- 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-grc2:23.5.1-23.5.18
- Generated
- Humanitext Reader · reader.humanitext.ai · 2026-11-10
Dinocrates of Messene, hoping to resolve the Messenian issue in his favor through his personal connection with Titus, arrives in Greece but reveals his political incompetence and frivolous character. When Titus demands the Achaeans to call an assembly, Philopoemen and his party counter by legally requiring a written agenda, which Titus fails to provide, causing the collapse of Dinocrates' expectations.
ὅτι Δεινοκράτης ὁ Μεσσήνιος παραγενόμενος εἰς τὴν Ῥώμην πρεσβευτὴς καὶ καταλαβὼν τὸν Τίτον πρεσβευτὴν καθεσταμένον ὑπὸ τῆς συγκλήτου πρός τε Προυσίαν καὶ τὸν Σέλευκον, περιχαρὴς ἐγενήθη, νομίζων τὸν Τίτον διά τε τὴν πρὸς αὐτὸν φιλίαν —
That Dinocrates the Messenian, having arrived in Rome as an ambassador and having found Titus appointed by the Senate as ambassador to Prusias and Seleucus, was overjoyed, thinking that Titus, both because of his friendship with him —
ἐγεγόνει γὰρ αὐτῷ συνήθης κατὰ τὸν Λακωνικὸν πόλεμον — καὶ διὰ τὴν πρὸς τὸν Φιλοποίμενα διαφοράν, παραγενόμενον εἰς τὴν Ἑλλάδα, χειριεῖν1 τὰ κατὰ τὴν Μεσσήνην πάντα κατὰ τὴν αὐτοῦ προαίρεσιν.
for he had become intimate with him during the Laconian war — and because of his difference with Philopoemen, once he arrived in Greece, would manage all the affairs of Messene according to his own preference.
διὸ καὶ παρεὶς τἄλλα προσεκαρτέρει τῷ Τίτῳ καὶ πάσας εἰς τοῦτον ἀπηρείσατο τὰς ἐλπίδας. —
For this reason, neglecting other matters, he devoted himself to Titus and placed all his hopes in him. —
ὅτι Δεινοκράτης ὁ Μεσσήνιος ἦν οὐ μόνον κατὰ τὴν τριβήν, ἀλλὰ καὶ κατὰ τὴν φύσιν αὐλικὸς καὶ στρατιωτικὸς ἄνθρωπος.
That Dinocrates the Messenian was, not only by experience but also by nature, a man of the court and of the military.
τὸν δὲ πραγματικὸν τρόπον ἐπέφαινε μὲν τέλειον, ἦν δὲ ψευδεπίγραφος καὶ ῥωπικός.
Though he made a show of a perfect aptitude for practical affairs, he was in reality superficial and trivial.
ἔν τε γὰρ τοῖς πολεμικοῖς κατὰ μὲν τὴν εὐχέρειαν καὶ τὴν τόλμαν πολὺ διέφερε τῶν ἄλλων καὶ λαμπρὸς ἦν ἐν τοῖς κατʼ ἰδίαν κινδύνοις.
For in military matters, in readiness and daring, he far surpassed others, and was brilliant in individual dangers.
ὁμοίως δὲ καὶ κατὰ τὴν ἄλλην διάθεσιν ἐν μὲν ταῖς ὁμιλίαις εὔχαρις καὶ πρόχειρος ἦν, παρά τε τὰς συνουσίας εὐτράπελος καὶ πολιτικός, ἅμα δὲ τούτοις φιλέραστος, περὶ δὲ κοινῶν ἢ πολιτικῶν πραγμάτων ἀτενίσαι καὶ προϊδέσθαι τὸ μέλλον ἀσφαλῶς, ἔτι δὲ παρασκευάσασθαι καὶ διαλεχθῆναι πρὸς πλῆθος, εἰς τέλος ἀδύνατος.2
Likewise, in his other disposition, in conversation he was agreeable and ready, and in social gatherings witty and polished, and at the same time fond of love affairs, but regarding public or political affairs, to look steadily and foresee the future with certainty, or again to make preparations and address a multitude, he was utterly incapable.
καὶ τότε κεκινηκὼς ἀρχὴν μεγάλων κακῶν τῇ πατρίδι, τελείως οὐδὲν ᾤετο ποιεῖν, ἀλλὰ τὴν αὐτὴν ἀγωγὴν ἦγε τοῦ βίου, προορώμενος οὐδὲν τῶν μελλόντων, ἐρῶν δὲ καὶ κωθωνιζόμενος ἀφʼ ἡμέρας καὶ τοῖς ἀκροάμασι τὰς ἀκοὰς ἀνατεθεικώς.
And at that time, though he had stirred up the beginning of great evils for his country, he thought he was doing absolutely nothing wrong, but continued the same course of life, anticipating nothing of the future, but loving and carousing from early day, and devoting his ears to musical performances.
βραχεῖαν δέ τινα τῆς περιστάσεως ἔμφασιν ὁ Τίτος αὐτὸν ἠνάγκασε λαβεῖν.
However, Titus forced him to take some brief realization of his situation.
ἰδὼν γὰρ αὐτὸν παρὰ πότον ἐν μακροῖς ἱματίοις ὀρχούμενον, παρʼ αὐτὰ μὲν ἐσιώπησε, τῇ δʼ αὔριον ἐντυγχάνοντος αὐτοῦ καί τι περὶ τῆς πατρίδος ἀξιοῦντος "
For having seen him dancing during a banquet in long robes, at the moment indeed he kept silence, but on the next day, when Dinocrates met him and made some request on behalf of his country, he said:
ἐγὼ μέν, ὦ Δεινοκράτη, πᾶν" ἔφη "ποιήσω τὸ δυνατόν· ἐπὶ δὲ σοῦ θαυμάζω πῶς δύνῃ παρὰ πότον ὀρχεῖσθαι, τηλικούτων πραγμάτων ἀρχὴν κεκινηκὼς ἐν τοῖς Ἕλλησιν.
”I indeed, Dinocrates, will do everything possible; but as for you, I wonder how you can dance during a banquet, when you have stirred up the beginning of such great troubles among the Greeks.”
" ἐδόκει δὲ τότε βραχύ τι συσταλῆναι3 καὶ μαθεῖν ὡς ἀνοίκειον ὑπόθεσιν τῆς ἰδίας αἱρέσεως καὶ φύσεως ἀποδέδωκε.
At this he seemed to be somewhat abashed and to realize that he had undertaken a role unsuited to his own choice and nature.
πλὴν τότε παρῆν εἰς τὴν Ἑλλάδα μετὰ τοῦ Τίτου πεπεισμένος ἐξ ἐφόδου τὰ κατὰ τὴν Μεσσήνην χειρισθήσεσθαι κατὰ τὴν αὑτοῦ βούλησιν.
However, at that time he was present in Greece with Titus, convinced that at the first onset the affairs of Messene would be managed according to his own wish.
οἱ δὲ περὶ τὸν Φιλοποίμενα, σαφῶς ἐπεγνωκότες ὅτι περὶ τῶν Ἑλληνικῶν ὁ Τίτος οὐδεμίαν ἐντολὴν ἔχει παρὰ τῆς συγκλήτου, τὴν ἡσυχίαν εἶχον, καραδοκοῦντες αὐτοῦ τὴν παρουσίαν.
But the party of Philopoemen, clearly recognizing that Titus had no instruction from the Senate regarding Greek affairs, kept quiet, waiting to see what his presence would bring.
ἐπεὶ δὲ καταπλεύσας εἰς Ναύπακτον ἔγραψε τῷ στρατηγῷ καὶ τοῖς δαμιουργοῖς τῶν Ἀχαιῶν, κελεύων συνάγειν τοὺς Ἀχαιοὺς εἰς ἐκκλησίαν, ἀντέγραψαν αὐτῷ διότι4 ποιήσουσιν, ἂν γράψῃ περὶ τίνων βούλεται διαλεχθῆναι τοῖς Ἀχαιοῖς· τοὺς γὰρ νόμους ταῦτα τοῖς ἄρχουσιν ἐπιτάττειν.
But when, after sailing into Naupactus, he wrote to the strategus and damiurgi of the Achaeans, ordering them to assemble the Achaeans for an assembly, they wrote back to him saying that they would do so if he would write down what matters he wished to discuss with the Achaeans; for they said that the laws so instructed the magistrates.
τοῦ δὲ μὴ τολμῶντος γράφειν, αἱ μὲν τοῦ Δεινοκράτους ἐλπίδες καὶ τῶν ἀρχαίων λεγομένων φυγάδων, τότε δὲ προσφάτως ἐκ τῆς Λακεδαίμονος ἐκπεπτωκότων, καὶ συλλήβδην ἡ τοῦ Τίτου παρουσία καὶ προσδοκία τοῦτον τὸν τρόπον διέπεσεν.
And since Titus did not dare to write, the hopes of Dinocrates and of the so-called ancient exiles, who had then recently been expelled from Lacedaemon, and in short the presence and expectation of Titus, fell through in this manner.
- 23.5.2χειριεῖν
The future infinitive of χειρίζω, forming an accusative-and-infinitive construction dependent on νομίζων (§23.5.1), with τὸν Τίτον as its subject, expressing future expectation.
- 23.5.8ἀδύνατος
The adjective ἀδύνατος (unable, incapable) governs the preceding series of infinitives (ἀτενίσαι, προϊδέσθαι, παρασκευάσασθαι, διαλεχθῆναι). Syntactically, it completes the statement with an omitted copula (ἦν), meaning '[he was] utterly incapable' of performing these actions.
- 23.5.13συσταλῆναι
The aorist passive infinitive of συστέλλω. Used here in an intransitive sense meaning 'to be abashed' or 'to draw oneself in,' serving as a complementary infinitive dependent on the verb ἐδόκει.
- 23.5.17διότι
While in classical Attic Greek διότι means 'because,' in Hellenistic Greek it frequently functions as an equivalent to ὅτι ('that'), introducing a noun clause (the content of the reply) after a verb of replying (ἀντέγραψαν).
Translated by Gemini 3.5 Flash (published 2026-05-25) · Revision history (1, latest 2026-09-21)
- 2026-09-21 AI review — note 1