- 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-grc2:30.2.1-30.2.10
- Generated
- Humanitext Reader · reader.humanitext.ai · 2026-11-11
King Eumenes, anticipating the danger, sends his trusted physician Stratius to Rome. Stratius successfully persuades Attalus to abandon his treasonous impulses by convincing him of his secure co-ruling status and certain future succession, warned by the disastrous consequences of fratricidal discord.
τοιαύτης δʼ οὔσης τῆς διαθέσεως περὶ τὸν Ἄτταλον, ὀττευσάμενος ὁ βασιλεὺς τὸ μέλλον ἐπιπέμπει Στρατίον τὸν ἰατρὸν εἰς τὴν Ῥώμην, ὃς μεγίστην παρʼ αὐτῷ πίστιν εἶχε, τὰ μὲν ὑποδείξας, τὰ δʼ ἐντειλάμενος πᾶσαν εἰσενέγκασθαι μηχανὴν πρὸς τὸ μὴ κατακολουθῆσαι τὸν Ἄτταλον τοῖς βουλομένοις λυμήνασθαι τὴν βασιλείαν αὐτῶν.
Such being the state of affairs concerning Attalus, the king, foreseeing the future, dispatched Stratius the physician to Rome, a man who possessed the greatest influence with him, having suggested some things and instructed him in others, to employ every device to prevent Attalus from following the lead of those who wished to ruin their kingdom.
ὁ δὲ παραγενόμενος εἰς τὴν Ῥώμην καὶ λαβὼν εἰς τὰς χεῖρας τὸν Ἄτταλον πολλοὺς μὲν καὶ ποικίλους διέθετο λόγους· καὶ γὰρ ἦν ὁ ἄνθρωπος ἔχων τι νουνεχὲς καὶ πειστικόν·
On his arrival in Rome, Stratius got hold of Attalus and addressed many and varied arguments to him; for the man was of a sensible and persuasive character.
μόγις δὲ καθίκετο τῆς προθέσεως1 καὶ μετεκάλεσε τὸν Ἄτταλον ἀπὸ τῆς ἀλόγου φορᾶς, θεὶς ὑπὸ τὴν ὄψιν ὅτι κατὰ μὲν τὸ παρὸν συμβασιλεύει τἀδελφῷ, τούτῳ διαφέρων ἐκείνου τῷ μὴ διάδημα περιτίθεσθαι2 μηδὲ χρηματίζειν βασιλεύς, τὴν δὲ λοιπὴν ἴσην καὶ τὴν αὐτὴν ἔχων ἐξουσίαν, εἰς δὲ τὸ μέλλον ὁμολογουμένως καταλείπεται διάδοχος τῆς ἀρχῆς, οὐ μακρὰν ταύτης τῆς ἐλπίδος ὑπαρχούσης, ἅτε τοῦ βασιλέως διὰ μὲν τὴν σωματικὴν ἀσθένειαν αἰεὶ προσδοκῶντος τὴν ἐκ τοῦ βίου μετάστασιν, διὰ δὲ τὴν ἀπαιδίαν οὐδʼ εἰ βουληθείη δυναμένου τὴν ἀρχὴν ἄλλῳ καταλιπεῖν·
He succeeded, though with difficulty, in attaining his purpose and recalled Attalus from his irrational impulse, by placing before his eyes the fact that for the present he was reigning jointly with his brother, differing from him only in not wearing the diadem or being styled king, while possessing all other authority equal and the same; and that for the future he was confessedly left as successor to the sovereignty, which hope was not far off, since the king, owing to his physical weakness, was constantly expecting his departure from life, and because of his childlessness was unable, even if he wished, to leave the sovereignty to anyone else;
οὐδέπω γὰρ ἀναδεδειγμένος ἐτύγχανεν κατὰ φύσιν υἱὸς ὢν αὐτῷ τις3 ὁ μετὰ ταῦτα διαδεξάμενος τὴν ἀρχήν.
for the one who subsequently succeeded to the sovereignty had not yet been recognized as his natural son.
τὸ δὲ συνέχον,4 θαυμάζειν ἔφη πόσα βλάπτει τοὺς ἐνεστῶτας καιρούς. μεγάλην γὰρ δεῖν ἔχειν πᾶσι τοῖς θεοῖς χάριν, εἰ συμπνεύσαντες καὶ μιᾷ γνώμῃ χρώμενοι δύναιντο τὸν ἀπὸ Γαλατῶν φόβον ἀπώσασθαι καὶ τὸν ἀπὸ τούτων ἐφεστῶτα κίνδυνον.
But the chief point, he said, was that he wondered how much Attalus was injuring the present opportunities. For they ought to feel great gratitude to all the gods, if, by acting in unison and being of one mind, they could repel the fear of the Galatians and the danger threatening from them.
εἰ δὲ νῦν εἰς στάσιν καὶ διαφορὰν ἥξει πρὸς τὸν ἀδελφόν, πρόδηλον εἶναι διότι καταστρέψει τὴν βασιλείαν καὶ στερήσει μὲν αὑτὸν καὶ τῆς παρούσης ἐξουσίας καὶ τῆς εἰς τὸ μέλλον ἐλπίδος, στερήσει δὲ καὶ τοὺς ἀδελφοὺς τῆς ἀρχῆς καὶ τῆς ἐν αὐτῇ δυναστείας.
But if he now entered into faction and difference with his brother, it was manifest that he would ruin the kingdom, and deprive himself of both his present power and his future hope, and also deprive his brothers of their sovereignty and the dominion in it.
ταῦτα δὴ καὶ τούτοις ἕτερα παραπλήσια διατιθέμενος ὁ Στρατίος ἔπεισε τὸν Ἄτταλον μένειν ἐπὶ τῶν ὑποκειμένων.
By delivering these and other similar arguments, Stratius persuaded Attalus to remain true to the existing terms.
- 30.2.4καθίκετο τῆς προθέσεως
Meaning 'attained his purpose.' The verb καθικνέομαι (to reach, attain) governs the genitive case (τῆς προθέσεως 'purpose, aim'), used here metaphorically to indicate the successful completion of his persuasive mission.
- 30.2.4τούτῳ διαφέρων ἐκείνου τῷ μὴ διάδημα περιτίθεσθαι
Meaning 'differing from him in this, namely, in not wearing a diadem.' The demonstrative pronoun τούτῳ (neuter singular dative, 'in this respect') is further explained appositively by the subsequent dative articular infinitive phrase τῷ μὴ διάδημα περιτίθεσθαι ('in not wearing a diadem'). The participle διαφέρων governs the genitive of comparison ἐκείνου (him, i.e., his brother).
- 30.2.6οὐδέπω γὰρ ἀναδεδειγμένος ἐτύγχανεν κατὰ φύσιν υἱὸς ὢν αὐτῷ τις
A construction where the verb ἐτύγχανεν (from τυγχάνω, 'was actually') is accompanied by two participles: ὢν (present participle of εἰμί) and ἀναδεδειγμένος (perfect passive participle of ἀναδείκνυμι, 'to declare, recognize publicly'). Together, they mean 'for the one who was his natural son had not yet been recognized.'
- 30.2.7τὸ δὲ συνέχον
An adverbial accusative (or accusative in apposition to the sentence) meaning 'the main point' or 'what is most important.' It is a formulaic expression used to introduce the core or crucial point of an argument.