- 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-grc2:39.1.1-39.1.12
- Generated
- Humanitext Reader · reader.humanitext.ai · 2026-11-12
This passage details Aulus Postumius's excessive obsession with Greek culture, Cato the Elder's sharp criticism of his apologetic historical preface, and Postumius's cowardly conduct during a Greek military campaign.
ὅτι Αὖλος Ποστόμιος ἄξιος γέγονεν ἐπισημασίας ἀπεντεῦθεν.
That Aulus Postumius became worthy of note from this time on.
οἰκίας μὲν γὰρ ἦν καὶ γένους πρώτου, κατὰ δὲ τὴν ἰδίαν φύσιν στωμύλος καὶ λάλος καὶ πέρπερος διαφερόντως.
For he was of a leading house and family, but in his personal character he was remarkably talkative, loquacious, and boastful.
ἐπιθυμήσας δʼ εὐθέως ἐκ παίδων τῆς Ἑλληνικῆς ἀγωγῆς καὶ διαλέκτου πολὺς μὲν ἦν ἐν τούτοις καὶ κατακορής,1 ὥστε διʼ ἐκεῖνον καὶ τὴν αἵρεσιν τὴν Ἑλληνικὴν προσκόψαι τοῖς πρεσβυτέροις καὶ τοῖς ἀξιολογωτάτοις τῶν Ῥωμαίων, τέλος δὲ καὶ ποίημα γράφειν καὶ πραγματικὴν ἱστορίαν ἐνεχείρησεν, ἐν ᾗ διὰ τοῦ προοιμίου παρεκάλει τοὺς ἐντυγχάνοντας συγγνώμην ἔχειν, ἐὰν Ῥωμαῖος ὢν μὴ δύνηται κατακρατεῖν τῆς Ἑλληνικῆς διαλέκτου καὶ τῆς κατὰ τὸν χειρισμὸν οἰκονομίας.
Having immediately from childhood desired the Greek education and language, he was much occupied in these and carried them to excess, with the result that, because of him, even the Greek preference became offensive to the elders and the most distinguished of the Romans. And finally he even undertook to write a poem and a pragmatic history, in the preface of which he entreated his readers to have indulgence if, being a Roman, he was unable to master the Greek language and the economy of its handling.
πρὸς ὃν οἰκείως ἀπηντηκέναι δοκεῖ Μάρκος Πόρκιος Κάτων· θαυμάζειν γὰρ ἔφη πρὸς τίνα λόγον ποιεῖται τοιαύτην παραίτησιν.
To him Marcus Porcius Cato seems to have replied appropriately; for he said he wondered for what reason he made such an entreaty for indulgence.
εἰ μὲν γὰρ αὐτῷ τὸ τῶν Ἀμφικτυόνων συνέδριον συνέταττε γράφειν ἱστορίαν, ἴσως ἔδει προφέρεσθαι ταῦτα καὶ παραιτεῖσθαι·
For if the council of the Amphictyons had ordered him to write a history, it would perhaps have been necessary to put forward these excuses and ask for indulgence;
μηδεμιᾶς δʼ ἀνάγκης οὔσης ἐθελοντὴν ἀπογράψασθαι κἄπειτα παραιτεῖσθαι2 συγγνώμην ἔχειν, ἐὰν βαρβαρίζῃ, τῆς ἁπάσης ἀτοπίας εἶναι σημεῖον, καὶ παραπλησίως ἄχρηστον ὡσανεί τις εἰς τοὺς γυμνικοὺς ἀγῶνας ἀπογραψάμενος πυγμὴν ἢ παγκράτιον, παρελθὼν εἰς τὸ στάδιον, ὅτε δέοι μάχεσθαι, παραιτοῖτο τοὺς θεωμένους συγγνώμην ἔχειν, ἐὰν μὴ δύνηται μήτε τὸν πόνον ὑπομένειν μήτε τὰς πληγάς.
but when there was no necessity, to register voluntarily and then ask to have indulgence if he should write in a barbarous tongue, is a sign of absolute absurdity, and is just as useless as if someone, having registered for boxing or the pancratium in the athletic games, should enter the stadium and, when it is time to fight, entreat the spectators to have indulgence if he cannot endure either the exertion or the blows.
δῆλον γὰρ ὡς εἰκὸς γέλωτα τὸν τοιοῦτον ὀφλεῖν καὶ τὴν δίκην ἐκ χειρὸς λαμβάνειν· ὅπερ ἔδει καὶ τοὺς τοιούτους ἱστοριογράφους, ἵνα μὴ κατετόλμων τοῦ καλῶς ἔχοντος.
For it is clear that such a person would naturally incur ridicule and receive punishment on the spot; which is what ought to have happened to such historians as well, so that they would not make bold with what is fine.
παραπλησίως δὲ καὶ κατὰ τὸν λοιπὸν βίον ἐζηλώκει τὰ χείριστα τῶν Ἑλληνικῶν· καὶ γὰρ φιλήδονος ἦν καὶ φυγόπονος.
And in like manner throughout the rest of his life he had emulated the worst of the Greeks; for he was pleasure-loving and shunned labor.
τοῦτο δʼ ἔσται δῆλον ἐξ αὐτῶν τῶν ἐνεστώτων· ὃς πρῶτος παρὼν3 ἐν τοῖς κατὰ τὴν Ἑλλάδα τόποις, καθʼ ὃν καιρὸν συνέβαινε γίνεσθαι τὴν ἐν Φωκίδι μάχην, σκηψάμενος ἀσθένειαν εἰς Θήβας ἀνεχώρησεν χάριν τοῦ μὴ μετασχεῖν τοῦ κινδύνου·
And this will be clear from the very events of the time; who, being the first to be present in the parts of Greece at the time when the battle in Phocis happened to take place, retreated to Thebes on the pretext of illness in order not to share in the danger;
συντελεσθείσης δὲ τῆς μάχης πρῶτος ἔγραψε τῇ συγκλήτῳ περὶ τοῦ κατορθώματος, προσδιασαφῶν τὰ κατὰ μέρος, ὡς μετεσχηκὼς αὐτὸς τῶν ἀγώνων. —
but when the battle was over, he was the first to write to the senate concerning the success, specifying the details in part as if he had himself taken part in the contests.
- 39.1.3πολὺς μὲν ἦν ἐν τούτοις καὶ κατακορής
The adjective πολύς is used with the copula to mean "to be much occupied in" or "devoted to" something. Together with κατακορής ("satiated", "excessive"), it predicatively emphasizes Postumius's obsessive immersion in Greek culture.
- 39.1.7μηδεμιᾶς δʼ ἀνάγκης οὔσης ἐθελοντὴν ἀπογράψασθαι κἄπειτα παραιτεῖσθαι
Following the genitive absolute μηδεμιᾶς ἀνάγκης οὔσης, the infinitives ἀπογράψασθαι and παραιτεῖσθαι (with their subject accusative omitted) are part of the indirect discourse governed by ἔφη in §39.1.5, functioning as the subject of εἶναι in §39.1.8.
- 39.1.11ὃς πρῶτος παρὼν
The relative pronoun ὅς is placed at the beginning of the clause without an antecedent, functioning like a coordinating relative ("and he"). πρῶτος is used predicatively with the participle παρὼν, meaning "being the very first to be present" or "although he was first on the spot."
Translated by Gemini 3.5 Flash (published 2026-05-25) · Revision history (1, latest 2026-10-09)
- 2026-10-09 Collated with the printed edition — source 1