- 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-grc2:6.7.1-6.7.9
- Generated
- Humanitext Reader · reader.humanitext.ai · 2026-11-09
The passage explains how the succession of kingship led to the corruption and luxury of the rulers, transforming kingship into tyranny, and how this sparked hatred among the people, prompting noble and courageous citizens to organize conspiracies.
μονίαν ὁ λογισμός.1 αὕτη καλοῦ καὶ δικαίου πρώτη παρʼ ἀνθρώποις κατὰ φύσιν ἔννοια καὶ τῶν ἐναντίων τούτοις, αὕτη βασιλείας ἀληθινῆς ἀρχὴ καὶ γένεσις.
...ship (is taken over by) reason. This is the first natural conception of the honorable and the just, and of their contraries, among men; this is the origin and genesis of true kingship.
οὐ γὰρ μόνον αὐτοῖς, ἀλλὰ καὶ τοῖς ἐκ τούτων οἱ πολλοὶ διαφυλάττουσι τὰς ἀρχάς, πεπεισμένοι τοὺς ἐκ τοιούτων γεγονότας καὶ τραφέντας ὑπὸ τοιούτοις παραπλησίους ἕξειν καὶ τὰς προαιρέσεις.2
For the multitude maintain the sovereign power not only for the kings themselves, but also for their descendants, being convinced that those born from such men and reared under such influences will also have similar dispositions.
ἐὰν δέ ποτε τοῖς ἐγγόνοις δυσαρεστήσωσι, ποιοῦνται μετὰ ταῦτα τὴν αἵρεσιν τῶν ἀρχόντων καὶ βασιλέων οὐκέτι κατὰ τὰς σωματικὰς καὶ θυμικὰς δυνάμεις, ἀλλὰ κατὰ τὰς τῆς γνώμης καὶ τοῦ λογισμοῦ διαφοράς, πεῖραν εἰληφότες ἐπʼ αὐτῶν τῶν ἔργων τῆς ἐξ ἀμφοῖν παραλλαγῆς.
But if they ever become displeased with the descendants, they thereafter make the choice of their rulers and kings no longer according to physical and spirited qualities, but according to differences in judgment and reason, having learned by experience from actual deeds the difference between the two.
τὸ μὲν οὖν παλαιὸν ἐνεγήρασκον ταῖς βασιλείαις οἱ κριθέντες ἅπαξ καὶ τυχόντες τῆς ἐξουσίας ταύτης, τόπους τε διαφέροντας ὀχυρούμενοι καὶ τειχίζοντες καὶ χώραν κατακτώμενοι, τὸ μὲν τῆς ἀσφαλείας χάριν, τὸ δὲ τῆς δαψιλείας τῶν ἐπιτηδείων τοῖς ὑποτεταγμένοις·
In old times, therefore, those who were once selected and obtained this authority used to grow old in their kingships, fortifying and walling in outstanding positions and acquiring territory, partly for the sake of security, and partly for the abundance of necessities for their subjects.
ἅμα δὲ περὶ ταῦτα σπουδάζοντες ἐκτὸς ἦσαν πάσης διαβολῆς καὶ φθόνου διὰ τὸ μήτε περὶ τὴν ἐσθῆτα μεγάλας ποιεῖσθαι τὰς παραλλαγὰς μήτε περὶ τὴν βρῶσιν καὶ πόσιν, ἀλλὰ παραπλήσιον ἔχειν τὴν βιοτείαν τοῖς ἄλλοις, ὁμόσε ποιούμενοι τοῖς πολλοῖς ἀεὶ τὴν δίαιταν.
And while they were busying themselves with these matters, they were free from all slander and envy, because they made no great differences either in their dress or in their food and drink, but lived a life similar to the rest, always sharing the same style of living with the multitude.
ἐπεὶ δʼ ἐκ διαδοχῆς καὶ κατὰ γένος τὰς ἀρχὰς παραλαμβάνοντες ἕτοιμα μὲν εἶχον ἤδη τὰ πρὸς τὴν ἀσφάλειαν, ἕτοιμα δὲ καὶ πλείω τῶν ἱκανῶν τὰ πρὸς τὴν τροφήν, τότε δὴ ταῖς ἐπιθυμίαις ἑπόμενοι διὰ τὴν περιουσίαν ἐξάλλους μὲν ἐσθῆτας ὑπέλαβον δεῖν ἔχειν τοὺς ἡγουμένους τῶν ὑποταττομένων,3 ἐξάλλους δὲ καὶ ποικίλας τὰς περὶ τὴν τροφὴν ἀπολαύσεις καὶ παρασκευάς, ἀναντιρρήτους δὲ καὶ παρὰ τῶν μὴ προσηκόντων τὰς τῶν ἀφροδισίων χρείας καὶ συνουσίας.
But when they received their offices by succession and inheritance, and already had everything ready for security, and everything ready for sustenance even beyond what was sufficient, then indeed, following their desires because of their abundance, they thought that rulers ought to have dress distinct from that of their subjects, and also distinct and varied enjoyments and preparations regarding food, and to have unquestioned sexual services and intercourse, even from those from whom it was not proper.
ἐφʼ οἷς μὲν φθόνου γενομένου καὶ προσκοπῆς, ἐφʼ οἷς δὲ μίσους ἐκκαιομένου4 καὶ δυσμενικῆς ὀργῆς, ἐγένετο μὲν ἐκ τῆς βασιλείας τυραννίς, ἀρχὴ δὲ καταλύσεως ἐγεννᾶτο καὶ σύστασις ἐπιβουλῆς τοῖς ἡγουμένοις·
From these things, since envy and offense arose on the one hand, and hatred and hostile anger were kindled on the other, kingship became tyranny, and the beginning of its dissolution was generated, as well as the conspiracy against the rulers.
ἣν οὐκ ἐκ τῶν χειρίστων, ἀλλʼ ἐκ τῶν γενναιοτάτων καὶ μεγαλοψυχοτάτων, ἔτι δὲ θαρραλεωτάτων ἀνδρῶν συνέβαινε γίνεσθαι διὰ τὸ τοὺς τοιούτους ἥκιστα
This conspiracy did not happen to originate from the worst men, but from the most noble, high-minded, and moreover the most courageous, because such men were the least...
- 6.7.1μονίαν ὁ λογισμός
This is the latter part of the word ἡγεμονίαν (leadership/rule), continuing from ἡγε- at the end of the previous chunk. Syntactically, it belongs to the ὅταν clause of the previous sentence, where ὁ λογισμός (reason) is the subject, [ἡγε]μονίαν is the object, and μεταλάβῃ (takes over) is the verb.
- 6.7.2παραπλησίους ἕξειν καὶ τὰς προαιρέσεις
The infinitive ἕξειν (future active) depends on the participle πεπεισμένοι (being convinced), forming an accusative-with-infinitive construction. The subject of the infinitive is the accusative τοὺς... γεγονότας... (those born...), while τὰς προαιρέσεις is the object of ἕξειν, and παραπλησίους functions as its predicative modifier ('will have their dispositions similar', i.e., 'will have similar dispositions').
- 6.7.7τῶν ὑποταττομένων
Genitive of comparison depending on the adjective ἐξάλλους (distinct, extraordinary), which carries a comparative sense ('dress more outstanding than [that of] their subjects').
- 6.7.8ἐφʼ οἷς μὲν φθόνου γενομένου... ἐφʼ οἷς δὲ μίσους ἐκκαιομένου...
Two genitive absolute constructions contrasted by μὲν... δέ.... The relative pronoun οἷς is neuter (or masculine) plural, referring to the luxuries and wrongdoings of the rulers mentioned in the preceding clause (dress, food, sex), and the preposition ἐπί means 'on account of' or 'at'.