- 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-grc2:24.12.1-24.12.4
- Generated
- Humanitext Reader · reader.humanitext.ai · 2026-11-11
Aristaenus argues to the Achaeans for the realistic necessity of his policy, urging them to avoid the folly of losing both honor and advantage by striving for the impossible, and to submit to Roman power.
ὅτι τοιούτοις ἀπολογισμοῖς Ἀρίσταινος ἐχρῆτο πρὸς τοὺς Ἀχαιοὺς περὶ τῆς ἰδίας αἱρέσεως· ἔφη γὰρ οὐκ εἶναι δυνατὸν καὶ τὸ δόρυ καὶ τὸ κηρύκειον ἅμα προτεινομένους1 συνέχειν τὴν πρὸς Ῥωμαίους φιλίαν· "ἀλλʼ εἰ μὲν οἷοί τʼ ἐσμὲν ἀντοφθαλμεῖν καὶ δυνάμεθα τοῦτο ποιεῖν εἰ δὲ μηδʼ ὁ Φιλοποίμην εἰπεῖν τοῦτο τολμᾷ καιροῖς ἕνα Ῥωμαίοις,2 διὰ τί ἀδυνάτων ὀρεγόμενοι τὰ δυνατὰ παρίεμεν;" δύο γὰρ ἔφη σκοποὺς εἶναι πάσης πολιτείας, τό τε καλὸν καὶ τὸ συμφέρον. οἷς μὲν οὖν ἐφικτός ἐστιν ἡ τοῦ καλοῦ κτῆσις, ταύτης ἀντέχεσθαι δεῖν τοὺς ὀρθῶς πολιτευομένους·3 οἷς δʼ ἀδύνατος, ἐπὶ τὴν τοῦ συμφέροντος μερίδα καταφεύγειν·
That Aristaenus used such arguments to the Achaeans concerning his own policy; for he said that it was not possible to maintain friendship with the Romans while holding out both the spear and the herald’s staff at the same time: “But if on the one hand we are able to look them in the face and can do this... but if not even Philopoemen dares to say this... on occasions... to the Romans... why do we, while grasping for the impossible, let go of the possible?” For he said that there are two targets of every state, the honorable and the advantageous. Therefore, for those to whom the attainment of the honorable is possible, those who conduct state affairs rightly must cling to this; but for those to whom it is impossible, they must take refuge in the side of the advantageous;
τὸ δʼ ἑκατέρων ἀποτυγχάνειν4 μέγιστον εἶναι τεκμήριον ἀβουλίας. πάσχειν δὲ τοῦτο προφανῶς τοὺς ἀπροφασίστως ὁμολογοῦντας μὲν πᾶν τὸ παραγγελλόμενον, ἀκουσίως δὲ τοῦτο πράττοντας καὶ μετὰ προσκοπῆς·
and to fail in both is the greatest proof of thoughtlessness. And that those who without hesitation agree to everything commanded, but perform this unwillingly and with resentment, clearly suffer this.
διόπερ ἢ τοῦτʼ εἶναι δεικτέον ὡς ἐσμὲν ἱκανοὶ πρὸς τὸ μὴ πειθαρχεῖν ἢ μηδὲ λέγειν τοῦτο τολμῶντας ὑπακουστέον ἑτοίμως εἶναι5 πᾶσι τοῖς παραγγελλομένοις.
Therefore, either this must be shown, that we are capable of not obeying, or, if we do not even dare to say this, we must obey readily all things commanded.
- 24.12.1καὶ τὸ δόρυ καὶ τὸ κηρύκειον ἅμα προτεινομένους
A metaphorical expression meaning "holding out both the spear (war) and the herald's staff (peace/negotiation) at the same time." The accusative participle προτεινομένους is plural, agreeing with the implied subject of the infinitive συνέχειν (referring to the Achaeans or people in general).
- 24.12.1ἀλλʼ εἰ μὲν οἷοί τʼ ἐσμὲν ... καιροῖς ἕνα Ῥωμαίοις
The text in this passage is corrupt or lacunose in transmission, resulting in a grammatical and logical breakdown. It must be translated as a series of broken sentences representing Aristaenus' direct speech.
- 24.12.2οἷς μὲν οὖν ἐφικτός ἐστιν ἡ τοῦ καλοῦ κτῆσις, ταύτης ἀντέχεσθαι δεῖν τοὺς ὀρθῶς πολιτευομένους·
The relative pronoun οἷς (dative plural) refers to "those (states) for whom." The genitive pronoun ταύτης refers back to the feminine noun κτῆσις and serves as the object of ἀντέχεσθαι, which governs the genitive.
- 24.12.3τὸ δʼ ἑκατέρων ἀποτυγχάνειν
"To fail in both." ἑκατέρων is the genitive plural of ἑκάτερος (each of the two), referring to both τὸ καλόν (the honorable) and τὸ συμφέρον (the advantageous). The verb ἀποτυγχάνειν governs the genitive.
- 24.12.4ἢ μηδὲ λέγειν τοῦτο τολμῶντας ὑπακουστέον ἑτοίμως εἶναι
In the impersonal construction of necessity using the verbal adjective ὑπακουστέον εἶναι (that one must obey), the agent of the action is expressed by the accusative participle τολμῶντας (as those who do not dare). While a dative τολμῶσι would be grammatically standard, the accusative is used as the subject of the infinitive clause.