Envoys to Philip and Charges by Spartan Exiles — Polybius, The Histories Book 22 (22.11.1–22.11.8), Greek & English

§22.11.1

ὅτι¹ τῶν περὶ τὸν Καικίλιον ἀνακεχωρηκότων ἐκ τῆς Ἑλλάδος καὶ διασεσαφηκότων τῇ συγκλήτῳ περί τε τῶν κατὰ Μακεδονίαν καὶ τῶν κατὰ Πελοπόννησον, εἰσῆγον εἰς τὴν σύγκλητον τοὺς περὶ τούτων παραγεγονότας πρεσβευτάς.

When Caecilius and his suite had returned from Greece and had reported in detail to the senate concerning the affairs of Macedonia and the Peloponnese, they introduced into the senate the envoys who had arrived concerning these matters.

§22.11.2

εἰσελθόντων δὲ πρῶτον τῶν παρὰ τοῦ Φιλίππου καὶ παρʼ Εὐμένους, ἔτι δὲ τῶν ἐξ Αἴνου καὶ Μαρωνείας φυγάδων, καὶ ποιησαμένων τοὺς λόγους ἀκολούθως τοῖς ἐν Θετταλονίκῃ ῥηθεῖσιν ἐπὶ τῶν περὶ τὸν Καικίλιον, ἔδοξε τῇ συγκλήτῳ πέμπειν πάλιν ἄλλους πρεσβευτὰς πρὸς τὸν Φίλιππον τοὺς ἐπισκεψομένους² πρῶτον μὲν εἰ παρακεχώρηκε τῶν ἐν Θετταλίᾳ καὶ Περραιβίᾳ πόλεων κατὰ τὴν τῶν περὶ τὸν Καικίλιον ἀπόκρισιν, εἶτα τοὺς ἐπιτάξοντας αὐτῷ τὰς φρουρὰς ἐξάγειν ἐξ Αἴνου καὶ Μαρωνείας, καὶ συλλήβδην ἀποβαίνειν ἀπὸ τῶν παραθαλαττίων τῆς Θρᾴκης ἐρυμάτων καὶ τόπων καὶ πόλεων.

And when first the envoys from Philip and from Eumenes entered, and furthermore the exiles from Aenus and Maroneia, and made their speeches in accordance with what had been said in Thessalonica before Caecilius and his colleagues, it resolved the senate to send again other envoys to Philip, who should inspect first whether he had evacuated the cities in Thessaly and Perrhaebia in accordance with the answer of Caecilius and his colleagues, and then who should order him to withdraw his garrisons from Aenus and Maroneia, and in short to depart from the coastal forts, districts, and cities of Thrace.

§22.11.5

μετὰ δὲ τούτους εἰσῆγον τοὺς ἀπὸ Πελοποννήσου παραγεγονότας.

After these, they introduced those who had arrived from the Peloponnese.

§22.11.6

οἵ τε γὰρ Ἀχαιοὶ πρεσβευτὰς ἀπεστάλκεισαν τοὺς περὶ Ἀπολλωνίδαν τὸν Σικυώνιον δικαιολογησομένους πρὸς τὸν Καικίλιον ὑπὲρ τοῦ μὴ λαβεῖν αὐτὸν³ ἀπόκρισιν καὶ καθόλου διδάξοντας ὑπὲρ τῶν κατὰ Λακεδαίμονα πραγμάτων, ἔκ τε τῆς Σπάρτης Ἀρεὺς καὶ Ἀλκιβιάδης ἐπρέσβευσαν· οὗτοι δʼ ἦσαν τῶν ἀρχαίων φυγάδων τῶν ὑπὸ τοῦ Φιλοποίμενος καὶ τῶν Ἀχαιῶν νεωστὶ κατηγμένων εἰς τὴν οἰκείαν.

For the Achaeans had sent as envoys Apollonidas of Sicyon and his companions, to defend themselves before Caecilius for his not having received an answer, and in general to instruct them concerning the affairs of Lacedaemon; and from Sparta, Areus and Alcibiades went as envoys, who were among the old exiles recently restored to their own country by Philopoemen and the Achaeans.

§22.11.8

ὃ καὶ μάλιστα τοὺς Ἀχαιοὺς εἰς ὀργὴν ἦγε τῷ δοκεῖν,⁴ μεγάλης οὔσης καὶ προσφάτου τῆς εἰς τοὺς φυγάδας εὐεργεσίας, ἐξ αὐτῆς ἐπὶ τοσοῦτον ἀχαριστεῖσθαι παρʼ αὐτοῖς ὥστε καὶ καταπρεσβεύειν καὶ κατηγορίαν ποιεῖσθαι πρὸς τοὺς κρατοῦντας τῶν ἀνελπίστως αὐτοὺς σωσάντων καὶ καταγαγόντων εἰς τὴν πατρίδα.

This indeed especially drove the Achaeans to anger, because it seemed that, though the benefit to the exiles was great and recent, immediately after it such ingratitude was shown by them that they even sent a counter-embassy and made an accusation before the ruling power against those who had unexpectedly saved them and restored them to their fatherland.

Syntax notes4 items

22.11.1ὅτι
The ὅτι at the beginning of this section is characteristic of Byzantine excerpts (Excerpta), originally serving as an introductory particle for a summary or quotation rather than introducing a subordinate clause. In translation, it is rendered as part of the main narrative flow.
22.11.3τοὺς ἐπισκεψομένους
The future participles with the definite article (likewise τοὺς ἐπιτάξοντας in the following section) modify the preceding noun ἄλλους πρεσβευτάς ("other envoys") and express the purpose or mission of sending them ("those who should...").
22.11.6ὑπὲρ τοῦ μὴ λαβεῖν αὐτὸν
The preposition ὑπὲρ combined with the articular infinitive τοῦ μὴ λαβεῖν expresses the reason for the action ("for his not having received"). The accusative αὐτόν is the subject of the infinitive and refers to the preceding Καικίλιον (Caecilius), meaning that Caecilius failed to receive an answer because the Achaeans did not provide one.
22.11.8τῷ δοκεῖν
The articular infinitive in the dative case expressing cause, τῷ δοκεῖν ("because it seemed"), governs an accusative and infinitive construction (with the exiles as the implied subject of ἀχαριστεῖσθαι). A genitive absolute expressing concession or circumstance (μεγάλης οὔσης... εὐεργεσίας) is inserted within it. At the end, τῶν ... σωσάντων is the genitive governed by κατηγορίαν ποιεῖσθαι ("to make an accusation against...").

Translated by Gemini 3.5 Flash (published 2026-05-25) · Revision history (1, latest 2026-10-09)

2026-10-09 Collated with the printed edition — source 1

urn:cts:greekLit:tlg0543.tlg001.humanitext-grc2:22.11.1-22.11.8