- 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-grc2:31.18.1-31.18.16
- Generated
- Humanitext Reader · reader.humanitext.ai · 2026-11-12
While the elder Ptolemy delays the Roman ambassadors, the younger Ptolemy learns of a revolt in Cyrene and marches to suppress it, but is ultimately defeated by the Cyrenaeans fighting for their liberty.
οἱ δὲ περὶ τὸν Τορκουᾶτον διακομισθέντες εἰς τὴν Ἀλεξάνδρειαν ἐπειρῶντο μὲν παρακαλεῖν τὸν πρεσβύτερον Πτολεμαῖον διαλύεσθαι πρὸς τὸν ἀδελφὸν καὶ συγχωρεῖν αὐτῷ τὴν Κύπρον·
But Torquatus and his colleagues, having crossed over to Alexandria, attempted to exhort the elder Ptolemy to make terms with his brother and cede Cyprus to him.
τοῦ δὲ Πτολεμαίου τὰ μὲν ἐπαγγελλομένου, τὰ δὲ παρακούοντος, καὶ τῷ τοιούτῳ τρόπῳ κατατρίβοντος τὸν χρόνον, στρατοπεδεύων ὁ νεώτερος μετὰ τῶν Κρητῶν ἐν τῇ Λιβύῃ περὶ τὸν Ἆπιν κατὰ τὸ συντεταγμένον καὶ τελέως ἀσχάλλων ἐπὶ τῷ μηδὲν διασαφήσασθαι, τὸ μὲν πρῶτον ἐξαπέστειλε τὸν Γνάιον εἰς τὴν Ἀλεξάνδρειαν, ὡς διὰ τούτου κἂν τοὺς περὶ τὸν Τορκουᾶτον ἐπιγενομένους.1
But as Ptolemy made promises on the one hand, and turned a deaf ear on the other, and in this manner wasted time, the younger, encamped with the Cretans in Libya near Apis according to the agreement, and being utterly vexed at receiving no clear tidings, first of all dispatched Gnaeus to Alexandria, in order that through him he might at least urge Torquatus and his colleagues to follow.
συνεξομοιωθέντος δὲ τούτου τοῖς πρότερον, καὶ τοῦ χρόνου διελκομένου, καὶ τετταράκοντα διελθουσῶν ἡμερῶν, καὶ μηδενὸς προσπίπτοντος, εἰς ἀπορίαν ἐνέπιπτε περὶ τῶν ὅλων.
But when this man’s experience proved identical to that of the former, and time was dragged out, and forty days passed with no news arriving, he fell into great perplexity about the whole situation.
ὁ γὰρ πρεσβύτερος βασιλεὺς πᾶν γένος ἀρεσκείας προσφερόμενος πάντας ἐξιδιάσατο τοὺς πρεσβευτὰς καὶ παρακατέσχε τὸ πλεῖον οὐχ ἑκόντας, ἀλλʼ ἄκοντας.
For the elder king, employing every kind of conciliation, won over all the ambassadors to his side and detained them for the most part, not with their consent but against their will.
κατὰ δὲ τὸν καιρὸν τοῦτον προσέπεσε τῷ νεωτέρῳ Πτολεμαίῳ τούς τε Κυρηναίους ἀφεστάναι2 καὶ τὰς πόλεις συμφρονεῖν τούτοις, κεκοινωνηκέναι δὲ περὶ τῆς ἀποστάσεως καὶ Πτολεμαῖον τὸν Συμπετῆσιν, ὃς ἦν τὸ γένος Αἰγύπτιος, ἐπιστεύθη δὲ τὴν ἐπιμέλειαν τῶν ὅλων ὑπὸ τοῦ βασιλέως, καθʼ ὃν καιρὸν ἐποιεῖτο τὸν πλοῦν εἰς τὴν Ῥώμην.
At this time, word reached the younger Ptolemy that the Cyrenaeans had revolted and that the cities were of one mind with them, and that Ptolemy, the son of Sympetesis, had also joined in the revolt, who was an Egyptian by birth, and had been entrusted with the general administration of the state by the king at the time when he was making his voyage to Rome.
τούτων δὲ προσπιπτόντων τῷ βασιλεῖ, καὶ μετʼ ὀλίγον διότι στρατοπεδεύουσιν ἐν τοῖς ὑπαίθροις οἱ Κυρηναῖοι, δείσας μὴ βουλόμενος προσλαβεῖν τὴν Κύπρον καὶ τὴν Κυρήνην ἀπολέσῃ,3 πάντα τἄλλα πάρεργα θέμενος ἀνέζευξεν ἐπὶ Κυρήνης.
When these tidings reached the king, and shortly afterwards that the Cyrenaeans were encamped in the open country, fearing lest in his desire to acquire Cyprus he should lose Cyrene, he treated all other matters as secondary and marched towards Cyrene.
παραγενόμενος δʼ εἰς τὸν μέγαν καλούμενον Καταβαθμὸν κατέλαβε τοὺς Λίβυας μετὰ τῶν Κυρηναίων κατέχοντας τὰς δυσχωρίας.
Arriving at the place called the Great Catabathmus, he found the Libyans together with the Cyrenaeans occupying the difficult passes.
ὁ δὲ Πτολεμαῖος ἀπορούμενος ἐπὶ τῷ συμβαίνοντι τοὺς μὲν ἡμίσεις τῶν στρατιωτῶν ἐμβιβάσας εἰς τὰ πλοῖα περιπλεῖν τὰς δυσχωρίας ἐπέταξε καὶ κατὰ νώτου τοῖς πολεμίοις ἐπιφαίνεσθαι, τοὺς δʼ ἡμίσεις ἔχων αὐτὸς ἐβιάζετο κατὰ στόμα πρὸς τὴν ἀνάβασιν.
Ptolemy, being at a loss at what was happening, ordered half of his soldiers to embark on the ships and sail round the difficult passes and appear in the rear of the enemy, while he himself, keeping the other half, forced his way face to face towards the ascent.
τῶν δὲ Λιβύων καταπλαγέντων τὴν ἐξ ἀμφοῖν ἔφοδον καὶ λειπόντων τοὺς τόπους, ἅμα τῆς ἀναβάσεως ἐγένετο κύριος καὶ τῆς ὑποκειμένης Τετραπυργίας, ἐν ᾗ συνέβαινε πλῆθος ἄφθονον ὕδατος ὑπάρχειν.
The Libyans, terrified by the double attack, abandoned their positions, so that he at once became master of the ascent and of the underlying Tetrapyrgia, where there happened to be an abundant supply of water.
ὅθεν ἀφορμήσας ἑβδομαῖος ἧκε διὰ τῆς ἐρήμου.
Starting thence, he arrived on the seventh day through the desert.
παραπλεόντων δʼ αὐτῷ καὶ τῶν ἐπὶ Μοχυρίνου,4 συνέβαινε τοὺς Κυρηναίους στρατοπεδεύειν πεζοὺς μὲν ὄντας εἰς ὀκτακισχιλίους, ἱππεῖς δὲ περὶ πεντακοσίους.
While those at Mochyrinus were also sailing along with him, it happened that the Cyrenaeans were encamped with about eight thousand infantry and five hundred cavalry.
οἱ γὰρ Κυρηναῖοι πεῖραν εἰληφότες τῆς τοῦ Πτολεμαίου προαιρέσεως ἐκ τῶν κατὰ τὴν Ἀλεξάνδρειαν πεπραγμένων καὶ θεωροῦντες οὐ βασιλικήν, ἀλλὰ τυραννικὴν οὖσαν τὴν ἀρχὴν αὐτοῦ καὶ τὴν ὅλην αἵρεσιν, οὐχ οἷοί τʼ ἦσαν ἐθελοντὴν σφᾶς αὐτοὺς ὑποτάττειν, ἀλλὰ πᾶν ὑπομένειν ἐτόλμων, ἀντεχόμενοι τῆς πρὸς τὴν ἐλευθερίαν ἐλπίδος.
For the Cyrenaeans, having had experience of Ptolemy’s character from his actions in Alexandria, and seeing that his rule and whole policy were not kingly but tyrannical, were not disposed to submit themselves voluntarily, but dared to endure everything, clinging to their hope of liberty.
διὸ καὶ τότε συνεγγίσαντος αὐτοῦ ἐξ αὐτῆς παρετάξαντο· καὶ τέλος ἡττήθη. —
Therefore, when he approached, they drew up their battle line on the spot; and in the end he was defeated. —
- 31.18.3ὡς διὰ τούτου κἂν τοὺς περὶ τὸν Τορκουᾶτον ἐπιγενομένους
The accusative participle ἐπιγενομένους with the particle ὡς expresses the subjective intention or expectation of the subject (the younger Ptolemy). It functions either in agreement with an unexpressed accusative object of the main verb or as an accusative absolute. The word κἂν (contracted from καὶ ἄν) is used here in a restrictive/concessive sense meaning 'at least' or 'even if only'.
- 31.18.6προσέπεσε ... τούς τε Κυρηναίους ἀφεστάναι
The impersonal verb προσέπεσε ('it was reported to' / 'word reached') takes a dative indirect object (τῷ νεωτέρῳ Πτολεμαίῳ) and a series of accusative and infinitive clauses (ἀφεστάναι, συμφρονεῖν, κεκοινωνηκέναι) as its subject.
- 31.18.8δείσας μὴ βουλόμενος προσλαβεῖν τὴν Κύπρον καὶ τὴν Κυρήνην ἀπολέσῃ
Inside the μή clause ('lest...') introduced by the participle of fearing δείσας ('having feared'), the participial phrase βουλόμενος προσλαβεῖν τὴν Κύπρον ('wishing to acquire Cyprus in addition') is embedded. The subjunctive ἀπολέσῃ ('should lose') is the main verb of the μή clause, representing the paradoxical fear of losing Cyrene in the attempt to gain Cyprus.
- 31.18.13τῶν ἐπὶ Μοχυρίνου
The preposition ἐπί with genitive can mean 'those under the command of' or 'those at/in a place'. In this military context, it refers to 'those under the command of Mochyrinus' or 'the troops stationed at Mochyrinus'.