- 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-grc2:21.13.1-21.13.14
- Generated
- Humanitext Reader · reader.humanitext.ai · 2026-11-10
Antiochus III, hearing of the Roman crossing, sends Heracleides of Byzantium to negotiate peace, but the progress of both negotiations and the Roman army is delayed because Publius Scipio is detained in Europe due to his religious obligations as a Salian priest.
ὅτι1 ὁ Ἀντίοχος μετὰ τὴν κατὰ τὴν ναυμαχίαν γενομένην ἧτταν ἐν ταῖς Σάρδεσιν παριεὶς τοὺς καιροὺς καὶ καταμέλλων ἐν τοῖς ὅλοις, ἅμα τῷ πυθέσθαι τῶν πολεμίων τὴν διάβασιν συντριβεὶς τῇ διανοίᾳ καὶ δυσελπιστήσας ἔκρινεν διαπέμπεσθαι πρὸς τοὺς περὶ τὸν Λεύκιον καὶ Πόπλιον ὑπὲρ διαλύσεων.
Antiochus, after the defeat sustained in the naval battle, remained at Sardis, letting opportunities slip by and hesitating in general matters; as soon as he heard of the crossing of the enemy, he was shattered in mind and, losing all hope, decided to send envoys to Lucius and Publius and their circle to treat for peace.
προχειρισάμενος οὖν Ἡρακλείδην τὸν Βυζάντιον ἐξέπεμψε, δοὺς ἐντολὰς ὅτι παραχωρεῖ τῆς τε τῶν Λαμψακηνῶν καὶ Σμυρναίων, ἔτι δὲ τῆς Ἀλεξανδρέων πόλεως, ἐξ ὧν ὁ πόλεμος ἔλαβε τὰς ἀρχάς·
He therefore selected and dispatched Heracleides of Byzantium, giving him instructions to the effect that he would evacuate the cities of Lampsacus and Smyrna, and furthermore Alexandria, from which the war had taken its origin.
ὁμοίως δὲ κἄν τινας ἑτέρας ὑφαιρεῖσθαι βούλωνται2 τῶν κατὰ τὴν Αἰολίδα καὶ τὴν Ἰωνίαν, ὅσαι τἀκείνων ᾕρηνται3 κατὰ τὸν ἐνεστῶτα πόλεμον.
Likewise also, if they wished to deprive him of any other cities in Aeolis and Ionia, such as had chosen their side in the present war.
πρὸς δὲ τούτοις ὅτι τὴν ἡμίσειαν δώσει τῆς γεγενημένης σφίσι δαπάνης εἰς τὴν πρὸς αὐτὸν διαφοράν.
In addition to this, he instructed him to promise that he would pay half of the expense they had incurred in the dispute with him.
ταύτας μὲν οὖν ὁ πεμπόμενος εἶχε τὰς ἐντολὰς πρὸς τὴν κατὰ κοινὸν ἔντευξιν, ἰδίᾳ δὲ πρὸς τὸν Πόπλιον ἑτέρας, ὑπὲρ ὧν τὰ κατὰ μέρος ἐν τοῖς ἑξῆς δηλώσομεν.
These, then, were the instructions which the envoy carried for the joint conference; but he had others privately for Publius, the details of which we shall state in due order in what follows.
ἀφικόμενος δʼ εἰς τὸν Ἑλλήσποντον ὁ προειρημένος πρεσβευτὴς καὶ καταλαβὼν τοὺς Ῥωμαίους μένοντας ἐπὶ τῆς στρατοπεδείας, οὗ πρῶτον κατεσκήνωσαν ἀπὸ τῆς διαβάσεως, τὰς μὲν ἀρχὰς ἥσθη, νομίζων αὑτῷ συνεργὸν εἶναι πρὸς τὴν ἔντευξιν τὸ μένειν ἐπὶ τῶν ὑποκειμένων καὶ πρὸς μηδὲν ὡρμηκέναι τῶν ἑξῆς τοὺς ὑπεναντίους, πυθόμενος δὲ τὸν Πόπλιον ἔτι μένειν ἐν τῷ πέραν ἐδυσχρήστησε διὰ τὸ τὴν πλείστην ῥοπὴν κεῖσθαι τῶν πραγμάτων ἐν τῇ ʼκείνου προαιρέσει.
The aforesaid envoy, having arrived at the Hellespont and finding the Romans remaining in the camp where they had first pitched their tents after crossing, was at first pleased, thinking that their remaining inactive and not having rushed into any subsequent operations would favor his mission. But on learning that Publius was still remaining on the other side, he was troubled, because the greatest weight in the decision of affairs lay in that man’s purpose.
αἴτιον δʼ ἦν καὶ τοῦ μένειν τὸ στρατόπεδον ἐπὶ τῆς πρώτης παρεμβολῆς καὶ τοῦ κεχωρίσθαι τὸν Πόπλιον ἀπὸ τῶν δυνάμεων τὸ σάλιον εἶναι4 τὸν προειρημένον ἄνδρα. τοῦτο δʼ ἔστιν, καθάπερ ἡμῖν ἐν τοῖς περὶ τῆς πολιτείας εἴρηται, τῶν τριῶν ἓν σύστημα, διʼ ὧν συμβαίνει τὰς ἐπιφανεστάτας θυσίας ἐν τῇ Ῥώμῃ συντελεῖσθαι τοῖς θεοῖς·
Now the reason both for the army remaining in their first camp, and for Publius being separated from the forces, was that the aforesaid man was a Salian priest. This office is, as we have said in our treatise on the constitution, one of the three colleges by whom the most distinguished sacrifices are offered to the gods in Rome.
τριακονθήμερον μὴ μεταβαίνειν5 κατὰ τὸν καιρὸν τῆς θυσίας, ἐν ᾗ ποτʼ ἂν χώρᾳ καταληφθῶσιν [οἱ σάλιοι οὗτοι].
Their rule is that they must not change their place for thirty days during the season of the sacrifice, in whatever district they may happen to be overtaken.
ὃ καὶ τότε συνέβη γενέσθαι Ποπλίῳ· τῆς γὰρ δυνάμεως μελλούσης περαιοῦσθαι κατέλαβεν αὐτὸν οὗτος ὁ χρόνος, ὥστε μὴ δύνασθαι μεταβαλεῖν τὴν χώραν.
This was what happened to Publius at that time; for just as the army was about to cross, this period overtook him, so that he was unable to change his location.
διὸ συνέβη τόν τε Σκιπίωνα χωρισθῆναι τῶν στρατοπέδων καὶ μεῖναι κατὰ τὴν Εὐρώπην, τὰς δὲ δυνάμεις περαιωθείσας μένειν ἐπὶ τῶν ὑποκειμένων καὶ μὴ δύνασθαι πράττειν τῶν ἑξῆς μηθέν, προσαναδεχομένας τὸν προειρημένον ἄνδρα.
Consequently, it came about that Scipio was separated from the camp and remained in Europe, while the forces, having crossed, remained in their current position and were unable to do anything further, waiting for the aforesaid man.
- 21.13.1ὅτι
The particle ὅτι at the beginning of the chapter is a characteristic introductory formula originating from Byzantine excerpts (Excerpta), signaling a summary or indirect report. It is best rendered directly in natural narrative translation.
- 21.13.4κἄν τινας ἑτέρας ὑφαιρεῖσθαι βούλωνται
κἄν is a crasis of καὶ ἐάν. The subjunctive βούλωνται (3rd person plural present) forms a conditional clause. Although there is no main verb in this clause, it implies a continuation of the previous statement 'he would evacuate' (ὅτι παραχωρεῖ), indicating a conditional concession.
- 21.13.4ὅσαι τἀκείνων ᾕρηνται
τἀκείνων is a crasis of τὰ ἐκείνων, meaning 'the affairs of those (Romans).' Used with the middle/passive perfect ᾕρηνται of αἱρέομαι (to choose), it means 'have chosen their side/cause' (i.e., took the Roman side).
- 21.13.10αἴτιον δʼ ἦν καὶ τοῦ μένειν... τὸ σάλιον εἶναι
The syntax is structured such that the articular accusative infinitive phrase τὸ σάλιον εἶναι τὸν προειρημένον ἄνδρα ('that the aforesaid man was a Salian') serves as the predicate of αἴτιον ἦν ('was the cause'), while the articular genitive infinitives (τοῦ μένειν... καὶ τοῦ κεχωρίσθαι...) modify αἴτιον, explaining what the cause was for.
- 21.13.12τριακονθήμερον μὴ μεταβαίνειν
μὴ μεταβαίνειν functions as an imperatival or regulative infinitive prescribing a rule or law, detailing the content of the priests' rule mentioned in the previous section. τριακονθήμερον is an accusative of duration of time ('for thirty days').