- 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-grc2:4.30.1-4.30.8
- Generated
- Humanitext Reader · reader.humanitext.ai · 2026-11-10
Upon receiving the allied envoys, the Acarnanians bravely approved the war against the Aetolians despite their vulnerable bordering position, whereas the Epeirots adopted a cowardly, opportunistic, and double-faced stance.
ὁ μὲν οὖν Φίλιππος περὶ ταῦτα διέτριβεν. οἱ δʼ ἐξαποσταλέντες πρέσβεις πρὸς τοὺς συμμάχους, ἀφικόμενοι πρῶτον εἰς Ἀκαρνανίαν ἐνετύγχανον τούτοις.
Philip, then, was occupied with these matters. But the envoys who had been dispatched to the allies, having arrived first in Acarnania, met with them.
οἱ δʼ Ἀκαρνᾶνες τό τε δόγμα γνησίως συνεπεκύρωσαν καὶ τὸν ἀπὸ χώρας πόλεμον ἐξήνεγκαν τοῖς Αἰτωλοῖς· καίπερ τούτοις, εἰ καί τισιν ἑτέροις,1 δίκαιον ἦν συγγνώμην ἔχειν, ὑπερτιθεμένοις καὶ καταμέλλουσι καὶ καθόλου δεδιόσι τὸν ἀπὸ τῶν ἀστυγειτόνων πόλεμον, καὶ διὰ τὸ παρακεῖσθαι μὲν συντερμονοῦντας τῇ τῶν Αἰτωλῶν χώρᾳ, πολὺ δὲ μᾶλλον διὰ τὸ κατʼ ἰδίαν2 εὐχειρώτους ὑπάρχειν, τὸ δὲ μέγιστον διὰ τὸ μικροῖς ἔμπροσθεν χρόνοις πεῖραν εἰληφέναι τῶν δεινοτάτων διὰ τὴν πρὸς Αἰτωλοὺς ἀπέχθειαν.
The Acarnanians genuinely ratified the decree and declared active war against the Aetolians; although it was just to have excuse for them, if for any others, even if they had postponed and delayed and generally feared the war with their neighbors, both because of their situated adjacent bordering on the territory of the Aetolians, and much more because they were easily vulnerable in private, and greatest of all because they had experienced the most terrible calamities a short time before due to their hatred toward the Aetolians.
ἀλλά μοι δοκοῦσιν οἱ γνήσιοι τῶν ἀνδρῶν καὶ κοινῇ καὶ κατʼ ἰδίαν οὐδέποτε περὶ πλείονος οὐθὲν ποιεῖσθαι τοῦ καθήκοντος· ὅπερ Ἀκαρνᾶνες ἐν τοῖς πλείστοις καιροῖς οὐδενὸς τῶν Ἑλλήνων ἧττον εὑρίσκονται διατετηρηκότες, καίπερ ἀπὸ μικρᾶς ὁρμώμενοι δυνάμεως.
But to me it seems that honorable men, both publicly and privately, never value anything more than duty; which the Acarnanians, in most occasions, are found to have maintained no less than any of the Greeks, although setting out from small power.
οἷς οὐκ ὀκνητέον κατὰ τὰς περιστάσεις κοινωνεῖν πραγμάτων, σπευστέον δὲ μᾶλλον, εἰ καί τισιν ἑτέροις τῶν Ἑλλήνων· καὶ γὰρ ἰδίᾳ καὶ κοινῇ στάσιμον ἔχουσί τι καὶ φιλελεύθερον.
with whom one should not hesitate to share affairs during crises, but rather should strive to do so, if with any other of the Greeks; for both privately and publicly they possess something stable and liberty-loving.
Ἠπειρῶται δʼ ἐκ παραθέσεως3 διακούσαντες τῶν πρέσβεων τὸ μὲν δόγμα παραπλησίως ἐπεκύρωσαν, τὸν δὲ πόλεμον ἐκφέρειν ἐψηφίσαντο τοῖς Αἰτωλοῖς, ἐπειδὰν καὶ Φίλιππος ὁ βασιλεὺς ἐξενέγκῃ.
The Epeirots, by contrast, having heard the envoys through, ratified the decree in a similar manner, but voted to declare war on the Aetolians when King Philip also should declare it.
τοῖς δὲ παρὰ τῶν Αἰτωλῶν πρεσβευταῖς ἀπεκρίθησαν ὅτι δέδοκται τοῖς Ἠπειρώταις διατηρεῖν πρὸς αὐτοὺς τὴν εἰρήνην, ἀγεννῶς καὶ ποικίλως χρώμενοι τοῖς πράγμασιν.
And to the envoys from the Aetolians they replied that it was decided by the Epeirots to maintain peace with them, acting ignobly and double-facedly in these matters.
ἀπεστάλησαν δὲ καὶ πρὸς βασιλέα Πτολεμαῖον πρέσβεις οἱ παρακαλέσοντες4 αὐτὸν μήτε χρήματα πέμπειν τοῖς Αἰτωλοῖς μήτʼ ἄλλο μηδὲν χορηγεῖν κατὰ Φιλίππου καὶ τῶν
And envoys were also dispatched to King Ptolemy, who were to urge him neither to send money to the Aetolians nor to supply anything else against Philip and the
- 4.30.2εἰ καί τισιν ἑτέροις
An idiomatic Greek expression meaning "if to any others [an excuse is due, then surely to them]," serving as a strong emphasis. Here it points out that the Acarnanians, directly exposed to the threat of the neighboring Aetolians, would have had more justification than anyone else for sympathy or excuse had they delayed or feared the war.
- 4.30.3κατʼ ἰδίαν
An adverbial phrase meaning "individually" or "on their own." It explains that the Acarnanians, if left to their own single-handed resources without allied assistance, were in a highly vulnerable (εὐχειρώτους) position against the Aetolians.
- 4.30.6ἐκ παραθέσεως
A prepositional phrase used by Polybius to mean "by contrast" or "in comparison." It serves to highlight the sharp contrast between the noble and swift decision of the Acarnanians praised just before, and the ignoble, opportunistic attitude of the Epeirots described here.
- 4.30.8οἱ παρακαλέσοντες
An attributive future participle with an article modifying the preceding noun πρέσβεις (envoys). It expresses the purpose of the dispatch ("envoys to urge / who were to urge").