Younger Ptolemy's Cyprus Plan and Dissuasion — Polybius, The Histories Book 31 (31.17.1–31.17.8), Greek & English

§31.17.1

μετὰ δὲ ταῦτα Πτολεμαῖος ὁ νεώτερος παραγεγονὼς εἰς τὴν Ἑλλάδα μετὰ τῶν πρεσβευτῶν συνήθροιζε ξενολόγιον ἐμβριθές. ἐν οἷς¹ προσελάβετο καὶ τὸν Μακεδόνα Δαμάσιππον, ὃς κατασφάξας ἐν τῷ Φάκῳ τοὺς συνέδρους ἔφυγεν μετὰ γυναικὸς καὶ τέκνων ἐκ τῆς Μακεδονίας.

After this, Ptolemy the younger, having arrived in Greece with the ambassadors, was collecting a powerful force of mercenaries. Among these he also enlisted the Macedonian Damasippus, who, after slaughtering the councillors in Phacus, had fled from Macedonia with his wife and children.

§31.17.3

ἀφικόμενος δʼ εἰς τὴν τῶν Ῥοδίων Περαίαν καὶ ξενισθεὶς ὑπὸ τοῦ δήμου προετίθετο πλεῖν εἰς τὴν Κύπρον.

Having arrived at the Peraea of the Rhodians and been hospitably received by the people, he was proposing to sail to Cyprus.

§31.17.4

οἱ δὲ περὶ τὸν Τορκουᾶτον² θεωροῦντες αὐτὸν συνεσταμένον ξενικὴν χεῖρα βαρεῖαν ὑπεμίμνησκον τῶν ἐντολῶν, διότι δεῖ χωρὶς πολέμου ποιεῖσθαι τὴν κάθοδον·

But Torquatus and his colleagues, seeing that he had collected a heavy force of mercenaries, reminded him of his instructions, which were that he must effect his restoration without war;

§31.17.5

καὶ τέλος ἔπεισαν αὐτὸν ἕως Σίδης προαγαγόντα τὸ ξενολόγιον διαλύσασθαι καὶ τῆς εἰς Κύπρον ἐπιβολῆς ἀποστῆναι καὶ συμμίσγειν αὑτοῖς ἐπὶ τοὺς τῶν Κυρηναίων ὅρους.

and they finally persuaded him, after leading the mercenary force as far as Side, to disband it, and to desist from his enterprise against Cyprus, and to join them on the borders of Cyrene.

§31.17.6

αὐτοὶ δὲ πλεύσαντες εἰς τὴν Ἀλεξάνδρειαν ἔφασαν παραστήσεσθαι τὸν βασιλέα³ πρὸς τὰ παρακαλούμενα καὶ συναντήσειν ἐπὶ τοὺς ὅρους, ἔχοντες κἀκεῖνον μεθʼ αὑτῶν.

They themselves sailed to Alexandria, and said that they would persuade the king to comply with their requests and meet him on the borders, having that king with them.

§31.17.7

τούτοις μὲν οὖν τοῖς λόγοις πεισθεὶς ὁ νεώτερος Πτολεμαῖος, ἀπογνοὺς τὰ κατὰ τὴν Κύπρον τὸ μὲν ξενολόγιον διέλυσεν, αὐτὸς δὲ τὸ μὲν πρῶτον εἰς Κρήτην ἀπέπλευσεν, τόν τε Δαμάσιππον ἔχων μεθʼ ἑαυτοῦ καὶ τῶν πρεσβευτῶν ἕνα Γνάιον Μερόλαν· ξενολογήσας δʼ ἐκ τῆς Κρήτης περὶ χιλίους στρατιώτας ἀνήχθη καὶ διάρας εἰς τὴν Λιβύην κατέσχεν ἐπὶ τὸν Ἆπιν.

Persuaded, then, by these words, the younger Ptolemy abandoned his designs on Cyprus and disbanded his mercenary force, but himself sailed first to Crete, having with him Damasippus and Gnaeus Merula, one of the ambassadors; and having collected about a thousand soldiers from Crete as mercenaries, he put to sea, and crossing over to Libya, landed at Apis.

Syntax notes3 items

31.17.1ἐν οἷς
The relative pronoun οἷς is plural (neuter or masculine). Although the antecedent is the singular neuter collective noun ξενολόγιον (mercenary force), the pronoun is plural by synesis (agreement according to sense), referring to the individual soldiers who make up the force.
31.17.4οἱ δὲ περὶ τὸν Τορκουᾶτον
An idiomatic expression meaning "Torquatus and his associates" or "Torquatus and his colleagues," referring to the entire Roman embassy led by the prominent figure Torquatus.
31.17.6ἔφασαν παραστήσεσθαι τὸν βασιλέα
The subject of the infinitive παραστήσεσθαι (to win over, to bring to terms) is the subject of the main verb ἔφασαν (the ambassadors), and its direct object is the accusative τὸν βασιλέα (King Ptolemy VI). While grammatically it could be taken intransitively ("that the king would submit"), the context indicates an active sense of the ambassadors bringing the king to comply with their requests.

Translated by Gemini 3.5 Flash (published 2026-05-25) · Revision history (2, latest 2026-10-09)

2026-10-09 Collated with the printed edition — source 1
2026-09-21 AI review — source 1

urn:cts:greekLit:tlg0543.tlg001.humanitext-grc2:31.17.1-31.17.8