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Diodorus Siculus · Bibliotheca Historica §16.32.1-16.32.4

Election of Onomarchus and Renewal of the War

Passage 540 of 723 · Greek

Summary

The Boeotians withdraw from the war, believing that Philomelus' death will deter others; however, the Phocians decide to continue the war under the leadership of Onomarchus, who prefers war due to his outstanding fines and is elected general with absolute power.

§16.32.1ἐπʼ ἄρχοντος δʼ Ἀθήνησιν Θουδήμου Ῥωμαῖοι κατέστησαν ὑπάτους Μάρκον Πόπλιον καὶ Μάρκον Φάβιον.
When Thudemus was archon in Athens, the Romans appointed Marcus Poplius and Marcus Fabius as consuls.
ἐπὶ δὲ τούτων Βοιωτοὶ νενικηκότες τοὺς Φωκεῖς καὶ νομίσαντες τὸν αἰτιώτατον τῆς ἱεροσυλίας Φιλόμηλον ὑπὸ θεῶν καὶ ἀνθρώπων κεκολασμένον ἀποτρέψειν τοὺς ἄλλους ἀπὸ τῆς ὁμοίας κακίας ἀνέζευξαν εἰς τὴν οἰκείαν.
During their term of office, the Boeotians, having defeated the Phocians and believing that Philomelus, who was chiefly responsible for the temple-robbery, had been punished by gods and men and would thereby deter the others from similar wickedness, marched back to their own country.
§16.32.2οἱ δὲ Φωκεῖς ἀπολυθέντες τοῦ πολέμου κατὰ τὸ παρὸν ἐπανῆλθον εἰς Δελφοὺς καὶ συνελθόντες μετὰ τῶν συμμάχων εἰς κοινὴν ἐκκλησίαν ἐβουλεύοντο περὶ τοῦ πολέμου.
But the Phocians, having been released from the war for the present, returned to Delphi, and coming together with their allies into a common assembly, deliberated about the war.
οἱ μὲν οὖν ἐπιεικέστατοι πρὸς τὴν εἰρήνην ἔρρεπον, οἱ δʼ ἀσεβεῖς καὶ τόλμῃ καὶ πλεονεξίᾳ διαφέροντες ἐφρόνουν τὰ ἐναντία καὶ περιεβλέποντο ζητοῦντες τὸν συνηγορήσοντα ταῖς σφετέραις παρανομίαις.
Now the most moderate men inclined toward peace, but the impious, excelling in both audacity and greed, held the opposite opinion and looked around, seeking someone who would advocate for their lawless deeds.
§16.32.3Ὀνόμαρχος δὲ πεφροντισμένον λόγον διελθὼν ὑπὲρ τοῦ τηρεῖν τὴν ἐξ ἀρχῆς προαίρεσιν προετρέψατο τὰ πλήθη πρὸς τὸν πόλεμον, οὐχ οὕτω τοῦ κοινῇ συμφέροντος προνοηθεὶς, ὡς τὸ ἴδιον λυσιτελὲς προκρίνας· πολλαῖς γὰρ καὶ μεγάλαις δίκαις ὑπὸ τῶν Ἀμφικτυόνων ἦν καταδεδικασμένος ὁμοίως τοῖς ἄλλοις καὶ τὰ ὀφλήματα οὐκ ἐκτετικώς.
But Onomarchus, having delivered a carefully prepared speech in favor of maintaining their original purpose, urged the multitudes to war, not so much because he was taking thought for the common interest as because he preferred his own advantage; for he, like the others, had been condemned to many heavy fines by the Amphictyons and had not paid the sums due.
διόπερ ὁρῶν αἰρετώτερον αὐτῷ τὸν πόλεμον ὄντα τῆς εἰρήνης εὐλόγως τοὺς Φωκεῖς καὶ συμμάχους παρώξυνε τηρεῖν τὴν ὑπόστασιν τοῦ Φιλομήλου.
Therefore, seeing that war was more preferable to him than peace, he with good reason incited the Phocians and their allies to maintain the undertaking of Philomelus.
§16.32.4αἱρεθεὶς δὲ στρατηγὸς αὐτοκράτωρ μισθοφόρων τε πλῆθος ἤθροιζε καὶ τὰς τῶν τετελευτηκότων τάξεις ἀναπληρώσας καὶ τῷ πλήθει τῶν ξενολογηθέντων αὐξήσας τὴν δύναμιν μεγάλας παρασκευὰς ἐποιεῖτο συμμάχων καὶ τῶν ἄλλων τῶν εἰς πόλεμον χρησίμων.
Having been elected general with absolute power, he began to gather a multitude of mercenaries, and having filled up the ranks of those who had died and increased his force by the multitude of those enlisted from abroad, he made great preparations of allies and of other things useful for war.

Notes

  1. §16.32.1νομίσαντες — The participle νομίσαντες introduces an accusative and infinitive construction in indirect discourse. The infinitive is the future active ἀποτρέψειν, whose subject accusative is τὸν ... Φιλόμηλον. The perfect passive participle κεκολασμένον agrees with Φιλόμηλον, representing an action prior to the future infinitive. It functions as a circumstantial participle expressing cause or condition: 'thinking that Philomelus, having been punished, would deter others...'
  2. §16.32.2τὸν συνηγορήσοντα — The future active participle with the definite article, τὸν συνηγορήσοντα, functions equivalently to a relative clause of purpose or characteristic, meaning 'someone who would advocate/speak in favor of.' The verb συνηγορέω governs the dative case (ταῖς σφετέραις παρανομίαις).
  3. §16.32.3τοῦ κοινῇ συμφέροντος — The genitive neuter articular participle phrase (functioning as a noun) serves as the object of the deponent verb προνοέομαι (here in the form of the aorist passive participle προνοηθείς, which has an active meaning and governs the genitive). In contrast, the subsequent parallel clause introduced by ὡς uses the accusative (tò idion lysiteles) as the direct object of the transitive participle prokrinashas.

Cite this passage

Diodorus Siculus, Bibliotheca Historica §16.32.1-16.32.4. Humanitext Reader, https://reader.humanitext.ai/en/text/urn:cts:greekLit:tlg0060.tlg001.humanitext-grc4:16.32.1-16.32.4

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