- 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-grc2:8.20.1-8.20.12
- Generated
- Humanitext Reader · reader.humanitext.ai · 2026-11-08
Bolis and Arianus lure Achaeus to the place of ambush, where Bolis identifies and captures him. The bound Achaeus is brought before Antiochus, who is moved to tears by the sudden and unpredictable downfall of his former rival.
ἐπεὶ δὲ συνέμιξαν τοῖς περὶ τὸν Ἀριανόν, ἡγεῖτο μὲν αὐτὸς αὐτῶν διὰ τὴν ἐμπειρίαν, ὁ δὲ Βῶλις κατόπιν ἐπέστη κατὰ τὴν ἐξ ἀρχῆς πρόθεσιν, ἀπορῶν καὶ δυσχρηστούμενος ὑπὲρ τοῦ συμβαίνοντος·
When they joined Arianus’ party, Arianus himself led them because of his experience, while Bolis took his place behind them in accordance with the original plan, being perplexed and embarrassed by what was happening.
καίπερ γὰρ ὢν Κρὴς καὶ πᾶν ἄν τι κατὰ τοῦ πέλας ὑποπτεύσας,1 ὅμως οὐκ ἠδύνατο διὰ τὸ σκότος συννοῆσαι τὸν Ἀχαιόν, οὐχ οἷον τίς ἐστιν, ἀλλʼ οὐδὲ καθάπαξ εἰ πάρεστι.
For although he was a Cretan and ready to suspect anything against his neighbor, he was nevertheless unable because of the darkness to distinguish Achaeus—not only who he was, but even whether he was present at all.
τῆς δὲ καταβάσεως κρημνώδους μὲν καὶ δυσβάτου κατὰ τὸ πλεῖστον ὑπαρχούσης, ἔν τισι δὲ τόποις καὶ λίαν ἐπισφαλεῖς ἐχούσης καὶ κινδυνώδεις καταφοράς, ὁπότε παραγένοιτο πρός τινα τοιοῦτον τόπον, τῶν μὲν ἐπιλαμβανομένων, τῶν δὲ πάλιν ἐκδεχομένων τὸν Ἀχαιόν,2 οὐ δυναμένων γὰρ καθόλου τὴν ἐκ τῆς συνηθείας καταξίωσιν στέλλεσθαι πρὸς τὸν παρόντα καιρόν,3 ταχέως ὁ Βῶλις συνῆκε τίς ἐστι καὶ ποῖος αὐτῶν ὁ Ἀχαιός.
Since the descent was for the most part steep and difficult to traverse, and in some places had extremely precarious and dangerous declivities, whenever they came to any such spot, some holding onto Achaeus, and others in turn receiving him, for as they were unable to suppress their habitual respect to suit the present occasion, Bolis quickly understood who and of what sort among them was Achaeus.
ἐπεὶ δὲ παρεγένοντο πρὸς τὸν τῷ Καμβύλῳ διατεταγμένον τόπον, καὶ τὸ σύνθημα προσσυρίξας ὁ Βῶλις ἀπέδωκε, τῶν μὲν ἄλλων οἱ διαναστάντες ἐκ τῆς ἐνέδρας ἐπελάβοντο, τὸν δʼ Ἀχαιὸν αὐτὸς ὁ Βῶλις ὁμοῦ τοῖς ἱματίοις, ἔνδον τὰς χεῖρας ἔχοντα, συνήρπασε, φοβηθεὶς μὴ συννοήσας τὸ γινόμενον ἐπιβάλοιτο διαφθείρειν αὑτόν·4 καὶ γὰρ εἶχε μάχαιραν ἐφʼ αὑτῷ παρεσκευασμένος.
When they arrived at the place assigned to Cambylus, and Bolis gave the signal by whistling, those who rose up from the ambush seized the others, while Bolis himself seized Achaeus together with his clothes, since he had his hands inside them, fearing lest, realizing what was happening, he should attempt to destroy himself; for indeed he had a dagger on his person in readiness.
ταχὺ δὲ καὶ πανταχόθεν κυκλωθεὶς ὑποχείριος ἐγένετο τοῖς ἐχθροῖς, καὶ παραχρῆμα μετὰ τῶν φίλων ἀνήγετο πρὸς τὸν Ἀντίοχον.
Quickly surrounded on all sides, he fell into the hands of his enemies and was immediately taken up to Antiochus along with his friends.
ὁ δὲ βασιλεύς, πάλαι μετέωρος ὢν τῇ διανοίᾳ καὶ καραδοκῶν τὸ συμβησόμενον, ἀπολύσας τοὺς ἐκ τῆς συνουσίας ἔμενε μόνος ἐγρηγορὼς ἐν τῇ σκηνῇ μετὰ δυεῖν ἢ τριῶν σωματοφυλάκων.
The king, who had long been in a state of suspense and looking forward to what would happen, had dismissed those in his company and remained awake alone in his tent with two or three bodyguards.
παρεισελθόντων δὲ τῶν περὶ τὸν Καμβύλον καὶ καθισάντων τὸν Ἀχαιὸν ἐπὶ τὴν γῆν δεδεμένον, εἰς τοιαύτην ἀφασίαν ἦλθε διὰ τὸ παράδοξον ὥστε πολὺν μὲν χρόνον ἀποσιωπῆσαι, τὸ δὲ τελευταῖον συμπαθὴς γενέσθαι καὶ δακρῦσαι. τοῦτο δʼ ἔπαθεν ὁρῶν, ὡς ἔμοιγε δοκεῖ, τὸ δυσφύλακτον καὶ παράλογον5 τῶν ἐκ τῆς τύχης συμβαινόντων.
When Cambylus’ party entered and seated the bound Achaeus on the ground, the king fell into such a state of speechlessness because of the unexpectedness of it that he remained silent for a long time, and finally, being moved, he even shed tears. He suffered this on seeing, as it seems to me, the unavoidable and unpredictable nature of the turns of Fortune.
Ἀχαιὸς γὰρ ἦν Ἀνδρομάχου μὲν υἱὸς τοῦ Λαοδίκης ἀδελφοῦ τῆς Σελεύκου γυναικός, ἔγημε δὲ Λαοδίκην τὴν Μιθριδάτου τοῦ βασιλέως θυγατέρα, κύριος δʼ ἐγεγόνει τῆς ἐπὶ τάδε τοῦ Ταύρου πάσης.
For Achaeus was the son of Andromachus, the brother of Laodice who was Seleucus’s wife; he had married Laodice, the daughter of King Mithridates, and had become master of all the country on this side of Taurus.
δοκῶν δὲ τότε καὶ ταῖς αὑτοῦ δυνάμεσι καὶ ταῖς τῶν ὑπεναντίων ἐν ὀχυρωτάτῳ τόπῳ τῆς οἰκουμένης διατρίβειν, ἐκάθητο δεδεμένος ἐπὶ τῆς γῆς, ὑποχείριος γενόμενος τοῖς ἐχθροῖς, οὐδέπω γινώσκοντος οὐθενὸς ἁπλῶς τὸ γεγονὸς πλὴν τῶν πραξάντων.6
Although he was thought at that time, both by his own forces and by his opponents, to be staying in the strongest place in the inhabited world, he now sat bound on the ground, having fallen into the hands of his enemies, while not a single person besides those who did the deed yet knew what had happened.
- 8.20.2πᾶν ἄν τι κατὰ τοῦ πέλας ὑποπτεύσας
The potential particle ἄν is used with the participle ὑποπτεύσας to express a potential or conditional tendency, indicating someone who 'would suspect absolutely anything' against others.
- 8.20.3τῶν μὲν ἐπιλαμβανομένων, τῶν δὲ πάλιν ἐκδεχομένων τὸν Ἀχαιόν
A genitive absolute construction. The genitive subjects τῶν μὲν and τῶν δὲ refer implicitly to Achaeus's companions or friends.
- 8.20.4οὐ δυναμένων γὰρ καθόλου τὴν ἐκ τῆς συνηθείας καταξίωσιν στέλλεσθαι πρὸς τὸν παρόντα καιρόν
A genitive absolute clause. The infinitive στέλλεσθαι is in the middle or passive voice, used in the sense of 'to restrain' or 'to diminish (one's respect),' showing that they failed to hide their respect to maintain Achaeus's disguise.
- 8.20.6φοβηθεὶς μὴ συννοῆσας τὸ γινόμενον ἐπιβάλοιτο διαφθείρειν αὑτόν
A clause of fearing introduced by μὴ. Since the main verb of the principal clause (συνήρπασε) is in the past tense, the optative mood (ἐπιβάλοιτο) is used in the subordinate clause.
- 8.20.9τοῦτο δʼ ἔπαθεν ὁρῶν, ὡς ἔμοιγε δοκεῖ, τὸ δυσφύλακτον καὶ παράλογον
The direct object of the participle ὁρῶν is τὸ δυσφύλακτον καὶ παράλογον in §8.20.10, with the author's parenthetical remark ὡς ἔμοιγε δοκεῖ ('as it seems to me') inserted in between.
- 8.20.12οὐδέπω γινώσκοντος οὐθενὸς ἁπλῶς τὸ γεγονὸς πλὴν τῶν πραξάντων
A genitive absolute construction. The double negatives οὐδέπω and οὐθενὸς combine to form an emphatic universal negative ('absolutely no one at all knowing').