- 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-grc2:36.14.1-36.14.5
- Generated
- Humanitext Reader · reader.humanitext.ai · 2026-11-12
Rome sends three ambassadors to intervene in a conflict in Asia Minor, but they all have severe physical or mental deficiencies. Cato mocks them in the senate, stating that an embassy with neither feet, head, nor heart can accomplish nothing.
ὅτι Ῥωμαῖοι ἔπεμψαν πρεσβευτὰς τοὺς ἐπιληψομένους τῆς ὁρμῆς τῆς τοῦ Νικομήδους καὶ κωλύσοντας1 τὸν Ἄτταλον πολεμεῖν τῷ Προυσίᾳ, καὶ κατεστάθησαν Μάρκος Λικίννιος, ἄνθρωπος ποδαγρικὸς καὶ τελείως ἀδύνατος τοῖς ποσί, καὶ μετὰ τοῦτον Αὖλος Μαγκῖνος, ὃς κεραμίδος εἰς τὴν κεφαλὴν ἐμπεσούσης αὐτῷ τηλικαύτας καὶ τοσαύτας οὐλὰς εἶχε διὰ τῆς κεφαλῆς ὥστε θαυμαστὸν εἶναι πῶς ἐσώθη, καὶ Λεύκιος Μαλλέολος, ὃς πάντων ἐδόκει Ῥωμαίων ἀναισθητότατος ὑπάρχειν.
The Romans sent ambassadors to check the onset of Nicomedes and to prevent Attalus from making war on Prusias; and Marcus Licinius was appointed, a man suffering from gout and completely crippled in his feet, and after him Aulus Mancinus, who, a tile having fallen on his head, had such and so many scars across his head that it was a marvel how he survived, and Lucius Malleolus, who was deemed to be the most stupid of all Romans.
τῆς δὲ πράξεως προσδεομένης τάχους καὶ τόλμης ἐδόκουν ἀφυέστατοι πρὸς τὴν χρείαν εἶναι ταύτην οἱ καθεσταμένοι.
But as the business required speed and boldness, those who had been appointed seemed to be most ill-suited for this service.
διὸ καί φασι Μάρκον Πόρκιον τὸν Κάτωνα προσαγορευόμενον εἰπεῖν ἐν συγκλήτῳ διότι συμβήσεται μὴ μόνον ἀπολόμενον φθάσαι2 τὸν Προυσίαν, ἀλλὰ καὶ τὸν Νικομήδην γηράσαντʼ ἐν τῇ βασιλείᾳ·
Therefore they say that Marcus Porcius, surnamed Cato, said in the senate that not only would Prusias be destroyed beforehand, but Nicomedes would also grow old in his kingship;
πῶς γὰρ οἷόν τε καταταχῆσαι, πῶς δὲ καταταχήσασαν ἀνύσασθαί τι τὴν πρεσβείαν, μήτε πόδας μήτε κεφαλὴν μήτε καρδίαν ἔχουσαν.3 —
for how was it possible for an embassy to make haste, or, even if it did make haste, to accomplish anything, when it had neither feet, nor head, nor heart? —
- 36.14.1τοὺς ἐπιληψομένους ... καὶ κωλύσοντας
Future participles (ἐπιληψομένους middle, κωλύσοντας active) indicating purpose ("in order to ...").
- 36.14.4ἀπολόμενον φθάσαι
The verb φθάνω combined with the participle ἀπολόμενον, expressing the idea of doing something beforehand ("to be destroyed beforehand" or "before they arrive").
- 36.14.5μήτε πόδας μήτε κεφαλὴν μήτε καρδίαν ἔχουσαν
The present participle feminine accusative singular ἔχουσαν agrees with the feminine noun τὴν πρεσβείαν ("the embassy"). It metaphorically describes the embassy as lacking "feet, head, and heart," referring to the physical and mental defects of the three appointed envoys.
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 — note 1