- 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-grc2:4.3.1-4.3.13
- Generated
- Humanitext Reader · reader.humanitext.ai · 2026-11-10
As the Aetolians seek opportunities for plunder following the accession of the young Macedonian King Philip, their emissary Dorimachus permits pirates to raid their ally Messenia and insolently dismisses the victims' protests.
Αἰτωλοὶ πάλαι μὲν δυσχερῶς ἔφερον τὴν εἰρήνην καὶ τὰς ἀπὸ τῶν ἰδίων ὑπαρχόντων δαπάνας, ὡς ἂν εἰθισμένοι1 μὲν ζῆν ἀπὸ τῶν πέλας, δεόμενοι δὲ πολλῆς χορηγίας διὰ τὴν ἔμφυτον ἀλαζονείαν, ᾗ δουλεύοντες ἀεὶ πλεονεκτικὸν καὶ θηριώδη ζῶσι βίον, οὐδὲν οἰκεῖον, πάντα δʼ ἡγούμενοι πολέμια.
The Aetolians had long been dissatisfied with peace and with spending from their own resources, as they were accustomed to live at the expense of their neighbours, and needed large supplies because of their innate arrogance; enslaved to which, they always led a greedy and beast-like life, regarding nothing as friendly, but everything as hostile.
οὐ μὴν ἀλλὰ τὸν πρὸ τοῦ χρόνον, ἕως Ἀντίγονος ἔζη, δεδιότες Μακεδόνας ἦγον ἡσυχίαν.
Nevertheless, in the preceding period, as long as Antigonus lived, they kept quiet out of fear of the Macedonians.
ἐπειδὴ δʼ ἐκεῖνος μετήλλαξε τὸν βίον, παῖδα καταλιπὼν Φίλιππον, καταφρονήσαντες ἐζήτουν ἀφορμὰς καὶ προφάσεις τῆς εἰς Πελοπόννησον ἐπιπλοκῆς, ἀγόμενοι κατὰ τὸ παλαιὸν ἔθος ἐπὶ τὰς ἐκ ταύτης ἁρπαγάς, ἅμα δὲ καὶ νομίζοντες ἀξιόχρεως εἶναι σφᾶς2 πρὸς τὸ πολεμεῖν αὐτοῖς Ἀχαιοῖς.
But when he departed this life, leaving behind his son Philip, who was still a child, they looked down on him and sought opportunities and pretexts for intervention in the Peloponnese, being drawn by their ancient custom to plundering from it, and at the same time believing themselves to be a match for the Achaeans themselves in war.
ὄντες δʼ ἐπὶ ταύτης τῆς προθέσεως, βραχέα ταὐτομάτου σφίσι συνεργήσαντος ἔλαβον ἀφορμὰς πρὸς τὴν ἐπιβολὴν τοιαύτας.
While they were of this intention, chance co-operated with them slightly, and they obtained the following opportunities for their enterprise.
Δωρίμαχος ὁ Τριχωνεὺς ἦν μὲν υἱὸς Νικοστράτου τοῦ παρασπονδήσαντος τὴν τῶν Παμβοιωτίων πανήγυριν, νέος δʼ ὢν καὶ πλήρης Αἰτωλικῆς ὁρμῆς καὶ πλεονεξίας ἐξαπεστάλη κατὰ κοινὸν εἰς τὴν τῶν Φιγαλέων πόλιν, ἥτις ἐστὶ μὲν ἐν Πελοποννήσῳ, κεῖται δὲ πρὸς τοῖς τῶν Μεσσηνίων ὅροις, ἐτύγχανε δὲ τότε συμπολιτευομένη τοῖς Αἰτωλοῖς, λόγῳ μὲν παραφυλάξων τήν τε χώραν καὶ τὴν πόλιν τῶν Φιγαλέων, ἔργῳ δὲ κατασκόπου τάξιν ἔχων τῶν ἐν Πελοποννήσῳ πραγμάτων.
Dorimachus of Trichonium was the son of Nicostratus, who had violated the treaty of the Pamboeotian festival; being young and full of Aetolian impulse and greed, he was sent on a public mission to the city of the Phigalians, which is in the Peloponnese and lies on the borders of the Messenians, and happened at that time to be in political alliance with the Aetolians, ostensibly to guard the territory and the city of the Phigalians, but in reality holding the position of a spy on the affairs in the Peloponnese.
συνδραμόντων δὲ πειρατῶν, καὶ παραγενομένων πρὸς αὐτὸν εἰς τὴν Φιγάλειαν, οὐκ ἔχων τούτοις ἀπὸ τοῦ δικαίου3 συμπαρασκευάζειν ὠφελείας, διὰ τὸ μένειν ἔτι τότε τὴν κοινὴν εἰρήνην τοῖς Ἕλλησι τὴν ὑπʼ Ἀντιγόνου συντελεσθεῖσαν, τέλος ἀπορούμενος ἐπέτρεψε τοῖς πειραταῖς λῄζεσθαι τὰ τῶν Μεσσηνίων θρέμματα, φίλων ὄντων καὶ συμμάχων.
When pirates flocked there and joined him at Phigalia, as he was unable to provide them with plunder by lawful means because the general peace among the Greeks, concluded by Antigonus, was still in force at that time, at last in his embarrassment he permitted the pirates to drive off the cattle of the Messenians, although they were friends and allies.
τὸ μὲν οὖν πρῶτον ἠδίκουν τὰ περὶ τὰς ἐσχατιὰς ποίμνια, μετὰ δὲ ταῦτα, προβαινούσης τῆς ἀπονοίας, ἐνεχείρησαν καὶ τὰς ἐπὶ τῶν ἀγρῶν οἰκίας ἐκκόπτειν, ἀνυπονοήτως τὰς νύκτας ἐπιφαινόμενοι.
At first, then, they only injured the flocks near the border, but afterwards, as their lawlessness advanced, they attempted even to plunder the houses in the fields, appearing unexpectedly by night.
τῶν δὲ Μεσσηνίων ἐπὶ τούτοις ἀγανακτούντων καὶ διαπρεσβευομένων πρὸς τὸν Δωρίμαχον, τὰς μὲν ἀρχὰς4 παρήκουε, βουλόμενος τὰ μὲν ὠφελεῖν τοὺς ὑπʼ αὐτὸν ταττομένους, τὰ δʼ αὐτὸς ὠφελεῖσθαι, μερίτης γινόμενος τῶν λαμβανομένων.
When the Messenians became indignant at this and sent embassies to Dorimachus, at first he ignored them, wishing on the one hand to benefit those under his command, and on the other hand to benefit himself by taking a share of the plunder.
πλεοναζούσης δὲ τῆς παρουσίας τῶν πρεσβειῶν διὰ τὴν συνέχειαν τῶν ἀδικημάτων, αὐτὸς ἥξειν ἐπὶ τὴν Μεσσήνην ἔφη, δικαιολογησόμενος πρὸς τοὺς ἐγκαλοῦντας τοῖς Αἰτωλοῖς.
But when, owing to the continuity of the outrages, the visits of the embassies became frequent, he said that he would come to Messene in person to plead his cause against those who accused the Aetolians.
ἐπειδὴ δὲ παρεγένετο, προσπορευομένων αὐτῷ τῶν ἠδικημένων, τοὺς μὲν διέσυρε χλευάζων, τῶν δὲ κατανίστατο, τοὺς δʼ ἐξέπληττε λοιδορῶν.
When he arrived, and the victims of the injuries came to him, he treated some with mocking derision, browbeat others, and terrified yet others with abusive language.
- 4.3.1ὡς ἂν εἰθισμένοι
The conjunction ὡς combined with ἄν modifies the perfect participle εἰθισμένοι, introducing a subjective or potential reason. It serves to emphasize the Aetolians' internal motivation or pretext of being accustomed to a predatory lifestyle.
- 4.3.3νομίζοντες ἀξιόχρεως εἶναι σφᾶς
The accusative of the reflexive pronoun σφᾶς (third-person plural) is used as the subject of the infinitive εἶναι. While the subject of an infinitive is normally omitted when identical to that of the governing verb (here νομίζοντες), the pronoun is explicitly expressed here for contrastive emphasis on themselves.
- 4.3.8ἀπὸ τοῦ δικαίου
The preposition ἀπό with the genitive of the neuter noun τὸ δίκαιον is used adverbially to mean "by lawful means" or "justly." It highlights the legal constraints under which Dorimachus operated due to the active common peace treaty.
- 4.3.11τὰς μὲν ἀρχὰς
Although the accusative plural of the noun ἀρχή, this is used here as an adverbial accusative (accusative of time) meaning "at first" or "in the beginning."