- 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-grc2:4.27.1-4.27.10
- Generated
- Humanitext Reader · reader.humanitext.ai · 2026-11-10
The author criticizes the Aetolians for electing Scopas as general despite their lawless actions, comparing their hypocrisy to historical examples of Lacedaemonian policy. Meanwhile, King Philip returns to Macedonia to prepare for war, leaving all Greeks with high hopes of his royal clemency.
κατὰ δὲ τοὺς αὐτοὺς καιροὺς Αἰτωλοί, συνάψαντος τοῦ τῶν ἀρχαιρεσίων χρόνου, στρατηγὸν αὑτῶν εἵλοντο Σκόπαν, ὃς ἐγεγόνει πάντων τῶν προειρημένων ἀδικημάτων αἴτιος.
At about the same time, as the time for the elections was drawing near, the Aetolians chose as their general Scopas, who had been the cause of all the aforementioned outrages.
ὑπὲρ ὧν οὐκ οἶδα πῶς χρὴ λέγειν. τὸ γὰρ κοινῷ μὲν δόγματι μὴ πολεμεῖν, πανδημεὶ δὲ στρατεύοντας ἄγειν καὶ φέρειν τὰ τῶν πέλας, καὶ κολάζειν μὲν μηδένα τῶν αἰτίων, στρατηγοὺς δʼ αἱρεῖσθαι καὶ τιμᾶν τοὺς προεστῶτας τῶν τοιούτων ἔργων, ἐμοὶ μὲν δοκεῖ τῆς πάσης γέμειν κακοπραγμοσύνης·
Concerning these things, I do not know how I should speak. For, not to wage war by common decree, but, marching out in full force, to plunder and ravage the property of neighbors, and to punish none of the culprits, but to choose as generals and honor those who preside over such deeds, seems to me to be full of utter wickedness.
τί γὰρ ἂν ἄλλο τις τὰς τοιαύτας κακίας ὀνομάσειε; δῆλον δʼ ἔσται τὸ λεγόμενον ἐκ τούτων.
For what else could one call such vices? What I mean will be clear from the following examples.
Λακεδαιμόνιοι τὴν Καδμείαν Φοιβίδου παρασπονδήσαντος τὸν μὲν αἴτιον ἐζημίωσαν, τὴν δὲ φρουρὰν οὐκ ἐξήγαγον, ὥσπερ λυομένης τῆς ἀδικίας διὰ τῆς τοῦ πράξαντος βλάβης, παρὸν1 τἀναντία ποιεῖν· τοῦτο γὰρ διέφερε τοῖς Θηβαίοις.
The Lacedaemonians, when Phoebidas violated the treaty by seizing the Cadmea, fined the culprit but did not withdraw the garrison, as if the injustice were undone by the punishment of the doer, although it was possible for them to do the opposite; for this latter was what mattered to the Thebans.
πάλιν ἐκήρυττον ἀφιέντες τὰς πόλεις ἐλευθέρας καὶ αὐτονόμους κατὰ τὴν ἐπʼ Ἀνταλκίδου γενομένην εἰρήνην, τοὺς δʼ ἁρμοστὰς οὐκ ἐξῆγον ἐκ τῶν πόλεων.
Again, they proclaimed that they were leaving the cities free and autonomous according to the Peace of Antalcidas, yet they did not withdraw their harmosts from the cities.
Μαντινεῖς φίλους ὄντας καὶ συμμάχους ἀναστάτους ποιήσαντες οὐκ ἔφασαν ἀδικεῖν, ἐκ μιᾶς πόλεως εἰς πλείους αὐτοὺς διοικίσαντες, ἀνοίᾳ μετὰ κακίας χρησάμενοι προφανῶς διὰ τὸ δοκεῖν, ἐάν τις αὐτὸς ἐπιμύῃ, μηδὲ τοὺς πέλας ὁρᾶν.2
And after expelling the Mantineans, who were their friends and allies, they denied that they were doing any wrong, by dispersing them from a single city into several villages, manifestly displaying folly combined with wickedness, because they seemed to think that if one shuts one’s own eyes, not even one’s neighbors can see.
ἀμφοτέροις τοίνυν ὁ ζῆλος οὗτος τῆς πολιτείας αἴτιος κατέστη τῶν μεγίστων συμπτωμάτων· ὃν οὐδαμῶς οὐδαμῇ ζηλωτέον οὔτε κατʼ ἰδίαν οὔτε κοινῇ τοὺς ὀρθῶς βουλευομένους.3
Therefore, this style of policy became the cause of the greatest disasters to both of them; a policy which those who deliberate rightly should by no means emulate in any way, whether in private or in public.
ὁ δὲ βασιλεὺς Φίλιππος χρηματίσας τοῖς Ἀχαιοῖς ἀνέζευξε μετὰ τῆς δυνάμεως ἐπὶ Μακεδονίας, σπεύδων ἐπὶ τὴν παρασκευὴν τῶν πρὸς τὴν πόλεμον, οὐ μόνον τοῖς συμμάχοις, ἀλλὰ πᾶσι τοῖς Ἕλλησι διὰ τοῦ προειρημένου ψηφίσματος καλὰς ἐλπίδας ὑποδεικνύων πρᾳότητος καὶ μεγαλοψυχίας βασιλικῆς.
King Philip, having transacted his business with the Achaeans, set out with his army for Macedonia, hastening his preparations for the war, holding out fair hopes of royal clemency and magnanimity, not only to the allies, but to all the Greeks through the aforementioned decree.
- 4.27.4παρὸν
Accusative absolute of the impersonal verb πάρεστι (it is possible) in the neuter singular present participle. It expresses a concessive meaning: "although it was possible to do the opposite." While typical absolute constructions use the genitive, impersonal verbs take the accusative.
- 4.27.7μηδὲ τοὺς πέλας ὁρᾶν
Infinitive clause dependent on the preceding δοκεῖν. The subject of the infinitive ὁρᾶν is τοὺς πέλας (neighbors), while the omitted object refers back to τις (the person who shuts his eyes) from the conditional clause, meaning "that not even their neighbors can see (them)."
- 4.27.8ὃν ... ζηλωτέον ... τοὺς ὀρθῶς βουλευομένους
Impersonal construction with the verbal adjective ζηλωτέον (to be emulated). Although the agent of a verbal adjective is typically expressed in the dative, here the accusative τοὺς ὀρθῶς βουλευομένους is used as the agent ("by those who deliberate rightly"), a construction characteristic of later Greek.