- 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-grc2:9.28.1-9.28.8
- Generated
- Humanitext Reader · reader.humanitext.ai · 2026-11-07
The speaker reviews the history of Macedonian hegemony over Greece, detailing Philip II's destruction of Olynthus and systematic weakening of Sparta, as well as Alexander's subsequent destruction of Thebes.
ὅτι μὲν οὖν, ὦ ἄνδρες Λακεδαιμόνιοι, τὴν Μακεδόνων δυναστείαν ἀρχὴν συνέβη γεγονέναι τοῖς Ἕλλησι δουλείας, οὐδʼ ἄλλως εἰπεῖν οὐδένα πέπεισμαι τολμῆσαι·1 σκοπεῖν δʼ οὕτως ἔξεστιν.
I am convinced, Lacedaemonians, that no one would dare to say otherwise than that the hegemony of the Macedonians became the beginning of slavery for the Greeks; and it is possible to examine it in this way.
ἦν τι σύστημα τῶν ἐπὶ Θρᾴκης Ἑλλήνων, οὓς ἀπῴκισαν Ἀθηναῖοι καὶ Χαλκιδεῖς, ὧν μέγιστον εἶχε πρόσχημα καὶ δύναμιν ἡ τῶν Ὀλυνθίων πόλις.
There was a certain league of the Greeks in Thrace, whom the Athenians and Chalcidians had colonized, among whom the city of the Olynthians held the greatest prestige and power.
ταύτην ἐξανδραποδισάμενος Φίλιππος καὶ παράδειγμα ποιήσας οὐ μόνον τῶν ἐπὶ Θρᾴκης πόλεων ἐγένετο κύριος, ἀλλὰ καὶ Θετταλοὺς ὑφʼ αὑτὸν ἐποιήσατο διὰ τὸν φόβον.
Philip, having enslaved this city and made an example of it, became master not only of the cities in Thrace, but also brought the Thessalians under his subjection through fear.
μετʼ οὐ πολὺ δὲ μάχῃ νικήσας τοὺς Ἀθηναίους ἐχρήσατο μεγαλοψύχως τοῖς εὐτυχήμασιν, οὐχ ὅπως Ἀθηναίους εὖ ποιήσῃ, πολλοῦ γε δεῖν,2 ἀλλʼ ἵνα διὰ τῆς πρὸς ἐκείνους εὐεργεσίας προκαλέσηται τοὺς ἄλλους εἰς τὸ ποιεῖν ἐθελοντὴν αὐτῷ τὸ προσταττόμενον.
Not long afterwards, having defeated the Athenians in battle, he used his success with magnanimity, by no means to do good to the Athenians—far from it—but so that through his beneficence towards them he might induce the others to do of their own free will what was commanded of them.
ἦν ἔτι τὸ τῆς ὑμετέρας πόλεως ἀξίωμα, δοκοῦν ἂν σὺν καιρῷ προστήσεσθαι τῶν Ἑλλήνων.3
There still remained the prestige of your city, which was expected, given the opportunity, to put itself at the head of the Greeks.
τοιγαροῦν πᾶσαν ἱκανὴν ποιησάμενος πρόφασιν ἧκε μετὰ τῶν δυνάμεων, καὶ κατέφθειρε μὲν τέμνων τὴν γῆν, κατέφθειρε δʼ αἴθων τὰς οἰκίας.
Therefore, making every sufficient pretext, he came with his forces, and devastated your land by cutting down the crops, and ruined your houses by burning them.
τὸ δὲ τελευταῖον ἀποτεμόμενος καὶ τὰς πόλεις καὶ τὴν χώραν ὑμῶν προσένειμε τὴν μὲν Ἀργείοις, τὴν δὲ Τεγεάταις καὶ Μεγαλοπολίταις, τὴν δὲ Μεσσηνίοις, ἅπαντας βουλόμενος καὶ παρὰ τὸ προσῆκον εὐεργετεῖν, ἐφʼ ᾧ μόνον ὑμᾶς κακῶς ποιεῖν.4
And finally, having cut off both your cities and your territory, he assigned some of it to the Argives, some to the Tegeans and Megalopolitans, and some to the Messenians, wishing to benefit them all even beyond what was fitting, solely on the condition of doing harm to you.
διεδέξατο παρʼ αὐτοῦ τὴν ἀρχὴν Ἀλέξανδρος. οὗτος πάλιν ὑπολαβὼν βραχύ τι τῆς Ἑλλάδος ἔναυσμα καταλείπεσθαι περὶ τὴν Θηβαίων πόλιν, τίνα τρόπον αὐτὴν διέφθειρε, πάντας ὑμᾶς οἴομαι κατανοεῖν.
Alexander succeeded to the sovereignty from him. He, in turn, conceiving that a tiny spark of Greece was left in the city of the Thebans, destroyed it in a manner which I believe you all well understand.
- 9.28.1ὅτι μὲν οὖν... τὴν Μακεδόνων δυναστείαν ἀρχὴν συνέβη γεγονέναι τοῖς Ἕλλησι δουλείας, οὐδʼ ἄλλως εἰπεῖν οὐδένα πέπεισμαι τολμῆσαι
The conjunction ὅτι at the beginning of the sentence introduces a noun clause that grammatically functions as the object of the main verb πέπεισμαι ("I am convinced"), but it is placed at the very front (prolepsis) for rhetorical emphasis. The phrase οὐδʼ ἄλλως εἰπεῖν ("not to say otherwise") emphasizes that no one would dare to dispute this fact.
- 9.28.4οὐχ ὅπως Ἀθηναίους εὖ ποιήσῃ, πολλοῦ γε δεῖν
The phrase οὐχ ὅπως expresses a negation of purpose or reason ("not that he might do good"). The following parenthetical expression πολλοῦ γε δεῖν is an absolute infinitive idiom using the impersonal verb δεῖ, meaning "far from it" or "least of all," which strongly reinforces the preceding negation.
- 9.28.5δοκοῦν ἂν σὺν καιρῷ προστήσεσθαι τῶν Ἑλλήνων
The neuter singular participle δοκοῦν modifies the preceding noun ἀξίωμα ("prestige") or functions as an accusative absolute. The particle ἄν modifying the future infinitive προστήσεσθαι is a rare and non-classical grammatical feature, expressing a potential future nuance: "which was expected, if opportunity (καιρός) should arise, to put itself at the head of the Greeks."
- 9.28.7ἐφʼ ᾧ μόνον ὑμᾶς κακῶς ποιεῖν
The prepositional phrase ἐφʼ ᾧ (ἐπί with the dative relative pronoun) followed by the infinitive (ποιεῖν) introduces a clause of condition or purpose, meaning "on the condition that" or "for the sole purpose of." Here, it reveals Philip's true motive in benefiting the neighboring states: to do harm to and isolate Sparta.
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