The Achaean Assembly and Embassies from the Kings — Polybius, The Histories Book 22 (22.7.1–22.7.9), Greek & English

§22.7.1

ὅτι¹ κατὰ τὴν Πελοπόννησον ὡς μέν, ἔτι Φιλοποίμενος στρατηγοῦντος, εἴς τε τὴν Ῥώμην ἐξαπέστειλε πρεσβευτὰς τὸ τῶν Ἀχαιῶν ἔθνος ὑπὲρ τῆς Λακεδαιμονίων πόλεως πρός τε τὸν βασιλέα Πτολεμαῖον τοὺς ἀνανεωσομένους τὴν προϋπάρχουσαν αὐτῷ συμμαχίαν, ἐδηλώσαμεν, φησὶν ὁ Πολύβιος.

Regarding affairs in the Peloponnese, how, while Philopoemen was still general, the Achaean League sent ambassadors to Rome on behalf of the city of the Lacedaemonians, and also to King Ptolemy those who were to renew the pre-existing alliance with him, we have already made clear, says Polybius.

§22.7.2

κατὰ δὲ τὸν ἐνεστῶτα χρόνον, Ἀρισταίνου στρατηγοῦντος, οἵ τε παρὰ Πτολεμαίου τοῦ βασιλέως πρέσβεις ἧκον, ἐν Μεγάλῃ πόλει τῆς συνόδου τῶν Ἀχαιῶν ὑπαρχούσης·

But at the present time, while Aristaenus was general, the assembly of the Achaeans being held in Megalopolis, the ambassadors from King Ptolemy arrived;

§22.7.3

ἐξαπεστάλκει δὲ καὶ πρὸς τούτοις ὁ βασιλεὺς Εὐμένης πρεσβευτάς, ἐπαγγελλόμενος ἑκατὸν καὶ εἴκοσι τάλαντα δώσειν τοῖς Ἀχαιοῖς, ἐφʼ ᾧ, δανειζομένων τούτων, ἐκ τῶν τόκων μισθοδοτεῖσθαι τὴν βουλὴν² τῶν Ἀχαιῶν ἐπὶ ταῖς κοιναῖς συνόδοις.

and in addition to these, King Eumenes had also dispatched ambassadors, promising to give one hundred and twenty talents to the Achaeans, on the condition that, this money being lent out, the Achaean senate should be paid salary from the interest at the time of the general assemblies.

§22.7.4

ἧκον δὲ καὶ παρὰ Σελεύκου τοῦ βασιλέως πρεσβευταί, τήν τε φιλίαν ἀνανεωσόμενοι καὶ δεκαναΐαν μακρῶν πλοίων ἐπαγγελλόμενοι δώσειν τοῖς Ἀχαιοῖς.

Ambassadors also arrived from King Seleucus, to renew friendship and promising to give ten warships to the Achaeans.

§22.7.5

ἐχούσης δὲ τῆς συνόδου πραγματικῶς, πρῶτοι παρῆλθον οἱ περὶ Νικόδημον τὸν Ἠλεῖον καὶ τούς τε ῥηθέντας ἐν τῇ συγκλήτῳ λόγους ὑφʼ αὑτῶν ὑπὲρ τῆς τῶν Λακεδαιμονίων πόλεως διῆλθον τοῖς Ἀχαιοῖς καὶ τὰς ἀποκρίσεις ἀνέγνωσαν, ἐξ ὧν ἦν λαμβάνειν ἐκδοχὴν ὅτι δυσαρεστοῦνται μὲν καὶ τῇ τῶν τειχῶν συντελέσει καὶ τῇ καταλύσει τῶν ἐν τῷ Κομπασίῳ διαφθαρέντων, οὐ μὴν ἄκυρόν τι ποιεῖν.³ οὐθενὸς δʼ οὔτʼ ἀντειπόντος οὔτε συνηγορήσαντος, οὕτω πως παρεπέμφθη.

When the assembly proceeded to business, Nicodemus of Elis and his colleagues came forward first, and detailed to the Achaeans the speeches they had delivered in the Senate on behalf of the city of the Lacedaemonians, and read the replies. From which it was possible to understand that they were indeed displeased both with the demolition of the walls and with the execution of those who had been put to death at Compasium, yet they did not invalidate anything. Since no one either spoke against or in favor of this, it was thus somehow passed over.

§22.7.8

μετὰ δὲ τούτους εἰσῆλθον οἱ παρʼ Εὐμένους πρέσβεις καὶ τήν τε συμμαχίαν τὴν πατρικὴν ἀνενεώσαντο καὶ τὴν ὑπὲρ τῶν χρημάτων ἐπαγγελίαν διεσάφησαν τοῖς πολλοῖς.

After them, the ambassadors from Eumenes entered, and they both renewed the ancestral alliance and explained in detail to the multitude the promise concerning the money.

§22.7.9

καὶ πλείω δὲ πρὸς ταύτας τὰς ὑποθέσεις διαλεχθέντες καὶ μεγάλην εὔνοιαν καὶ φιλανθρωπίαν τοῦ βασιλέως ἐμφήναντες πρὸς τὸ ἔθνος,

And after they had spoken further on these proposals, and demonstrated the great goodwill and benevolence of the king towards the league,

Syntax notes3 items

22.7.1ὅτι
The introductory ὅτι at the beginning of the sentence was added by the Byzantine epitomizers to introduce an excerpt, and does not depend on a main verb in the text itself. While the third-person parenthetical phrase φησὶν ὁ Πολύβιος ('says Polybius') is inserted, the verb ἐδηλώσαμεν ('we made clear') remains in the first person plural, preserving Polybius's original authorial voice.
22.7.3ἐφʼ ᾧ, δανειζομένων τούτων, ἐκ τῶν τόκων μισθοδοτεῖσθαι τὴν βουλὴν
The phrase ἐφʼ ᾧ is an idiomatic construction meaning 'on the condition that,' taking the infinitive μισθοδοτεῖσθαι (with τὴν βουλὴν in the accusative as its subject). Within this clause, the genitive absolute δανειζομένων τούτων is inserted, referring to the lending out of the 120 talents (τούτων).
22.7.6ἐξ ὧν ἦν λαμβάνειν ἐκδοχὴν ὅτι... οὐ μὴν ἄκυρόν τι ποιεῖν
ἦν is used impersonally to mean 'it was possible' (synonymous with ἐξῆν). In the ὅτι clause, where a finite verb would normally be expected, the infinitive ποιεῖν (with the Romans as its implied subject) is used after the negative οὐ μὴν. This is due to the influence of the governing phrase λαμβάνειν ἐκδοχὴν ('to understand'), which causes the indirect discourse construction to persist through the ὅτι clause.

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-grc2:22.7.1-22.7.9