- 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-grc2:5.47.1-5.47.7
- Generated
- Humanitext Reader · reader.humanitext.ai · 2026-11-09
Molo's cavalry perishes in the swamps due to ignorance of the terrain, and Molo makes a tactical retreat by night. Mistaking this for a panicked flight, Xenoetas occupies the enemy camp and orders his men to prepare for a close pursuit.
τὸ δὲ λοιπὸν ἕλεσιν ἠσφαλίσθαι1 καὶ τέλμασιν. ὁ δὲ Μόλων συνεὶς τὸ γεγονὸς ἐξαπέστειλε τοὺς ἱππεῖς, ὡς κωλύσων τοὺς ἐπιδιαβαίνοντας ῥᾳδίως καὶ συντρίψων τοὺς ἤδη διαβεβηκότας·
while the rest was secured by marshes and pools. Molo, realizing what had happened, dispatched his cavalry in order to easily prevent those who were still crossing and to crush those who had already crossed.
οἳ καὶ συνεγγίσαντες τοῖς περὶ τὸν Ξενοίταν διὰ τὴν ἄγνοιαν τῶν τόπων οὐ προσεδέοντο τῶν πολεμίων,2 αὐτοὶ δʼ ὑφʼ αὑτῶν βαπτιζόμενοι καὶ καταδύνοντες ἐν τοῖς τέλμασιν ἄχρηστοι μὲν ἦσαν ἅπαντες, πολλοὶ δὲ καὶ διεφθάρησαν αὐτῶν.
And they, having approached Xenoetas’s men, owing to their ignorance of the terrain, had no need of the enemy; but sinking and drowning by themselves in the swamps, they were all rendered useless, and many of them perished.
ὁ δὲ Ξενοίτας, πεπεισμένος, ἐὰν πλησιάσῃ, μεταβαλεῖσθαι τὰς τοῦ Μόλωνος πρὸς αὐτὸν δυνάμεις, προελθὼν παρὰ τὸν ποταμὸν καὶ συνεγγίσας παρεστρατοπέδευσε τοῖς ὑπεναντίοις.
But Xenoetas, convinced that if he approached, Molo’s forces would change sides to him, advanced along the river and, drawing near, encamped opposite the enemy.
κατὰ δὲ τὸν καιρὸν τοῦτον ὁ Μόλων, εἴτε καὶ στρατηγήματος χάριν εἴτε καὶ διαπιστήσας ταῖς δυνάμεσι, μή τι συμβῇ τῶν ὑπὸ τοῦ Ξενοίτου προσδοκωμένων, ἀπολιπὼν ἐν τῷ χάρακι τὴν ἀποσκευὴν ἀνέζευξε νυκτός, καὶ προῆγε σύντονον ποιούμενος τὴν πορείαν ὡς ἐπὶ Μηδίας.
At this time Molo, whether by way of stratagem or because he distrusted his forces, fearing lest some of those things expected by Xenoetas might happen, left his baggage in the camp and decamped by night, making a rapid march as if towards Media.
ὁ δὲ Ξενοίτας, ὑπολαβὼν πεφευγέναι τὸν Μόλωνα καταπεπληγμένον τὴν ἔφοδον αὐτοῦ καὶ διαπιστοῦντα ταῖς ἰδίαις αὑτοῦ δυνάμεσι, τὸ μὲν πρῶτον ἐπιστρατοπεδεύσας κατελάβετο τὴν τῶν πολεμίων παρεμβολήν, καὶ διεπεραίου πρὸς αὑτὸν τοὺς ἰδίους ἱππεῖς καὶ τὰς τούτων ἀποσκευὰς ἐκ τῆς Ζεύξιδος παρεμβολῆς·
But Xenoetas, supposing that Molo had fled, terrified by his approach and distrusting his own forces, at first advanced and occupied the enemy’s camp, and began to transport over to his side his own cavalry and their baggage from the camp of Zeuxis;
μετὰ δὲ ταῦτα συναθροίσας παρεκάλει τοὺς πολλοὺς θαρρεῖν καὶ καλὰς ἐλπίδας ἔχειν ὑπὲρ τῶν ὅλων, ὡς πεφευγότος τοῦ Μόλωνος.3
and after this, having assembled the multitude, he exhorted them to be of good courage and to have bright hopes for the whole enterprise, on the grounds that Molo had fled.
ταῦτα δʼ εἰπὼν ἐπιμελεῖσθαι παρήγγειλε καὶ θεραπεύειν αὑτοὺς ἅπασιν, ὡς ἐκ ποδὸς ἀκο4
Having said this, he ordered them to prepare and refresh themselves in all ways, as if to pursue them close on their heels...
- 5.47.1ἠσφαλίσθαι
Part of the accusative and infinitive construction dependent on the impersonal verb συνέβαινε in the preceding section (5.46.12), coordinated with περιέχεσθαι.
- 5.47.2οὐ προσεδέοντο τῶν πολεμίων
The verb προσδέομαι (to need) takes the genitive case. It is an ironic expression meaning 'they did not even need the enemy to destroy them' because they perished by their own actions.
- 5.47.6ὡς πεφευγότος τοῦ Μόλωνος
A combination of the conjunction ὡς with a genitive absolute in the perfect tense, expressing a subjective reason or ground ('on the assumption that Molo had fled').
- 5.47.7ὡς ἐκ ποδὸς ἀκο
Although the text is truncated in the middle of a word like ἀκο[λουθήσων] (future participle), the conjunction ὡς (denoting intention) and the prepositional phrase ἐκ ποδὸς (an idiom meaning 'on the heels' or 'closely') express the intention of immediate pursuit.