- 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-grc2:3.106.1-3.106.11
- Generated
- Humanitext Reader · reader.humanitext.ai · 2026-11-10
Lucius Aemilius and Gaius Terentius are elected as the new Roman consuls, and the proconsuls are instructed to avoid a general engagement and stick to minor skirmishes.
τῆς δὲ τῶν ἀρχαιρεσίων ὥρας συνεγγιζούσης, εἵλοντο στρατηγοὺς οἱ Ῥωμαῖοι Λεύκιον Αἰμίλιον καὶ Γάιον Τερέντιον. ὧν κατασταθέντων1 οἱ μὲν δικτάτορες ἀπέθεντο τὴν ἀρχήν, οἱ δὲ προϋπάρχοντες ὕπατοι, Γνάιος Σερουίλιος καὶ Μάρκος Ῥήγουλος ὁ μετὰ τὴν Φλαμινίου τελευτὴν ἐπικατασταθείς, τότε προχειρισθέντες ὑπὸ τῶν περὶ τὸν Αἰμίλιον2 ἀντιστράτηγοι καὶ παραλαβόντες τὴν ἐν τοῖς ὑπαίθροις ἐξουσίαν ἐχείριζον κατὰ τὴν ἑαυτῶν γνώμην τὰ κατὰ τὰς δυνάμεις.
As the time for the elections was drawing near, the Romans elected Lucius Aemilius and Gaius Terentius as consuls. When they were installed, the dictators laid down their office. On the other hand, the previous consuls, Gnaeus Servilius and Marcus Regulus (the latter having been appointed after the death of Flaminius), were then designated as proconsuls by Aemilius and his colleague, and taking over the command in the field, they managed the military affairs according to their own judgment.
οἱ δὲ περὶ τὸν Αἰμίλιον βουλευσάμενοι μετὰ τῆς συγκλήτου τὸ μὲν ἐλλεῖπον πλῆθος ἔτι τῶν στρατιωτῶν πρὸς τὴν ὅλην ἐπιβολὴν παραχρῆμα καταγράψαντες ἐξαπέστειλαν, τοῖς δὲ περὶ τὸν Γνάιον διεσάφησαν ὁλοσχερῆ μὲν κίνδυνον κατὰ μηδένα τρόπον συνίστασθαι, τοὺς δὲ κατὰ μέρος ἀκροβολισμοὺς ὡς ἐνεργοτάτους ποιεῖσθαι καὶ συνεχεστάτους χάριν τοῦ γυμνάζειν καὶ παρασκευάζειν εὐθαρσεῖς τοὺς νέους πρὸς τοὺς ὁλοσχερεῖς ἀγῶνας, τῷ καὶ τὰ πρότερον αὐτοῖς συμπτώματα δοκεῖν3 οὐχ ἥκιστα γεγονέναι διὰ τὸ νεοσυλλόγοις καὶ τελέως ἀνασκήτοις κεχρῆσθαι τοῖς στρατοπέδοις.
Aemilius and his colleague, having consulted with the senate, immediately enrolled and dispatched the number of soldiers still lacking for the whole enterprise. They sent instructions to Gnaeus and his colleague under no circumstances to risk a general engagement, but to make the partial skirmishes as active and frequent as possible, for the sake of training the recruits and preparing them to be courageous for the decisive struggles. This was because it seemed to them that their previous disasters had occurred in no small measure because they had employed newly-levied and completely untrained forces.
αὐτοὶ δὲ Λεύκιον μὲν Ποστόμιον, ἑξαπέλεκυν ὄντα στρατηγόν,4 στρατόπεδον δόντες εἰς Γαλατίαν ἐξαπέστειλαν, βουλόμενοι ποιεῖν ἀντιπερίσπασμα τοῖς Κελτοῖς τοῖς μετʼ Ἀννίβου στρατευομένοις.
As for themselves, they dispatched Lucius Postumius, a praetor with six axes, giving him a legion and sending him to Gaul, wishing to create a diversion for the Celts who were serving with Hannibal.
πρόνοιαν δʼ ἐποιήσαντο καὶ τῆς ἀνακομιδῆς τοῦ παραχειμάζοντος ἐν τῷ Λιλυβαίῳ στόλου, διεπέμψαντο δὲ καὶ τοῖς ἐν Ἰβηρίᾳ στρατηγοῖς πάντα τὰ κατεπείγοντα πρὸς τὴν χρείαν.
They also took care for the recall of the fleet wintering at Lilybaeum, and sent to the commanders in Iberia all things that were urgently necessary for their service.
οὗτοι μὲν οὖν περὶ ταῦτα καὶ περὶ τὰς λοιπὰς ἐγίνοντο παρασκευὰς ἐπιμελῶς.
These men, then, were diligently occupied with these and the rest of the preparations.
οἱ δὲ περὶ τὸν Γνάιον κομισάμενοι τὰς παρὰ τῶν ὑπάτων ἐντολὰς πάντα τὰ κατὰ μέρος ἐχείριζον κατὰ τὴν ἐκείνων γνώμην·
Meanwhile, Gnaeus and his colleague, having received the instructions from the consuls, conducted all partial operations in accordance with their judgment.
διὸ καὶ τὸ πλείω γράφειν ὑπὲρ αὐτῶν παρήσομεν. ὁλοσχερὲς μὲν γὰρ ἢ μνήμης ἄξιον ἁπλῶς οὐδὲν ἐπράχθη διὰ τὴν ἐντολὴν καὶ διὰ τὴν τοῦ καιροῦ περίστασιν, ἀκροβολισμοὶ δὲ μόνον καὶ συμπλοκαὶ κατὰ μέρος ἐγίνοντο πλείους, ἐν αἷς εὐδοκίμουν οἱ προεστῶτες τῶν Ῥωμαίων· καὶ γὰρ ἀνδρωδῶς καὶ νουνεχῶς ἐδόκουν ἕκαστα χειρίζειν.
For this reason we shall pass over writing further about them. For nothing of a general nature or indeed worthy of record was achieved, owing to their instructions and the circumstances of the time. There were only numerous skirmishes and partial encounters, in which the Roman commanders gained credit; for they indeed seemed to manage each affair courageously and prudently.
- 3.106.1ὧν κατασταθέντων
A genitive absolute construction with a linking relative pronoun (ὧν), referring to the two newly elected consuls in the preceding sentence.
- 3.106.2οἱ περὶ τὸν Αἰμίλιον
Literally "those around Aemilius," an idiomatic Greek expression referring to Aemilius and his colleague (the newly elected consuls), or the new consuls led by Aemilius.
- 3.106.5τῷ καὶ τὰ πρότερον αὐτοῖς συμπτώματα δοκεῖν
An infinitive clause in the accusative led by the dative of cause (τῷ). The subject of the infinitive δοκεῖν is the accusative συμπτώματα (disasters), meaning 'also because it seemed to them that their previous disasters had occurred [due to...]'.
- 3.106.6ἑξαπέλεκυν ὄντα στρατηγόν
'A general with six axes.' This is a Greek translation describing a Roman praetor, who possessed the right to be accompanied by six lictors bearing fasces with axes when commanding in the provinces or the army.