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Polybius · The Histories §27.10.1-27.10.5

Defense of the Greeks and Remembrance of Roman Benefits

Passage 1082 of 1311 · Greek

Summary

The author compares the Greek multitude's support for Perseus to that of athletic spectators, arguing they would have repented if reminded of historical facts, and cautions against hastily labeling them ungrateful.

§27.10.1τούτῳ δὲ παραπλήσιον ἦν καὶ τὸ κατὰ τὸν Περσέα συμβαῖνον περὶ τοὺς ὄχλους·
Very similar to this was also what happened among the multitudes regarding Perseus.
§27.10.2εἰ γάρ τις ἐπιστήσας αὐτοὺς ἤρετο μετὰ παρρησίας εἰ βούλοιντʼ ἂν εἰς ἕνα πεσεῖν τὴν τηλικαύτην ὑπεροχὴν καὶ λαβεῖν μοναρχικῆς πεῖραν ἐξουσίας, ἀνυπευθύνου κατὰ πάντα τρόπον, ταχέως ἂν αὐτοὺς ὑπολαμβάνω συννοήσαντας παλινῳδίαν ποιῆσαι καὶ μεταπεσεῖν εἰς τοὐναντίον·
For if someone had brought them to their senses and asked them frankly whether they would wish such great supremacy to fall to a single individual and to experience a monarchical power that is unaccountable in every way, I think they would have quickly realized the situation, recanted, and changed to the very opposite view.
§27.10.3εἰ δὲ καὶ βραχέα τις ὑπέμνησε τῶν γεγονότων ἐκ μὲν τῆς Μακεδόνων οἰκίας δυσκόλων τοῖς Ἕλλησιν, ἐκ δὲ τῆς Ῥωμαίων ἀρχῆς συμφερόντων, καὶ λίαν ἂν παρὰ πόδας αὐτοὺς ὑπολαμβάνω μεταμεληθῆναι.
And if someone had reminded them, even briefly, of the historical facts—of the hardships brought upon the Greeks by the Macedonian house, and of the benefits derived from the Roman rule—I think they would have repented very exceedingly on the spot.
§27.10.4πλὴν τότε γε κατὰ τὴν ἀνεπίστατον καὶ πρώτην ὁρμὴν ἐκφανὴς ἦν ἡ τῶν πολλῶν εὐδόκησις τοῖς προσαγγελλομένοις, ἀσμενιζόντων διὰ τὸ παράδοξον, εἰ καθόλου πέφηνέ τις ἱκανὸς ἀνταγωνιστὴς Ῥωμαίοις.
However, at least at that time, under their unreflecting and first impulse, the satisfaction of the multitude with the news brought to them was manifest, as they rejoiced at the unexpectedness of the fact that an adequate antagonist to the Romans had appeared at all.
§27.10.5περὶ μὲν οὖν τούτων ἐπὶ τοσοῦτον προήχθην εἰπεῖν, ἵνα μή τις ἀκρίτως εἰς ἀχαριστίαν ὀνειδίζῃ τοῖς Ἕλλησι τὴν τότε διάθεσιν, ἀγνοῶν τὰ φύσει παρεπόμενα τοῖς ἀνθρώποις. —
It is for this reason, therefore, that I have been led to speak at such length on these matters, so that no one, through ignorance of what naturally accompanies human nature, may inconsiderately reproach the Greeks for their disposition at that time as a sign of ingratitude.

Notes

  1. §27.10.2ἂν ... ὑπολαμβάνω ... ποιῆσαι καὶ μεταπεσεῖν — The apodosis of the contrary-to-fact conditional corresponding to the protasis εἰ ... ἤρετο (indicative past) is expressed by the infinitives ποιῆσαι and μεταπεσεῖν with ἂν, acting as the object of the present main verb ὑπολαμβάνω (I suppose). This forms a complex structure meaning 'I suppose they would have...'.
  2. §27.10.3τῶν γεγονότων ... δυσκόλων ... συμφερόντων — Both δυσκόλων (adjective) and συμφερόντων (participle) are neuter plural genitive, agreeing with the partitive genitive τῶν γεγονότων. They contrast the 'difficult things' and 'beneficial things' brought to the Greeks by Macedon and Rome respectively.
  3. §27.10.4εἰ καθόλου πέφηνέ τις — The conjunction εἰ (if) here does not introduce a condition, but a clause representing the cause or content of the emotion expressed by ἀσμενιζόντων (rejoicing), translated as 'that... had appeared at all'.

Cite this passage

Polybius, The Histories §27.10.1-27.10.5. Humanitext Reader, https://reader.humanitext.ai/en/text/urn:cts:greekLit:tlg0543.tlg001.humanitext-grc2:27.10.1-27.10.5

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