- 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-grc2:4.57.1-4.57.11
- Generated
- Humanitext Reader · reader.humanitext.ai · 2026-11-10
While King Philip resumes his invasion of Aetolia, the Aetolian commanders attempt a surprise attack on Aegeira with the help of a deserter. Although they succeed in killing the guards and opening the gates, they act in a reckless manner.
καὶ τὰ μὲν περὶ Σινώπης ἐν τούτοις ἦν. ὁ δὲ βασιλεὺς Φίλιππος, ἀναζεύξας ἐκ Μακεδονίας μετὰ τῆς δυνάμεως — ἐν γὰρ ταύταις ταῖς ἐπιβολαῖς ἀπελίπαμεν ἄρτι τὸν συμμαχικὸν πόλεμον — ὥρμησεν ἐπὶ Θετταλίας καὶ τῆς Ἠπείρου, σπεύδων ταύτῃ ποιήσασθαι τὴν εἰσβολὴν τὴν εἰς Αἰτωλίαν.
Such was the state of affairs regarding Sinope. King Philip, however, having set out from Macedonia with his forces—for it was during these operations of his that we recently left off our account of the Social War—marched towards Thessaly and Epirus, eager to make his invasion into Aetolia by this route.
Ἀλέξανδρος δὲ καὶ Δωρίμαχος κατὰ τὸν καιρὸν τοῦτον ἔχοντες πρᾶξιν κατὰ τῆς τῶν Αἰγειρατῶν πόλεως, ἁθροίσαντες τῶν Αἰτωλῶν περὶ χιλίους καὶ διακοσίους εἰς Οἰάνθειαν τῆς Αἰτωλίας, ἣ κεῖται καταντικρὺ τῆς προειρημένης πόλεως, καὶ πορθμεῖα τούτοις ἑτοιμάσαντες, πλοῦν ἐτήρουν πρὸς τὴν ἐπιβολήν.
At this same time, Alexander and Dorimachus, having a design against the city of Aegeira, assembled about twelve hundred Aetolians at Oeantheia in Aetolia, which lies directly opposite the aforementioned city, and having prepared ferry-boats for them, were waiting for a favorable voyage for their enterprise.
τῶν γὰρ ηὐτομοληκότων τις1 ἐξ Αἰτωλίας, καὶ πλείω χρόνον διατετριφὼς παρὰ τοῖς Αἰγειράταις, καὶ συντεθεωρηκὼς τοὺς φυλάττοντας τὸν ἀπʼ Αἰγίου πυλῶνα μεθυσκομένους καὶ ῥᾳθύμως διεξάγοντας τὰ κατὰ τὴν φυλακήν, πλεονάκις παραβαλλόμενος καὶ διαβαίνων πρὸς τοὺς περὶ Δωρίμαχον ἐξεκέκλητο πρὸς τὴν πρᾶξιν αὐτούς, ἅτε λίαν οἰκείους ὄντας2 τῶν τοιούτων ἐγχειρημάτων.
For one of those who had deserted from Aetolia, having spent a considerable time among the Aegeirans, and having observed that those guarding the gate leading from Aegium got drunk and conducted their guard duty in a negligent manner, had repeatedly risked crossing over to Dorimachus and his men and invited them to this undertaking, inasmuch as they were highly suited for such enterprises.
ἡ δὲ τῶν Αἰγειρατῶν πόλις ἔκτισται μὲν τῆς Πελοποννήσου κατὰ τὸν Κορινθιακὸν κόλπον μεταξὺ τῆς Αἰγιέων καὶ Σικυωνίων πόλεως, κεῖται δʼ ἐπὶ λόφων ἐρυμνῶν καὶ δυσβάτων, νεύει δὲ τῇ θέσει πρὸς τὸν Παρνασσὸν καὶ ταῦτα τὰ μέρη τῆς ἀντίπερα χώρας, ἀπέχει δὲ τῆς θαλάττης ὡς ἑπτὰ στάδια.
The city of Aegeira is built on the Corinthian Gulf in the Peloponnese, between the cities of Aegium and Sicyon; it lies on steep and inaccessible hills, faces in its position towards Mount Parnassus and those parts of the opposite country, and is about seven stades distant from the sea.
παραπεσόντος δὲ πλοῦ3 τοῖς περὶ τὸν Δωρίμαχον, ἀνήχθησαν καὶ καθορμίζονται νυκτὸς ἔτι πρὸς τὸν παρὰ τὴν πόλιν καταρρέοντα ποταμόν.
When a favorable chance for sailing presented itself to Dorimachus and his men, they put out to sea and came to anchor while it was still night near the river that flows past the city.
οἱ μὲν οὖν περὶ τὸν Ἀλέξανδρον καὶ Δωρίμαχον, ἅμα δὲ τούτοις Ἀρχίδαμον τὸν Πανταλέοντος υἱόν, ἔχοντες περὶ αὑτοὺς τὸ πλῆθος τῶν Αἰτωλῶν, προσέβαινον πρὸς τὴν πόλιν κατὰ τὴν ἀπʼ Αἰγίου φέρουσαν ὁδόν.
Then Alexander and Dorimachus, and with them Archidamus the son of Pantaleon, having the multitude of the Aetolians around them, advanced towards the city along the road leading from Aegium.
ὁ δʼ αὐτόμολος, ἔχων εἴκοσι τοὺς ἐπιτηδειοτάτους, διανύσας ταῖς ἀνοδίαις τοὺς κρημνοὺς θᾶττον τῶν ἄλλων διὰ τὴν ἐμπειρίαν, καὶ διαδὺς διά τινος ὑδρορροίας, ἔτι κοιμωμένους κατέλαβε τοὺς ἐπὶ τοῦ πυλῶνος.
But the deserter, having twenty of his most suitable men with him, traversed the cliffs by pathless ways quicker than the others owing to his experience, and having slipped through a water-conduit, found those at the gate still asleep.
κατασφάξας δʼ αὐτοὺς ἀκμὴν ἐν ταῖς κοίταις ὄντας, καὶ διακόψας τοῖς πελέκεσι τοὺς μοχλούς, ἀνέῳξε τοῖς Αἰτωλοῖς τὰς πύλας.
Having slaughtered them while they were still in their beds, and having chopped through the bars with axes, he opened the gates for the Aetolians.
οἱ δὲ παρεισπεσόντες λαμπρῶς ἀπερινοήτως4 ἐχρήσαντο τοῖς πράγμασιν. ὃ καὶ παραίτιον ἐγένετο τοῖς μὲν Αἰγειράταις τῆς σωτηρίας, τοῖς δʼ Αἰτωλοῖς τῆς ἀπωλείας.
Having rushed in, they handled the situation in a brilliant but utterly thoughtless manner; which indeed became the partial cause of safety for the Aegeirans, but of destruction for the Aetolians.
ὑπολαμβάνοντες γὰρ τοῦτο τέλος εἶναι τοῦ κατασχεῖν ἀλλοτρίαν πόλιν, τὸ γενέσθαι τῶν πυλώνων ἐντός, τοῦτον τὸν τρόπον
For supposing that the end of capturing a foreign city is to get inside the gates, they, in this manner
- 4.57.3τῶν γὰρ ηὐτομοληκότων τις
This subject (τις) governs several participial clauses (διατετριφὼς, συντεθεωρηκὼς, παραβαλλόμενος, διαβαίνων) leading to the main verb ἐξεκέκλητο in §4.57.4. The long nested structure spans two sections to set up the introduction of the deserter's initiative.
- 4.57.4ἅτε λίαν οἰκείους ὄντας
The conjunction ἅτε combined with the accusative participle ὄντας expresses an objective causal reason modifying the preceding accusative pronoun αὐτούς (Dorimachus and his men). The adjective οἰκείους here means 'suited for' or 'habituated to.'
- 4.57.6παραπεσόντος δὲ πλοῦ
Genitive absolute construction. The expression 'a voyage falling to one's lot' (from παραπίπτω and πλοῦς) is an idiomatic way of stating that a favorable wind or opportunity for sailing presented itself.
- 4.57.10λαμπρῶς ἀπερινοήτως
Two adverbs juxtaposed asyndetically. The former indicates a positive evaluation ('brilliantly, splendidly'), while the latter expresses a negative critique ('thoughtlessly, recklessly'), highlighting the contradictory double nature of the Aetolians' conduct.