Priene's Troubles over the Deposit of Orophernes — Polybius, The Histories Book 33 (33.6.1–33.6.9), Greek & English

§33.6.1

ὅτι κατὰ τοὺς καιροὺς τούτους καὶ Πριηνεῖς ἐνέπεσον παραλόγῳ συμφορᾷ.

That at this time the Prieneans also met with an unexpected misfortune.

§33.6.2

δεξάμενοι γὰρ παρʼ Ὀροφέρνους, ὅτʼ ἐκράτησε τῆς ἀρχῆς, ἐν παραθήκῃ τετρακόσια τάλαντα ἀπῃτοῦντο κατὰ τοὺς ἑξῆς χρόνους ὑπʼ Ἀριαράθου , ὅτε μετέλαβε τὴν ἀρχήν. οἱ μὲν οὖν Πριηνεῖς, ὡς ἐμοὶ δοκεῖν,¹ ὀρθῶς ἵσταντο, φάσκοντες μηδενὶ προήσεσθαι τὰ χρήματα ζῶντος Ὀροφέρνους πλὴν αὐτῷ τῷ παραθεμένῳ·

For having received four hundred talents in deposit from Orophernes at the time when he held the sovereignty, they were asked for its return in the following period by Ariarathes, when he succeeded to the sovereignty. Now the Prieneans, as it seems to me, took a correct stand, declaring that they would surrender the money to no one during the lifetime of Orophernes except to the depositor himself.

§33.6.4

ὁ δʼ Ἀριαράθης πολλοῖς ἐδόκει παραπίπτειν τοῦ καθήκοντος, ἀπαιτῶν τὴν ἀλλοτρίαν παραθήκην.

But Ariarathes was thought by many to be transgressing what was right, in demanding a deposit belonging to another.

§33.6.5

οὐ μὴν ἀλλʼ ἕως μὲν τούτου τάχʼ ἄν τις ἔχοι² συγγνώμην αὐτῷ καταπειράζοντι τῷ δοκεῖν τῆς ἐκείνου βασιλείας εἶναι τὰ χρήματα·³ τὸ δὲ καὶ πορρωτέρω προβαίνειν ὀργῆς καὶ φιλοτιμίας οὐδαμῶς ἐδόκει γενέσθαι κατὰ λόγον.

Nevertheless, up to this point one might perhaps excuse him for making the attempt, on the ground that the money was thought to belong to his kingdom; but that he should go even further under the influence of anger and rivalry was by no means thought to be reasonable.

§33.6.6

κατὰ δὲ τοὺς νῦν λεγομένους καιροὺς ἐπαποστείλας ἐλεηλάτει τὴν χώραν τῶν Πριηνέων, συνεργοῦντος Ἀττάλου καὶ παροξύνοντος αὐτὸν διὰ τὴν ἰδίαν διαφοράν, ἣν εἶχε πρὸς τοὺς Πριηνεῖς.

But at the time of which we are speaking, he sent forces and plundered the territory of the Prieneans, with the cooperation of Attalus, who instigated him owing to a private grudge he had against the Prieneans.

§33.6.7

πολλῶν δὲ καὶ σωμάτων καὶ θρεμμάτων ἀπολομένων καὶ πρὸς τῇ πόλει πτωμάτων γενομένων, ἀμύνασθαι μὲν οὐχ οἷοί τʼ ἦσαν οἱ Πριηνεῖς, ἐπρέσβευον δὲ καὶ πρὸς Ῥοδίους, μετὰ δὲ ταῦτʼ ἐπὶ Ῥωμαίους κατέφυγον.

Many lives and cattle having been lost, and slaughter having occurred near the city itself, the Prieneans, being unable to defend themselves, sent embassies to the Rhodians, and after that fled to the Romans for refuge.

§33.6.8

οἱ δʼ οὐ προσεῖχον τοῖς λεγομένοις. καὶ Πριηνεῖς μὲν μεγάλας ἔχοντες ἐλπίδας ἐπὶ τῷ πλήθει τῶν χρημάτων τοῖς ἐναντίοις ἐνεκύρησαν·

But the latter paid no attention to what was said. And so the Prieneans, though they had great hopes because of the large amount of money, met with the exact opposite.

§33.6.9

τῷ μὲν γὰρ Ὀροφέρνει τὴν παραθήκην ἀπέδωκαν, ὑπὸ δὲ τοῦ βασιλέως Ἀριαράθου ἱκαναῖς τισι βλάβαις περιέπεσον ἀδίκως διὰ τὴν παραθήκην.

For they restored the deposit to Orophernes, but they unjustly suffered considerable damage at the hands of King Ariarathes because of that very deposit.

Syntax notes3 items

33.6.3ὡς ἐμοὶ δοκεῖν
An idiomatic absolute infinitive construction with ὡς and the infinitive δοκεῖν, meaning 'as it seems to me' or 'in my opinion.'
33.6.5τάχʼ ἄν τις ἔχοι
The combination of the particle ἄν and the present optative ἔχοι (with the indefinite pronoun τις as subject) forms a potential optative, expressing a mild or tentative possibility ('one might perhaps have').
33.6.5τῷ δοκεῖν τῆς ἐκείνου βασιλείας εἶναι τὰ χρήματα
The articular infinitive in the dative, τῷ δοκεῖν, expresses cause or reason. The accusative τὰ χρήματα functions as the subject of the infinitive εἶναι, which is accompanied by the possessive genitive τῆς ἐκείνου βασιλείας ('to belong to his kingdom').

Translated by Gemini 3.5 Flash (published 2026-05-25) · Revision history (1, latest 2026-10-09)

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

urn:cts:greekLit:tlg0543.tlg001.humanitext-grc2:33.6.1-33.6.9