- 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-grc2:6.8.1-6.8.6
- Generated
- Humanitext Reader · reader.humanitext.ai · 2026-11-09
The multitude, unable to bear the insolence of the rulers, revolts alongside noble leaders to overthrow the monarchy, establishing an aristocracy. However, their descendants, pampered by power, abuse their privileges, causing the aristocracy to degenerate into an oligarchy and head toward a similar ruin.
δύνασθαι1 φέρειν τὰς τῶν ἐφεστώτων ὕβρεις. τοῦ δὲ πλήθους, ὅτε λάβοι προστάτας, συνεπισχύοντος2 κατὰ τῶν ἡγουμένων διὰ τὰς προειρημένας αἰτίας, τὸ μὲν τῆς βασιλείας καὶ μοναρχίας εἶδος ἄρδην ἀνῃρεῖτο, τὸ δὲ τῆς ἀριστοκρατίας αὖθις ἀρχὴν ἐλάμβανε καὶ γένεσιν.
...were least able to bear the insolence of those in power. And when the multitude, having obtained leaders, joined in the struggle against the rulers for the reasons mentioned above, the form of kingship and monarchy was utterly abolished, and that of aristocracy in turn took its beginning and origin.
τοῖς γὰρ καταλύσασι τοὺς μονάρχους οἷον εἰ χάριν ἐκ χειρὸς ἀποδιδόντες3 οἱ πολλοὶ τούτοις ἐχρῶντο προστάταις καὶ τούτοις ἐπέτρεπον περὶ σφῶν.
For the multitude, as if returning a prompt favor to those who had destroyed the monarchs, chose them as their leaders and entrusted their affairs to them.
οἱ δὲ τὸ μὲν πρῶτον ἀσμενίζοντες τὴν ἐπιτροπὴν οὐδὲν προυργιαίτερον ἐποιοῦντο τοῦ κοινῇ συμφέροντος,4 καὶ κηδεμονικῶς καὶ φυλακτικῶς ἕκαστα χειρίζοντες καὶ τὰ κατʼ ἰδίαν καὶ τὰ κοινὰ τοῦ πλήθους.
At first, gladly accepting this charge, they regarded nothing as more important than the common interest, conducting both the private and public affairs of the multitude with care and vigilance.
ὅτε δὲ διαδέξαιντο πάλιν παῖδες παρὰ πατέρων τὴν τοιαύτην ἐξουσίαν, ἄπειροι μὲν ὄντες κακῶν, ἄπειροι δὲ καθόλου πολιτικῆς ἰσότητος καὶ παρρησίας, τεθραμμένοι δʼ ἐξ ἀρχῆς ἐν ταῖς τῶν πατέρων ἐξουσίαις καὶ προαγωγαῖς, ὁρμήσαντες οἱ μὲν ἐπὶ πλεονεξίαν καὶ φιλαργυρίαν ἄδικον, οἱ δʼ ἐπὶ μέθας καὶ τὰς ἅμα ταύταις ἀπλήστους εὐωχίας, οἱ δʼ ἐπὶ τὰς τῶν γυναικῶν ὕβρεις καὶ παίδων ἁρπαγάς, μετέστησαν μὲν τὴν ἀριστοκρατίαν εἰς ὀλιγαρχίαν, ταχὺ δὲ κατεσκεύασαν ἐν τοῖς πλήθεσι πάλιν τὰ παραπλήσια τοῖς ἄρτι ῥηθεῖσι· διὸ καὶ παραπλήσιον συνέβαινε τὸ τέλος αὐτῶν γίνεσθαι τῆς καταστροφῆς τοῖς περὶ τοὺς τυράννους ἀτυχή5
But when, in turn, children succeeded to such power from their fathers, being inexperienced in evils, and completely inexperienced in political equality and freedom of speech, having been brought up from the beginning in the power and privileges of their fathers, some of them turning to greed and unjust love of money, others to drunkenness and the insatiable banquets that accompany it, and others to the violation of women and the abduction of boys, they transformed the aristocracy into an oligarchy, and quickly produced again among the multitude feelings similar to those just mentioned; wherefore it also happened that the end of their ruin became very similar to the misfortunes of the tyrants...
- 6.8.1δύνασθαι
This infinitive is governed by διὰ τὸ from the end of the previous chunk. Together with ἥκιστα (least), it completes the causal clause: "because such men were least able to bear [the insolence...]."
- 6.8.1τοῦ δὲ πλήθους ... συνεπισχύοντος
This phrase forms a genitive absolute. It adverbially modifies the main clause, representing a different subject (the multitude) from that of the main verb. The temporal/conditional clause ὅτε λάβοι προστάτας is nested within this genitive absolute.
- 6.8.2οἷον εἰ χάριν ἐκ χειρὸς ἀποδιδόντες
οἷον εἰ introduces a hypothetical comparison ("as if"). The phrase ἐκ χειρός (literally "from hand") is an idiomatic expression meaning "immediately" or "directly from hand to hand," describing the immediate gratitude shown to those who overthrew the monarchs.
- 6.8.3οὐδὲν προυργιαίτερον ἐποιοῦντο τοῦ κοινῇ συμφέροντος
προυργιαίτερον is a comparative adjective meaning "more important" or "of higher priority." The following genitive τοῦ κοινῇ συμφέροντος is a genitive of comparison, yielding the meaning "they regarded nothing as more important than the common interest."
- 6.8.6ἀτυχή
This word is the beginning of ἀτυχήμασιν (misfortunes, disasters), which continues into the next chunk. Grammatically, it is part of a dative noun governed by τοῖς and referring to the circumstances surrounding the tyrants.