- 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-grc2:5.110.1-5.110.11
- Generated
- Humanitext Reader · reader.humanitext.ai · 2026-11-09
Philip V was misled by a false report of an approaching Roman fleet near Apollonia and retreated to Macedonia in panic. The panic was groundless, as the Romans had only dispatched a small squadron of ten ships in response to Scerdilaidas's request.
Ἀπολλωνίας. ἤδη δὲ συνεγγίζοντος αὐτοῦ τοῖς περὶ τὸν Ἀῷον ποταμὸν τόποις, ὃς ῥεῖ παρὰ τὴν τῶν Ἀπολλωνιατῶν πόλιν, ἐμπίπτει πανικὸν παραπλήσιον τοῖς γινομένοις ἐπὶ τῶν πεζικῶν στρατοπέδων.
towards Apollonia. But when he was already drawing near to the parts around the River Aous, which flows past the city of the Apolloniatae, a panic befell them, very similar to those that occur in land camps.
τῶν γὰρ ἐπὶ τῆς οὐραγίας πλεόντων τινὲς λέμβοι, καθορμισθέντες εἰς τὴν νῆσον, ἣ καλεῖται μὲν Σάσων, κεῖται δὲ κατὰ τὴν εἰσβολὴν τὴν εἰς τὸν Ἰόνιον πόρον, ἧκον ὑπὸ νύκτα πρὸς τὸν Φίλιππον, φάσκοντες συνωρμηκέναι1 τινὰς αὐτοῖς πλέοντας ἀπὸ πορθμοῦ, τούτους δʼ ἀπαγγέλλειν,2 ὅτι καταλείποιεν ἐν Ῥηγίῳ πεντήρεις Ῥωμαϊκὰς πλεούσας ἐπʼ Ἀπολλωνίας καὶ πρὸς Σκερδιλαΐδαν.
For some of the light boats sailing in the rear, having anchored at the island which is called Sason, and lies at the entrance to the Ionian Strait, came to Philip under cover of night, asserting that certain people sailing from the strait had anchored together with them, and that these reported that they had left at Rhegium some Roman quinqueremes which were sailing towards Apollonia and to Scerdilaidas.
ὁ δὲ Φίλιππος, ὑπολαβὼν ὅσον οὔπω τὸν στόλον ἐπʼ αὐτὸν παρεῖναι, περίφοβος γενόμενος καὶ ταχέως ἀνασπάσας τὰς ἀγκύρας αὖτις εἰς τοὐπίσω παρήγγειλε πλεῖν.
Philip, conceiving that the fleet was all but present upon him, became terrified, and quickly weighing anchor, ordered his fleet to sail back again.
οὐδενὶ δὲ κόσμῳ ποιησάμενος τὴν ἀναζυγὴν καὶ τὸν ἀνάπλουν δευτεραῖος εἰς Κεφαλληνίαν κατῆρε, συνεχῶς ἡμέραν καὶ νύκτα τὸν πλοῦν ποιούμενος.
Having made his departure and return voyage in no order, he put in at Cephallenia on the second day, making his voyage continuously day and night.
βραχὺ δέ τι θαρρήσας ἐνταῦθα κατέμεινε, ποιῶν ἔμφασιν ὡς ἐπί τινας τῶν ἐν Πελοποννήσῳ πράξεων ἐπεστροφώς.
Having recovered his confidence a little, he remained there, making a show as if he had turned back for some operations in the Peloponnese.
συνέβη δὲ ψευδῶς γενέσθαι τὸν ὅλον φόβον περὶ αὐτόν.
But it turned out that the entire panic concerning him was groundless.
ὁ γὰρ Σκερδιλαΐδας, ἀκούων κατὰ χειμῶνα λέμβους ναυπηγεῖσθαι τὸν Φίλιππον πλείους, καὶ προσδοκῶν αὐτοῦ τὴν κατὰ θάλατταν παρουσίαν, διεπέμπετο πρὸς τοὺς Ῥωμαίους διασαφῶν ταῦτα καὶ παρακαλῶν βοηθεῖν, οἱ δὲ Ῥωμαῖοι δεκαναΐαν ἀπὸ τοῦ περὶ τὸ Λιλύβαιον ἐξαπέστειλαν στόλου, ταύτην τὴν περὶ τὸ Ῥήγιον ὀφθεῖσαν·
For Scerdilaidas, hearing during the winter that Philip was building a larger number of light boats, and expecting his arrival by sea, had been sending messages to the Romans, explaining these things and entreating them to help. The Romans dispatched a squadron of ten ships from the fleet around Lilybaeum, and this was the one that had been sighted around Rhegium.
ἣν Φίλιππος εἰ μὴ3 πτοηθεὶς ἀλόγως ἔφυγε, τῶν περὶ τὴν Ἰλλυρίδα πράξεων μάλιστʼ ἂν τότε καθίκετο διὰ τὸ τοὺς Ῥωμαίους πάσαις ταῖς ἐπινοίαις καὶ παρασκευαῖς περὶ τὸν Ἀννίβαν καὶ τὴν περὶ Κάνναν μάχην γίνεσθαι, τῶν τε πλοίων ἐκ τοῦ κατὰ λόγον ἐγκρατὴς ἂν ἐγεγόνει.
If Philip had not fled, terrified without reason, he would at that time have most fully accomplished his designs in Illyria, because the Romans were occupied with all their thoughts and preparations on Hannibal and the battle of Cannae; and he would in all probability have made himself master of those ships.
νῦν δὲ διαταραχθεὶς ὑπὸ τῆς προσαγγελίας ἀβλαβῆ μέν, οὐκ εὐσχήμονα δʼ ἐποιήσατο τὴν ἀναχώρησιν εἰς Μακεδονίαν.
As it was, however, being thrown into utter confusion by the report, he made a retreat to Macedonia which, though safe, was far from honorable.
- 5.110.2συνωρμηκέναι
Perfect active infinitive of συν-ορμέω ('to lie at anchor together with'), depending on the participle φάσκοντες ('asserting'). It is to be distinguished from the homophonic συν-ορμάω ('to start together' or 'to rush together'), fitting the context where ships coming from the strait anchored at the same island.
- 5.110.3τούτους δʼ ἀπαγγέλλειν
The accusative pronoun τούτους ('these') refers to the voyagers from the strait mentioned in the previous sentence, serving as the subject of the infinitive ἀπαγγέλλειν. This infinitive itself continues the indirect speech under the influence of φάσκοντες in the preceding sentence.
- 5.110.10ἣν Φίλιππος εἰ μὴ
The feminine singular accusative relative pronoun ἣν refers back to δεκαναΐαν ... στόλου ('ten-ship fleet') in the preceding sentence, functioning as a connecting relative at the start of the clause. Placed before the conditional clause εἰ μὴ ('if not'), it acts as a thematic accusative, rather than being directly governed by the verbs or adjectives of the main clause (such as καθίκετο or ἐγκρατὴς, which require the genitive case).