- 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-grc2:21.5.1-21.5.13
- Generated
- Humanitext Reader · reader.humanitext.ai · 2026-11-10
The Aetolians are distressed by the harsh Roman terms, but following the advice of the Athenian envoy Echedemus, they request an armistice to send an embassy to the Senate; Publius, eager for Asia, persuades Lucius to grant a six-month truce, prompting Manius to lift the siege and return to Rome.
οὗτοι μὲν οὖν ἐπανῄεσαν βουλευσόμενοι περὶ τῶν προειρημένων·
οὗτοι So these men departed to deliberate on the aforementioned matters;
οἱ δὲ περὶ τὸν Ἐχέδημον συμμίξαντες τοῖς ἀποκλήτοις ἐβουλεύοντο περὶ τῶν προειρημένων.
οἱ while Echedemus and his colleagues, having met with the apokletoi (the select council), deliberated on the same matters.
ἦν δὲ τῶν ἐπιταττομένων τὸ μὲν ἀδύνατον διὰ τὸ πλῆθος τῶν χρημάτων, τὸ δὲ φοβερὸν1 διὰ τὸ πρότερον αὐτοὺς ἀπατηθῆναι, καθʼ ὃν καιρὸν ἐπινεύσαντες ὑπὲρ τῆς ἐπιτροπῆς παρὰ μικρὸν2 εἰς τὴν ἅλυσιν ἐνέπεσον.
ἦν Of the demands, one was impossible because of the huge sum of money, and the other was terrifying because of their previous deception at the time when, having consented to surrender their affairs, they had come within a hair’s breadth of being put in chains.
διόπερ ἀπορούμενοι καὶ δυσχρηστούμενοι περὶ ταῦτα πάλιν ἐξέπεμπον τοὺς αὐτοὺς δεησομένους ἢ τῶν χρημάτων ἀφελεῖν, ἵνα δύνωνται τελεῖν, ἢ τῆς ἐπιτροπῆς ἐκτὸς ποιῆσαι τοὺς πολιτικοὺς ἄνδρας καὶ τὰς γυναῖκας.
διόπερ Therefore, being at a loss and deeply troubled by these conditions, they sent back the same envoys to beg either for a reduction of the sum so that they might be able to pay, or that the public men and women should be exempted from the surrender.
οἳ καὶ συμμίξαντες τοῖς περὶ τὸν Πόπλιον διεσάφουν τὰ δεδογμένα.
οἳ These envoys met with Publius and his entourage and explained what had been decided.
τοῦ δὲ Λευκίου φήσαντος ἐπὶ τούτοις ἔχειν παρὰ τῆς συγκλήτου τὴν ἐξουσίαν, ἐφʼ οἷς ἀρτίως εἶπεν, οὗτοι μὲν αὖθις ἐπανῆλθον, οἱ δὲ περὶ τὸν Ἐχέδημον ἐπακολουθήσαντες εἰς τὴν Ὑπάταν συνεβούλευσαν τοῖς Αἰτωλοῖς, ἐπεὶ τὰ τῆς διαλύσεως ἐμποδίζοιτο κατὰ τὸ παρόν, ἀνοχὰς αἰτησαμένους καὶ τῶν ἐνεστώτων κακῶν ὑπέρθεσιν ποιησαμένους πρεσβεύειν πρὸς τὴν σύγκλητον, κἂν μὲν ἐπιτυγχάνωσι περὶ τῶν ἀξιουμένων·
τοῦ But when Lucius declared that he had no authority from the senate on any other terms than those he had just stated, they returned once more. οἱ Then Echedemus and his colleagues followed them to Hypata and advised the Aetolians that, since the reconciliation was blocked for the present, they should ask for an armistice and, having put off their present evils, send an embassy to the senate, and if they should succeed in their requests, well and good;
εἰ δὲ μή,3 τοῖς καιροῖς ἐφεδρεύειν.
εἰ but if not, they should wait for a turn of fortune.
χείρω μὲν γὰρ ἀδύνατον γενέσθαι τῶν ὑποκειμένων4 τὰ περὶ σφᾶς, βελτίω γε μὴν οὐκ ἀδύνατον διὰ πολλὰς αἰτίας.
χείρω For it was impossible for their situation to become worse than it currently was, but not impossible, for many reasons, for it to become better.
φανέντων δὲ καλῶς λέγειν τῶν περὶ τὸν Ἐχέδημον, ἔδοξε πρεσβεύειν τοῖς Αἰτωλοῖς ὑπὲρ τῶν ἀνοχῶν.
φανέντων Since Echedemus and his companions seemed to speak wisely, the Aetolians resolved to send an embassy for the armistice.
ἀφικόμενοι δὲ πρὸς τὸν Λεύκιον ἐδέοντο συγχωρηθῆναι σφίσι κατὰ τὸ παρὸν ἑξαμήνους ἀνοχάς, ἵνα πρεσβεύσωσι πρὸς τὴν σύγκλητον.
ἀφικόμενοι Having come to Lucius, they begged that a six months’ armistice should be granted them for the present, so that they might send envoys to the senate.
ὁ δὲ Πόπλιος, πάλαι πρὸς τὰς κατὰ τὴν Ἀσίαν πράξεις παρωρμημένος, ταχέως ἔπεισε τὸν ἀδελφὸν ὑπακοῦσαι τοῖς ἀξιουμένοις.
ὁ And Publius, who had long been eager for the operations in Asia, quickly persuaded his brother to comply with their requests.
γραφεισῶν δὲ τῶν ὁμολογιῶν, ὁ μὲν Μάνιος, λύσας τὴν πολιορκίαν καὶ παραδοὺς ἅπαν τὸ στράτευμα καὶ τὰς χορηγίας τοῖς περὶ τὸν Λεύκιον, εὐθέως ἀπηλλάττετο μετὰ τῶν χιλιάρχων εἰς τὴν Ῥώμην.
γραφεισῶν When the treaty was drawn up, Manius raised the siege, handed over his entire army and supplies to Lucius and his entourage, and immediately departed with the military tribunes for Rome.
- 21.5.3ἦν δὲ τῶν ἐπιταττομένων τὸ μὲν ἀδύνατον... τὸ δὲ φοβερὸν
τῶν ἐπιταττομένων is a partitive genitive, corresponding to the subsequent τὸ μὲν... τὸ δὲ... clauses. The verb ἦν is singular in agreement with the neuter singular subjects, functioning as a common predicate for both clauses.
- 21.5.3παρὰ μικρὸν
An idiomatic adverbial phrase meaning 'by a narrow margin' or 'almost.' Used with the indicative past (ἐνέπεσον) to describe an event that was very close to happening but was ultimately avoided.
- 21.5.7κἂν μὲν ἐπιτυγχάνωσι... εἰ δὲ μή
The apodosis of the κἂν μὲν... clause (e.g., 'so be it') is elliptical, with the text moving directly to the second alternative conditional clause εἰ δὲ μή and its accompanying infinitive ἐφεδρεύειν. These are framed within the indirect command (infinitives) dependent on συνεβούλευσαν ('advised') in the previous sentence.
- 21.5.9χείρω... τῶν ὑποκειμένων
τῶν ὑποκειμένων is a genitive of comparison dependent on the comparative χείρω ('worse'). It refers to the present circumstances of the Aetolians, meaning 'worse than the current situation.'