- 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-grc2:21.23.1-21.23.13
- Generated
- Humanitext Reader · reader.humanitext.ai · 2026-11-10
The Rhodian envoys appeal to the Roman senate that Rome, unlike other nations, should aim for glory and praise through the liberation of the Greeks rather than territorial conquest, and their speech is praised by all.
τῶν ἄλλων δυναστειῶν καταδεεστέρα. ἔξεστιν οὖν, ὦ ἄνδρες Ῥωμαῖοι, καὶ τοὺς φίλους μεγαλομερῶς σωματοποιῆσαι1 καὶ τὸ τῆς ἰδίας ὑποθέσεως λαμπρὸν μὴ καταβαλεῖν.
...inferior to any of the other dynasties. Therefore, Roman gentlemen, it is possible for you both to strengthen your friends in a grand manner, and not to tarnish the splendor of your own purpose.
οὐ γάρ ἐστιν ὑμῖν καὶ τοῖς ἄλλοις ἀνθρώποις ταὐτὸν τέλος τῶν ἔργων, ἀλλʼ ἕτερον.
For the end of actions is not the same for you as for other men, but different.
οἱ μὲν γὰρ ἄλλοι πάντες ὁρμῶσιν πρὸς τὰς πράξεις ὀρεγόμενοι τοῦ καταστρέψασθαι καὶ προσλαβεῖν πόλεις, χορηγίαν, ναῦς·
For all other men rush into action longing to conquer and acquire cities, resources, and ships;
ὑμᾶς δὲ πάντων τούτων ἀπροσδεήτους οἱ θεοὶ πεποιήκασι, πάντα τὰ κατὰ τὴν οἰκουμένην τεθεικότες [μὲν] ὑπὸ τὴν ὑμετέραν ἐξουσίαν.
but the gods have made you to have no need of any of these, having placed the whole inhabited world under your authority.
τίνος οὖν ἔτι προσδεῖσθε, καὶ τίνος ἂν ἔτι δέοι πρόνοιαν ὑμᾶς ποιεῖσθαι τὴν ἰσχυροτάτην;
What, then, do you still need, and for what else would you need to make the strongest provision?
δῆλον ὡς ἐπαίνου καὶ δόξης παρʼ ἀνθρώποις, ἃ καὶ κτήσασθαι μέν ἐστι δυσχερές, δυσχερέστερον δὲ κτησαμένους2 διαφυλάξαι.
Clearly, for praise and glory among men, which are both difficult to acquire, and even more difficult for those who have acquired them to preserve.
γνοίητε δʼ ἂν τὸ λεγόμενον οὕτως. ἐπολεμήσατε πρὸς Φίλιππον καὶ πᾶν ὑπεμείνατε χάριν τῆς τῶν Ἑλλήνων ἐλευθερίας· τοῦτο γὰρ προέθεσθε, καὶ τοῦθʼ ὑμῖν ἆθλον ἐξ ἐκείνου τοῦ πολέμου περιγέγονεν, ἕτερον δʼ ἁπλῶς οὐδέν.
You may understand what I say in this way: you went to war against Philip and endured everything for the sake of the freedom of the Greeks; for this you set before yourselves, and this came to you as the prize of that war, and absolutely nothing else.
ἀλλʼ ὅμως εὐδοκεῖτε τούτῳ μᾶλλον ἢ τοῖς παρὰ Καρχηδονίων φόροις· καὶ μάλα δικαίως·
But nevertheless, you are more pleased with this than with the tributes from the Carthaginians; and very justly so.
τὸ μὲν γὰρ ἀργύριόν ἐστι κοινόν τι πάντων ἀνθρώπων κτῆμα, τὸ δὲ καλὸν καὶ πρὸς ἔπαινον καὶ τιμὴν ἀνῆκον θεῶν καὶ τῶν ἔγγιστα τούτοις πεφυκότων ἀνδρῶν ἐστιν.
For money is a common possession of all mankind, but what is noble and belongs to praise and honor belongs to the gods and to those men who are born closest to them.
τοιγαροῦν σεμνότατον τῶν ὑμετέρων ἔργων ἡ τῶν Ἑλλήνων ἐλευθέρωσις. τούτῳ νῦν ἐὰν μὲν προσθῆτε τἀκόλουθον, τελειωθήσεται τὰ τῆς ὑμετέρας δόξης. ἐὰν δὲ παρίδητε, καὶ τὰ πρὶν ἐλαττωθήσεται φανερῶς.
Therefore, the most noble of your deeds is the liberation of the Greeks. If you now add to this what follows from it, the measure of your glory will be perfected; but if you neglect it, even what you did before will be visibly diminished.
ἡμεῖς μὲν οὖν, ὦ ἄνδρες, καὶ τῆς προαιρέσεως γεγονότες αἱρετισταὶ καὶ τῶν μεγίστων ἀγώνων καὶ κινδύνων ἀληθινῶς ὑμῖν μετεσχηκότες, καὶ νῦν οὐκ ἐγκαταλείπομεν τὴν τῶν φίλων τάξιν, ἀλλʼ ἅ γε νομίζομεν ὑμῖν καὶ πρέπειν καὶ συμφέρειν,3 οὐκ ὠκνήσαμεν ὑπομνῆσαι μετὰ παρρησίας, οὐδενὸς στοχασάμενοι τῶν ἄλλων οὐδὲ περὶ πλείονος οὐδὲν ποιησάμενοι τοῦ καθήκοντος αὑτοῖς."
We, therefore, gentlemen, having been supporters of your purpose and having truly shared in your greatest struggles and dangers, do not even now abandon the post of friends, but what we believe to be both fitting and advantageous to you, we did not hesitate to remind you of with frankness, aiming at nothing else and holding nothing of greater value than our own duty.”
οἱ μὲν οὖν Ῥόδιοι ταῦτʼ εἰπόντες πᾶσιν ἐδόκουν μετρίως καὶ καλῶς διειλέχθαι περὶ τῶν προκειμένων.
The Rhodians, having said this, seemed to everyone to have spoken moderately and well concerning the matters before them.
- 21.23.1σωματοποιῆσαι
The infinitive σωματοποιῆσαι means "to give substance to, strengthen" (often used of a state or power). Its logical subject is the omitted ὑμᾶς, and it is coordinated with τὸ μὴ καταβαλεῖν as the subject of the impersonal verb ἔξεστιν.
- 21.23.6κτησαμένους
The participle κτησαμένους (accusative plural) serves as the logical subject of the infinitive διαφυλάξαι. It refers to people in general or specifically to "you (the Romans) who have acquired them," taking the accusative case as the subject of the infinitive.
- 21.23.12ἅ γε νομίζομεν ὑμῖν καὶ πρέπειν καὶ συμφέρειν
The relative pronoun ἅ serves as the direct object of οὐκ ὠκνήσαμεν ὑπομνῆσαι in the main clause. Within the relative clause, it functions as the subject of the infinitives πρέπειν and συμφέρειν, which depend on νομίζομεν. The dative ὑμῖν is governed by both infinitives.