- 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-grc2:29.10.1-29.10.7
- Generated
- Humanitext Reader · reader.humanitext.ai · 2026-11-11
In Rhodes, a resolution to send envoys for war mediation is passed under the influence of the pro-Perseus faction, leading to the appointment of ambassadors. Furthermore, they compound their error by sending envoys to Crete to seek a similar alliance.
ὅτι προτεθείσης χειροτονίας τοῖς Ῥοδίοις, ἐνίκων οἷς ἤρεσκε1 πέμπειν τοὺς πρεσβευτὰς ὑπὲρ τῶν διαλύσεων.
When a vote was proposed to the Rhodians, those who favored sending ambassadors for a mediation won.
καὶ τὴν μὲν Ῥοδίων ἀντιπολιτείαν τοῦτον τὸν τρόπον [ὡς ἐν τῷ περὶ δημηγορίας τέθειται] διέκρινε τὸ διαβούλιον, ἐν ᾧ πλεῖον ἐφάνησαν ἰσχύοντες2 οἱ τὰ τοῦ Περσέως αἱρούμενοι τῶν σῴζειν σπουδαζόντων τὴν πατρίδα καὶ τοὺς νόμους.
And in this manner [as has been set down in the section on public speeches] the council decided the political rivalry of the Rhodians, in which those who chose the cause of Perseus appeared to be more powerful than those who were anxious to save their country and laws.
οἱ δὲ πρυτάνεις παραχρῆμα πρεσβευτὰς κατέστησαν τοὺς διαλύσοντας τὸν πόλεμον, εἰς μὲν τὴν Ῥώμην Ἁγέπολιν, Διοκλῆ, Κλινόμβροτον, πρὸς δὲ τὸν στρατηγὸν καὶ Περσέα Δάμωνα, Νικόστρατον, Ἁγησίλοχον, Τήλεφον.
The prytaneis immediately appointed ambassadors to mediate the war: to Rome, Hagepolis, Diocles, and Clinombrotus; and to the Roman commander and Perseus, Damon, Nicostratus, Hagesilochus, and Telephus.
τούτῳ δʼ ἑξῆς τὸ συνεχὲς ἐξειργάζοντο καὶ προσετίθεσαν, ποιοῦντες ἀναπολόγητον τὴν ἁμαρτίαν·3
Following upon this, they worked out their consecutive plans and added to them, making their error indefensible;
εὐθέως γὰρ εἰς τὴν Κρήτην ἔπεμπον πρεσβευτὰς τοὺς ἀνανεωσομένους4 πρὸς πάντας Κρηταιεῖς τὰ ὑπάρχοντα φιλάνθρωπα καὶ παρακαλέσοντας βλέπειν τοὺς καιροὺς καὶ τὴν περίστασιν καὶ συμφρονεῖν τῷ δήμῳ καὶ τὸν αὐτὸν ἐχθρὸν αἱρεῖσθαι καὶ φίλον, ὁμοίως δὲ καὶ κατʼ ἰδίαν πρὸς τὰς πόλεις ὑπὲρ τῶν αὐτῶν διαλεχθησομένους. —
for they straightway sent ambassadors to Crete to renew the existing friendly relations with all the Cretans, and to exhort them to look to the times and the circumstances, to be of the same mind with the Rhodian people, and to choose the same enemies and friends, and likewise to discuss the same matters with the individual cities.
- 29.10.1ἐνίκων οἷς ἤρεσκε
The demonstrative pronoun (such as οὗτοι) serving as the subject of the verb ἐνίκων ('won', 'were victorious') is omitted, and the entire relative clause introduced by the relative pronoun οἷς (dative governed by ἤρεσκε) functions practically as the subject.
- 29.10.3ἐφάνησαν ἰσχύοντες
The past tense ἐφάνησαν of the verb φαίνομαι ('appear'), combined with the present participle ἰσχύοντες, forms a construction emphasizing an actual fact: 'they clearly were powerful' or 'they were shown to be powerful'. This is distinct from the construction with an infinitive, which would mean 'they seemed to be powerful (but might not have been).'
- 29.10.5ἀναπολόγητον τὴν ἁμαρτίαν
The adjective ἀναπολόγητον is placed before the noun τὴν ἁμαρτίαν ('the error') and functions predicatively in relation to the object of the participle ποιοῦντες ('making'). Thus, it means 'making their error indefensible,' rather than 'making an indefensible error.'
- 29.10.6τοὺς ἀνανεωσομένους
The future participle with the article modifies πρεσβευτάς ('ambassadors') to express the purpose or intention of their mission ('those who were to renew...'). This is coordinated with the subsequent future participle καὶ παρακαλέσοντας, which expresses a parallel purpose.