§24.6.1ὅτι περὶ τοὺς αὐτοὺς καιροὺς Πτολεμαῖος ὁ βασιλεύς, βουλόμενος ἐμπλέκεσθαι τῷ τῶν Ἀχαιῶν ἔθνει, διεπέμψατο πρεσβευτήν, ἐπαγγελλόμενος δεκαναΐαν δώσειν ἐντελῆ πεντηκοντηρικῶν πλοίων.
[That,] about the same time, King Ptolemy, wishing to associate himself with the Achaean League, sent an embassy, promising to give a complete fleet of ten fifty-oared ships.
§24.6.2οἱ δʼ Ἀχαιοὶ καὶ διὰ τὸ δοκεῖν τὴν δωρεὰν ἀξίαν εἶναι χάριτος ἀσμένως ἀπεδέξαντο τὴν ἐπαγγελίαν. [δοκεῖ γὰρ ἡ δαπάνη οὐ πολὺ λείπειν τῶν δέκα ταλάντων]. §24.6.3ταῦτα δὲ βουλευσάμενοι προεχειρίσαντο πρεσβευτὰς Λυκόρταν καὶ Πολύβιον καὶ σὺν τούτοις Ἄρατον, υἱὸν Ἀράτου τοῦ Σικυωνίου, τοὺς ἅμα μὲν εὐχαριστήσοντας τῷ βασιλεῖ περί τε τῶν ὅπλων ὧν πρότερον ἀπέστειλε καὶ τοῦ νομίσματος, ἅμα δὲ παραληψομένους τὰ πλοῖα καὶ πρόνοιαν ποιησομένους περὶ τῆς ἀποκομιδῆς αὐτῶν.
And the Achaeans, partly because the gift seemed to be worthy of gratitude, gladly accepted the offer. [For the expense seemed to fall not far short of ten talents.] Having resolved on this, they appointed as ambassadors Lycortas, Polybius, and with them Aratus, the son of Aratus of Sicyon, who were at once to thank the king for the arms and the money which he had previously sent, and at the same time to receive the ships and take care of their transport.
§24.6.4κατέστησαν δὲ τὸν μὲν Λυκόρταν διὰ τὸ κατὰ τὸν καιρόν, καθʼ ὃν ἐποιεῖτο τὴν ἀνανέωσιν τῆς συμμαχίας ὁ Πτολεμαῖος, στρατηγοῦντα τότε συνεργῆσαι φιλοτίμως αὐτῷ, §24.6.5τὸν δὲ Πολύβιον, νεώτερον ὄντα τῆς κατὰ τοὺς νόμους ἡλικίας, διὰ τὸ τήν τε συμμαχίαν αὐτοῦ τὸν πατέρα πρεσβεύσαντα πρὸς Πτολεμαῖον ἀνανεώσασθαι καὶ τὴν δωρεὰν τῶν ὅπλων καὶ τοῦ νομίσματος ἀγαγεῖν τοῖς Ἀχαιοῖς, §24.6.6παραπλησίως δὲ καὶ τὸν Ἄρατον διὰ τὰς προγονικὰς συστάσεις πρὸς τὴν βασιλείαν.
They appointed Lycortas because, at the time when Ptolemy was renewing the alliance, being then general, he had zealously cooperated with him; and Polybius, though he was younger than the age required by the laws, because his father, having gone on an embassy to Ptolemy, had renewed the alliance and brought the gift of arms and money to the Achaeans; and likewise Aratus, because of his ancestral connections with the royal house.
§24.6.7οὐ μὴν συνέβη γε τὴν πρεσβείαν ταύτην ἐξελθεῖν διὰ τὸ μεταλλάξαι τὸν Πτολεμαῖον περὶ τοὺς καιροὺς τούτους. —
However, it did not happen that this embassy set out, because Ptolemy passed away about this time.