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Polybius · The Histories §18.40.1-18.40.5

Human Credulity and Epicharmus's Maxim on Caution

Passage 929 of 1311 · Greek

Summary

The author laments the human folly of repeatedly being deceived by the same tricks and quotes Epicharmus's maxim to stress the importance of caution and disbelief.

§18.40.1τί δήποτʼ ἐστὶν ὅτι τοῖς αὐτοῖς καὶ διὰ τῶν αὐτῶν ἀπατώμενοι πάντες οὐ δυνάμεθα λῆξαι τῆς ἀνοίας; §18.40.2τοῦτο γὰρ τὸ γένος τῆς ῥᾳδιουργίας πολλάκις ὑπὸ πολλῶν ἤδη γέγονε· §18.40.3καὶ τὸ μὲν παρὰ τοῖς ἄλλοις διαχωρεῖν ἴσως οὐ θαυμαστόν, τὸ δέ, παρʼ οἷς ἡ πηγὴ τῆς τοιαύτης ὑπάρχει κακοπραγμοσύνης. §18.40.4ἀλλʼ ἔστιν αἴτιον τὸ μὴ πρόχειρον ὑπάρχειν τὸ παρʼ Ἐπιχάρμῳ καλῶς εἰρημένον νᾶφε καὶ μέμνασʼ ἀπιστεῖν· ἄρθρα ταῦτα τᾶν φρενῶν. — Μεδίων, πόλις πρὸς τῇ Αἰτωλίᾳ. §18.40.5Πολύβιος ὀκτωκαιδεκάτῳ.
\nWhy on earth is it that, although we are all deceived by the same things and through the same means, we cannot cease from this folly?\n\nFor this kind of knavery has already occurred many times by many people.\n\nAnd while its success among others is perhaps not surprising, its success among those with whom the very source of such mischief exists [is indeed surprising].\n\nBut the cause is that what was well said by Epicharmus is not ready to hand:\n"Be sober and remember to disbelieve; these are the joints of the mind." —\nMedion, a city near Aetolia.\n\nPolybius in the eighteenth book.

Notes

  1. §18.40.1τοῖς αὐτοῖς καὶ διὰ τῶν αὐτῶν — Parallel expressions of means modifying the passive participle ἀπατώμενοι. τοῖς αὐτοῖς is a dative of instrument/cause, while διὰ τῶν αὐτῶν is a prepositional phrase expressing agency or means, emphasizing human vulnerability to being repeatedly deceived by the very same factors and methods.
  2. §18.40.3τὸ δέ, παρʼ οἷς — The second half of a contrastive structure. It corresponds to the preceding τὸ μὲν παρὰ τοῖς ἄλλοις διαχωρεῖν ἴσως οὐ θαυμαστόν (that it should succeed among others is perhaps not surprising). In the second part starting with τὸ δέ, the infinitive διαχωρεῖν and a predicate meaning 'is surprising/incredible' (conceptually opposite to οὐ θαυμαστόν) must be supplied.
  3. §18.40.4νᾶφε καὶ μέμνασʼ ἀπιστεῖν — A quotation from the poet Epicharmus, exhibiting Doric dialectal forms. νᾶφε corresponds to Attic νῆφε (present imperative of νήφω, 'be sober/wary'); μέμνασʼ is for μέμνασο, the perfect middle-passive imperative corresponding to Attic μέμνησο ('remember'); and τᾶν φρενῶν corresponds to Attic τῶν φρενῶν (genitive plural feminine).

Cite this passage

Polybius, The Histories §18.40.1-18.40.5. Humanitext Reader, https://reader.humanitext.ai/en/text/urn:cts:greekLit:tlg0543.tlg001.humanitext-grc2:18.40.1-18.40.5

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