- 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-grc2:7.11.1-7.11.12
- Generated
- Humanitext Reader · reader.humanitext.ai · 2026-11-08
Polybius pauses his narrative to reflect on King Philip V of Macedon, noting how he was initially beloved by all Greeks for his noble rule, but rapidly turned to the worse starting with his actions in Messene.
ἐγὼ δὲ κατὰ τὸ παρὸν ἐπιστήσας τὴν διήγησιν βραχέα βούλομαι διαλεχθῆναι περὶ Φιλίππου, διὰ τὸ ταύτην τὴν ἀρχὴν γενέσθαι τῆς εἰς τοὔμπαλιν μεταβολῆς αὐτοῦ καὶ τῆς ἐπὶ χεῖρον ὁρμῆς καὶ μεταθέσεως.
But for the present, having paused in my narrative, I wish to speak briefly about Philip, because this was the beginning of his change in the opposite direction, and of his impulse and transition toward the worse.
δοκεῖ γάρ μοι τοῖς καὶ κατὰ βραχὺ βουλομένοις τῶν πραγματικῶν ἀνδρῶν1 περιποιεῖσθαι τὴν ἐκ τῆς ἱστορίας διόρθωσιν ἐναργέστατον εἶναι τοῦτο παράδειγμα.
For it seems to me that this is a most conspicuous example for those among practical men who wish to acquire, even in a small degree, correction from history.
καὶ γὰρ διὰ τὸ τῆς ἀρχῆς ἐπιφανὲς καὶ διὰ τὸ τῆς φύσεως λαμπρὸν ἐκφανεστάτας συμβαίνει καὶ γνωριμωτάτας γεγονέναι πᾶσι τοῖς Ἕλλησι τὰς εἰς ἑκάτερον τὸ μέρος ὁρμὰς τοῦ βασιλέως τούτου, παραπλησίως δὲ καὶ τὰ συνεξακολουθήσαντα ταῖς ὁρμαῖς ἑκατέραις ἐκ παραθέσεως.
For both because of the prominence of his position and because of the splendor of his nature, the impulses of this king toward either direction have become most manifest and best known to all the Greeks, and similarly, by way of comparison, the consequences that followed each of those impulses.
ὅτι μὲν οὖν αὐτῷ μετὰ τὸ παραλαβεῖν τὴν βασιλείαν τά τε κατὰ Θετταλίαν καὶ Μακεδονίαν καὶ συλλήβδην τὰ κατὰ τὴν ἰδίαν ἀρχὴν οὕτως ὑπετέτακτο καὶ συνέκλινε ταῖς εὐνοίαις ὡς οὐδενὶ τῶν πρότερον βασιλέων, καίτοι νέῳ ὄντι παραλαβόντι τὴν Μακεδόνων δυναστείαν, εὐχερὲς καταμαθεῖν ἐκ τούτων.
Now then, that after receiving the kingdom, the affairs of Thessaly and Macedonia, and in short, those of his own dominion, were so subject to him and leaned toward him in goodwill as to no previous king, although he was young when he received the sovereignty of the Macedonians, is easy to understand from what follows.
συνεχέστατα γὰρ αὐτοῦ περισπασθέντος ἐκ Μακεδονίας διὰ τὸν πρὸς Αἰτωλοὺς καὶ Λακεδαιμονίους πόλεμον, οὐχ οἷον ἐστασίασέ τι τῶν προειρημένων ἐθνῶν, ἀλλʼ οὐδὲ τῶν περιοικούντων ἐτόλμησε βαρβάρων οὐδεὶς ἅψασθαι τῆς Μακεδονίας.
For though he was very frequently drawn away from Macedonia because of the war against the Aetolians and Lacedaemonians, not only did none of the aforementioned nations revolt, but not even any of the neighboring barbarians dared to touch Macedonia.
καὶ μὴν περὶ τῆς Ἀλεξάνδρου καὶ Χρυσογόνου καὶ τῶν ἄλλων φίλων εὐνοίας καὶ προθυμίας εἰς αὐτὸν οὐδʼ ἂν εἰπεῖν τις δύναιτʼ ἀξίως. τὴν δὲ Πελοποννησίων καὶ Βοιωτῶν,2 ἅμα δὲ τούτοις Ἠπειρωτῶν, Ἀκαρνάνων, ὅσων ἑκάστοις ἀγαθῶν ἐν βραχεῖ χρόνῳ παραίτιος ἐγένετο.
And indeed, concerning the goodwill and zeal of Alexander, Chrysogonus, and his other friends toward him, no one could speak worthily. On the other hand, that of the Peloponnesians and Boeotians, and along with these, of the Epirotes and Acarnanians, for each of whom he became in a short time the cause of how many benefits!
καθόλου γε μήν, εἰ δεῖ μικρὸν ὑπερβολικώτερον εἰπεῖν, οἰκειότατʼ ἂν οἶμαι περὶ Φιλίππου τοῦτο ῥηθῆναι, διότι κοινός τις οἷον ἐρώμενος ἐγένετο τῶν Ἑλλήνων διὰ τὸ τῆς αἱρέσεως εὐεργετικόν.
In general, however, if one must speak a little more hyperbolically, I think this might be said most appropriately of Philip: that he became, as it were, a common beloved of the Greeks because of the beneficent nature of his policy.
ἐκφανέστατον δὲ καὶ μέγιστον δεῖγμα περὶ τοῦ τί δύναται προαίρεσις καλοκἀγαθικὴ καὶ πίστις, τὸ πάντας Κρηταιεῖς συμφρονήσαντας καὶ τῆς αὐτῆς μετασχόντας συμμαχίας ἕνα προστάτην ἑλέσθαι τῆς νήσου Φίλιππον, καὶ ταῦτα συντελεσθῆναι χωρὶς ὅπλων καὶ κινδύνων, ὃ πρότερον οὐ ῥᾳδίως ἂν εὕροι τις γεγονός.
And the most manifest and greatest proof of what a noble policy and good faith can achieve is that all the Cretans, having come to one mind and joined the same alliance, chose Philip as the single protector of the island, and this was accomplished without arms and dangers, something which before this one would not easily find to have happened.
ἀπὸ τοίνυν τῶν κατὰ Μεσσηνίους ἐπιτελεσθέντων ἅπαντα τὴν ἐναντίαν ἐλάμβανε διάθεσιν αὐτῷ· καὶ τοῦτο συνέβαινε κατὰ λόγον·
From the events concerning the Messenians onwards, therefore, everything took the opposite disposition for him; and this happened reasonably.
τραπεὶς γὰρ ἐπὶ τὴν ἀντικειμένην προαίρεσιν τῇ πρόσθεν, καὶ ταύτῃ προστιθεὶς ἀεὶ τἀκόλουθον, ἔμελλε καὶ τὰς τῶν ἄλλων διαλήψεις περὶ αὑτοῦ τρέψειν εἰς τἀναντία καὶ ταῖς τῶν πραγμάτων συντελείαις ἐγκυρήσειν ἐναντίαις ἢ πρότερον.
For having turned to a policy contrary to the former one, and always adding to this what followed from it, he was bound also to turn the opinions of others about him to the contrary, and to meet with completions of affairs contrary to those of before.
ὃ καὶ συνέβη γενέσθαι.3 δῆλον δὲ τοῦτʼ ἔσται τοῖς προσέχουσιν ἐπιμελῶς διὰ τῶν ἑξῆς ῥηθησομένων πράξεων.
And this is indeed what happened. This will be clear to those who pay careful attention through the actions that will be told hereafter.
- 7.11.2τῶν πραγματικῶν ἀνδρῶν
This is a partitive genitive depending on the participle βουλομένοις, meaning 'those among practical men who wish to derive correction from history.' Alternatively, it could be construed as the subject of the infinitive περιποιεῖσθαι, though the former is more natural in this context.
- 7.11.6τὴν δὲ Πελοποννησίων καὶ Βοιωτῶν
This accusative article τὴν refers back to εὐνοίας καὶ προθυμίας from the previous sentence. The construction is elliptical or lacunose, transitioning into the relative clause in §7.11.7 which shifts the focus to the benefits they received.
- 7.11.12ὃ καὶ συνέβη γενέσθαι
The relative pronoun ὅ refers to the entire content of the preceding sentence (the prediction that his reputation and the outcomes of his affairs would turn to the contrary). συνέβη functions as an impersonal verb with the infinitive γενέσθαι, meaning 'which indeed came to pass.'
Translated by Gemini 3.5 Flash (published 2026-05-25) · Revision history (1, latest 2026-10-09)
- 2026-10-09 Collated with the printed edition — source 1