- 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-grc2:4.76.1-4.76.9
- Generated
- Humanitext Reader · reader.humanitext.ai · 2026-11-10
Apelles attempts to subjugate the Achaeans through harassment, such as eviction and corporal punishment, but King Philip V intervenes upon the young Achaeans' complaint and restricts Apelles' authority.
Ἀπελλῆς δʼ, ὃς ἦν μὲν εἷς τῶν ὑπʼ Ἀντιγόνου καταλειφθέντων ἐπιτρόπων τοῦ παιδός,1 πλεῖστον δʼ ἐτύγχανε τότε δυνάμενος παρὰ τῷ βασιλεῖ, βουληθεὶς τὸ τῶν Ἀχαιῶν ἔθνος ἀγαγεῖν εἰς παραπλησίαν διάθεσιν τῇ Θετταλῶν, ἐπεβάλετο πρᾶγμα ποιεῖν μοχθηρόν.
Apelles, who was one of the guardians of the boy left by Antigonus, and who happened at that time to possess the greatest influence with the king, wishing to reduce the Achaean nation to a position similar to that of the Thessalians, undertook a mischievous task.
Θετταλοὶ γὰρ ἐδόκουν μὲν κατὰ νόμους πολιτεύειν καὶ πολὺ διαφέρειν Μακεδόνων, διέφερον δʼ οὐδέν, ἀλλὰ πᾶν ὁμοίως ἔπασχον Μακεδόσι καὶ πᾶν ἐποίουν τὸ προσταττόμενον τοῖς βασιλικοῖς.
For the Thessalians were thought to live under their own laws and to differ greatly from the Macedonians, but in fact they differed not at all, experiencing everything in the same manner as the Macedonians and doing everything ordered by the royal officers.
διὸ καὶ πρὸς ταύτην ἁρμοζόμενος τὴν ὑπόθεσιν ὁ προειρημένος ἐπεβάλετο καταπειράζειν τῶν συστρατευομένων.
Therefore, adapting himself to this objective, the aforementioned man undertook to make trial of those who were serving in the campaign.
τὸ μὲν οὖν πρῶτον ἐπέτρεψε τοῖς Μακεδόσιν ἐκβαλεῖν ἐκ τῶν σταθμῶν ἀεὶ τοὺς προκατέχοντας τῶν Ἀχαιῶν καταλύσεις, ὁμοίως δὲ καὶ τὴν λείαν ἀφαιρεῖσθαι·
First of all, then, he permitted the Macedonians to evict from their quarters those of the Achaeans who had already occupied lodgings, and likewise to take away their booty.
μετὰ δὲ ταῦτα τὰς χεῖρας προσέφερε διὰ τῶν ὑπηρετῶν ἐπὶ ταῖς τυχούσαις αἰτίαις, τοὺς δὲ συναγανακτοῦντας ἢ προσβοηθοῦντας τοῖς μαστιγουμένοις παρὼν αὐτὸς εἰς τὴν ἅλυσιν ἀπῆγε, πεπεισμένος διὰ τοῦ τοιούτου τρόπου τὸ κατὰ βραχὺ λήσειν εἰς συνήθειαν ἀγαγὼν2 τοῦ μηδένα μηδὲν ἡγεῖσθαι δεινόν, ὅ ποτʼ ἂν πάσχῃ τις ὑπὸ τοῦ βασιλέως, καὶ ταῦτα3 μικροῖς χρόνοις πρότερον μετʼ Ἀντιγόνου συνεστρατευμένος, καὶ τεθεαμένος τοὺς Ἀχαιοὺς ὅτι παντὸς δεινοῦ λαβεῖν πεῖραν ὑπέμειναν, ἐφʼ ᾧ μὴ ποιεῖν Κλεομένει τὸ προσταττόμενον.
After this, he laid hands on them through his subordinates upon any chance pretexts, and those who joined in the indignation or came to the aid of those being flogged, he himself, being present, led away to the chains, being convinced that by such a method, gradually and unnoticed, he would bring them into the habit of thinking nothing to be dreadful, whatever they might suffer at the hands of the king. And this he did, though he had served in the army with Antigonus only a short time before, and had seen that the Achaeans submitted to experience every kind of hardship so as not to perform what was commanded by Cleomenes.
οὐ μὴν ἀλλὰ συστραφέντων τινῶν Ἀχαϊκῶν νεανίσκων, καὶ προσελθόντων τοῖς περὶ τὸν Ἄρατον καὶ διασαφούντων τὴν Ἀπελλοῦ βούλησιν, ἧκον ἐπὶ τὸν Φίλιππον οἱ περὶ τὸν Ἄρατον, κρίναντες ἐν ἀρχαῖς περὶ τῶν τοιούτων διίστασθαι4 καὶ μὴ καταμέλλειν. ἐντυχόντων δʼ αὐτῶν τῷ βασιλεῖ περὶ τούτων, διακούσας ὁ Φίλιππος τὰ γεγονότα, τοὺς μὲν νεανίσκους παρεκάλει θαρρεῖν, ὡς οὐδενὸς αὐτοῖς ἔτι συμβησομένου τοιούτου, τῷ δʼ Ἀπελλῇ παρήγγειλε μηδὲν ἐπιτάττειν τοῖς Ἀχαιοῖς χωρὶς τῆς τοῦ στρατηγοῦ γνώμης.
Nevertheless, when some Achaean young men banded together and approached Aratus and his circle, making clear the intention of Apelles, Aratus and his associates came to Philip, deciding to make a stand concerning such matters at the very beginning and not to delay. When they had met the king concerning these matters, Philip, having heard the whole story of what had happened, encouraged the young men to be of good cheer, as nothing of the kind would happen to them again, and commanded Apelles not to order any of the Achaeans to do anything without the consent of their general.
- 4.76.1τοῦ παιδός
The genitive τοῦ παιδός (referring to the boy, i.e., the young Philip V) is an objective genitive dependent on the noun ἐπιτρόπων (guardians), meaning 'guardians for the boy'.
- 4.76.6λήσειν εἰς συνήθειαν ἀγαγών
The future infinitive λήσειν of the verb λανθάνω (with its subject, Apelles, omitted) functions as the object of the participle πεπεισμένος (convinced). It is modified by the aorist participle ἀγαγών, representing the means or manner: 'that he would, by leading them into the habit, do so unnoticed'. The genitive infinitive τοῦ μηδένα μηδὲν ἡγεῖσθαι δεινόν is an appositional or defining genitive explaining the content of συνήθειαν (habit).
- 4.76.7καὶ ταῦτα
The idiomatic phrase καὶ ταῦτα is used adverbially to mean 'and that too' or 'especially although', here accompanying the participles συνεστρατευμένος and τεθεαμένος to introduce a concessive tone, emphasizing the absurdity of Apelles' actions despite his first-hand knowledge of the Achaeans' fierce resistance.
- 4.76.8διίστασθαι
The infinitive διίστασθαι (present middle/passive infinitive) is used here not to mean 'to stand apart' but 'to make a stand, dispute, or protest (against injustice)'. Together with ἐν ἀρχαῖς (at the very beginning), it expresses their determination to take a firm stand before Apelles' designs could take root.