Humanitext Reader

Polybius · The Histories §11.30.1-11.30.5

Execution of the Ringleaders and Oath of Allegiance

Passage 728 of 1311 · Greek

Summary

Describes how Publius executed the leaders of the mutiny in front of the crowd and restored complete order to his army by having the remaining soldiers take oaths of allegiance.

§11.30.1ἀκμὴν δὲ ταῦτʼ ἔλεγε καὶ κύκλῳ μὲν οἱ στρατιῶται περιεστῶτες ἐν τοῖς ὅπλοις ἀπὸ παραγγέλματος συνεψόφησαν ταῖς μαχαίραις τοὺς θυρεούς, ἅμα δὲ τούτοις δεδεμένοι γυμνοὶ οἱ τῆς στάσεως αἴτιοι γεγονότες εἰσήγοντο.
He had just finished saying these things when the soldiers standing around in arms clashed their swords against their shields at a signal, and at the same time, the authors of the mutiny were brought in, bound and naked.
§11.30.2τῷ δὲ πλήθει τοιοῦτον παρέστη δέος ὑπό τε τοῦ πέριξ φόβου καὶ τῶν κατὰ πρόσωπον δεινῶν, ὥστε τῶν μὲν μαστιγουμένων, τῶν δὲ πελεκιζομένων μήτε τὴν ὄψιν ἀλλοιῶσαι μήτε φωνὴν προέσθαι μηδένα, μένειν δὲ πάντας ἀχανεῖς, ἐκπεπληγμένους πρὸς τὸ συμβαῖνον.
And such a dread came over the multitude, both from the fear of their surroundings and the terrors before their eyes, that while some were being scourged and others beheaded, no one changed their expression nor uttered a sound, but all remained agape, astounded at what was happening.
§11.30.3οἱ μὲν οὖν ἀρχηγοὶ τῶν κακῶν αἰκισθέντες εἵλκοντο διὰ μέσων, ἀπηλλαγμένοι τοῦ ζῆν· οἱ δὲ λοιποὶ παρὰ μὲν τοῦ στρατηγοῦ καὶ τῶν ἄλλων ἀρχόντων §11.30.4κατὰ κοινὸν ἔλαβον τὰς πίστεις ἐφʼ ᾧ μηδένα μηδενὶ μνησικακήσειν, αὐτοὶ δὲ καθʼ ἕνα προϊόντες ὤμνυον τοῖς χιλιάρχοις ἦ μὴν πειθαρχήσειν τοῖς παραγγελλομένοις ὑπὸ τῶν ἀρχόντων καὶ μηδὲν ὑπεναντίον φρονήσειν τῇ Ῥώμῃ.
So the leaders of the mischief, after being tortured, were dragged through the midst, deprived of life; while the rest received from the general and the other officers collectively pledges on the condition that no one would bear a grudge against anyone, and they themselves, coming forward one by one, swore to the military tribunes that they would indeed obey the commands of the officers and would harbour no hostile thoughts against Rome.
Πόπλιος μὲν οὖν, §11.30.5μεγάλων κινδύνων ἀρχὴν φυομένων καλῶς διορθωσάμενος, πάλιν ἀποκατέστησε τὰς οἰκείας δυνάμεις εἰς τὴν ἐξ ἀρχῆς διάθεσιν. —
Publius, therefore, having beautifully corrected the beginning of great dangers that were springing up, restored his own forces again to their original state.

Notes

  1. §11.30.1ἀκμὴν δὲ ταῦτʼ ἔλεγε καὶ — The accusative of noun ἀκμή used adverbially as ἀκμήν ('just', 'scarcely') correlates with the coordinating conjunction καί to form a construction meaning 'he had scarcely said these things when...', expressing temporal immediacy.
  2. §11.30.2τῶν μὲν μαστιγουμένων, τῶν δὲ πελεκιζομένων — A genitive absolute construction inserted within the result clause introduced by ὥστε. It provides the background circumstances (the passive actions of those being punished) which differ from the subjects of the infinitives (μηδένα, πάντας).
  3. §11.30.2μήτε τὴν ὄψιν ἀλλοιῶσαι μήτε φωνὴν προέσθαι μηδένα — An infinitive clause introduced by ὥστε. The subject accusative of the infinitives ἀλλοιῶσαι and προέσθαι is the negative pronoun μηδένα, which is placed after the infinitival phrases.
  4. §11.30.4ἐφʼ ᾧ μηδένα μηδενὶ μνησικακήσειν — The prepositional phrase ἐφʼ ᾧ (equivalent to ἐπὶ τούτῳ ὥστε, 'on the condition that') followed by the future infinitive μνησικακήσειν expresses the condition of an agreement or pledge. The double negative μηδένα μηδενὶ emphasizes a strong universal negation ('no one against anyone').
  5. §11.30.5μεγάλων κινδύνων ἀρχὴν φυομένων — While μεγάλων κινδύνων φυομένων is a genitive absolute construction ('while great dangers were springing up'), the accusative noun ἀρχήν ('the beginning/germ') functions as the direct object of the participle διορθωσάμενος ('having corrected').

Cite this passage

Polybius, The Histories §11.30.1-11.30.5. Humanitext Reader, https://reader.humanitext.ai/en/text/urn:cts:greekLit:tlg0543.tlg001.humanitext-grc2:11.30.1-11.30.5

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