τελέως ἀπέστη τῶν κατὰ τὸν Ἀντίοχον ἐλπίδων, συμμίξας τοῖς προειρημένοις ἀνδράσιν.
Prusias, having heard these things, changed his mind. And when the envoys with Gaius Livius also arrived to see him, he completely abandoned his hopes in Antiochus and joined alliance with the aforementioned men.
Ἀντίοχος δὲ ταύτης ἀποπεσὼν τῆς ἐλπίδος παρῆν εἰς Ἔφεσον καὶ συλλογιζόμενος ὅτι μόνως ἂν οὕτω δύναιτο κωλῦσαι τὴν τῶν πεζικῶν στρατοπέδων διάβασιν καὶ καθόλου τὸν πόλεμον ἀπὸ τῆς Ἀσίας ἀποτρίβεσθαι βεβαίως κρατοίη4 τῆς θαλάττης, προέθετο ναυμαχεῖν καὶ κρίνειν τὰ πράγματα διὰ τῶν κατὰ θάλατταν κινδύνων. —
But Antiochus, having been disappointed in this hope, arrived at Ephesus, and reflecting that the only way he could prevent the crossing of the land forces and utterly avert the war from Asia was if he should firmly hold command of the sea, resolved to fight a naval battle and to decide the issue through hazards at sea.
- 21.11.2οὐκ ἀλλότριος ἦν τοῦ κοινωνεῖν
The adjective ἀλλότριος (averse to, alien from) governs the genitive. Here, the genitive of the articular infinitive τοῦ κοινωνεῖν (sharing, joining alliance) acts as its complement. The double negation (οὐκ ἀλλότριος) expresses a positive willingness ('he was not averse to joining alliance').
- 21.11.6οὐχ οἷον
Combined with the subsequent ἀλλά (or ἀλλὰ καί), this idiom means 'far from doing X, they actually did Y' or 'not only not X, but even Y.' Here, it means 'far from having deprived [the original kings of their dominions], they had actually established [dynasts].' The participle ἀφῃρημένοι is a perfect participle referring to the Romans.
- 21.11.9ὧν Φίλιππον μὲν ... ἀποκαθεστακέναι
The indirect discourse (accusative and infinitive construction) introduced by ἔφασαν (§21.11.8) continues here. The genitive relative pronoun ὧν (of whom) introduces the relative clause, which contains a long structure with Φίλιππον as the accusative subject and ἀποκαθεστακέναι, ἀπολελυκέναι, and ἀποδεδωκέναι as the governing infinitives. Nominative participles such as καταπολεμήσαντες (having defeated) agree with the logical subject of ἔφασαν (the Romans).
- 21.11.13ἂν οὕτω δύναιτο ... βεβαίως κρατοίη
This is a potential conditional sentence within indirect discourse. The conjunction εἰ (if) for the conditional clause εἰ ... κρατοίη (if he should hold command of the sea) is omitted or implied by the context, with the optative κρατοίη expressing the condition for the potential optative ἂν δύναιτο in the main clause. It shows the logical relation: 'only in this way would he be able... [if] he should firmly hold the sea.'
Translated by Gemini 3.5 Flash (published 2026-05-25) · Revision history (1, latest 2026-09-22)
- 2026-09-22 AI review — source 1