- 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-grc2:8.16.1-8.16.12
- Generated
- Humanitext Reader · reader.humanitext.ai · 2026-11-08
Bolis visits Rhodes and Ephesus to contact Achaeus's allies, and then secretly meets with Cambylus, a fellow Cretan, through his subordinate Arianus. The two Cretans plot a mutual conspiracy to betray Achaeus to Antiochus to secure double profits for themselves.
παραγενόμενος δʼ εἰς τὴν Ῥόδον καὶ μετὰ ταῦτα πάλιν εἰς τὴν Ἔφεσον, καὶ κοινωσάμενος τοῖς προειρημένοις ἀνδράσι, καὶ λαβὼν αὐτοὺς ἑτοίμους εἰς τὰ παρακαλούμενα,1 μετὰ ταῦτʼ Ἀριανόν τινα τῶν ὑφʼ αὑτὸν ταττομένων διαπέμπεται πρὸς τὸν Καμβύλον, φήσας ἐξαπεστάλθαι μὲν ἐκ τῆς Ἀλεξανδρείας ξενολογήσων, βούλεσθαι δὲ τῷ Καμβύλῳ συμμῖξαι περί τινων ἀναγκαίων· διόπερ ᾤετο δεῖν τάξασθαι καιρὸν καὶ τόπον, ἐν ᾧ μηδενὸς συνειδότος αὑτοῖς συναντήσουσι.
Having arrived in Rhodes and after that again in Ephesus, and having communicated with the aforementioned men, and finding them ready for what was requested, Bolis then sent Arianus, one of those stationed under him, to Cambylus, saying that he had been sent out from Alexandria to recruit mercenaries, but wished to meet with Cambylus on some urgent matters; for which reason he thought they ought to fix a time and place where they could meet without anyone else being aware of it.
ταχὺ δὲ τοῦ Ἀριανοῦ συμμίξαντος τῷ Καμβύλῳ καὶ δηλώσαντος τὰς ἐντολάς, ἑτοίμως ὁ προειρημένος ἀνὴρ ὑπήκουσε τοῖς παρακαλουμένοις, καὶ συνθέμενος ἡμέραν καὶ τόπον ἑκατέρῳ γνωστόν, εἰς ὃν παρέσται νυκτός, ἀπέπεμψε τὸν Ἀριανόν.
As soon as Arianus met with Cambylus and made known his instructions, the aforementioned man readily complied with the requests, and having agreed upon a day and a place known to both, at which Bolis should arrive by night, he sent Arianus back.
ὁ δὲ Βῶλις, ἅτε Κρὴς ὑπάρχων καὶ φύσει ποικίλος, πᾶν ἐβάσταζε πρᾶγμα καὶ πᾶσαν ἐπίνοιαν ἐψηλάφα.
Bolis, being a Cretan and by nature versatile, weighed every circumstance and felt out every plan.
τέλος δὲ συμμίξας τῷ Καμβύλῳ κατὰ τὴν τοῦ Ἀριανοῦ σύνταξιν ἔδωκε τὴν ἐπιστολήν. ἧς τεθείσης εἰς τὸ μέσον ἐποιοῦντο τὴν σκέψιν Κρητικήν·2
At last, having met with Cambylus in accordance with Arianus’s arrangement, he delivered the letter. When it was laid before them, they began a Cretan consultation;
οὐ γὰρ ἐσκόπουν ὑπὲρ τῆς τοῦ κινδυνεύοντος σωτηρίας οὐδʼ ὑπὲρ τῆς τῶν ἐγχειρισάντων τὴν πρᾶξιν πίστεως, ἀλλʼ ὑπὲρ τῆς αὑτῶν ἀσφαλείας καὶ τοῦ σφίσιν αὐτοῖς συμφέροντος.
for they did not look to the safety of the man in danger, nor to the good faith of those who had entrusted them with the enterprise, but only to their own security and their own advantage.
διόπερ ἀμφότεροι Κρῆτες ὄντες συντόμως κατηνέχθησαν ἐπὶ τὴν αὐτὴν γνώμην· αὕτη δʼ ἦν τὰ μὲν παρὰ τοῦ Σωσιβίου προδεδομένα δέκα τάλαντα διελέσθαι κοινῇ, τὴν δὲ πρᾶξιν Ἀντιόχῳ δηλώσαντας3 καὶ συνεργῷ χρησαμένους ἐπαγγείλασθαι τὸν Ἀχαιὸν ἐγχειριεῖν αὐτῷ, λαβόντας χρήματα καὶ τὰς εἰς τὸ μέλλον ἐλπίδας ἀξίας τῆς προειρημένης ἐπιβολῆς.
Therefore, as both were Cretans, they quickly came to the same opinion; which was to divide between themselves the ten talents already advanced by Sosibius, and, having disclosed the enterprise to Antiochus and secured his cooperation, to promise to deliver Achaeus to him, on receiving money and future expectations worthy of the aforementioned undertaking.
τούτων δὲ κυρωθέντων ὁ μὲν Καμβύλος ἀνεδέξατο χειριεῖν τὰ κατὰ τὸν Ἀντίοχον, ὁ δὲ Βῶλις ἐτάξατο μετά τινας ἡμέρας πέμψειν τὸν Ἀριανὸν πρὸς τὸν Ἀχαιόν, ἔχοντα παρά τε τοῦ Νικομάχου καὶ Μελαγκόμα συνθηματικὰ γράμματα.
These terms having been ratified, Cambylus undertook to manage the business with Antiochus, while Bolis agreed to send Arianus after a few days to Achaeus, carrying letters in cipher from Nicomachus and Melancomas.
περὶ δὲ τοῦ παρεισελθεῖν τὸν Ἀριανὸν εἰς τὴν ἄκραν ἀσφαλῶς καὶ πάλιν ἀπελθεῖν, ἐκεῖνον ἐκέλευε φροντίζειν.
As to how Arianus should safely enter the citadel and return again, Bolis bade Cambylus to see to that.
ἐὰν δὲ προσδεξάμενος τὴν ἐπιβολὴν Ἀχαιὸς ἀντιφωνήσῃ τοῖς περὶ τὸν Νικόμαχον καὶ Μελαγκόμαν, οὕτως ἔφη δώσειν ὁ Βῶλις αὑτὸν εἰς τὴν χρείαν καὶ συμμίξειν τῷ Καμβύλῳ.
And if Achaeus, having accepted the undertaking, should reply to the party of Nicomachus and Melancomas, then Bolis said he would devote himself to the service and join Cambylus.
τῆς δὲ διατάξεως γενομένης τοιαύτης χωρισθέντες ἔπραττον ἑκάτεροι τὰ συντεταγμένα.
This arrangement having been made, they separated and each proceeded to perform what had been agreed upon.
- 8.16.1λαβὼν αὐτοὺς ἑτοίμους εἰς τὰ παρακαλούμενα
"Finding them ready for what was requested." The participle λαβών (from λαμβάνω) is used here not in the sense of physical grasping, but in the sense of perceiving, learning, or finding out that the men were ready to assist.
- 8.16.5σκέψιν Κρητικήν
"Cretan consultation/thinking." This refers to a self-interested and deceitful deliberation that completely ignores good faith or duty. Polybius ironically applies the widely known ancient stereotype of Cretans as untrustworthy and greedy.
- 8.16.8δηλώσαντας
The accusative participles δηλώσαντας (along with χρησαμένους) agree with the unexpressed subject of the infinitive ἐπαγγείλασθαι (referring to "themselves" in the accusative). Although grammatically they could agree with the main subject in the nominative (ἀμφότεροι), the accusative is selected to match the logical subject of the infinitive clauses under αὕτη δʼ ἦν.