- 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-grc2:9.14.1-9.14.12
- Generated
- Humanitext Reader · reader.humanitext.ai · 2026-11-07
The passage outlines the importance of practical experience, inquiry, and methodical knowledge (such as astronomy and geometry) for commanders, emphasizing that understanding the variations in day and night is crucial for precise timing in military operations.
τῶν δὲ προειρημένων τὰ μὲν ἐκ τριβῆς, τὰ δʼ ἐξ ἱστορίας, τὰ δὲ κατʼ ἐμπειρίαν μεθοδικὴν θεωρεῖται.
Of the aforementioned matters, some are studied through practical experience, some through inquiry, and some by methodical knowledge.
κάλλιστον μὲν οὖν τὸ γινώσκειν αὐτὸν1 καὶ τὰς ὁδοὺς καὶ τὸν τόπον, ἐφʼ ὃν δεῖ παραγενέσθαι, καὶ τὴν φύσιν τοῦ τόπου, πρὸς δὲ τούτοις, διʼ ὧν μέλλει καὶ μεθʼ ὧν πράττειν.
Now, the best thing is for the leader himself to know the roads, the place to which he must arrive, and the nature of that place, and in addition to these, the means through which and the persons with whom he is going to act.
δεύτερον δʼ ἱστορεῖν ἐπιμελῶς καὶ μὴ πιστεύειν τοῖς τυχοῦσι· τὴν δὲ τῶν καθηγουμένων πίστιν ἐπί τι τῶν τοιούτων ἐν τοῖς ἑπομένοις ἀεὶ δεῖ κεῖσθαι.2
The second is to make diligent inquiry and not to trust any chance person; and the pledge given by the guides in such matters must always be placed in the hands of those who follow.
ταῦτα μὲν οὖν καὶ τὰ τούτοις παραπλήσια δυνατὸν ἴσως καὶ διʼ αὐτῆς τῆς στρατιωτικῆς τριβῆς περιγίνεσθαι τοῖς ἡγουμένοις, τὰ μὲν ἐξ αὐτουργίας, τὰ δʼ ἐξ ἱστορίας·
Indeed, these and similar matters can perhaps be acquired by leaders even through military experience itself, partly from their own labor and partly from inquiry.
τὰ δʼ ἐκ τῆς ἐμπειρίας προσδεῖται μαθήσεως καὶ θεωρημάτων, καὶ μάλιστα τῶν ἐξ ἀστρολογίας καὶ γεωμετρίας, ὧν τὸ μὲν ἔργον οὐ μέγα3 πρός γε ταύτην τὴν χρείαν, τὸ δὲ χρῆμα μέγα καὶ μεγάλα συνεργεῖν δυνάμενον πρὸς τὰς προειρημένας ἐπιβολάς.
But those which come from methodical knowledge require further learning and theoretical principles, especially those derived from astronomy and geometry, the study of which is not very great for this particular need, but their utility is great and capable of contributing much to the aforementioned undertakings.
ἀναγκαιότατον δʼ αὐτοῦ τὸ περὶ τὰς νυκτερινὰς θεωρίας καὶ τὰς ἡμερινάς. εἰ μὲν γὰρ ἴσας εἶναι συνέβαινεν ἀεὶ ταύτας, οὐδʼ ἧστινος ἂν ἀσχολίας τὸ πρᾶγμα προσεδεῖτο,4 κοινὴ δʼ ἂν ἦν ἁπάντων ἡ γνῶσις·
Most necessary of this is the study of the night and day. For if it happened that these were always equal, the matter would not require any trouble, and the knowledge of them would be common to all.
ἐπεὶ δʼ οὐ μόνον ἔχει τὰ προειρημένα πρὸς ἄλληλα διαφοράν, ἀλλὰ καὶ πρὸς αὑτά, δῆλον ὡς ἀνάγκη γινώσκειν τὰς αὐξήσεις καὶ μειώσεις ἑκατέρων.
But since the aforementioned days and nights not only differ from one another, but also within themselves, it is clear that one must know the increases and decreases of both.
πῶς γὰρ ἄν τις εὐστοχήσειε πορείας καὶ διανύσματος ἡμερησίου, πῶς δὲ νυκτερινοῦ, μὴ κατανοήσας τὰς τῶν προειρημένων διαφοράς;
For how could anyone hit upon the measure of a day’s march and distance, and how upon a night’s, without understanding the differences of the aforementioned?
καὶ μὴν οὐδὲν πρὸς τὸν δέοντα καιρὸν ἐξικέσθαι δυνατὸν ἄνευ τῆς τούτων ἐμπειρίας, ἀλλὰ ποτὲ μὲν ὑστερεῖν, ποτὲ δὲ προτερεῖν ἀνάγκη.
And indeed, it is impossible to arrive at the required time without knowledge of these, but one must either fall short or arrive too early.
μεῖζον δὲ τὸ προτερεῖν ἐν μόνοις τούτοις ἁμάρτημα τοῦ καθυστερεῖν·
And in these matters alone, arriving too early is a greater error than arriving too late.
ὁ μὲν γὰρ ὑπεράρας τὸν ὡρισμένον καιρὸν αὐτῆς ἀποτυγχάνει τῆς ἐλπίδος — τὸ γὰρ γεγονὸς ἐξ ἀποστήματος ἐπιγνοὺς αὖθις ἀπολύεται μετʼ ἀσφαλείας — ὁ δὲ προλαβὼν τὸν καιρόν,5 ἐγγίσας καὶ γνωρισθεὶς οὐ μόνον ἀποτυγχάνει τῆς ἐπιβολῆς, ἀλλὰ καὶ κινδυνεύει τοῖς ὅλοις.
For he who has passed the appointed time fails of his hope, yet having perceived what happened from a distance, he can withdraw again with safety; but he who arrives before the time, having drawn near and been discovered, not only fails in his undertaking, but also endangers the whole enterprise.
- 9.14.2αὐτὸν
The accusative subject of the infinitive τὸ γινώσκειν, emphasizing the leader himself.
- 9.14.3τὴν δὲ τῶν καθηγουμένων πίστιν... ἐν τοῖς ἑπομένοις ἀεὶ δεῖ κεῖσθαι
Here, πίστις refers to the 'guarantee' or 'pledge' provided by the guides. The phrase means that this pledge must always be physically secured and held 'in the hands of those who follow' (τοῖς ἑπομένοις).
- 9.14.5ὧν τὸ μὲν ἔργον οὐ μέγα ... τὸ δὲ χρῆμα μέγα
The relative pronoun ὧν refers to astronomy and geometry. The contrast between ἔργον (the actual labor or study of them) and χρῆμα (the practical utility or resource they offer) highlights their high value relative to the low effort required.
- 9.14.6εἰ μὲν γὰρ ἴσας εἶναι συνέβαινεν... οὐδʼ ἂν ... προσεδεῖτο
A counterfactual conditional sentence using the past indicative (unreal present). Since days and nights are not actually equal, this construction emphasizes the necessity of careful study and observation.
- 9.14.11ὁ δὲ προλαβὼν τὸν καιρόν
A nominative participle introducing the second half of the contrast. It functions as the subject for the main verbs ἀποτυγχάνει and κινδυνεύει in the subsequent section (§9.14.12) after passing through other participles, forming an anacoluthon.