- 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-grc2:3.103.1-3.103.8
- Generated
- Humanitext Reader · reader.humanitext.ai · 2026-11-10
In Rome, the news of Marcus's success was exaggerated, leading to his appointment as dictator and resulting in an unprecedented co-dictatorship. Upon returning to the camp, Fabius offered Marcus either alternating command or dividing the forces, and Marcus chose the latter, establishing separate camps.
οἱ δʼ ἐν τῇ Ῥώμῃ, προσπεσόντος σφίσι τοῦ γεγονότος1 μειζόνως ἢ κατὰ τὴν ἀλήθειαν,2 περιχαρεῖς ἦσαν διὰ τὸ πρῶτον μὲν ἐκ τῆς προϋπαρχούσης ὑπὲρ τῶν ὅλων δυσελπιστίας οἱονεὶ μεταβολήν τινα πρὸς τὸ βέλτιον αὐτοῖς προφαίνεσθαι, δεύτερον δὲ καὶ διὰ τὸ δοκεῖν τὸν πρὸ τούτου χρόνον τὴν ἀπραγίαν καὶ κατάπληξιν τῶν στρατοπέδων μὴ παρὰ τὴν τῶν δυνάμεων ἀποδειλίασιν, ἀλλὰ παρὰ τὴν τοῦ προεστῶτος εὐλάβειαν γεγονέναι.
The people in Rome, when the news of what had happened reached them magnified beyond the truth, were filled with joy, first because, out of their previous despair concerning the whole state of affairs, some change for the better seemed to show itself to them, and secondly because the previous inactivity and panic of the armies were now thought to have occurred not because of any cowardice on the part of the forces, but because of the caution of their leader.
διὸ καὶ τὸν μὲν Φάβιον ᾐτιῶντο καὶ κατεμέμφοντο πάντες ὡς ἀτόλμως χρώμενον τοῖς καιροῖς, τὸν δὲ Μάρκον ἐπὶ τοσοῦτον ηὖξον διὰ τὸ συμβεβηκὸς ὥστε τότε γενέσθαι τὸ μηδέποτε γεγονός·
Therefore, everyone blamed and censured Fabius for using his opportunities without courage, while they so greatly exalted Marcus on account of what had happened that a thing occurred then which had never occurred before;
αὐτοκράτορα3 γὰρ κἀκεῖνον κατέστησαν, πεπεισμένοι ταχέως αὐτὸν τέλος ἐπιθήσειν τοῖς πράγμασι· καὶ δὴ δύο δικτάτορες ἐγεγόνεισαν ἐπὶ τὰς αὐτὰς πράξεις, ὃ πρότερον οὐδέποτε συνεβεβήκει παρὰ Ῥωμαίοις.
for they appointed him also as dictator, being convinced that he would quickly put an end to the business. Thus, indeed, there were two dictators for the same operations, a thing which had never happened before among the Romans.
τῷ δὲ Μάρκῳ διασαφηθείσης τῆς τε τοῦ πλήθους εὐνοίας καὶ τῆς παρὰ τοῦ δήμου δεδομένης ἀρχῆς αὐτῷ, διπλασίως παρωρμήθη πρὸς τὸ παραβάλλεσθαι καὶ κατατολμᾶν τῶν πολεμίων.
As for Marcus, when the goodwill of the multitude and the office given to him by the people were made clear to him, he was doubly spurred on to run risks and behave with audacity toward the enemy.
ἧκε δὲ καὶ Φάβιος ἐπὶ τὰς δυνάμεις οὐδὲν ἠλλοιωμένος ὑπὸ τῶν συμβεβηκότων, ἔτι δὲ βεβαιότερον μένων ἐπὶ τῆς ἐξ ἀρχῆς διαλήψεως.
Fabius also arrived back at the armies, not at all changed by what had occurred, but remaining even more firmly fixed in his original view.
θεωρῶν δὲ τὸν Μάρκον ἐκπεφυσημένον καὶ πρὸς πάντʼ ἀντιφιλονικοῦντα καὶ καθόλου πολὺν ὄντα πρὸς τῷ διακινδυνεύειν, αἵρεσιν αὐτῷ προύτεινε τοιαύτην, ἢ κατὰ μέρος ἄρχειν4 ἢ διελόμενον τὰς δυνάμεις χρῆσθαι τοῖς σφετέροις στρατοπέδοις κατὰ τὴν αὑτοῦ προαίρεσιν.
Seeing that Marcus was puffed up with pride, combative in everything, and altogether very eager to run risks, he proposed to him such a choice: either to command in turn, or to divide the forces and use their respective armies according to their own judgment.
τοῦ δὲ καὶ λίαν ἀσμένως δεξαμένου τὸν μερισμόν, διελόμενοι τὸ πλῆθος χωρὶς ἐστρατοπέδευσαν ἀλλήλων, ἀπέχοντες ὡς δώδεκα5
When Marcus accepted the division very gladly, they divided the forces and encamped apart from each other, at a distance of about twelve stadia.
- 3.103.1προσπεσόντος σφίσι τοῦ γεγονότος
A genitive absolute construction consisting of the noun τοῦ γεγονότος and the participle προσπεσόντος, expressing cause or circumstance because its subject differs from that of the main clause (οἱ ἐν τῇ Ῥώμῃ). The pronoun σφίσι refers back to the main subject.
- 3.103.1μειζόνως ἢ κατὰ τὴν ἀλήθειαν
The comparative adverb μειζόνως ("more greatly") is connected via ἢ with the prepositional phrase κατὰ τὴν ἀλήθειαν ("according to the truth"), forming a comparative expression meaning "more greatly than in accordance with the truth" or "exaggerated beyond the actual facts."
- 3.103.4αὐτοκράτορα
Though the term usually means an "absolute ruler," here it refers specifically to the Roman office of dictator. It describes the historical anomaly where Marcus (Minucius) was appointed as co-dictator with powers equal to Fabius.
- 3.103.7κατὰ μέρος ἄρχειν
A prepositional phrase composed of κατά and μέρος ("part", "turn"), meaning "in turn" or "by turns." Modifying the infinitive ἄρχειν ("to command"), it refers to the standard Roman collegiate practice where co-commanders alternated command at set intervals (e.g., day by day).
- 3.103.8ἀπέχοντες ὡς δώδεκα
The unit of distance, "stadia" (σταδίους), is omitted after the numeral δώδεκα ("twelve"). In Greek narrative, such ellipses of distance units after numbers are common when the unit is clear from the context.