- 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-grc2:30.19.1-30.19.17
- Generated
- Humanitext Reader · reader.humanitext.ai · 2026-11-11
To prevent King Eumenes from visiting Rome, the senate passed a general decree forbidding any king to come, and dispatched a quaestor to turn him back. They subsequently welcomed all other embassies except the Rhodians.
ἤδη δὲ τούτου τὰς ἀποκρίσεις εἰληφότος, προσέπεσε1 παραγίνεσθαι τὸν Εὐμένη.
And when Prusias had already received his answers, news arrived that Eumenes was coming.
τοῦτο δὲ τὸ πρᾶγμα πολλὴν ἀπορίαν παρέσχε τοῖς ἐν τῷ συνεδρίῳ· διαβεβλημένοι γὰρ πρὸς αὐτὸν καὶ διαλήψεις ἀμεταθέτους ἔχοντες οὐκ ἐβούλοντο κατʼ οὐδένα τρόπον ἐμφανίζειν αὑτούς.
This matter caused great embarrassment to those in the senate; for being hostile towards him and holding unalterable views, they did not wish to show their feelings in any way.
πᾶσι γὰρ ἀναδεδειχότες πρῶτον καὶ μέγιστον φίλον τὸν βασιλέα τοῦτον ἔμελλον εἰς ὄψιν ἐλθόντες καὶ προσδεξάμενοι δικαιολογίαν, εἰ μὲν τὸ δοκοῦν ἀποκριθεῖεν ἀκολουθοῦντες ταῖς ἰδίαις διαλήψεσιν, ἐκθεατριεῖν2 αὑτούς, εἰ τοιοῦτον ἄνθρωπον ἐπὶ τοσοῦτον ἐξετίμησαν ἐν τοῖς ἀνώτερον χρόνοις, εἰ δὲ δουλεύοντες τῇ τῶν ἐκτὸς φαντασίᾳ φιλανθρώπως ἀποκριθεῖεν, παρόψεσθαι τὴν ἀλήθειαν καὶ τὸ τῇ πατρίδι συμφέρον.
For since they had declared this king to all to be their first and greatest friend, they were likely, if they came to an interview and heard his defense, on the one hand, if they should make such answer as seemed consistent with their own views, to expose themselves to public contempt, for having so highly honored such a man in former times, and on the other hand, if, serving the appearance in the eyes of the world, they should answer favorably, to neglect the truth and the interest of their country.
διόπερ ἐξ ἑκατέρας τῆς ἀποφάσεως μέλλοντος ἀπιθάνου τινὸς αὐτοῖς ἐξακολουθήσειν, εὕροντο λύσιν τοῦ προβλήματος τοιαύτην.
Therefore, since some unsatisfactory consequence was bound to follow from either decision, they found the following solution to the difficulty.
ὡς γὰρ καθόλου δυσαρεστούμενοι ταῖς τῶν βασιλέων ἐπιδημίαις δόγμα τι τοιοῦτον ἐξέβαλον, μηδένα βασιλέα παραγίνεσθαι πρὸς αὑτούς.
For, as if generally displeased with the visits of kings, they published a decree to the effect that no king should come to them.
μετὰ δὲ ταῦτα πυθόμενοι τὸν Εὐμένη καταπεπλευκέναι τῆς Ἰταλίας εἰς Βρεντέσιον ἐπαπέστειλαν τὸν ταμίαν φέροντα τὸ δόγμα καὶ κελεύσοντα λέγειν πρὸς αὑτόν, εἴ τι τυγχάνει τῆς συγκλήτου χρείαν ἔχων·
And after this, having learned that Eumenes had sailed into Brentesion in Italy, they dispatched the quaestor carrying the decree and bidding him ask Eumenes if he happened to have any need of the senate;
εἰ δὲ μηδενὸς δεῖται, παραγγελοῦντα τὴν ταχίστην αὐτὸν ἐκ τῆς Ἰταλίας ἀπαλλάττεσθαι.
and if he needed nothing, to command him to depart from Italy as quickly as possible.
ὁ δὲ βασιλεύς, συμμίξαντος αὐτῷ τοῦ ταμίου, γνοὺς τὴν τῆς συγκλήτου προαίρεσιν εἰς τέλος ἀπεσιώπησεν, οὐδενὸς φήσας προσδεῖσθαι.
But the king, when the quaestor met him, having understood the intention of the senate, remained silent to the end, saying that he had need of nothing.
καὶ δὴ τούτῳ τῷ τρόπῳ συνέβη τὸν Εὐμένη κωλυθῆναι τῆς εἰς τὴν Ῥώμην ἀναβάσεως.
And indeed in this manner it came about that Eumenes was prevented from going up to Rome.
συνηκολουθήκει δὲ καὶ ἕτερόν τι πραγματικὸν τούτῳ τῷ διαβουλίῳ.
And another practical consideration also accompanied this decision.
μεγάλου γὰρ ὑπὸ τῶν Γαλατῶν ἐπικρεμαμένου κινδύνου τῇ βασιλείᾳ, προφανὲς ἦν ὅτι διὰ τὸν σκυβαλισμὸν τοῦτον οἱ μὲν τοῦ βασιλέως σύμμαχοι ταπεινωθήσονται πάντες, οἱ δὲ Γαλάται διπλασίως ἐπιρρωσθήσονται πρὸς τὸν πόλεμον.
For since a great danger from the Galatians was hanging over his kingdom, it was obvious that by this slight all the allies of the king would be humbled, while the Galatians would be doubly encouraged for the war.
διὸ πάντῃ πάντως βουλόμενοι ταπεινοῦν αὐτὸν ἐπὶ ταύτην κατηνέχθησαν τὴν γνώμην.
Therefore, wishing by all means to humble him, they were led to this opinion.
τούτων δὲ γινομένων ἔτι κατʼ ἀρχὰς τοῦ χειμῶνος, λοιπὸν ἡ σύγκλητος ἅπασιν τοῖς παραγεγονόσι3 κατὰ πρεσβείαν·
While these things were still taking place at the beginning of winter, the senate, as for all those who had arrived on an embassy—
οὐ γὰρ ἦν οὔτε πόλις οὔτε δυνάστης οὔτε βασιλεὺς ὃς οὐκ ἀπεστάλκει πρεσβείαν κατʼ ἐκεῖνον τὸν καιρὸν τὴν συγχαρησομένην ἐπὶ τοῖς γεγονόσιν·
for there was neither city, nor dynast, nor king who had not sent an embassy at that time to congratulate them on what had occurred—
οἷς ἅπασιν οἰκείως ἀπήντησε καὶ φιλανθρώπως πλὴν τῶν Ῥοδίων.
welcomed them all kindly and favorably, except the Rhodians.
τούτους δὲ παρέπεμπε ποικίλας ἐμφάσεις ποιοῦσα περὶ τοῦ μέλλοντος. ἐπείχετο δὲ καὶ τὰ κατὰ τοὺς Ἀθηναίους. —
But these they dismissed, making various insinuations about the future. And the affairs concerning the Athenians were also suspended.
- 30.19.1προσέπεσε
Used impersonally, taking the accusative with infinitive clause παραγίνεσθαι τὸν Εὐμένη as its subject, meaning "news suddenly arrived."
- 30.19.3ἔμελλον ... ἐκθεατριεῖν
The main verb ἔμελλον governs two infinitives as its apodoses: ἐκθεατριεῖν and παρόψεσθαι (in §30.19.4), corresponding to the condition clauses introduced by εἰ μέν and εἰ δέ. The clause εἰ τοιοῦτον ἄνθρωπον... explains the reason or premise for ἐκθεατριεῖν ("for having honored...").
- 30.19.14λοιπὸν ἡ σύγκλητος ἅπασιν τοῖς παραγεγονόσι
Section 14 lacks a main predicate verb. After the parenthetical section 15, the verb ἀπήντησε in section 16 serves as the main verb for both sections, presenting an ellipsis or anacoluthon structure.