- 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-grc2:5.6.1-5.6.6
- Generated
- Humanitext Reader · reader.humanitext.ai · 2026-11-10
While the Acarnanians and Epirotes move to join Philip in support, the king exploits the gap in the Aetolian defense and makes a forced march to the Achelous River, aiming for a surprise attack on Thermum.
μένας πόλεις ἐπυνθάνετο καὶ διηρεύνα. κατὰ δὲ τὸν καιρὸν τοῦτον ἧκεν ἔχων Ἀριστόφαντος ὁ στρατηγὸς πανδημεὶ τοὺς Ἀκαρνᾶνας· πολλὰ γὰρ καὶ δεινὰ πεπονθότες ἐν τοῖς ἀνώτερον χρόνοις ὑπʼ Αἰτωλῶν ἐκθύμως εἶχον1 πρὸς τὸ κατὰ πάντα τρόπον ἀμύνασθαι καὶ βλάψαι τοὺς Αἰτωλούς.
[adjacent] cities, he inquired about and investigated. At this very time, the general Aristophantos arrived with all the Acarnanians; for having suffered many terrible things in former times from the Aetolians, they were eagerly disposed to avenge themselves and damage the Aetolians in every way.
διόπερ ἀσμένως ἐπιλαβόμενοι τότε τῆς Μακεδόνων ἐπαρκείας, ἧκον ἐν τοῖς ὅπλοις, οὐ μόνον ὅσοις2 ὁ νόμος ἐπέταττε στρατεύειν, ἀλλὰ καὶ τῶν πρεσβυτέρων τινές.
Therefore, gladly taking advantage of the Macedonian assistance at that time, they came in arms, not only those whom the law ordered to serve, but even some of the older men.
οὐκ ἐλάττω δὲ τούτων ὁρμὴν εἶχον Ἠπειρῶται διὰ τὰς παραπλησίους αἰτίας· διὰ δὲ τὸ μέγεθος τῆς χώρας καὶ διὰ τὸ τῆς παρουσίας αἰφνίδιον τῆς τοῦ Φιλίππου καθυστέρουν τῇ συναγωγῇ τῶν καιρῶν.3
The Epirotes had no less enthusiasm than these for similar reasons; but owing to the extent of their country and the suddenness of Philip’s arrival, they were too late for the immediate concentration.
τῶν δʼ Αἰτωλῶν τοὺς μὲν ἡμίσεις ἔχων Δωρίμαχος ἐπεποίητο τὴν ἔξοδον, καθάπερ εἶπον, τοὺς δʼ ἡμίσεις ἀπολελοίπει, νομίζων ἀξιόχρεων4 πρὸς τὰ παράδοξα ταύτην τὴν ἐφεδρείαν ὑπάρχειν τῶν τε πόλεων καὶ τῆς χώρας.
On the side of the Aetolians, Dorimachus had made his expedition with half of their forces, as I said, and had left the other half behind, thinking that this reserve was sufficient to protect the cities and the country against unexpected events.
ὁ δὲ βασιλεὺς ἀπολιπὼν φυλακὴν ἱκανὴν τῆς ἀποσκευῆς, τότε μὲν ἀναζεύξας ἐκ τῆς Λιμναίας δείλης καὶ προελθὼν ὡς ἑξήκοντα στάδια κατεστρατοπέδευσε.
The king, having left a sufficient guard for the baggage, then broke camp from Limnaea in the evening and, having advanced about sixty stades, encamped.
δειπνοποιησάμενος δὲ καὶ βραχὺ διαναπαύσας τὴν δύναμιν αὖθις ὥρμα, καὶ συνεχῶς νυκτοπορήσας ἧκε πρὸς τὸν Ἀχελῷον ποταμὸν ἄρτι τῆς ἡμέρας ἐπιφαινούσης, μεταξὺ Κωνώπης καὶ Στράτου, σπεύδων ἄφνω καὶ παραδόξως ἐπὶ τὸν ἐν τοῖς Θέρμοις τόπον ἐπιβαλεῖν.
After having taken dinner and rested his force for a short time, he set out again, and marching continuously through the night, arrived at the river Achelous just as day was breaking, between Conope and Stratos, hastening to make a sudden and unexpected attack upon the place in Thermum.
- 5.6.1ἐκθύμως εἶχον
The verb ἔχω combined with an adverb (here ἐκθύμως) and the preposition πρός is used to express a state of mind or disposition toward something.
- 5.6.2ὅσοις
Dative of the relative pronoun ὅσος. It functions as the logical subject of the main verb ἧκον, but the antecedent τούτοις is omitted, and the pronoun is attracted to the dative required by the subordinate verb ἐπέταττε. In contrast, the subsequent phrase ἀλλὰ καὶ τῶν πρεσβυτέρων τινές is in the nominative, serving directly as the subject of ἧκον.
- 5.6.3τῇ συναγωγῇ τῶν καιρῶν
τῇ συναγωγῇ is a dative of respect or sphere ('in the gathering/assembling'). τῶν καιρῶν is the genitive plural of καιρός ('critical time, opportunity'), referring here to the proper times for military action. The phrase means 'they were too late in assembling their forces at the critical moment'.
- 5.6.4ἀξιόχρεων
Accusative neuter singular of the Attic second-declension adjective ἀξιόχρεως ('sufficient, adequate'), functioning as the predicate adjective with the infinitive ὑπάρχειν in the accusative-and-infinitive construction introduced by νομίζων. Its subject is the feminine accusative ταύτην τὴν ἐφεδρείαν ('this reserve force').