- 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-grc2:5.28.1-5.28.9
- Generated
- Humanitext Reader · reader.humanitext.ai · 2026-11-09
After the execution of Leontius, mediating envoys arrive to initiate peace talks, but Megaleas' treasonous correspondence with the enemy is discovered, leading to the arrest and sudden death of Apelles' faction and Megaleas' suicide.
φιλοτιμίαν ἐπανείλετο.1 οἱ δὲ παρὰ τῶν Ῥοδίων καὶ Χίων πρέσβεις ἐπανῆκον ἐκ τῆς Αἰτωλίας, ἀνοχάς τε πεποιημένοι τριακονθημέρους, καὶ πρὸς τὰς διαλύσεις ἑτοίμους φάσκοντες εἶναι τοὺς Αἰτωλούς, καὶ τεταγμένοι ῥητὴν ἡμέραν,2 εἰς ἣν ἠξίουν τὸν Φίλιππον ἀπαντῆσαι πρὸς τὸ Ῥίον, ὑπισχνούμενοι πάντα ποιήσειν τοὺς Αἰτωλοὺς ἐφʼ ᾧ συνθέσθαι τὴν εἰρήνην.3
...put him to death. The envoys from Rhodes and Chios returned from Aetolia, having concluded a thirty days’ truce, and declaring that the Aetolians were ready for a settlement, and having fixed a certain day on which they requested Philip to meet them at Rhium, promising that the Aetolians would do everything necessary to conclude peace.
ὁ δὲ Φίλιππος, δεξάμενος τὰς ἀνοχάς, τοῖς μὲν συμμάχοις ἔγραψε, διασαφῶν πέμπειν εἰς Πάτρας τοὺς συνεδρεύσοντας καὶ βουλευσομένους ὑπὲρ τῆς πρὸς Αἰτωλοὺς διαλύσεως, αὐτὸς δʼ ἐκ τοῦ Λεχαίου κατέπλευσε δευτεραῖος εἰς τὰς Πάτρας.
Philip accepted the truce and wrote to the allies, directing them to send representatives to Patrae to confer and deliberate on the settlement with the Aetolians, while he himself sailed from Lechaeum and arrived at Patrae on the second day.
κατὰ δὲ τὸν καιρὸν τοῦτον ἐπιστολαί τινες ἀνεπέμφθησαν πρὸς αὐτὸν ἐκ τῶν κατὰ τὴν Φωκίδα τόπων, παρὰ τοῦ Μεγαλέα διαπεμπόμεναι πρὸς τοὺς Αἰτωλούς, ἐν αἷς ἦν παράκλησίς τε τῶν Αἰτωλῶν θαρρεῖν καὶ μένειν ἐν τῷ πολέμῳ, διότι τὰ κατὰ τὸν Φίλιππον ἔξω τελέως ἐστὶ4 διὰ τὴν ἀχορηγησίαν· πρὸς δὲ τούτοις κατηγορίαι τινὲς τοῦ βασιλέως καὶ λοιδορίαι φιλαπεχθεῖς ἦσαν.
About this time some letters were sent to him from Phocis, dispatched by Megaleas to the Aetolians, in which the Aetolians were exhorted to be of good courage and remain in the war, because Philip’s affairs were utterly ruined through lack of funds; in addition to this, there were certain charges against the king and malicious insults.
ἀναγνοὺς δὲ ταύτας, καὶ νομίσας πάντων τῶν κακῶν ἀρχηγὸν εἶναι τὸν Ἀπελλῆν, τοῦτον μὲν εὐθέως φυλακὴν περιστήσας5 ἐξαπέστειλε μετὰ σπουδῆς εἰς τὸν Κόρινθον, ἅμα δὲ καὶ τὸν υἱὸν αὐτοῦ καὶ τὸν ἐρώμενον, ἐπὶ δὲ τὸν Μεγαλέαν εἰς τὰς Θήβας Ἀλέξανδρον ἔπεμψε, προστάξας ἄγειν αὐτὸν ἐπὶ τὰς ἀρχὰς πρὸς τὴν ἐγγύην.
Having read these, and believing Apelles to be the prime instigator of all these evils, he at once placed him under guard and sent him off in haste to Corinth, together with his son and his favorite. And against Megaleas at Thebes he sent Alexander, with orders to bring him before the magistrates because of his surety.
τοῦ δʼ Ἀλεξάνδρου τὸ προσταχθὲν ποιήσαντος, οὐχ ὑπέμεινε τὴν πρᾶξιν ὁ Μεγαλέας, ἀλλʼ αὑτῷ προσήνεγκε τὰς χεῖρας.
When Alexander executed his orders, Megaleas did not await the outcome, but laid hands on himself.
περὶ δὲ τὰς αὐτὰς ἡμέρας συνέβη καὶ τὸν Ἀπελλῆν μεταλλάξαι τὸν βίον, ἅμα δὲ καὶ τὸν υἱὸν καὶ τὸν ἐρώμενον.
About the same days it also happened that Apelles ended his life, together with his son and his favorite.
οὗτοι μὲν οὖν τῆς ἁρμοζούσης τυχόντες καταστροφῆς ἐξέλιπον τὸν βίον, καὶ μάλιστα διὰ τὴν
These men, then, having met with a fitting end, departed this life, and especially because of...
- 5.28.1φιλοτιμίαν ἐπανείλετο
The verb ἐπαναιρέομαι (middle of ἐπαναιρέω) is used here with τὸν Λεόντιον (from the preceding section 5.27.8) as its direct object, meaning 'to put to death' or 'to execute'. The noun φιλοτιμίαν refers to the peltasts' 'obstinate zeal' or 'spirit of rivalry', which provoked the king's anger further to carry out the execution.
- 5.28.2τεταγμένοι ῥητὴν ἡμέραν
The perfect passive participle τεταγμένοι functions middle-voice here, taking the accusative ῥητὴν ἡμέραν ('a specified day') as its direct object, meaning 'having fixed for themselves a certain day'.
- 5.28.2ἐφʼ ᾧ συνθέσθαι τὴν εἰρήνην
The prepositional phrase ἐφʼ ᾧ followed by an infinitive (συνθέσθαι) is an idiomatic construction expressing a condition or purpose, meaning 'on the condition of making peace' or 'in order to conclude peace'.
- 5.28.4τὰ κατὰ τὸν Φίλιππον ἔξω τελέως ἐστὶ
The expression ἔξω εἶναι is used metaphorically to mean 'to be off track' or 'to be in a desperate state'. Here it indicates that Philip's affairs are completely ruined or in an utter extremity due to the lack of funds (ἀχορηγησία).
- 5.28.5φυλακὴν περιστήσας
Literally meaning 'having placed a guard around', this phrase idiomatically means 'having placed under strict guard' or 'having secured under arrest'. In this context, φυλακή refers to guards assigned to restrict his freedom rather than protect him.