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Plutarch · Comparison of Philopoemen and Titus §1.1-1.3

Comparison of Their Achievements and Characters

Passage 1 of 3 · Greek

Summary

Plutarch compares the Greek general Philopoemen with the Roman general Flamininus, discussing their contributions to the Greeks, the casualties in their wars, their flaws of character, and the manner of their deaths.

§1.1μεγέθει μὲν οὖν τῶν εἰς τοὺς Ἕλληνας εὐεργεσιῶν οὔτε Φιλοποίμενα Τίτῳ παραβάλλειν οὔτε πάνυ πολλοὺς τῶν Φιλοποίμενος ἀμεινόνων ἀνδρῶν ἄξιόν ἐστι.
Therefore, in the magnitude of his services to the Greeks, it is not fitting to compare Philopoemen to Titus, nor indeed very many of those men who were better than Philopoemen.
τοῖς μὲν γὰρ Ἕλλησι πρὸς Ἕλληνας οἱ πόλεμοι, τῷ δὲ οὐχ Ἕλληνι καὶ ὑπὲρ Ἑλλήνων· καὶ ὅτε Φιλοποίμην ἀμηχανῶν τοῖς ἑαυτοῦ πολίταις ἀμύνειν πολεμουμένοις εἰς Κρήτην ἀπῆρε, τότε νικήσας Τίτος ἐν μέσῃ τῇ Ἑλλάδι Φίλιππον ἠλευθέρου καὶ τὰ ἔθνη καὶ πόλεις ἁπάσας.
For the former's wars were of Greeks against Greeks, but the latter's, who was not a Greek, were also on behalf of Greeks; and when Philopoemen, unable to defend his own citizens who were being attacked, departed for Crete, at that very time Titus, having defeated Philip in the heart of Greece, was liberating both the nations and all the cities.
§1.2εἰ δέ τις ἐξετάζοι τὰς μάχας ἑκατέρου, πλείους Ἕλληνας Φιλοποίμην Ἀχαιῶν στρατηγῶν ἢ Μακεδόνας Τίτος Ἕλλησι βοηθῶν ἀνεῖλε.
But if anyone should examine the battles of each, Philopoemen slew more Greeks while commanding the Achaeans than Titus slew Macedonians while helping the Greeks.
τὰ τοίνυν ἁμαρτήματα τοῦ μὲν φιλοτιμίας, τοῦ δὲ φιλονεικίας γέγονε, καὶ πρὸς ὀργὴν ὁ μὲν εὐκίνητος, ὁ δὲ καὶ δυσπαραίτητος.
The errors, then, of the former arose from ambition, those of the latter from love of strife, and with respect to anger, the former was easily moved, but the latter was even difficult to appease.
Τίτος μὲν γὰρ καὶ Φιλίππῳ τὸ ἀξίωμα τῆς βασιλείας ἐφύλαξε καὶ πρὸς Αἰτωλοὺς εὐγνωμόνησε, Φιλοποίμην δὲ τῆς πατρίδος διʼ ὀργὴν ἀφείλετο τὴν περιοικίδα συντέλειαν.
For Titus preserved the dignity of the kingship even for Philip and showed moderation towards the Aetolians, whereas Philopoemen out of anger deprived his native city of its surrounding dependency.
§1.3ἔτι δὲ ὁ μὲν τοῖς εὖ παθοῦσιν ἀεὶ βέβαιος, ὁ δὲ θυμῷ λῦσαι χάριν ἕτοιμος.
Furthermore, the former was always constant to his beneficiaries, but the latter was ready to cancel a favor out of anger.
Λακεδαιμονίων γὰρ εὐεργέτης πρότερον ὢν ὕστερον καὶ τὰ τείχη κατέσκαψε καὶ τὴν χώραν περιέκοψε καὶ τέλος αὐτὴν μετέβαλε καὶ διέφθειρε τὴν πολιτείαν.
For having previously been a benefactor of the Lacedaemonians, he later both razed their walls, cut off their territory, and finally changed and destroyed their constitution.
ἐδόκει δὲ καὶ τὸν βίον ὀργῇ προέσθαι καὶ φιλονεικίᾳ, μὴ κατὰ καιρὸν, ἀλλʼ ὀξύτερον τοῦ δέοντος εἰς Μεσσήνην ἐπειχθείς, οὐχ ὥσπερ Τίτος πάντα λογισμῷ καὶ πρὸς ἀσφάλειαν στρατηγήσας.
And he seemed also to have thrown away his life through anger and contentiousness, having hastened to Messene inopportunely and more impetuously than was necessary, unlike Titus, who conducted all his campaigns with calculation and with a view to safety.

Notes

  1. 1.1ἀμηχανῶν τοῖς ἑαυτοῦ πολίταις ἀμύνειν πολεμουμένοις — The verb ἀμύνω takes the dative (τοῖς ἑαυτοῦ πολίταις) in the sense of 'to defend or help.' The present passive participle πολεμουμένοις modifies πολίταις ('who were being attacked'). The participle ἀμηχανῶν (being at a loss) indicates the circumstance or cause of the main subject (Philopoemen).
  2. 1.2τοῦ μὲν φιλοτιμίας, τοῦ δὲ φιλονεικίας — The genitives φιλοτιμίας and φιλονεικίας are used with the intransitive verb γέγονε to denote origin or cause ('arose from'). The demonstrative pronouns τοῦ μὲν and τοῦ δὲ refer back to Titus and Philopoemen respectively, based on the context.
  3. 1.2τῆς πατρίδος ... ἀφείλετο τὴν περιοικίδα συντέλειαν — The verb ἀφαιρέω (to take away, deprive) takes a genitive of the entity deprived (τῆς πατρίδος) and an accusative of the thing taken (τὴν περιοικίδα συντέλειαν). Here it means Philopoemen deprived his native city (Megalopolis) of its surrounding tributary dependency.

Cite this passage

Plutarch, Comparison of Philopoemen and Titus §1.1-1.3. Humanitext Reader, https://reader.humanitext.ai/en/text/urn:cts:greekLit:tlg0007.tlg029.humanitext-grc2:1.1-1.3

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