- 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-grc2:6.16.1-6.16.5
- Generated
- Humanitext Reader · reader.humanitext.ai · 2026-11-08
It is explained how the senate, despite its great power, is dependent on and restricted by the people through major trials, legislation, and the absolute veto of the tribunes.
ἥ γε μὴν σύγκλητος πάλιν, ἡ τηλικαύτην ἔχουσα δύναμιν, πρῶτον μὲν ἐν τοῖς κοινοῖς πράγμασιν ἀναγκάζεται προσέχειν τοῖς πολλοῖς καὶ στοχάζεσθαι τοῦ δήμου, τὰς δʼ ὁλοσχερεστάτας καὶ μεγίστας ζητήσεις καὶ διορθώσεις τῶν ἁμαρτανομένων1 κατὰ τῆς πολιτείας, οἷς θάνατος ἀκολουθεῖ τὸ πρόστιμον, οὐ δύναται συντελεῖν, ἂν μὴ συνεπικυρώσῃ τὸ προβεβουλευμένον ὁ δῆμος.
The senate, on its part, again, though possessing such great power, is in the first place forced in public affairs to pay attention to the multitude and to court the favor of the people, and as for the most important and greatest investigations and corrections of offenses against the state, for which death is the penalty that follows, it cannot carry them out unless the people ratify what has been pre-resolved.
ὁμοίως δὲ καὶ περὶ τῶν εἰς ταύτην ἀνηκόντων·2 ἐὰν γάρ τις εἰσφέρῃ νόμον, ἢ τῆς ἐξουσίας ἀφαιρούμενός τι τῆς ὑπαρχούσης τῇ συγκλήτῳ κατὰ τοὺς ἐθισμοὺς ἢ τὰς προεδρίας καὶ τιμὰς καταλύων αὐτῶν ἢ καὶ νὴ Δία ποιῶν ἐλαττώματα περὶ τοὺς βίους. πάντων ὁ δῆμος γίνεται τῶν τοιούτων καὶ θεῖναι καὶ μὴ κύριος.
And likewise also concerning matters pertaining to the senate; for if anyone proposes a law, either taking away something from the authority existing for the senate according to custom, or abolishing their precedence and honors, or even, by Zeus, causing reductions in their livelihoods, of all such matters the people has the power both to pass and not to pass them.
τὸ δὲ συνέχον, ἐὰν εἷς ἐνίστηται τῶν δημάρχων, οὐχ οἷον ἐπὶ τέλος ἄγειν τι δύναται τῶν διαβουλίων ἡ σύγκλητος, ἀλλʼ οὐδὲ3 συνεδρεύειν ἢ συμπορεύεσθαι τὸ παράπαν —
And what is most binding, if but one of the tribunes opposes, the senate is not only unable to bring any of its deliberations to completion, but cannot even hold meetings or assemble at all—
ὀφείλουσι δʼ ἀεὶ ποιεῖν οἱ δήμαρχοι τὸ δοκοῦν τῷ δήμῳ καὶ μάλιστα στοχάζεσθαι τῆς τούτου βουλήσεως — διὸ πάντων τῶν προειρημένων χάριν δέδιε τοὺς πολλοὺς καὶ προσέχει τῷ δήμῳ τὸν νοῦν ἡ σύγκλητος.
and the tribunes are always obliged to do what seems good to the people and especially to court its will—wherefore because of all the aforementioned things the senate fears the multitude and pays attention to the people.
- 6.16.2τὰς δʼ ὁλοσχερεστάτας καὶ μεγίστας ζητήσεις καὶ διορθώσεις τῶν ἁμαρτανομένων
The accusative phrase at the beginning of the sentence is placed in hyperbaton as the object of the subsequent verb συντελεῖν. The relative pronoun οἷς refers to the antecedent ἁμαρτανομένων (neuter plural participle), forming the structure 'for which [offenses] death follows as the penalty (τὸ πρόστιμον, subject)'.
- 6.16.3τῶν εἰς ταύτην ἀνηκόντων
The feminine demonstrative pronoun ταύτην (accusative singular) refers in context to σύγκλητος (the senate, a feminine noun), meaning 'matters pertaining to the senate'.
- 6.16.4οὐχ οἷον ... ἀλλʼ οὐδὲ
An idiomatic expression of strong negative contrast, meaning 'not only is [the subject] unable to..., but not even...'. Here it emphasizes that the senate is not only incapable of completing its deliberations (διαβούλια), but is even prevented from holding a meeting (συνεδρεύειν) at all due to the tribune's veto.