- 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-grc2:3.108.1-3.108.10
- Generated
- Humanitext Reader · reader.humanitext.ai · 2026-11-10
The Roman Senate encourages and dispatches the consuls, and Aemilius addresses the soldiers, analyzing the causes of past defeats and explaining the advantageous conditions of the present battle.
διὸ καὶ παρακαλέσαντες τοὺς περὶ τὸν Αἰμίλιον1 καὶ πρὸ ὀφθαλμῶν θέντες τὸ μέγεθος τῶν εἰς ἑκάτερον τὸ μέρος ἀποβησομένων ἐκ τῆς μάχης ἐξαπέστειλαν, ἐντειλάμενοι σὺν καιρῷ κρίνειν τὰ ὅλα γενναίως καὶ τῆς πατρίδος ἀξίως.
Therefore, having also exhorted Aemilius and his colleague and set before their eyes the magnitude of the consequences that would result to either side from the battle, they dispatched them, charging them to decide the whole issue, when the opportunity arose, nobly and worthily of their country.
οἳ2 καὶ παραγενόμενοι πρὸς τὰς δυνάμεις καὶ συναθροίσαντες τὰ πλήθη τήν τε τῆς συγκλήτου γνώμην διεσάφησαν τοῖς πολλοῖς καὶ παρεκάλουν τὰ πρέποντα τοῖς παρεστῶσι καιροῖς, ἐξ αὐτοπαθείας τοῦ Λευκίου διατιθεμένου τοὺς λόγους.
And they, having arrived at the forces and assembled the troops, made clear the decision of the Senate to the multitude and exhorted them in terms appropriate to the present circumstances, Lucius delivering the address from his own deep feeling.
ἦν δὲ τὰ πλεῖστα τῶν λεγομένων πρὸς τοῦτον τείνοντα τὸν νοῦν, τὸν ὑπὲρ τῶν νεωστὶ γεγονότων συμπτωμάτων· ὧδε γὰρ καὶ τῇδέ που συνέβαινε διατετράφθαι καὶ προσδεῖσθαι παραινέσεως τοὺς πολλούς.
Now most of what was said tended towards this point, namely, the one concerning the defeats that had recently occurred; for because of these, in one way or another, it happened that the minds of the multitude were disheartened and stood in need of encouragement.
διόπερ ἐπειρᾶτο συνιστάνειν ὅτι τῶν μὲν ἐν ταῖς προγεγενημέναις μάχαις ἐλαττωμάτων3 οὐχ ἓν οὐδὲ δεύτερον, καὶ πλείω δʼ ἂν εὕροι τις αἴτια, διʼ ἃ τοιοῦτον αὐτῶν ἐξέβη τὸ τέλος, ἐπὶ δὲ τῶν νῦν καιρῶν οὐδεμία λείπεται πρόφασις, ἐὰν ἄνδρες ὦσι, τοῦ μὴ νικᾶν4 τοὺς ἐχθρούς.
Therefore he tried to point out that, as for the defeats in the past battles, one would find not just one or two, but even more causes on account of which such was their end; but in the present circumstances, if they act like men, no excuse remains for not defeating the enemy.
τότε μὲν γὰρ οὔτε τοὺς ἡγεμόνας ἀμφοτέρους οὐδέποτε συνηγωνίσθαι5 τοῖς στρατοπέδοις οὔτε ταῖς δυνάμεσι κεχρῆσθαι γεγυμνασμέναις, ἀλλὰ νεοσυλλόγοις καὶ ἀοράτοις παντὸς δεινοῦ·
For on the former occasions, neither had both commanders ever fought together with the legions, nor had they used trained forces, but rather raw recruits who had never seen danger;
τό τε μέγιστον, ἐπὶ τοσοῦτον ἀγνοεῖσθαι παρʼ αὐτοῖς πρότερον τὰ κατὰ τοὺς ὑπεναντίους ὥστε σχεδὸν μηδʼ ἑωρακότας τοὺς ἀνταγωνιστὰς παρατάττεσθαι καὶ συγκαταβαίνειν εἰς τοὺς ὁλοσχερεῖς κινδύνους.
and, what was most important, the affairs of the enemy were previously so little known among them that, having scarcely even seen their opponents, they drew up their lines and entered into the decisive struggles.
‘οἱ μὲν γὰρ περὶ τὸν Τρεβίαν ποταμὸν σφαλέντες, ἐκ Σικελίας τῇ προτεραίᾳ παραγενηθέντες, ἅμα τῷ φωτὶ τῇ κατὰ πόδας ἡμέρᾳ παρετάξαντο·
”For those who met with disaster at the river Trebia, having arrived from Sicily on the previous day, drew up for battle at dawn on the very next day;
τοῖς δὲ κατὰ Τυρρηνίαν ἀγωνισαμένοις οὐχ οἷον πρότερον, ἀλλʼ οὐδʼ ἐν αὐτῇ τῇ μάχῃ συνιδεῖν ἐξεγένετο τοὺς πολεμίους διὰ τὸ περὶ τὸν ἀέρα γενόμενον σύμπτωμα.
and for those who fought in Etruria, it was not possible to see the enemy beforehand, nor indeed even during the battle itself, because of the condition that arose in the atmosphere.
νῦν γε μὴν πάντα τἀναντία τοῖς προειρημένοις ὑπάρχει.
But now, indeed, all things are the opposite of the aforementioned.”
- 3.108.1τοὺς περὶ τὸν Αἰμίλιον
The expression containing the article/pronoun followed by περί and an accusative designates 'Aemilius and his associates' or 'Aemilius and his colleague'. Here, it refers to the consuls, including the other consul Terentius Varro.
- 3.108.2οἳ
Nominative plural of the relative pronoun, acting as a demonstrative at the beginning of a sentence (connecting relative). Here, it refers to the newly dispatched consuls.
- 3.108.4τῶν μὲν ἐν ταῖς προγεγενημέναις μάχαις ἐλαττωμάτων
Genitive noun phrase depending on the following αἴτια (causes), meaning 'the causes of the defeats in the past battles.' It can also be interpreted as a genitive of respect, introducing the topic: 'as for the defeats...'.
- 3.108.5τοῦ μὴ νικᾶν
Articular infinitive in the genitive case with the negative particle μὴ, following the negative adjective οὐδεμία, functioning appositionally or explanatorily to mean 'any excuse for not defeating the enemy.'
- 3.108.6οὔτε τοὺς ἡγεμόνας ἀμφοτέρους οὐδέποτε συνηγωνίσθαι
Accusative with infinitive construction in indirect discourse, continuing under the influence of ὅτι in §108.4. The subject ἡγεμόνας is in the accusative case, and the verb συνηγωνίσθαι is in the infinitive.