- 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-grc2:6.51.1-6.51.8
- Generated
- Humanitext Reader · reader.humanitext.ai · 2026-11-08
The author compares the Carthaginian and Roman constitutions, explaining that during the Second Punic War, Carthage was in decline with the populace holding power, whereas Rome was in its prime under the Senate, leading to Rome's victory.
τὸ δὲ Καρχηδονίων πολίτευμα τὸ μὲν ἀνέκαθέν μοι δοκεῖ καλῶς κατά γε τὰς ὁλοσχερεῖς διαφορὰς συνεστάσθαι.
The Carthaginian constitution, on the one hand, seems to me to have been originally well constituted, at least in its general outlines.
καὶ γὰρ βασιλεῖς ἦσαν παρʼ αὐτοῖς, καὶ τὸ γερόντιον εἶχε1 τὴν ἀριστοκρατικὴν ἐξουσίαν, καὶ τὸ πλῆθος ἦν κύριον τῶν καθηκόντων αὐτῷ· καθόλου δὲ τὴν τῶν ὅλων ἁρμογὴν εἶχε παραπλησίαν τῇ Ῥωμαίων καὶ Λακεδαιμονίων.
For they had kings, and the council of elders held aristocratic power, and the multitude was master of the matters appropriate to it; and on the whole, it had a harmonization of the entire system very similar to that of the Romans and Lacedaemonians.
κατά γε μὴν τοὺς καιροὺς τούτους, καθʼ οὓς εἰς τὸν Ἀννιβιακὸν ἐνέβαινε πόλεμον, χεῖρον ἦν τὸ Καρχηδονίων, ἄμεινον δὲ τὸ Ῥωμαίων.
But at the time when they were entering upon the Hannibalian war, the Carthaginian constitution was worse, and the Roman was better.
ἐπειδὴ γὰρ παντὸς καὶ σώματος καὶ πολιτείας καὶ πράξεώς ἐστί τις αὔξησις κατὰ φύσιν, μετὰ δὲ ταύτην ἀκμή, κἄπειτα φθίσις, κράτιστα δʼ αὑτῶν ἐστι πάντα τὰ κατὰ τὴν ἀκμήν, παρὰ τοῦτο καὶ τότε διέφερεν ἀλλήλων τὰ πολιτεύματα.
For since every body, constitution, and action has a certain natural growth, and after this its prime, and then its decay, and all things are at their best when they are in their prime, for this reason also at that time the two constitutions differed from one another.
καθʼ ὅσον γὰρ ἡ Καρχηδονίων πρότερον ἴσχυε καὶ πρότερον εὐτύχει τῆς Ῥωμαίων, κατὰ τοσοῦτον2 ἡ μὲν Καρχηδὼν ἤδη τότε παρήκμαζεν, ἡ δὲ Ῥώμη μάλιστα τότʼ εἶχε τὴν ἀκμὴν κατά γε τὴν τῆς πολιτείας σύστασιν.
For in proportion as the Carthaginian state had become powerful and prosperous earlier than the Roman, by so much Carthage was already at that time past its prime, while Rome at that very time was in its highest prime, at least as regards the constitution of its government.
διὸ καὶ τὴν πλείστην δύναμιν ἐν τοῖς διαβουλίοις παρὰ μὲν Καρχηδονίοις ὁ δῆμος ἤδη μετειλήφει, παρὰ δὲ Ῥωμαίοις ἀκμὴν εἶχεν ἡ σύγκλητος.
Therefore, also, the chief power in deliberations had already been assumed by the people among the Carthaginians, while among the Romans the senate was in its prime.
ὅθεν παρʼ οἷς μὲν τῶν πολλῶν βουλευομένων,3 παρʼ οἷς δὲ τῶν ἀρίστων, κατίσχυε τὰ Ῥωμαίων διαβούλια περὶ τὰς κοινὰς πράξεις.
Consequently, since with the one the multitude deliberated, and with the other the best men, the deliberations of the Romans prevailed in public affairs.
ᾗ καὶ πταίσαντες4 τοῖς ὅλοις τῷ βουλεύεσθαι καλῶς τέλος ἐπεκράτησαν τῷ πολέμῳ τῶν Καρχηδονίων.
Wherefore, even though they suffered complete disasters, by virtue of their excellent deliberation they finally prevailed over the Carthaginians in the war.
- 6.51.2εἶχε
The contextual subject of the verb εἶχε is τὸ Καρχηδονίων πολίτευμα (the Carthaginian constitution) from the preceding section §6.51.1. The constitution itself is understood to have 'had' its 'harmonization of the whole system' as 'very similar' (παραπλησίαν) to that of the Romans and Lacedaemonians.
- 6.51.5καθʼ ὅσον γὰρ ... κατὰ τοσοῦτον
A correlative construction expressing proportion ('in proportion as... by so much...'). In the genitive phrase τῆς Ῥωμαίων, which serves as the standard of comparison, the noun 'constitution' (πολιτείας) is omitted, corresponding to the preceding ἡ Καρχηδονίων.
- 6.51.7τῶν πολλῶν βουλευομένων
A genitive absolute construction depending on the preceding prepositional phrase παρʼ οἷς μὲν (with the one). In the contrasting second half, παρʼ οἷς δὲ τῶν ἀρίστων, the participle βουλευομένων is likewise omitted, meaning 'while with the other, the best men deliberated.' It serves to introduce agents distinct from the main clause's subject, τὰ Ῥωμαίων διαβούλια.
- 6.51.8πταίσαντες
The aorist participle πταίσαντες (having met with disaster) functions concessively ('although they met with complete disasters') in relation to the main verb ἐπεκράτησαν. The subsequent dative articular infinitive τῷ βουλεύεσθαι expresses means or cause ('by virtue of deliberating').