- 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-grc2:7.12.1-7.12.10
- Generated
- Humanitext Reader · reader.humanitext.ai · 2026-11-08
King Philip offers sacrifices at the acropolis of Messene and seeks signs to decide whether to occupy it. While Demetrius strongly urges occupation, the elder Aratus advises him to preserve good faith with his allies and withdraw, a counsel which the king ultimately accepts.
ὅτι Φιλίππου τοῦ βασιλέως Μακεδόνων τὴν τῶν Μεσσηνίων ἀκρόπολιν κατασχεῖν βουλομένου,1 καὶ φήσαντος βούλεσθαι πρὸς τοὺς προεστῶτας τῆς πόλεως θεάσασθαι τὴν ἀκρόπολιν καὶ θῦσαι τῷ Διί, ἀναβάντος μετὰ τῆς θεραπείας καὶ θύοντος, μετὰ ταῦτα κατὰ τὸν ἐθισμὸν ἐκ τῶν τυθέντων ἱερείων προσενεχθέντων αὐτῷ τῶν σπλάγχνων, δεξάμενος εἰς τὰς χεῖρας καὶ βραχὺ διακλίνας, ἤρετο προτείνων τοῖς περὶ τὸν Ἄρατον "τί δοκεῖ τὰ ἱερὰ σημαίνειν, πότερον ἐκχωρεῖν τῆς ἄκρας ἢ κρατεῖν αὐτῆς.
When Philip, the king of the Macedonians, wished to take possession of the acropolis of the Messenians, and said to the leaders of the city that he wished to view the acropolis and sacrifice to Zeus, and after he had gone up with his retinue and was sacrificing, when thereafter, according to custom, the entrails from the sacrificed victims were brought to him, he took them into his hands, and turning slightly aside, extended them to those around Aratus, asking: “What do the victims seem to signify? Whether to withdraw from the citadel or to hold it?”
" ὁ μὲν οὖν Δημήτριος αὐτόθεν ἐκ τοῦ προβεβηκότος "εἰ μὲν μάντεως φρένας ἔχεισ" ἔφη "ἐκχωρεῖν τὴν ταχίστην· εἰ δὲ βασιλέως πραγματικοῦ, τηρεῖν αὐτήν,2 ἵνα μὴ νῦν ἀφεὶς ζητῇς ἕτερον ἐπιτηδειότερον καιρόν·
Then Demetrius, directly from the circumstances on the spot, said: “If indeed you have the mind of a seer, depart as quickly as possible; but if that of a practical king, hold it, lest by letting it go now you should have to seek another more convenient opportunity.
οὕτως γὰρ ἑκατέρων τῶν κεράτων κρατῶν μόνως ἂν ὑποχείριον ἔχοις τὸν βοῦν", αἰνιττόμενος τὰ μὲν κέρατα τὸν Ἰθωμάταν καὶ τὸν Ἀκροκόρινθον, τὴν δὲ Πελοπόννησον τὸν βοῦν.
For only by thus holding both horns would you keep the ox under your control,” hinting that the horns meant Ithome and Acrocorinth, and the ox the Peloponnese.
ὁ δὲ Φίλιππος ἐπιστρέψας πρὸς τὸν Ἄρατον "σὺ δὲ ταὐτὰ συμβουλεύεις;" ἔφη. τοῦ δʼ ἐπισχόντος, αὐτὸ λέγειν ἠξίου τὸ φαινόμενον.
But Philip, turning to Aratus, said: “And do you advise the same?” And when Aratus hesitated, Philip urged him to say exactly what appeared to him.
ὁ δὲ διαπορήσας "εἰ μὲν χωρίσ" ἔφη "τοῦ παρασπονδῆσαι Μεσσηνίους δύνῃ κρατεῖν τοῦ τόπου τούτου, συμβουλεύω κρατεῖν·
And Aratus, after some hesitation, said: “If indeed, without breaking faith with the Messenians, you are able to hold this place, I advise you to hold it.
εἰ δὲ τοῦτον καταλαβὼν φρουρᾷ, πάσας ἀπολλύναι μέλλεις τὰς ἀκροπόλεις καὶ τὴν φρουράν, ᾗ παρέλαβες παρʼ Ἀντιγόνου φρουρουμένους τοὺς συμμάχουσ"
But if, by occupying this place with a garrison, you are destined to lose all the acropolises and that guard by which you received the allies guarded from Antigonus...”
, λέγων τὴν πίστιν,3 "σκόπει μὴ καὶ νῦν κρεῖττον ᾖ τοὺς ἄνδρας ἐξαγαγόντα τὴν πίστιν αὐτοῦ καταλιπεῖν, καὶ ταύτῃ φρουρεῖν τοὺς Μεσσηνίους, ὁμοίως δὲ καὶ τοὺς λοιποὺς συμμάχους."
meaning “good faith,” “consider whether even now it is not better to withdraw your men and leave your good faith there, and by this guard the Messenians, and likewise the rest of the allies.”
ὁ Φίλιππος κατὰ μὲν τὴν ἰδίαν ὁρμὴν ἕτοιμος ἦν παρασπονδεῖν, ὡς ἐκ τῶν ὕστερον πραχθέντων ἐγένετο καταφανής, ἐπιτετιμημένος δὲ μικρῷ μὲν πρότερον ὑπὸ τοῦ νεωτέρου πικρῶς ἐπὶ τῇ τῶν ἀνδρῶν ἀπωλείᾳ, τότε δὲ μετὰ παρρησίας ἅμα καὶ μετʼ ἀξιώσεως λέγοντος τοῦ πρεσβυτέρου καὶ δεομένου μὴ παρακοῦσαι τῶν λεγομένων, ἐνετράπη.
Philip, according to his own impulse, was ready to break faith, as became manifest from his subsequent actions. But having been bitterly rebuked a little earlier by the younger Aratus for the destruction of those men, and now when the elder spoke with frankness and at the same time with dignity, and begged him not to disregard what was said, he was moved to shame.
καὶ λαβόμενος αὐτοῦ τῆς δεξιᾶς "ἄγωμεν τοίνυν" ἔφη "πάλιν τὴν αὐτὴν ὁδόν."
And taking him by the right hand, he said: “Let us go back, then, by the same road.”
- 7.12.1ὅτι Φιλίππου τοῦ βασιλέως Μακεδόνων τὴν τῶν Μεσσηνίων ἀκρόπολιν κατασχεῖν βουλομένου...
A very long sentence beginning with ὅτι, which is characteristic of excerpted texts. Before the main verb ἤρετο (asked), several genitives absolute (Φιλίππου ... βουλομένου, φήσαντος ... , ἀναβάντος ... καὶ θύοντος, προσενεχθέντων ... τῶν σπλάγχνων) referring to the same subject (Philip) occur in succession. Although the subject of a genitive absolute normally differs from that of the main clause, the structure here is loose, and the subject Philip ultimately transitions to the nominative participles (δεξάμενος, διακλίνας) leading to the main verb ἤρετο.
- 7.12.2ἐκχωρεῖν τὴν ταχίστην ... τηρεῖν αὐτήν
The infinitives ἐκχωρεῖν and τηρεῖν are used as infinitives of command (representing an imperative). The preceding ἔφη merely introduces the direct speech, and these infinitives function as independent commands rather than dependent accusative-with-infinitive clauses in indirect speech.
- 7.12.7λέγων τὴν πίστιν
An independent participle phrase inserted parenthetically. The author is explaining that the terms φρουράν (guard/garrison) and ᾗ ... φρουρουμένους (by which they were guarded) in the preceding sentence (§7.12.6) refer metaphorically to "good faith" (πίστις) rather than physical garrisons or troops.
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