- 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-grc2:8.19.1-8.19.9
- Generated
- Humanitext Reader · reader.humanitext.ai · 2026-11-08
Achaeus carefully assesses Bolis's reliability while planning his escape, and sets out from the citadel under cover of night disguised with four of his companions.
Ἀχαιὸς δὲ προσδεξάμενος ἐκτενῶς καὶ φιλοφρόνως τὸν Βῶλιν ἀνέκρινε διὰ πλειόνων ὑπὲρ ἑκάστου τῶν κατὰ μέρος.
Achaeus received Bolis warmly and cordially, and questioned him at length about each of the details.
θεωρῶν δὲ καὶ κατὰ τὴν ἐπιφάνειαν τὸν ἄνδρα καὶ κατὰ τὴν ὁμιλίαν ἕλκοντα τὸ τῆς πράξεως στάσιμον, τὰ μὲν περιχαρὴς ἦν διὰ τὴν ἐλπίδα τῆς σωτηρίας, τὰ δὲ πάλιν ἐπτοημένος καὶ πλήρης ἀγωνίας διὰ τὸ μέγεθος τῶν ἀποβησομένων.
Seeing that the man, both from his appearance and from his conversation, possessed the reliability required for the enterprise, on the one hand he was overjoyed at the hope of safety, but on the other hand he was again terrified and full of anxiety because of the magnitude of the consequences.
ὑπάρχων δὲ καὶ κατὰ τὴν διάνοιαν οὐδενὸς ἥττων καὶ κατὰ τὴν ἐν πράγμασι τριβὴν ἱκανός, ὅμως ἀκμὴν1 ἔκρινε μὴ πᾶσαν εἰς τὸν Βῶλιν ἀνακρεμάσαι τὴν πίστιν.
Although he was inferior to none in intelligence and sufficiently experienced in practical affairs, he nevertheless judged that he should not yet suspend all his trust upon Bolis.
διὸ ποιεῖται τοιούτους λόγους πρὸς αὐτόν, ὅτι κατὰ μὲν τὸ παρὸν οὐκ ἔστι δυνατὸν ἐξελθεῖν αὐτῷ, πέμψει δέ τινας τῶν φίλων μετʼ ἐκείνου τρεῖς ἢ τέτταρας, ὧν συμμιξάντων τοῖς περὶ τὸν Μελαγκόμαν ἕτοιμον αὑτὸν ἔφη παρασκευάσειν πρὸς τὴν ἔξοδον.
Therefore, he spoke to him in this manner: that for the present it was not possible for him to go out, but he would send three or four of his friends with him, and when they had joined Melancomas’ party, he said he would hold himself ready for the exit.
ὁ μὲν οὖν Ἀχαιὸς ἐποίει τὰ δυνατά· τοῦτο δʼ ἠγνόει, τὸ δὴ λεγόμενον, πρὸς Κρῆτα κρητίζων·2 ὁ γὰρ Βῶλις οὐθὲν ἀψηλάφητον εἶχε τῶν ἐπινοηθέντων ἂν εἰς τοῦτο τὸ μέρος.
Thus Achaeus was doing what he could; but he was ignorant of the fact that he was, as the saying goes, playing the Cretan against a Cretan; for Bolis had left nothing unexamined of what could be devised for this purpose.
πλὴν παραγενομένης τῆς νυκτός, ἐν ᾗ συνεξαποστέλλειν ἔφη τοὺς φίλους, προπέμψας τὸν Ἀριανὸν καὶ τὸν Βῶλιν ἐπὶ τὴν τῆς ἄκρας ἔξοδον μένειν προσέταξε, μέχρις ἂν οἱ μέλλοντες αὐτοῖς συνεξορμᾶν παραγένωνται.
But when the night arrived in which he said he would send the friends out with them, he sent Arianus and Bolis on ahead to the exit of the citadel and ordered them to wait until those who were to set out with them should arrive.
τῶν δὲ πειθαρχησάντων, κοινωσάμενος παρʼ αὐτὸν τὸν καιρὸν τῇ γυναικὶ καὶ ποιήσας διὰ τὸ παράδοξον τὴν Λαοδίκην ἔκφρονα, χρόνον μέν τινα λιπαρῶν ταύτην καὶ καταπραΰνων ταῖς προσδοκωμέναις ἐλπίσι προσεκαρτέρει, μετὰ δὲ ταῦτα πέμπτος αὐτὸς3 γενόμενος, καὶ τοῖς μὲν ἄλλοις μετρίας ἐσθῆτας ἀναδούς, αὐτὸς δὲ λιτὴν καὶ τὴν τυχοῦσαν ἀναλαβὼν καὶ ταπεινὸν αὑτὸν ποιήσας προῆγε, συντάξας ἑνὶ τῶν φίλων αὐτὸν αἰὲν ἀποκρίνασθαι4 πρὸς τὸ λεγόμενον ὑπὸ τῶν περὶ τὸν Ἀριανὸν καὶ πυνθάνεσθαι παρʼ ἐκείνων ἀεὶ τὸ κατεπεῖγον, περὶ δὲ τῶν ἄλλων φάναι βαρβάρους αὐτοὺς ὑπάρχειν.
When they obeyed, having at that very moment communicated the matter to his wife, and having driven Laodice out of her mind by the unexpectedness of it, he lingered for some time, entreating her and soothing her with the expectations of hope, and after this, going out himself as one of five, and having given ordinary clothes to the others, while he himself assumed a plain and common one and made his appearance humble, he proceeded forward, having instructed one of his friends that he himself should always reply to what was said by Arianus’ party and inquire of them about any urgent matter, and to say of the others that they were barbarians.
- 8.19.3ἀκμὴν
Used adverbially here to mean 'still' or 'even then'. While this usage is rare in classical Attic prose, it is common in Hellenistic prose, including Polybius.
- 8.19.5πρὸς Κρῆτα κρητίζων
A well-known proverbial expression meaning 'to play the Cretan against a Cretan' (i.e., attempting to out-cheat a known cheater). The verb 'κρητίζω' means 'to lie' or 'to cheat'.
- 8.19.8πέμπτος αὐτός
A Greek idiomatic expression meaning 'himself the fifth', which signifies that he was accompanied by four others, making five people in total including himself.
- 8.19.9ἑνὶ τῶν φίλων αὐτὸν αἰὲν ἀποκρίνασθαι
The accusative pronoun 'αὐτόν', serving as the subject of the infinitive 'ἀποκρίνασθαι', refers back to the dative 'ἑνὶ τῶν φίλων' in an intensive sense ('that he himself should reply').