- 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-grc2:5.91.1-5.91.8
- Generated
- Humanitext Reader · reader.humanitext.ai · 2026-11-09
At the beginning of summer, Lycurgus of Sparta returns and plans an invasion of Messenia, while Aratus, taking over the Achaean generalship, faces a ruined military force and secures a decree for specific mobilizations and naval deployments to rebuild their defense.
ἄρτι δὲ τῆς θερινῆς ὥρας ἐνισταμένης, καὶ στρατηγοῦντος Ἀγήτα μὲν τῶν Αἰτωλῶν, Ἀράτου δὲ παρειληφότος τὴν τῶν Ἀχαιῶν στρατηγίαν — ἀπὸ γὰρ τούτων ἐποιησάμεθα τοῦ συμμαχικοῦ πολέμου τὴν ἐκτροπήν1 — Λυκοῦργος μὲν ὁ Σπαρτιάτης ἐπανῆκε πάλιν ἐξ Αἰτωλίας·
Just as the summer season was beginning, and while Agetas was general of the Aetolians and Aratus had taken over the generalship of the Achaeans—for it was at this point that we made our digression from the Social War—Lycurgus the Spartan returned again from Aetolia.
οἱ γὰρ ἔφοροι, ψευδῆ τὴν διαβολὴν εὑρόντες, διʼ ἣν ἔφευγε, μετεπέμποντο καὶ μετεκάλουν αὖθις τὸν Λυκοῦργον.
For the ephors, having found the slander on account of which he was in exile to be false, sent for Lycurgus and recalled him once more.
οὗτος μὲν οὖν ἐτάττετο πρὸς Πυρρίαν2 τὸν Αἰτωλόν, ὃς ἐτύγχανε τότε παρὰ τοῖς Ἠλείοις στρατηγὸς ὤν, περὶ τῆς εἰς τὴν Μεσσηνίαν εἰσβολῆς.
He, therefore, was arranging plans with Pyrrhias the Aetolian, who happened to be general among the Eleans at that time, concerning the invasion of Messenia.
Ἄρατος δὲ παρειλήφει τό τε ξενικὸν τὸ τῶν Ἀχαιῶν κατεφθαρμένον τάς τε πόλεις ὀλιγώρως διακειμένας3 πρὸς τὰς εἰς τοῦτο τὸ μέρος εἰσφορὰς διὰ τὸ τὸν πρὸ αὐτοῦ στρατηγὸν Ἐπήρατον, ὡς ἐπάνω προεῖπα, κακῶς καὶ ῥᾳθύμως κεχρῆσθαι τοῖς κοινοῖς πράγμασιν.
But Aratus had taken over the mercenary force of the Achaeans in a ruined state and the cities neglectful towards the contributions for this department, because Eperatus, the general before him, as I said above, had managed public affairs badly and carelessly.
οὐ μὴν ἀλλὰ παρακαλέσας τοὺς Ἀχαιούς, καὶ λαβὼν δόγμα περὶ τούτων, ἐνεργὸς ἐγίνετο περὶ τὴν τοῦ πολέμου παρασκευήν.
Nevertheless, having exhorted the Achaeans and obtained a decree concerning these matters, he became active in the preparations for the war.
ἦν δὲ τὰ δόξαντα τοῖς Ἀχαιοῖς ταῦτα· πεζοὺς μὲν τρέφειν μισθοφόρους ὀκτακισχιλίους, ἱππεῖς δὲ πεντακοσίους, τῶν δʼ Ἀχαϊκῶν ἐπιλέκτους, πεζοὺς μὲν τρισχιλίους, ἱππεῖς δὲ τριακοσίους·
And the resolutions of the Achaeans were these: to maintain eight thousand mercenary infantry and five hundred cavalry, and of the Achaean select troops, three thousand infantry and three hundred cavalry;
εἶναι δὲ τούτων Μεγαλοπολίτας μὲν χαλκάσπιδας, πεζοὺς μὲν πεντακοσίους, ἱππεῖς δὲ πεντήκοντα, καὶ τοὺς ἴσους Ἀργείων.
and that of these, there should be five hundred Megalopolitan bronze-shield infantry and fifty cavalry, and an equal number of Argives.
ἔδοξε δὲ καὶ ναῦς πλεῖν τρεῖς μὲν περὶ τὴν Ἀκτὴν καὶ τὸν Ἀργολικὸν κόλπον, τρεῖς δὲ κατὰ Πάτρας καὶ Δύμην καὶ τὴν ταύτῃ θάλατταν.
It was also resolved that three ships should sail around Acte and the Argolic Gulf, and three others off Patrae and Dyme and the sea in that region.
- 5.91.1ἀπὸ γὰρ τούτων ἐποιησάμεθα τοῦ συμμαχικοῦ πολέμου τὴν ἐκτροπήν
The demonstrative pronoun τούτων (neuter plural genitive) refers to the events or temporal situation at which the narrative of the Social War was interrupted. The noun ἐκτροπή means "digression" or "turning aside," referring to the author's departure from the main narrative of the Social War to describe other Mediterranean events (such as the earthquake at Rhodes).
- 5.91.3ἐτάττετο πρὸς Πυρρίαν
Although the verb τάττομαι (passive/middle) followed by πρός with the accusative can mean "to draw up in battle array against someone" in some contexts, here, since Sparta and Aetolia are allies, it is used in the sense of "to concert plans with," "to coordinate with," or "to arrange matters with."
- 5.91.4παρειλήφει τό τε ξενικὸν ... κατεφθαρμένον τάς τε πόλεις ... διακειμένας
The pluperfect verb παρειλήφει ("had taken over" / "had found") governs two accusative noun phrases (τό ... ξενικὸν and τάς ... πόλεις) as its objects, accompanied by the perfect participle κατεφθαρμένον ("ruined") and the present participle διακειμένας ("disposed"), respectively, to express the state of affairs Aratus encountered upon taking office.