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Polybius · The Histories §28.15.1-28.15.3

Cydonians Appeal to Eumenes and Surrender of the City

Passage 1107 of 1311 · Greek

Summary

The Cydoniatæ, out of fear of the Gortynians, requested military assistance from King Eumenes, and handed over the city to Leon upon his arrival.

§28.15.1ὅτι κατὰ τὴν Κρήτην δεδιότες Κυδωνιᾶται τοὺς Γορτυνίους διὰ τὸ καὶ τῷ πρότερον ἔτει παρʼ ὀλίγον κεκινδυνευκέναι τῇ πόλει τῶν περὶ Νοθοκράτην ἐπιβαλομένων αὐτὴν κατασχεῖν, ἐξέπεμψαν πρέσβεις πρὸς Εὐμένη, βοήθειαν αἰτούμενοι κατὰ τὴν συμμαχίαν.
That in Crete, the Cydoniatæ, fearing the Gortynians because in the preceding year also the city had been in imminent danger when Nothocrates and his party attempted to seize it, sent ambassadors to Eumenes, requesting aid in accordance with their alliance.
§28.15.2ὁ δὲ βασιλεὺς προχειρισάμενος Λέοντα καὶ στρατιώτας σὺν τούτῳ τριακοσίους ἐξαπέστειλε κατὰ σπουδήν.
The king, having appointed Leon, dispatched him in haste with three hundred soldiers.
§28.15.3ὧν παραγενομένων οἱ Κυδωνιᾶται τάς τε κλεῖς τῶν πυλῶν τῷ Λέοντι παρέδωκαν καὶ καθόλου τὴν πόλιν ἐνεχείρισαν. —
Upon their arrival, the Cydoniatæ delivered the keys of the gates to Leon and entrusted the city entirely to him. —

Notes

  1. §28.15.1διὰ τὸ καὶ τῷ πρότερον ἔτει παρʼ ὀλίγον κεκινδυνευκέναι τῇ πόλει — The articular infinitive in the perfect tense, κεκινδυνευκέναι, governed by the preposition διά, expresses the cause ("because of having been in danger"). τῇ πόλει is a dative acting as the subject-like interest of the intransitive or impersonal verb κεκινδυνεύω. The adverbial phrase παρʼ ὀλίγον means "by a narrow margin" or "imminently."
  2. §28.15.1τῶν περὶ Νοθοκράτην ἐπιβαλομένων — A genitive absolute construction using the present (or second/strong aorist) middle participle plural genitive. It indicates the background action ("when Nothocrates and his associates attempted to seize it") by agents different from the subject of the main clause.
  3. §28.15.3ὧν παραγενομένων — A genitive absolute construction employing the relative pronoun ὧν in a connecting usage (relative connection). The antecedent is Leon and the soldiers mentioned in the previous sentence. It functions similarly to the Latin relative connection to connect clauses smoothly ("upon whose arrival").

Cite this passage

Polybius, The Histories §28.15.1-28.15.3. Humanitext Reader, https://reader.humanitext.ai/en/text/urn:cts:greekLit:tlg0543.tlg001.humanitext-grc2:28.15.1-28.15.3

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