Alliance between Philip V and Scerdilaidas — Polybius, The Histories Book 4 (4.29.1–4.29.7), Greek & English

§4.29.1

Φίλιππος δὲ παραχειμάζων ἐν Μακεδονίᾳ κατέγραφε τὰς δυνάμεις πρὸς τὴν μέλλουσαν χρείαν ἐπιμελῶς, ἅμα δὲ τούτοις ἠσφαλίζετο τὰ πρὸς τοὺς ὑπερκειμένους τῆς Μακεδονίας βαρβάρους.

Philip, while wintering in Macedonia, diligently enlisted forces for future need, and at the same time secured his relations with the barbarians situated above Macedonia.

§4.29.2

μετὰ δὲ ταῦτα συνελθὼν πρὸς Σκερδιλαΐδαν καὶ τολμηρῶς δοὺς αὑτὸν εἰς τὰς χεῖρας, διελέγετο περὶ φιλίας καὶ συμμαχίας, καὶ τὰ μὲν ὑπισχνούμενος αὐτῷ συγκατασκευάσειν τῶν κατὰ τὴν Ἰλλυρίδα πραγμάτων, τὰ δὲ¹ κατηγορῶν τῶν Αἰτωλῶν, ὄντων εὐκατηγορήτων, ῥᾳδίως ἔπεισε συγχωρεῖν τοῖς παρακαλουμένοις.

After these things, having gone to meet Scerdilaidas and boldly placing himself in his hands, he conversed about friendship and alliance. And by promising, on the one hand, to help him establish his affairs in Illyria, and on the other hand, by accusing the Aetolians, who were indeed easy to accuse, he easily persuaded him to agree to the proposals.

§4.29.4

μήποτε² γὰρ οὐδὲν διαφέρει τὰ κατʼ ἰδίαν ἀδικήματα τῶν κοινῶν, ἀλλὰ πλήθει μόνον καὶ μεγέθει τῶν συμβαινόντων. καὶ γὰρ κατʼ ἰδίαν τὸ τῶν ῥᾳδιουργῶν καὶ κλεπτῶν φῦλον τούτῳ μάλιστα τῷ τρόπῳ σφάλλεται, τῷ μὴ ποιεῖν ἀλλήλοις τὰ δίκαια καὶ συλλήβδην διὰ τὰς εἰς αὑτοὺς ἀθεσίας. ὃ καὶ τότε συνέβη γενέσθαι περὶ τοὺς Αἰτωλούς.

For perhaps private wrongs differ in no way from public ones, except only in the multitude and magnitude of what happens. Indeed, in private life also, the tribe of villains and thieves is ruined chiefly in this way: by not acting justly toward one another, and in short, through their mutual perfidies. This is precisely what then happened to the Aetolians.

§4.29.5

συνθέμενοι γὰρ τῷ Σκερδιλαΐδᾳ δώσειν μέρος τι τῆς λείας, ἐὰν συνεισβάλῃ μετʼ αὐτῶν εἰς τὴν Ἀχαΐαν, πεισθέντος καὶ ποιήσαντος τοῦτο,³ διαρπάσαντες τὴν τῶν Κυναιθέων πόλιν, καὶ πολλὰ περιελασάμενοι σώματα καὶ θρέμματα, τὸν Σκερδιλαΐδαν οὐδενὸς μερίτην ἐποίησαν τῶν ἁλόντων.

For having agreed with Scerdilaidas to give him a certain share of the booty if he should join them in invading Achaea, when he was persuaded and did this, after plundering the city of the Cynaethans and driving away many captives and cattle, they made Scerdilaidas a sharer of nothing of what had been captured.

§4.29.7

διόπερ ὑποκαθημένης ἐκ τούτων αὐτῷ τῆς ὀργῆς, βραχέα προσαναμνήσαντος τοῦ Φιλίππου, ταχέως ὑπήκουσε καὶ συνέθετο μεθέξειν τῆς κοινῆς συμμαχίας, ἐφʼ ᾧ⁴ λαμβάνειν μὲν εἴκοσι τάλαντα κατʼ ἐνιαυτόν, πλεῖν δὲ λέμβοις τριάκοντα καὶ πολεμεῖν τοῖς Αἰτωλοῖς κατὰ θάλατταν.

Therefore, as resentment was harboring in him from these events, when Philip reminded him of them briefly, he quickly complied and agreed to participate in the common alliance, on the condition that he should receive twenty talents annually, and sail with thirty light boats and make war upon the Aetolians by sea.

Syntax notes4 items

4.29.3τὰ μὲν... τὰ δὲ...
This is an adverbial use of the neuter plural accusative, contrasting Philip's two persuasive approaches: "on the one hand..., on the other hand...".
4.29.4μήποτε
In Hellenistic Greek, such as Polybius, μήποτε functions as an introductory particle indicating a tentative statement or mild assertion ("perhaps" or "it may well be that").
4.29.5πεισθέντος καὶ ποιήσαντος τοῦτο
A genitive absolute construction where the implied subject is Scerdilaidas, previously mentioned in the dative. It asserts that he acted as agreed, contrasting with the subsequent betrayal by the Aetolians.
4.29.7ἐφʼ ᾧ
The preposition ἐπί with the relative pronoun ᾧ, followed by infinitives (λαμβάνειν, πλεῖν, πολεμεῖν), introduces the specific terms of the agreement ("on condition that").

Translated by Gemini 3.5 Flash (published 2026-05-25)urn:cts:greekLit:tlg0543.tlg001.humanitext-grc2:4.29.1-4.29.7