- 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-grc2:9.37.1-9.37.10
- Generated
- Humanitext Reader · reader.humanitext.ai · 2026-11-07
The speaker contrasts the past conflicts for hegemony among fellow Greeks with the current danger of bringing in Roman 'barbarians' from the West, urging the Spartans to recognize that the situation has completely changed and to deliberate anew.
οὐ μὴν ἀλλʼ εἰρήσθω μέν μοι ταῦτα, κρινέσθω δὲ παρὰ τοῖς φιλοτιμότερον διακειμένοις ἐκτὸς εἶναι τῶν ἐνεστώτων.1 ἐπὶ δὲ τὸ συνέχον, ὡς οὗτοί φασιν, ἐπάνιμεν.
Nevertheless, let these things be said by me, and let them be judged to be outside of present affairs by those who are more contentiously disposed. But let us return to the main point, as they say.
τοῦτο δʼ ἦν, εἰ μὲν ὡμοίωται τὰ πράγματα νῦν καὶ καθʼ οὓς καιροὺς ἐποιεῖσθε τὴν πρὸς τούτους συμμαχίαν, διότι2 δεῖ μένειν καὶ τὴν ὑμετέραν αἵρεσιν ἐπὶ τῶν ὑποκειμένων· ταῦτα γὰρ ἐν ἀρχαῖς εἶναι·3
And this point was that, if the circumstances now and at the time when you made the alliance with them are similar, your choice also ought to remain based on the existing terms; for these were the original principles;
εἰ δʼ ὁλοσχερῶς ἠλλοίωται, διότι δίκαιόν ἐστι καὶ νῦν ὑμᾶς ἐξ ἀκεραίου βουλεύεσθαι περὶ τῶν παρακελευομένων.
but if they have completely changed, then it is just for you to deliberate anew now concerning the things proposed to you.
ἐρωτῶ τοιγαροῦν ὑμᾶς, ὦ Κλεόνικε καὶ Χλαινέα, τίνας ἔχοντες συμμάχους τότε παρεκαλεῖτε τούτους εἰς τὴν κοινοπραγίαν; ἆρʼ οὐ πάντας Ἕλληνας;
Therefore I ask you, Cleonicus and Chlaeneas, what allies did you have at that time when you invited these people to join you in action? Was it not all the Greeks?
τίσι δὲ νῦν κοινωνεῖτε τῶν ἐλπίδων, ἢ πρὸς ποίαν παρακαλεῖτε τούτους συμμαχίαν;
And with whom do you now share your hopes, or to what kind of alliance do you invite them?
ἆρʼ οὐ πρὸς τὴν τῶν βαρβάρων; ὅμοιά γε δοκεῖ τὰ πράγμαθʼ ὑμῖν ὑπάρχειν νῦν καὶ πρότερον, ἀλλʼ οὐ τἀναντία·
Is it not to that of the barbarians? To you, indeed, the circumstances now and before seem to be similar, and not the opposite!
τότε μὲν γὰρ ὑπὲρ ἡγεμονίας καὶ δόξης ἐφιλοτιμεῖσθε πρὸς Ἀχαιοὺς καὶ Μακεδόνας ὁμοφύλους καὶ τὸν τούτων ἡγεμόνα Φίλιππον· νῦν δὲ περὶ δουλείας ἐνίσταται πόλεμος τοῖς Ἕλλησι πρὸς ἀλλοφύλους ἀνθρώπους, οὓς ὑμεῖς δοκεῖτε μὲν ἐπισπᾶσθαι κατὰ Φιλίππου, λελήθατε δὲ κατὰ σφῶν αὐτῶν ἐπεσπασμένοι4 καὶ κατὰ πάσης Ἑλλάδος.
For at that time you were competing for hegemony and glory against the Achaeans and Macedonians of your own race, and Philip their leader; but now a war is arising for the Greeks against people of a foreign race, a war concerning slavery, whom you think you are bringing in against Philip, but you have brought them in against yourselves and against all of Greece without realizing it.
ὥσπερ γὰρ οἱ κατὰ τὰς πολεμικὰς περιστάσεις βαρυτέρας ἐπαγόμενοι φυλακὰς εἰς τὰς πόλεις τῆς αὑτῶν δυνάμεως5 χάριν τῆς ἀσφαλείας ἅμα τὸν ἀπὸ τῶν ἐχθρῶν ἀπωθοῦνται φόβον καὶ ποιοῦσιν ὑποχειρίους σφᾶς αὐτοὺς ταῖς τῶν φίλων ἐξουσίαις, τὸν αὐτὸν τρόπον καὶ νῦν Αἰτωλοὶ διανοοῦνται.
For just as those who, in the emergencies of war, introduce garrisons into their cities that are stronger than their own forces for the sake of safety, at the same time ward off the fear of their enemies and make themselves subject to the power of their friends, in the very same way the Aetolians are thinking now.
βουλόμενοι γὰρ περιγενέσθαι Φιλίππου καὶ ταπεινῶσαι Μακεδόνας, λελήθασιν αὑτοῖς ἐπισπασάμενοι τηλικοῦτο νέφος ἀπὸ τῆς ἑσπέρας, ὃ κατὰ μὲν τὸ παρὸν ἴσως πρώτοις ἐπισκοτήσει Μακεδόσι, κατὰ δὲ τὸ συνεχὲς πᾶσιν ἔσται τοῖς Ἕλλησι μεγάλων κακῶν αἴτιον.
For wishing to get the better of Philip and to humiliate the Macedonians, they have brought upon themselves without realizing it such a great cloud from the west, which for the present will perhaps overshadow the Macedonians first, but in the sequel will be the cause of great evils to all the Greeks.
- 9.37.1ἐκτὸς εἶναι τῶν ἐνεστώτων
The infinitive εἶναι serves as the complement of the imperative κρινέσθω, expressing the substance of the judgment that something is "outside of current affairs."
- 9.37.2διότι
In this context, διότι does not mean "because" but functions as a conjunction introducing a noun clause equivalent to "that," which explains the content of the demonstrative pronoun τοῦτο.
- 9.37.2ταῦτα γὰρ ἐν ἀρχαῖς εἶναι
The verb of the causal clause introduced by γάρ within the indirect discourse has been attracted into the infinitive εἶναι. This structure shows that the rules of indirect speech, flowing from the main clause τοῦτο δʼ ἦν, apply even to the explanatory clause.
- 9.37.8λελήθατε δὲ ... ἐπεσπασμένοι
A classic idiomatic construction combining the verb λανθάνω (here the perfect λελήθατε) with the participle ἐπεσπασμένοι. It emphasizes that the action of bringing them in is being performed without the subjects' own realization.
- 9.37.9βαρυτέρας ... φυλακὰς ... τῆς αὑτῶν δυνάμεως
The comparative adjective βαρυτέρας (heavier, stronger) takes τῆς αὑτῶν δυνάμεως (their own power) as a genitive of comparison, referring to garrisons that are too strong for their own control.