- 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-grc2:38.10.1-38.10.13
- Generated
- Humanitext Reader · reader.humanitext.ai · 2026-11-12
The Roman ambassador Sextus and his colleagues met the Achaean ambassadors on the way and had them turn back. Although Sextus made friendly proposals in Aegium, which the sensible part welcomed, the demagogues like Diaeus misinterpreted this as Roman weakness and persisted in their destructive policy.
ὅτι οἱ περὶ τὸν Σέξτον προάγοντες ἐκ τῆς Ῥώμης εἰς τὴν Πελοπόννησον ἀπήντησαν τοῖς περὶ τὸν Θεαρίδαν, οἵπερ ἦσαν πρεσβευταὶ πεμφθέντες ὑπὸ τῶν Ἀχαιῶν παραιτησόμενοι καὶ διδάξοντες1 τὴν σύγκλητον ὑπὲρ τῶν εἰς τοὺς περὶ τὸν Αὐρήλιον γενομένων ἀλογημάτων.
That the ambassadors under Sextus, while proceeding from Rome to the Peloponnese, met those under Thearidas, who were ambassadors sent by the Achaeans to apologize to and inform the senate concerning the inappropriate behavior committed against Aurelius and his colleagues.
οἷς καὶ συμμίξαντες οἱ προειρημένοι παρεκάλεσαν αὐτοὺς ἀνακάμπτειν εἰς τὴν Ἀχαΐαν, ὅτι περὶ πάντων τούτων ἔχουσιν ἐντολὰς αὐτοὶ διαλέγεσθαι τοῖς Ἀχαιοῖς.
Having met them, the aforementioned ambassadors urged them to return to Achaea, because they themselves had instructions to discuss all these matters with the Achaeans.
παραγενομένων δὲ τῶν περὶ τὸν Σέξτον εἰς τὴν Πελοπόννησον καὶ διαλεγομένων τοῖς Ἀχαιοῖς ἐν τῇ τῶν Αἰγιέων πόλει καὶ προφερομένων πολλοὺς καὶ φιλανθρώπους λόγους, καὶ τὸ περὶ τοὺς πρεσβευτὰς ἔγκλημα παραπεμπόντων καὶ σχεδὸν οὐδὲν προσδεόμενον δικαιολογίας, ἀλλὰ βέλτιον ἐκδεχομένων τὸ γεγονὸς αὐτῶν τῶν Ἀχαιῶν, καθόλου δὲ παρακαλούντων μὴ πορρωτέρω προβῆναι τῆς ἁμαρτίας μήτε τῆς εἰς αὑτοὺς μήτε τῆς εἰς τοὺς Λακεδαιμονίους, τὸ μὲν σωφρονοῦν μέρος ἀσμένως ἀπεδέχετο τὰ λεγόμενα καὶ λίαν ἐνετρέπετο, συνειδὸς αὑτῷ τὰ πεπραγμένα καὶ πρὸ ὀφθαλμῶν λαμβάνον τὰ συμβαίνοντα τοῖς πρὸς Ῥωμαίους ἀντιταττομένοις, τὸ δὲ πλῆθος τῶν ἀνθρώπων ἀντιλέγειν μὲν οὐδὲν εἶχε τοῖς ὑπὸ τῶν περὶ τὸν Σέξτον λεγομένοις δικαίοις, ἀλλʼ ἦγε τὴν ἡσυχίαν, ἔμενε δὲ νοσοῦν καὶ διεφθαρμένον.
When Sextus and his colleagues arrived in the Peloponnese and conversed with the Achaeans in the city of Aegium, making many friendly proposals, and dismissing the charges regarding the ambassadors, making them require almost no defense, but interpreting what had happened better than the Achaeans themselves did, and generally urging them not to proceed further in their error, whether toward themselves or toward the Lacedaemonians, the sensible part gladly accepted what was said and was deeply moved, being conscious of their actions and keeping before their eyes what happens to those who oppose the Romans, but the multitude of the people had nothing to say against the just arguments of Sextus and his colleagues, and so kept quiet, but remained diseased and corrupt.
οἱ δὲ περὶ τὸν Δίαιον καὶ Κριτόλαον2 καὶ πάντες οἱ μετέχοντες αὐτοῖς τῆς αὐτῆς γνώμης· οὗτοι δʼ ἦσαν ὥσπερ ἐπίτηδες ἐξ ἑκάστης πόλεως κατʼ ἐκλογὴν οἱ χείριστοι καὶ τοῖς θεοῖς ἐχθροὶ καὶ λυμαινόμενοι τὸ ἔθνος·
On the other hand, Diaeus and Critolaus and all who shared the same opinion with them—who were, as if by design, the worst men selected from each city, hated by the gods, and bringing ruin to the nation—
καθάπερ ἡ παροιμία φησίν, οὐ μόνον τὰ διδόμενα τῇ δεξιᾷ παρὰ Ῥωμαίων ἐδέχοντο τῇ λαιᾷ χειρί,3 καθόλου δὲ καὶ συλλήβδην παρέπαιον τοῖς λογισμοῖς.
as the proverb says, not only received with the left hand what was given by the Romans with the right, but on the whole and utterly lost their senses.
ὑπέλαβον γὰρ τοὺς Ῥωμαίους διά τε τὰς ἐν τῇ Λιβύῃ καὶ τὰς κατὰ τὴν Ἰβηρίαν πράξεις δεδιότας τὸν ἀπὸ τῶν Ἀχαιῶν πόλεμον πᾶν ὑπομένειν καὶ πᾶσαν προΐεσθαι φωνήν.
For they supposed that the Romans, because of their affairs in Libya and Iberia, feared a war with the Achaeans, and were thus enduring everything and uttering every kind of conciliatory language.
διὸ νομίσαντες ἴδιον τὸ παρὸν ἀπεκρίθησαν φιλανθρώπως τοῖς πρεσβευταῖς τοὺς μὲν περὶ τὸν Θεαρίδαν ὅμως ἀποστέλλειν εἰς τὴν σύγκλητον, αὐτοὶ δὲ παρακολουθήσαντες εἰς τὴν Τεγέαν καὶ κοινολογηθέντες τοῖς Λακεδαιμονίοις, ἵνα γένηταί τις ὡμολογημένη λύσις περὶ τοῦ πολέμου.
Therefore, thinking the present opportunity was their own, they replied in a friendly manner to the ambassadors: that they would nevertheless dispatch Thearidas and his colleagues to the senate, but that they themselves would go to Tegea and consult with the Lacedaemonians, so that there might be some agreed resolution of the war.
ταῦτα δʼ ἀποκριθέντες ἐν τοῖς ἑξῆς ἦγον ἐπὶ τὴν πάλαι προκειμένην αὐτοῖς ἄγνοιαν τὸ ταλαίπωρον ἔθνος.
Having given this answer, they subsequently led the wretched nation into the ignorance that had long lay before them.
καὶ τοῦτʼ εἰκότως συνέβαινε γίνεσθαι διʼ ἀπειρίαν καὶ κακίαν τῶν κρατούντων.
And this was only natural to happen, owing to the inexperience and wickedness of those in power.
- 38.10.2παραιτησόμενοι καὶ διδάξοντες
Nominative plural future participles expressing the 'purpose' of the Achaeans' ambassadors (οἵπερ). Translated as 'to apologize and to inform'.
- 38.10.8οἱ δὲ περὶ τὸν Δίαιον καὶ Κριτόλαον
This nominative phrase lacks a grammatical main verb (anacoluthon) and, after an intercalated relative-like clause (οὗτοι δʼ ἦσαν...), is picked up as the subject of the main verbs in §38.10.9 (ἐδέχοντο, παρέπαιον).
- 38.10.9τὰ διδόμενα τῇ δεξιᾷ παρὰ Ῥωμαίων ἐδέχοντο τῇ λαιᾷ χειρί
A proverbial expression: 'they received with the left hand what was given by the Romans with the right.' It denotes treating a friendly offer perversely or ungratefully.