- 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-grc2:3.64.1-3.64.11
- Generated
- Humanitext Reader · reader.humanitext.ai · 2026-11-11
The Roman consul Publius, after crossing the Po and ordering a bridge over the Ticinus, addressed his soldiers to boost their morale, emphasizing Rome's superiority over Carthage and the exhausted state of Hannibal's forces to assure them of victory.
Πόπλιος δὲ περὶ τὰς αὐτὰς ἡμέρας τὸν Πάδον ποταμὸν ἤδη πεπεραιωμένος, τὸν δὲ Τίκινον κρίνων εἰς τοὔμπροσθεν διαβαίνειν, τοῖς μὲν ἐπιτηδείοις γεφυροποιεῖν παρήγγειλε, τὰς δὲ λοιπὰς δυνάμεις συναγαγὼν παρεκάλει.
Publius, having already crossed the river Po around the same days, and deciding to cross the Ticinus to advance forward, ordered those suited to the task to build a bridge, and gathering the rest of his forces, encouraged them.
τὰ μὲν οὖν πολλὰ τῶν λεγομένων ἦν περί τε τοῦ τῆς πατρίδος ἀξιώματος καὶ τῶν προγονικῶν πράξεων, τὰ δὲ τοῦ παρεστῶτος καιροῦ τοιάδε.
Now, the greater part of what he said was about the dignity of their homeland and the deeds of their ancestors, but what concerned the present situation was as follows.
ἔφη γὰρ δεῖν1 καὶ μηδεμίαν μὲν εἰληφότας πεῖραν ἐπὶ τοῦ παρόντος τῶν ὑπεναντίων, αὐτὸ δὲ τοῦτο γινώσκοντας ὅτι μέλλουσι πρὸς Καρχηδονίους κινδυνεύειν, ἀναμφισβήτητον ἔχειν τὴν τοῦ νικᾶν ἐλπίδα, καὶ καθόλου δεινὸν ἡγεῖσθαι καὶ παράλογον, εἰ τολμῶσι Καρχηδόνιοι Ῥωμαίοις ἀντοφθαλμεῖν, πολλάκις μὲν ὑπʼ αὐτῶν ἡττημένοι, πολλοὺς δʼ ἐξενηνοχότες φόρους, μόνον δʼ οὐχὶ δουλεύοντες αὐτοῖς ἤδη τοσούτους χρόνους.
For he said that even if they had no experience of their opponents at present, but merely knew this very fact, that they were about to contend with Carthaginians, they ought to hold an undisputed hope of victory, and in general to consider it a terrible and unreasonable thing if Carthaginians dare to look Romans in the face, when they have been defeated by them many times, have paid many tributes, and have been all but enslaved to them for so many years now.
ὅταν δέ, χωρὶς τῶν προειρημένων, καὶ τῶν νῦν παρόντων ἀνδρῶν ἔχωμεν ἐπὶ ποσὸν πεῖραν ὅτι μόνον οὐ τολμῶσι κατὰ πρόσωπον ἰδεῖν ἡμᾶς, τίνα χρὴ διάληψιν ποιεῖσθαι περὶ τοῦ μέλλοντος τοὺς ὀρθῶς λογιζομένους;
And when, apart from what has been said, we also have some experience of the men now present, to the effect that they hardly dare to look us in the face, what judgment must those who reason correctly form about the future?
καὶ μὴν οὔτε τοὺς ἱππεῖς συμπεσόντας τοῖς παρʼ αὑτῶν ἱππεῦσι περὶ τὸν Ῥοδανὸν ποταμὸν ἀπαλλάξαι2 καλῶς, ἀλλὰ πολλοὺς ἀποβαλόντας αὑτῶν φυγεῖν αἰσχρῶς μέχρι τῆς ἰδίας παρεμβολῆς, τόν τε στρατηγὸν αὐτῶν καὶ τὴν σύμπασαν δύναμιν ἐπιγνόντας τὴν παρουσίαν τῶν ἡμετέρων στρατιωτῶν φυγῇ παραπλησίαν ποιήσασθαι τὴν ἀποχώρησιν καὶ παρὰ τὴν αὑτῶν προαίρεσιν διὰ τὸν φόβον κεχρῆσθαι τῇ διὰ τῶν Ἄλπεων πορείᾳ.
Indeed, their cavalry, when they encountered our own cavalry near the river Rhone, did not come off well, but having lost many of their own number, fled disgracefully to their own camp. And their general and his entire force, on recognizing the presence of our soldiers, made a retreat that resembled a flight, and contrary to their own intention, because of fear, took the route through the Alps.
παρεῖναι δὲ καὶ νῦν ἔφη τὸν Ἀννίβαν,3 κατεφθαρκότα μὲν τὸ πλεῖστον μέρος τῆς δυνάμεως, τὸ δὲ περιλειπόμενον ἀδύνατον καὶ δύσχρηστον ἔχοντα διὰ τὴν κακουχίαν, ὁμοίως δὲ καὶ τῶν ἵππων τοὺς μὲν πλείστους ἀπολωλεκότα, τοὺς δὲ λοιποὺς ἠχρειωκότα διὰ τὸ μῆκος καὶ τὴν δυσχέρειαν τῆς ὁδοῦ.
And he said that Hannibal was present now after having destroyed the greatest part of his army, while keeping the remnant powerless and useless because of their hardship, and likewise having lost most of his horses and having rendered the rest useless because of the length and difficulty of the journey.
διʼ ὧν ἐπιδεικνύειν ἐπειρᾶτο διότι μόνον ἐπιφανῆναι δεῖ τοῖς πολεμίοις.
By these arguments, he tried to show that they only needed to show themselves to the enemy.
μάλιστα δʼ ἠξίου θαρρεῖν αὐτοὺς βλέποντας εἰς τὴν αὑτοῦ παρουσίαν· οὐδέποτε γὰρ ἂν ἀπολιπὼν τὸν στόλον καὶ τὰς ἐν Ἰβηρίᾳ πράξεις, ἐφʼ ἃς ἀπεστάλη, δεῦρο μετὰ τοιαύτης ἐλθεῖν4 σπουδῆς, εἰ μὴ καὶ λίαν ἐκ τῶν κατὰ λόγον ἑώρα τὴν πρᾶξιν ταύτην ἀναγκαίαν μὲν οὖσαν τῇ πατρίδι, πρόδηλον δʼ ἐν αὐτῇ τὴν νίκην ὑπάρχουσαν.
And he asked them especially to be of good courage when looking at his own presence; for he would never have left the fleet and the affairs in Iberia, for which he had been dispatched, to come here with such haste, if he had not seen, by logical reasoning, that this action was both necessary for his country and that victory in it was clearly certain.
πάντων δὲ καὶ διὰ τὴν τοῦ λέγοντος πίστιν καὶ διὰ τὴν τῶν λεγομένων ἀλήθειαν ἐκθύμως ἐχόντων πρὸς τὸ κινδυνεύειν, ἀποδεξάμενος αὐτῶν τὴν ὁρμὴν διαφῆκε, προσπαρακαλέσας ἑτοίμους εἶναι πρὸς τὸ παραγγελλόμενον.
And when everyone, both because of the trustworthiness of the speaker and because of the truth of what was said, was eager to face the danger, he accepted their enthusiasm and dismissed them, urging them in addition to be ready for the command.
- 3.64.3ἔφη γὰρ δεῖν
In the indirect discourse introduced by the verb ἔφη (he said), the infinitive of the impersonal verb δεῖν (it is necessary) is placed, which in turn governs the infinitive ἔχειν (to hold). The participles εἰληφότας and γινώσκοντας agree with the omitted subject of ἔχειν (accusative plural "the soldiers").
- 3.64.6ἀπαλλάξαι
The infinitive ἀπαλλάξαι is used here intransitively (or with a middle sense) meaning "to come off, get away (from battle or danger)," with the accusative τοὺς ἱππεῖς (the cavalry) serving as its subject.
- 3.64.8παρεῖναι δὲ καὶ νῦν ἔφη τὸν Ἀννίβαν
In indirect discourse, the accusative τὸν Ἀννίβαν is the subject of the infinitive παρεῖναι (to be present). Consequently, the subsequent participles κατεφθαρκότα, ἔχοντα, ἀπολωλεκότα, and ἠχρειωκότα are all in the accusative case to agree with τὸν Ἀννίβαν.
- 3.64.10οὐδέποτε γὰρ ἂν ... ἐλθεῖν
An indirect discourse representation (accusative and infinitive) of a past contrary-to-fact conditional sentence. The direct form οὐδέποτε ἂν ἦλθον (I would never have come) is changed under the influence of ἔφη into the infinitive ἐλθεῖν with ἄν, corresponding to the protasis εἰ μὴ ... ἑώρα (indicative imperfect).