- 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-grc2:38.2.1-38.2.14
- Generated
- Humanitext Reader · reader.humanitext.ai · 2026-11-12
The author discusses the historical cases of Athens, Sparta, Mantinea, and Thebes, arguing that the hardships suffered by the Greek cities should be viewed as external 'accidents' rather than 'misfortunes' stemming from their own moral failures.
μέγιστον ἡ τύχη δοκεῖ φόβον ἐπιστῆσαι τοῖς Ἕλλησι κατὰ τὴν Ξέρξου διάβασιν εἰς τὴν Εὐρώπην· τότε γὰρ ἐκινδύνευσαν μὲν πάντες, ἔπταισαν δὲ τελέως ὀλίγιστοι, μάλιστα δὲ τούτων Ἀθηναῖοι·
Fortune seems to have brought the greatest fear upon the Greeks during Xerxes’ crossing into Europe; for then all indeed were in danger, but very few stumbled completely, and most of all among these, the Athenians;
προϊδόμενοι γὰρ ἐμφρόνως τὸ μέλλον ἐξέλιπον τὴν πατρίδα μετὰ τέκνων καὶ γυναικῶν.
for, prudently foreseeing the future, they abandoned their fatherland with their children and wives.
βλάβην μὲν οὖν ὁ καιρὸς αὐτοῖς ἐπήνεγκε· κύριοι γὰρ γενηθέντες οἱ βάρβαροι πικρῶς διέφθειραν τὰς Ἀθήνας· οὐ μὴν ὄνειδος οὐδʼ αἰσχύνην, τὸ δʼ ἐναντίον εὔκλειαν παρὰ πᾶσι τοῖς ἀνθρώποις τὴν μεγίστην ἀπηνέγκαντο διότι πάντʼ ἐν ἐλάττονι θέμενοι1 τῆς αὐτῆς τύχης εἵλαντο κοινωνεῖν τοῖς ἄλλοις Ἕλλησι.
An injury, indeed, the crisis brought upon them; for having become masters of the city, the barbarians severely destroyed Athens; however, they carried away not reproach nor shame, but on the contrary, the greatest glory among all men, because, considering all things of less account than sharing the same fortune, they chose to share the lot of the other Greeks.
τοιγαροῦν καλῇ χρησάμενοι προαιρέσει, παρὰ πόδας οὐ μόνον ἀνεκτήσαντο τὴν πατρίδα καὶ τὴν ἑαυτῶν χώραν, ἀλλὰ καὶ περὶ τῆς τῶν ἄλλων Ἑλλήνων ἡγεμονίας μετʼ ὀλίγον ἠμφισβήτουν πρὸς Λακεδαιμονίους.
Therefore, having made use of a noble choice, immediately they not only recovered their fatherland and their own territory, but also soon disputed with the Lacedaemonians for the leadership of the other Greeks.
μετὰ δὲ ταῦτα πάλιν ὑπὸ Σπαρτιατῶν καταπολεμηθέντες εἰς τοῦτʼ ἀνάγκης ἦλθον ὥστε καθελεῖν τὰ τείχη τῆς αὑτῶν πατρίδος.
And after this, having been defeated in war again by the Spartans, they came to such a point of necessity as to demolish the walls of their own fatherland.
ἀλλὰ καὶ τοῦτο Λακεδαιμονίων, οὐκ Ἀθηναίων2 ἄν τις εἶναι φήσειε τοὔγκλημα, διότι βαρύτερον ἐχρήσαντο τῇ δοθείσῃ σφίσι παρὰ τῆς τύχης ἐξουσίᾳ.
But even this, one would say, was the fault of the Lacedaemonians, not of the Athenians, because they made too harsh a use of the power granted to them by fortune.
Σπαρτιᾶται δʼ ἡττηθέντες ὑπὸ Θηβαίων πάλιν ἀπέβαλον τὴν τῶν Ἑλλήνων ἡγεμονίαν καὶ μετὰ ταῦτα τῆς τῶν ἐκτὸς ἀρχῆς ἀποστάντες συνεκλείσθησαν εἰς τοὺς τῆς Λακωνικῆς ὅρους.
But the Spartans, having been defeated by the Thebans, lost again the leadership of the Greeks, and after this, withdrawing from their rule over external affairs, were shut up within the borders of Laconia.
καὶ τί δὴ τοῦτʼ αἰσχρόν, εἰ περὶ τῶν καλλίστων ἀμφισβητοῦντες ἐπὶ τοσοῦτον ἔπταισαν ὥστε πάλιν ἐπὶ τὴν πάτριον ἀναχωρῆσαι δυναστείαν;
And what indeed is shameful in this, if, contending for the finest prizes, they stumbled to such an extent as to retreat again to their ancestral dominion?
διὸ τὰ γεγονότα ταῦτα συμπτώματα μὲν εἶναι φατέον, ἀτυχήματα δʼ οὐδαμῶς ῥητέον.3
Therefore, these occurrences must be called mishaps, but by no means must they be termed misfortunes.
Μαντινεῖς ἠναγκάσθησαν ἐκλιπεῖν τὴν πατρίδα διοικισθέντες ὑπὸ Λακεδαιμονίων καὶ διασπασθέντες οἰκῆσαι κατὰ κώμας·
The Mantineans were forced to leave their fatherland, being dispersed by the Lacedaemonians and scattered to dwell in villages;
ἀλλὰ πάντες ἐπὶ τούτοις οὐ τὴν τῶν Μαντινέων ἀβουλίαν, ἀλλὰ τὴν Λακεδαιμονίων ὠνείδιζον.
but all on this account blamed not the folly of the Mantineans, but the Lacedaemonians.
Θηβαῖοι μετά τινα χρόνον ἄρδην ἐπεῖδον τὴν αὑτῶν πατρίδα γενομένην ἀνάστατον, ὅτε προθέμενος Ἀλέξανδρος εἰς τὴν Ἀσίαν διαβαίνειν ὑπέλαβε διὰ τῆς εἰς Θηβαίους τιμωρίας τῷ φόβῳ φρουρήσειν τοὺς Ἕλληνας κατὰ τοὺς ἰδίους περισπασμούς·4
The Thebans, after some time, utterly witnessed their own fatherland laid waste, when Alexander, intending to cross into Asia, supposed that through the punishment of the Thebans he would hold the Greeks in check by fear during his own distractions;
ἀλλὰ τότε πάντες ἠλέουν μὲν τοὺς Θηβαίους ὡς ἄδικα καὶ δεινὰ πεπονθότας, διεδικαίου δὲ τὴν πρᾶξιν ταύτην οὐδεὶς
but then all pitied the Thebans as having suffered unjust and terrible things, but no one justified this action...
- 38.2.4πάντʼ ἐν ἐλάττονι θέμενοι
The idiomatic expression ἐν ἐλάττονι τίθεσθαι (to place in a lower position, to value less) is followed by the genitive of comparison τῆς αὐτῆς τύχης κοινωνεῖν (sharing the same fortune). The phrase means 'considering all things of less account than sharing the same lot.'
- 38.2.7Λακεδαιμονίων, οὐκ Ἀθηναίων
A genitive of possession or belonging used with the copulative infinitive εἶναι. In this context, it indicates that the subject τοὔγκλημα (the charge/fault) belongs to (or is to be imputed to) the Lacedaemonians and not the Athenians.
- 38.2.10συμπτώματα μὲν εἶναι φατέον, ἀτυχήματα δʼ οὐδαμῶς ῥητέον
A crucial conceptual contrast in Polybian historiography. The author distinguishes between ἀτυχήματα (misfortunes or failures resulting from one's own moral errors or misjudgments) and συμπτώματα (accidental mishaps or disasters brought about by external, unavoidable circumstances).
- 38.2.13καὰ τοὺς ἰδίους περισπασμούς
The noun περισπασμός means 'distraction' or 'being drawn away.' Here, it refers to the period when Alexander himself was occupied with his major external affairs (specifically, his Asiatic campaign) and could not focus his direct attention on Greece.