- 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-grc2:27.5.1-27.5.8
- Generated
- Humanitext Reader · reader.humanitext.ai · 2026-11-11
Perseus sends Antigonus to Boeotia to secure the support of pro-Macedonian cities. When these cities send ambassadors to request military aid against Theban pressure, Perseus declines due to the armistice but advises them to resist the Thebans while remaining quiet toward the Romans.
ὅτι1 Περσεὺς πυνθανόμενος ἔτι τινὰς τῶν ἐν τῇ Βοιωτίᾳ πόλεις ἀντέχεσθαι τῆς πρὸς αὐτὸν εὐνοίας, Ἀντίγονον ἐξαπέστειλε τὸν Ἀλεξάνδρου πρεσβευτήν. ὃς καὶ παραγενόμενος εἰς Βοιωτοὺς τὰς μὲν ἄλλας πόλεις παρῆκε διὰ τὸ μηδεμίαν ἀφορμὴν λαμβάνειν ἐπιπλοκῆς,2 εἰς δὲ Κορώνειαν καὶ Θίσβας, ἔτι δʼ Ἁλίαρτον εἰσελθὼν παρεκάλεσε τοὺς ἀνθρώπους ἀντέχεσθαι τῆς πρὸς Μακεδόνας εὐνοίας. τῶν δὲ προθύμως ἀποδεχομένων τὰ λεγόμενα καὶ πρεσβευτὰς ψηφισαμένων πέμπειν εἰς Μακεδονίαν, οὗτος μὲν ἀπέπλευσε καὶ συμμίξας τῷ βασιλεῖ διεσάφει τὰ κατὰ τὴν Βοιωτίαν. παραγενομένων δὲ καὶ τῶν πρεσβευτῶν μετʼ ὀλίγον καὶ παρακαλούντων βοήθειαν ἐκπέμψαι ταῖς πόλεσι ταῖς αἱρουμέναις τὰ Μακεδόνων· τοὺς γὰρ Θηβαίους βαρεῖς ὄντας ἐπικεῖσθαι καὶ παρενοχλεῖν αὐτοὺς3 διὰ τὸ μὴ βούλεσθαι συμφρονεῖν σφίσιν4 μηδʼ αἱρεῖσθαι τὰ Ῥωμαίων· ἅπερ ὁ Περσεὺς διακούσας βοήθειαν μὲν οὐδαμῶς ἔφη δύνασθαι πέμπειν οὐδενὶ διὰ τὰς ἀνοχάς, καθόλου δʼ αὐτοὺς παρεκάλει Θηβαίους μὲν ἀμύνασθαι κατὰ δύναμιν, Ῥωμαίοις δὲ μὴ πολεμεῖν, ἀλλὰ τὴν ἡσυχίαν ἔχειν. —
That Perseus, on learning that some of the cities in Boeotia still maintained their goodwill towards him, dispatched Antigonus, the son of Alexander, as ambassador. And he, having arrived among the Boeotians, passed by the other cities because he found no opportunity for communication, but having entered Coronea and Thisbe, and also Haliartus, he exhorted the people to maintain their goodwill towards the Macedonians. And when they eagerly accepted his words and voted to send ambassadors to Macedonia, he sailed away and, meeting the king, reported the situation in Boeotia. When the ambassadors also arrived shortly after and requested him to send aid to the cities that chose the cause of the Macedonians, for they said that the Thebans were bearing heavily upon them and harassing them because they refused to be of one mind with them or to choose the cause of the Romans. Perseus, having heard them out, said that he was by no means able to send aid to anyone because of the armistice, but on the whole he exhorted them to defend themselves against the Thebans to the best of their power, but not to make war on the Romans, but to remain quiet.
- 27.5.1ὅτι
This is a typical style in historical excerpts, where the entire sentence containing the main verb ἐξαπέστειλε is introduced by ὅτι to present a fact ('That Perseus...').
- 27.5.2διὰ τὸ μηδεμίαν ἀφορμὴν λαμβάνειν ἐπιπλοκῆς
An expression of cause using the preposition διὰ with the articular infinitive τὸ λαμβάνειν. μηδεμίαν ἀφορμὴν is the object of the infinitive, not its subject. ἐπιπλοκῆς is an objective genitive (or genitive of relation) modifying ἀφορμὴν ('opportunity for communication/intercourse'). The implied subject of the infinitive (Antigonus) is omitted as it is the same as the main subject.
- 27.5.6τοὺς γὰρ Θηβαίους βαρεῖς ὄντας ἐπικεῖσθαι καὶ παρενοχλεῖν αὐτοὺς
An accusative with infinitive construction (τοὺς Θηβαίους with ἐπικεῖσθαι and παρενοχλεῖν) representing indirect speech, continuing from the preceding request of the ambassadors (παρακαλούντων) implying 'saying that...'. The participle βαρεῖς ὄντας describes the subject as 'being oppressive' or 'bearing heavily'.
- 27.5.6σφίσιν
An indirect reflexive pronoun, which refers here not to the subject of the infinitive clause (the Thebans), but to the speakers of the indirect discourse (the other Boeotian cities represented by the ambassadors).