- 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-grc2:38.4.1-38.4.9
- Generated
- Humanitext Reader · reader.humanitext.ai · 2026-11-12
The author argues for the critical importance of pursuing truth in historical writing, asserting that historians must write objectively for the moral instruction of posterity without distorting facts out of temporary considerations or fear of offense.
ὑπὲρ ὧν οὐ δεήσει θαυμάζειν ἐὰν παρεκβαίνοντες τὸ τῆς ἱστορικῆς διηγήσεως ἦθος ἐπιδεικτικωτέραν καὶ φιλοτιμοτέραν φαινώμεθα ποιούμενοι1 περὶ αὐτῶν τὴν ἀπαγγελίαν.
Concerning these matters, there will be no need to wonder if, deviating from the character of historical narrative, we appear to make our presentation of them more showy and elaborate.
καίτοι τινὲς ἴσως ἐπιτιμήσουσιν ἡμῖν ὡς φιλαπεχθῶς ποιουμένοις τὴν γραφήν, οἷς καθῆκον ἦν2 μάλιστα πάντων περιστέλλειν τὰς τῶν Ἑλλήνων ἁμαρτίας.
And yet some will perhaps censure us as writing out of a love of hostility—us, for whom it was a duty most of all to cover up the errors of the Greeks.
ἐγὼ δʼ οὔτε φίλον οὐδέποτʼ ἂν ὑπολαμβάνω γνήσιον νομισθῆναι3 παρὰ τοῖς ὀρθῶς φρονοῦσι τὸν δεδιότα καὶ φοβούμενον τοὺς μετὰ παρρησίας λόγους, καὶ μὴν οὐδὲ πολίτην ἀγαθὸν τὸν ἐγκαταλείποντα τὴν ἀλήθειαν διὰ τὴν ἐσομένην ὑπʼ ἐνίων προσκοπὴν παρʼ αὐτὸν τὸν καιρόν·
But for my part, I do not suppose that a man who fears and dreads words spoken with frankness would ever be considered a genuine friend by those who think rightly, nor indeed that one who abandons the truth because of the offense that will be taken by some at the very moment would be considered a good citizen;
συγγραφέα δὲ κοινῶν πράξεων οὐδʼ ὅλως ἀποδεκτέον τὸν ἄλλο τι περὶ πλείονος ποιούμενον τῆς ἀληθείας.
and a writer of general history who values anything else above the truth is not to be accepted at all.
ὅσῳ γὰρ εἰς πλείους διατείνει καὶ ἐπὶ πλείω χρόνον ἡ διὰ τῶν ὑπομνημάτων παράδοσις τῶν πρὸς καιρὸν λεγομένων,4 τοσούτῳ χρὴ μᾶλλον καὶ τὸν γράφοντα περὶ πλείστου ποιεῖσθαι τὴν ἀλήθειαν καὶ τοὺς ἀκούοντας ἀποδέχεσθαι τὴν τοιαύτην αἵρεσιν.
For the more the transmission through historical records extends to more people and over a longer time than words spoken for the moment, so much the more must the writer also value truth above all, and the hearers accept such a principle.
κατὰ μὲν γὰρ τοὺς τῶν περιστάσεων καιροὺς καθήκει βοηθεῖν τοὺς Ἕλληνας ὄντας τοῖς Ἕλλησι κατὰ πάντα τρόπον, τὰ μὲν ἀμύνοντας, τὰ δὲ περιστέλλοντας, τὰ δὲ παραιτουμένους τὴν τῶν κρατούντων ὀργήν· ὅπερ ἡμεῖς ἐπʼ αὐτῶν τῶν πραγμάτων ἐποιήσαμεν ἀληθινῶς·
For during times of critical circumstances, it is fitting for those who are Greeks to help Greeks in every way, partly by defending them, partly by covering up their errors, and partly by deprecating the anger of the rulers—which indeed we did in actual fact.
τὴν δʼ ὑπὲρ τῶν γεγονότων τοῖς ἐπιγινομένοις διὰ τῶν ὑπομνημάτων παράδοσιν ἀμιγῆ παντὸς ψεύδους ἀπολείπεσθαι5 χάριν τοῦ μὴ ταῖς ἀκοαῖς τέρπεσθαι κατὰ τὸ παρὸν τοὺς ἀναγινώσκοντας, ἀλλὰ ταῖς ψυχαῖς διορθοῦσθαι πρὸς τὸ μὴ πλεονάκις ἐν τοῖς αὐτοῖς διασφάλλεσθαι.
But the transmission concerning past events left to posterity through records must be free of all falsehood, so that the readers may not be pleased in their ears for the present, but may be corrected in their souls, so as not to stumble repeatedly in the same errors.
καὶ περὶ μὲν τούτων ἐπὶ τοσοῦτον ἡμῖν εἰρήσθω.
And concerning these matters, let this suffice.
- 38.4.1ἐὰν ... φαινώμεθα ποιούμενοι
The subjunctive verb φαινώμεθα is accompanied by the supplementary participle ποιούμενοι. While φαίνομαι with a participle generally indicates an obvious fact ('we are clearly making'), as opposed to φαίνομαι with an infinitive indicating appearance ('we seem to make'), here it expresses the subjective impression or evaluation perceived by the readers.
- 38.4.2οἷς καθῆκον ἦν
The relative pronoun οἷς (dative) refers back to the antecedent ἡμῖν ('us') in the main clause. It functions as the dative of reference or agent with the impersonal expression formed by the neuter participle καθῆκον and the past copula ἦν ('it was a duty').
- 38.4.3οὔτε φίλον οὐδέποτʼ ἂν ὑπολαμβάνω γνήσιον νομισθῆναι
The particle ἂν does not modify the main verb ὑπολαμβάνω (present indicative) but rather the infinitive νομισθῆναι in the accusative-and-infinitive construction, expressing potentiality ('would be considered'). The subject of the infinitive is τὸν δεδιότα ..., and φίλον γνήσιον serves as its predicate accusative.
- 38.4.6τῶν πρὸς καιρὸν λεγομένων
Genitive of comparison. It contrasts the scope (temporal and spatial) to which 'the transmission through historical records' (ἡ διὰ τῶν ὑπομνημάτων παράδοσις) extends, compared to that of 'words spoken for the occasion' (τῶν πρὸς καιρὸν λεγομένων).
- 38.4.8τὴν δʼ ὑπὲρ τῶν γεγονότων ... παράδοσιν ... ἀπολείπεσθαι
An accusative-and-infinitive construction consisting of the accusative παράδοσιν and the passive infinitive ἀπολείπεσθαι. Rather than being an independent clause, it inherits the sense of obligation or necessity from χρή ('must') in §38.4.6 or καθήκει ('it is fitting') in §38.4.7.