- 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-grc2:6.46.1-6.46.11
- Generated
- Humanitext Reader · reader.humanitext.ai · 2026-11-08
The author demonstrates that the Cretan constitution, which allows unlimited ownership of land and money and tolerates greed, is the exact opposite of the Spartan one. He criticizes ancient writers like Ephorus for ignoring these obvious differences and claiming the two systems are identical.
χειρίζεται τὰ κατὰ τὴν πολιτείαν. παρὰ δὲ Κρηταιεῦσι πάντα τούτοις ὑπάρχει τἀναντία· τήν τε γὰρ χώραν κατὰ δύναμιν αὐτοῖς ἐφιᾶσιν οἱ νόμοι, τὸ δὴ λεγόμενον,1 εἰς ἄπειρον κτᾶσθαι, τό τε διάφορον ἐκτετίμηται παρʼ αὐτοῖς ἐπὶ τοσοῦτον ὥστε μὴ μόνον ἀναγκαίαν, ἀλλὰ καὶ καλλίστην εἶναι δοκεῖν τὴν τούτου κτῆσιν.
the affairs of the state are administered. But among the Cretans, everything exists in the exact opposite state to this; for the laws permit them to acquire land to the extent of their power, as the saying goes, to an unlimited extent, and money is valued among them to such a degree that its possession is considered not only necessary but also most honorable.
καθόλου θʼ ὁ περὶ τὴν αἰσχροκέρδειαν καὶ πλεονεξίαν τρόπος οὕτως ἐπιχωριάζει παρʼ αὐτοῖς ὥστε παρὰ μόνοις Κρηταιεῦσι τῶν ἁπάντων ἀνθρώπων μηδὲν αἰσχρὸν νομίζεσθαι κέρδος.
And in general, the habit of sordid greed and covetousness is so prevalent among them that among the Cretans alone of all mankind, no gain is considered disgraceful.
καὶ μὴν τὰ κατὰ τὰς ἀρχὰς ἐπέτεια παρʼ αὐτοῖς ἐστι καὶ δημοκρατικὴν ἔχει διάθεσιν.
Moreover, their offices are annual and have a democratic constitution.
ὥστε πολλάκις διαπορεῖν2 πῶς ἡμῖν περὶ τῶν τὴν ἐναντίαν φύσιν ἐχόντων ὡς οἰκείων καὶ συγγενῶν ὄντων ἀλλήλοις ἐξηγγέλκασι.
So that we are often puzzled as to how they have reported to us concerning things that have an opposite nature as if they were closely related and kindred to one another.
καὶ χωρὶς τοῦ παραβλέπειν τὰς τηλικαύτας διαφορὰς καὶ πολὺν δή τινα λόγον ἐν ἐπιμέτρῳ διατίθενται, φάσκοντες τὸν Λυκοῦργον μόνον τῶν γεγονότων τὰ συνέχοντα τεθεωρηκέναι·
And apart from overlooking such great differences, they also set forth a long argument in addition, claiming that Lycurgus alone of all who have ever lived had observed the essential factors;
δυεῖν γὰρ ὄντων,3 διʼ ὧν σῴζεται πολίτευμα πᾶν, τῆς πρὸς τοὺς πολεμίους ἀνδρείας καὶ τῆς πρὸς σφᾶς αὐτοὺς ὁμονοίας, ἀνῃρηκότα τὴν πλεονεξίαν4 ἅμα ταύτῃ συνανῃρηκέναι πᾶσαν ἐμφύλιον διαφορὰν καὶ στάσιν·
for since there are two things by which every constitution is preserved, courage against enemies and harmony among themselves, they say that by abolishing covetousness he had at the same time abolished all civil discord and faction;
ᾗ καὶ Λακεδαιμονίους, ἐκτὸς ὄντας τῶν κακῶν τούτων, κάλλιστα τῶν Ἑλλήνων τὰ πρὸς σφᾶς αὐτοὺς πολιτεύεσθαι καὶ συμφρονεῖν ταὐτά.
whereby the Lacedaemonians also, being free from these evils, govern their domestic affairs most excellently among the Greeks and agree on the same things.
ταῦτα δʼ ἀποφηνάμενοι, καὶ θεωροῦντες ἐκ παραθέσεως Κρηταιεῖς διὰ τὴν ἔμφυτον σφίσι πλεονεξίαν ἐν πλείσταις ἰδίᾳ καὶ κατὰ κοινὸν στάσεσι καὶ φόνοις καὶ πολέμοις ἐμφυλίοις ἀναστρεφομένους, οὐδὲν οἴονται πρὸς σφᾶς εἶναι, θαρροῦσι δὲ λέγειν ὡς ὁμοίων ὄντων τῶν πολιτευμάτων.
But having declared these things, and seeing by contrast that the Cretans, because of their innate covetousness, live in a great many factions, murders, and civil wars, both privately and publicly, they think this is of no concern to themselves, and dare to say that the constitutions are similar.
ὁ δʼ Ἔφορος χωρὶς τῶν ὀνομάτων καὶ ταῖς λέξεσι κέχρηται ταῖς αὐταῖς, ὑπὲρ ἑκατέρας ποιούμενος τῆς πολιτείας ἐξήγησιν, ὥστʼ, εἴ τις μὴ τοῖς κυρίοις ὀνόμασι προσέχοι, κατὰ μηδένα τρόπον ἂν δύνασθαι διαγνῶναι περὶ ὁποτέρας ποιεῖται τὴν διήγησιν. ἧι μὲν οὖν μοι δοκοῦσι διαφέρειν ἀλλήλων, ταῦτʼ ἔστιν ᾗ δὲ πάλιν οὔτʼ ἐπαινετὴν οὔτε ζηλωτὴν ἡγούμεθʼ εἶναι τὴν Κρητικὴν πολιτείαν, νῦν
And Ephorus, apart from proper names, has used the exact same words when making his explanation of each of the two constitutions, so that if one does not pay attention to the proper names, one would in no way be able to distinguish about which of the two he is making his narrative. The points, then, in which they seem to me to differ from one another, are these. On the other hand, as to why we do not consider the Cretan constitution to be either praiseworthy or enviable, we shall now...
- 6.46.1τὸ δὴ λεγόμενον
An idiomatic phrase inserted as an accusative of apposition. It modifies the following infinitive phrase 'to acquire to an unlimited extent' (εἰς ἄπειρον κτᾶσθαι), meaning 'as the saying goes' or 'so to speak'. It emphasizes the extremity of ownership permitted by the laws by invoking a common saying.
- 6.46.5ὥστε πολλάκις διαπορεῖν
A consecutive clause introduced by ὥστε with the infinitive. It expresses the result derived from the descriptions in the preceding clauses. The subject of the infinitive διαπορεῖν (to be puzzled) is implicitly the general observer, including the author, as indicated by the dative pronoun ἡμῖν (to us).
- 6.46.7δυεῖν γὰρ ὄντων
A genitive absolute construction, where δυεῖν ὄντων lacks a noun but is placed in apposition with the subsequent genitives τῆς... ἀνδρείας καὶ τῆς... ὁμονοίας. In this context, it functions as a circumstantial clause (e.g., 'since there are two things...').
- 6.46.7ἀνῃρηκότα τὴν πλεονεξίαν
The participle ἀνῃρηκότα (perfect active participle of ἀναιρέω, masculine accusative singular) modifies τὸν Λυκοῦργον (Lycurgus), which is the subject of the accusative-and-infinitive construction governed by φάσκοντες ('claiming') in §6.46.6. Its perfect tense expresses a prior action functioning as a cause or means ('by having abolished covetousness') relative to the main infinitive συνανῃρηκέναι.