- 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-grc2:5.39.1-5.39.6
- Generated
- Humanitext Reader · reader.humanitext.ai · 2026-11-09
Cleomenes escaped from his guards and attempted to incite a popular uprising, but upon his failure, he and his companions committed suicide.
παρατηρήσας οὖν ἔξοδον τοῦ βασιλέως εἰς Κάνωβον, διέδωκε τοῖς φυλάττουσιν αὑτὸν φήμην ὡς ἀφίεσθαι μέλλων1 ὑπὸ τοῦ βασιλέως, καὶ διὰ ταύτην τὴν αἰτίαν αὐτός τε τοὺς αὑτοῦ θεράποντας εἱστία καὶ τοῖς φυλάττουσιν ἱερεῖα καὶ στεφάνους, ἅμα δὲ τούτοις οἶνον ἐξαπέστειλε.
Therefore, having observed the departure of the king to Canopus, he spread a report among his guards that he was about to be released by the king; and for this reason he himself entertained his own servants, and sent to the guards victims for sacrifice and garlands, and along with these some wine.
τῶν δὲ χρωμένων τούτοις ἀνυπονοήτως καὶ καταμεθυσθέντων,2 παραλαβὼν τοὺς συνόντας φίλους καὶ τοὺς περὶ αὑτὸν παῖδας περὶ μέσον ἡμέρας λαθὼν τοὺς φύλακας ἐξῆλθε μετʼ ἐγχειριδίων.
While the guards partook of these without suspicion and became completely drunk, he took the friends who were with him and his own attendants, and about midday, escaping the notice of the guards, went out with daggers.
προάγοντες δὲ καὶ συντυχόντες κατὰ τὴν πλατεῖαν Πτολεμαίῳ τῷ τότʼ ἐπὶ τῆς πόλεως ἀπολελειμμένῳ,3 καταπληξάμενοι τῷ παραβόλῳ τοὺς συνόντας αὐτῷ, τοῦτον μὲν κατασπάσαντες ἀπὸ τοῦ τεθρίππου παρέκλεισαν, τὰ δὲ πλήθη παρεκάλουν ἐπὶ τὴν ἐλευθερίαν.
Advancing and meeting in the main street Ptolemy, who had been left in charge of the city at that time, they struck panic into his attendants by the boldness of their attack, and dragging him down from his chariot, shut him up, while they exhorted the multitude to claim their liberty.
οὐδενὸς δὲ προσέχοντος αὐτοῖς οὐδὲ συνεξισταμένου διὰ τὸ παράδοξον τῆς ἐπιβολῆς, ἐπιστρέψαντες ὥρμησαν πρὸς τὴν ἄκραν, ὡς ἀνασπάσοντες ταύτης τὰς πυλίδας καὶ συγχρησόμενοι4 τοῖς εἰς τὴν φυλακὴν ἀπηγμένοις τῶν ἀνδρῶν.
But since no one paid attention to them or joined the rising, because of the unexpected nature of the attempt, they turned back and rushed towards the citadel, intending to force open its postern gates and make common cause with the men who had been committed to the prison.
ἀποσφαλέντες δὲ καὶ ταύτης τῆς ἐπιβολῆς διὰ τὸ τοὺς ἐφεστῶτας προαισθομένους τὸ μέλλον ἀσφαλίσασθαι τὴν πύλην,5 προσήνεγκαν αὑτοῖς τὰς χεῖρας εὐψύχως πάνυ καὶ Λακωνικῶς. Κλεομένης μὲν οὖν οὕτω μετήλλαξε τὸν βίον, ἀνὴρ γενόμενος καὶ πρὸς τὰς ὁμιλίας ἐπιδέξιος καὶ πρὸς πραγμάτων οἰκονομίαν εὐφυὴς καὶ συλλήβδην ἡγεμονικὸς καὶ βασιλικὸς τῇ φύσει.
Being baffled also in this attempt, because those in charge had anticipated what was coming and secured the gate, they laid hands upon themselves with great courage and in a truly Laconic fashion. In this manner, then, Cleomenes ended his life, having been a man both dexterous in social intercourse and naturally gifted for the administration of affairs, and in a word, a leader and a king by nature.
- 5.39.1ὡς ἀφίεσθαι μέλλων
The subjective particle ὡς combined with the nominative participle μέλλων expresses the subjective pretext or claim of the subject, Cleomenes (that he was about to be released).
- 5.39.2τῶν δὲ χρωμένων τούτοις ἀνυπονοήτως καὶ καταμεθυσθέντων
Genitive absolute construction. The implied subject refers to the guards (τοῖς φυλάττουσιν) mentioned in the previous sentence.
- 5.39.3Πτολεμαίῳ τῷ τότʼ ἐπὶ τῆς πόλεως ἀπολελειμμένῳ
Object of the compound verb συντυχόντες which governs the dative. The phrase ἐπὶ τῆς πόλεως ἀπολελειμμένῳ means "having been left in charge of the city" (Alexandria) during the king's absence.
- 5.39.4ὡς ἀνασπάσοντες ταύτης τὰς πυλίδας καὶ συγχρησόμενοι
The construction of ὡς with future participles (ἀνασπάσοντες and συγχρησόμενοι) expresses the purpose or intention of the subject ("with the intention of forcing open... and making common cause").
- 5.39.5διὰ τὸ τοὺς ἐφεστῶτας προαισθομένους τὸ μέλλον ἀσφαλίσασθαι τὴν πύλην
Articular infinitive phrase in the accusative (τὸ ... ἀσφαλίσασθαι) governed by the preposition διὰ. The accusative τοὺς ἐφεστῶτας acts as the subject of the infinitive, with the participle προαισθομένους agreeing with it.