- 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-grc2:4.71.1-4.71.13
- Generated
- Humanitext Reader · reader.humanitext.ai · 2026-11-10
Philip decides on an immediate assault due to the strategic value of Psophis, crossing the river unexpectedly and launching a simultaneous attack on the walls. The relentless ladder assault breaches the defense, enabling the Macedonian and Cretan forces to take the city and force the garrison to retreat to the citadel.
ταῦτʼ οὖν πάντα συνορῶν καὶ συλλογιζόμενος ὁ Φίλιππος τὰ μὲν ἀφίστατο τοῖς λογισμοῖς τοῦ βιάζεσθαι καὶ πολιορκεῖν1 τὴν πόλιν, τὰ δὲ προθύμως εἶχε, τὴν εὐκαιρίαν ὁρῶν τοῦ τόπου·
Observing and considering all these things, Philip, on the one hand, was deterred by his calculations from trying to force and besiege the city, but on the other hand, he was eager, seeing the advantageous situation of the place.
καθʼ ὅσον γὰρ ἐπέκειτο τοῖς Ἀχαιοῖς τότε καὶ τοῖς Ἀρκάσι καὶ πολεμητήριον ὑπῆρχε τοῖς Ἠλείοις ἀσφαλές, κατὰ τοσοῦτον πάλιν κρατηθὲν2 ἔμελλε τῶν μὲν Ἀρκάδων προκεῖσθαι, κατὰ δὲ τῶν Ἠλείων ὁρμητήριον ὑπάρξειν τοῖς συμμάχοις εὔκαιρον.
For in proportion as it then threatened the Achaeans and Arcadians, and served as a secure base of war for the Eleans, so on the other hand, if it were captured, it was destined to serve as a protection for the Arcadians, and as a convenient base of operations against the Eleans for the allies.
διόπερ ἐπὶ τοῦτο τὸ μέρος ὁρμήσας τῇ γνώμῃ παρήγγελλε τοῖς Μακεδόσιν ἅμα τῷ φωτὶ πᾶσιν ἀριστοποιεῖσθαι καὶ διεσκευασμένους ἑτοίμους ὑπάρχειν.
Therefore, having inclined his mind to this course, he ordered all the Macedonians to take their breakfast at daybreak and to be ready fully equipped.
μετὰ δὲ ταῦτα διαβὰς τὴν κατὰ τὸν Ἐρύμανθον γέφυραν, οὐδενὸς ἐμποδὼν στάντος διὰ τὸ παράδοξον τῆς ἐπιβολῆς, ἧκε πρὸς αὐτὴν τὴν πόλιν ἐνεργῶς καὶ καταπληκτικῶς.
After this, having crossed the bridge over the Erymanthus, since no one stood in his way owing to the unexpectedness of his attempt, he came right up to the city itself in a vigorous and formidable manner.
οἱ δὲ περὶ τὸν Εὐριπίδαν καὶ πάντες οἱ κατὰ τὴν πόλιν διηπόρουν ἐπὶ τοῖς συμβαίνουσι τῷ πεπεῖσθαι μήτʼ ἂν ἐξ ἐφόδου τολμῆσαι τοὺς πολεμίους προσβαλεῖν καὶ βιάζεσθαι πρὸς οὕτως ὀχυρὰν πόλιν μήτε χρόνιον ἂν συστήσασθαι3 πολιορκίαν διὰ τὴν τοῦ καιροῦ περίστασιν.
Euripidas and his followers, and all those in the city, were utterly perplexed at what was happening, because they were convinced that the enemy would neither dare to assault and force their way by a sudden onset against so strong a city, nor would undertake a long siege owing to the season of the year.
ἅμα δὲ ταῦτα λογιζόμενοι διηπίστουν ἀλλήλοις, δεδιότες μὴ πρᾶξιν ὁ Φίλιππος εἴη διὰ τῶν ἔνδον συνεσταμένος κατὰ τῆς πόλεως. ἐπεὶ δʼ οὐδὲν ἑώρων τοιοῦτον ἐξ αὑτῶν γινόμενον, ὥρμησαν οἱ μὲν πλείους ἐπὶ τὰ τείχη βοηθήσοντες, οἱ δὲ μισθοφόροι τῶν Ἠλείων κατά τινα πύλην ὑπερδέξιον ἐξῆλθον ὡς ἐπιθησόμενοι τοῖς πολεμίοις.
At the same time, reflecting on these things, they distrusted one another, fearing lest Philip had arranged a plot against the city through some of those within. But when they saw nothing of the sort originating from themselves, the majority rushed to the walls to defend them, while the Elean mercenaries sallied out through a certain higher gate, intending to attack the enemy.
ὁ δὲ βασιλεὺς διατάξας κατὰ τρεῖς τόπους τοὺς προσοίσοντας τῷ τείχει τὰς κλίμακας, καὶ τούτοις ὁμοίως μερίσας τοὺς ἄλλους Μακεδόνας, μετὰ ταῦτα διὰ τῶν σαλπιγκτῶν ἀποδοὺς ἑκάστοις τὸ σύνθημα πανταχόθεν ἅμα τὴν προσβολὴν ἐποιεῖτο τοῖς τείχεσι.
The king, having arrayed in three places those who were to bring the scaling-ladders to the wall, and having distributed the rest of the Macedonians likewise among them, after this gave the signal to each party by his trumpeters and made a simultaneous assault on the walls from all sides.
τὸ μὲν οὖν πρῶτον ἠμύνοντο γενναίως οἱ κατέχοντες τὴν πόλιν, καὶ πολλοὺς ἀπὸ τῶν κλιμάκων ἀπέρριπτον·
At first, indeed, those who held the city defended themselves bravely, and threw down many from the scaling-ladders;
ἐπεὶ δʼ ἥ τε χορηγία τῶν βελῶν καὶ τῶν ἄλλων τῶν πρὸς τὴν χρείαν ἐπιτηδείων ἐνέλειπεν, ὡς ἂν ἐκ τοῦ καιροῦ τῆς παρασκευῆς γεγενημένης,4 οἵ τε Μακεδόνες οὐ κατεπλήττοντο τὸ γινόμενον, ἀλλʼ ἐπὶ τὴν τοῦ ῥιφέντος ἀπὸ τῶν κλιμάκων χώραν ὁ κατόπιν ἀμελλήτως ἐπέβαινε, τέλος οἱ μὲν ἐκ τῆς πόλεως τραπέντες ἔφευγον πάντες πρὸς τὴν ἀκρόπολιν, τῶν δὲ παρὰ τοῦ βασιλέως οἱ μὲν Μακεδόνες ἐπέβησαν τοῦ τείχους, οἱ δὲ Κρῆτες πρὸς τοὺς κατὰ τὴν ὑπερδέξιον πύλην ἐπεξελθόντας τῶν μισθοφόρων συμμίξαντες ἠνάγκασαν αὐτοὺς οὐδενὶ κόσμῳ ῥίψαντας τὰ ὅπλα φεύγειν.
but when both the supply of missiles and other things necessary for their use began to fail, as might be expected since their preparations had been made on the spur of the moment, and when the Macedonians were not dismayed by what was happening, but the next man behind immediately mounted into the place of him who was thrown from the ladder, finally those of the city turned and all fled to the citadel, while on the king’s side, the Macedonians mounted the wall, and the Cretans, having engaged those of the mercenaries who had sallied out by the higher gate, forced them to throw away their arms and flee in utter disorder.
οἷς ἐπικείμενοι καὶ προσφέροντες τὰς χεῖρας συνεισέπεσον διὰ τῆς πύλης· ἐξ οὗ συνέβη πανταχόθεν ἅμα καταληφθῆναι τὴν πόλιν.
Pressing hard upon them and engaging them hand-to-hand, they rushed in together with them through the gate; whence it happened that the city was captured simultaneously from all quarters.
οἱ μὲν οὖν Ψωφίδιοι μετὰ τέκνων καὶ γυναικῶν ἀπεχώρησαν εἰς τὴν ἄκραν, ἅμα δὲ τούτοις οἱ περὶ τὸν Εὐριπίδαν, ὁμοίως δὲ καὶ τὸ λοιπὸν πλῆθος τῶν διασῳζομένων·
The Psophidians, therefore, withdrew into the citadel with their wives and children, and together with them Euripidas and his followers, and likewise also the remaining multitude of those who survived.
- 4.71.1τοῦ βιάζεσθαι καὶ πολιορκεῖν
A genitive articular infinitive phrase acting as the genitive of separation dependent on the verb ἀφίστατο (desisted from, shrank from). The preceding τοῖς λογισμοῖς is a dative of means or cause.
- 4.71.2κρατηθὲν
An aorist passive participle in the neuter singular, functioning adverbially as a conditional clause ("if it were captured"). While the subject is not explicitly expressed, it refers back to the neuter noun κτίσμα (foundation) in the previous chapter.
- 4.71.5τῷ πεπεῖσθαι μήτʼ ἂν ... τολμῆσαι ... μήτε ... ἂν συστήσασθαι
The articular infinitive τῷ πεπεῖσθαι (dative of cause) governs two accusative and infinitive clauses with ἄν + infinitive (τολμῆσαι and συστήσασθαι). The ἄν with the infinitives represents either an original potential optative or a conditional past indicative in indirect discourse, conveying the strong belief that the enemy 'would not dare' and 'would not undertake.'
- 4.71.10ὡς ἂν ἐκ τοῦ καιροῦ τῆς παρασκευῆς γεγενημένης
A genitive absolute construction introduced by ὡς ἄν. The particles ὡς ἄν introduce a conditional or expected circumstance, conveying the sense of 'as might naturally be expected, since their preparations had been made on the spur of the moment.'