- 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-grc2:38.11.1-38.11.11
- Generated
- Humanitext Reader · reader.humanitext.ai · 2026-11-12
The Achaean leader Critolaus disrupted the conference in Tegea with the Roman envoy Sextus and the Lacedaemonians through deliberate delays, causing it to collapse. Subsequently, he stirred up hostility against Rome in various Achaean cities and won over the populace using populist measures such as debt relief.
τὸ δὲ τέλος τῆς ἀπωλείας ἠνύσθη τοιῷδέ τινι τρόπῳ.
The final destruction was accomplished in the following manner.
παραγενομένων γὰρ εἰς τὴν Τεγέαν τῶν περὶ τὸν Σέξτον καὶ τοὺς Λακεδαιμονίους ἐπισπασαμένων1 χάριν τοῦ σύμφωνον αὐτοῖς γενέσθαι πρὸς τοὺς Ἀχαιοὺς τήν τε περὶ τῶν προγεγονότων ἐγκλημάτων δικαιοδοσίαν καὶ τὴν κατὰ τὸν πόλεμον ἐποχήν, ἕως ἂν πέμψωσι Ῥωμαῖοι τοὺς περὶ τῶν ὅλων ἐπισκεψομένους, συνεδρεύσαντες οἱ περὶ τὸν Κριτόλαον ἔκριναν τοὺς μὲν ἄλλους διακλῖναι τὴν ἀπάντησιν, τὸν δὲ Κριτόλαον προάγειν εἰς τὴν Τεγέαν.
For when Sextus and his colleagues arrived in Tegea and induced the Lacedaemonians to reach an agreement with the Achaeans regarding both the judicial decision on past offenses and the suspension of the war, until the Romans should send commissioners to investigate the whole matter, Critolaus and his colleagues held a council and decided that the others should decline the meeting, but that Critolaus should proceed to Tegea.
ὁ μὲν οὖν προειρημένος ἤδη σχεδὸν ἀπηλπικότων τῶν περὶ τὸν Σέξτον ἦλθε, γενομένης δὲ συγκαταστάσεως πρὸς τοὺς Λακεδαιμονίους εἰς οὐδὲν συγκατέβαινεν, φήσας οὐκ ἔχειν ἐξουσίαν οὐδὲν οἰκονομεῖν ἄνευ τῆς τῶν πολλῶν γνώμης· ἐπανοίσειν δὲ τοῖς Ἀχαιοῖς εἰς τὴν ἑξῆς ἔφη σύνοδον, ἣν ἔδει γενέσθαι2 μετὰ μῆνας ἕξ.
Thus the aforementioned man arrived when Sextus and his colleagues had already nearly given up hope. A joint conference with the Lacedaemonians was held, but he agreed to nothing, saying that he had no authority to settle anything without the consent of the multitude, and stating that he would refer the matter to the Achaeans at their next congress, which was scheduled to take place six months later.
διὸ σαφῶς ἐπιγνόντες οἱ περὶ τὸν Σέξτον ἐθελοκακοῦντα τὸν Κριτόλαον καὶ δυσχεραίνοντες ἐπὶ τοῖς ἀπαντωμένοις τοὺς μὲν Λακεδαιμονίους ἀπέλυσαν εἰς τὴν οἰκείαν, αὐτοὶ δʼ ἐπανῆγον εἰς τὴν Ἰταλίαν, κατεγνωκότες ἄγνοιαν καὶ μανίαν τοῦ Κριτολάου.
Therefore, clearly perceiving that Critolaus was acting with deliberate bad faith, and being displeased at the state of affairs, Sextus and his colleagues dismissed the Lacedaemonians to their own country, and returned themselves to Italy, condemning the ignorance and madness of Critolaus.
ὁ δὲ Κριτόλαος χωρισθέντων τούτων ἐπιπορευόμενος κατὰ τὸν χειμῶνα τὰς πόλεις ἐκκλησίας συνῆγε, προφάσει μὲν χρώμενος ὅτι βούλεται τὰ ῥηθέντα πρὸς τοὺς Λακεδαιμονίους καὶ πρὸς τοὺς ἐν τῇ Τεγέᾳ διασαφεῖν αὐτοῖς, τῇ δʼ ἀληθείᾳ κατηγορίαν ποιούμενος Ῥωμαίων καὶ πᾶν τὸ λεγόμενον ὑπʼ ἐκείνων ἐπὶ τὸ χεῖρον ἐκδεχόμενος, ἐξ ὧν δυσμένειαν καὶ μῖσος ἐνειργάζετο τοῖς ὄχλοις.
After their departure, Critolaus went around the cities during the winter, calling assemblies, using the pretext that he wished to explain to them what had been said to the Lacedaemonians and to those in Tegea, but in reality making accusations against the Romans and interpreting everything said by them in the worst possible light, whereby he instilled hostility and hatred in the minds of the masses.
ἅμα δὲ τούτοις παρήγγειλε τοῖς ἄρχουσι μὴ πράττειν τοὺς ὀφειλέτας3 μηδὲ παραδέχεσθαι τοὺς ἀπαγομένους εἰς φυλακὴν πρὸς τὰ χρέα, τοὺς δʼ ἐράνους ἐπιμόνους ποιεῖν, ἕως ἂν λάβῃ τὰ τοῦ πολέμου κρίσιν.
At the same time, he ordered the magistrates not to exact payment from debtors, nor to receive into prison those arrested for debt, and to suspend the payment of loans until the affairs of the war should receive a decision.
λοιπὸν ἐκ τῆς τοιαύτης δημαγωγίας πᾶν τὸ λεγόμενον ὑπʼ αὐτοῦ πιστὸν ἐγίνετο, καὶ πρὸς πᾶν τὸ παραγγελλόμενον ἕτοιμον ἦν τὸ πλῆθος, περὶ μὲν τοῦ μέλλοντος ἀδυνατοῦν προνοεῖσθαι. τῇ δὲ παρʼ αὐτὰ χάριτι καὶ ῥᾳστώνῃ δελεαζόμενον.
Consequently, by such demagogy, everything he said became credible, and the multitude was ready for whatever was commanded, being unable to foresee the future, and being enticed by immediate favor and ease.
- 38.11.2παραγενομένων... ἐπισπασαμένων
This is a genitive absolute construction where τῶν περὶ τὸν Σέξτον acts as the subject, with which the two aorist participles παραγενομένων and ἐπισπασαμένων are coordinated.
- 38.11.5ἣν ἔδει γενέσθαι
The imperfect of the impersonal verb δεῖ (ἔδει) followed by the infinitive γενέσθαι expresses an objective arrangement or obligation ('which was scheduled to take place') from a past perspective.
- 38.11.10μὴ πράττειν τοὺς ὀφειλέτας
The verb πράττω is used here in the sense of 'to exact money or demand payment.' τοὺς ὀφειλέτας is the accusative object ('from the debtors'), and the phrase forms an infinitive clause dependent on the main verb παρήγγειλε (he ordered).