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Polybius · The Histories §29.13.1-29.13.2

The Licentiousness and Fratricide of King Genthius

Passage 1128 of 1311 · Greek

Summary

This passage recounts the story of King Genthius of Illyria, noting his excessive drinking, his licentious lifestyle, the murder of his brother Plator in order to marry his betrothed, and his cruel treatment of his subjects.

§29.13.1ἐν δὲ τῇ ἐνάτῃ καὶ εἰκοστῇ ὁ αὐτὸς Γένθιόν φησι τὸν τῶν Ἰλλυριῶν βασιλέα διὰ τὴν πολυποσίαν πολλὰ ποιεῖν ἀσελγῆ κατὰ τὸν βίον, νύκτωρ τε αἰεὶ καὶ μεθʼ ἡμέραν μεθύοντα· §29.13.2ἀποκτείναντα δὲ καὶ Πλάτορα τὸν ἀδελφόν, γαμεῖν μέλλοντα τὴν Μονουνίου θυγατέρα, αὐτὸν γῆμαι τὴν παῖδα καὶ ὠμῶς χρῆσθαι τοῖς ἀρχομένοις. —
And in the twenty-ninth book, the same author says that Genthius, the king of the Illyrians, owing to his heavy drinking, committed many licentious acts throughout his life, being always drunk both by night and by day; and that, having killed his brother Plator who was about to marry the daughter of Monunius, he himself married the girl and treated his subjects cruelly.

Notes

  1. §29.13.1Γένθιόν φησι ... ποιεῖν ... μεθύοντα — Syntactical structure of indirect speech (accusative and infinitive) introduced by φησι (says). Γένθιον is the subject accusative of the infinitive ποιεῖν (and γῆμαι, χρῆσθαι in §29.13.2), and the participle μεθύοντα (as well as ἀποκτείναντα in §29.13.2) is in the accusative masculine singular, agreeing with Γένθιον.
  2. §29.13.2γαμεῖν μέλλοντα — The present participle μέλλοντα (being about to) modifies the preceding Πλάτορα τὸν ἀδελφόν (his brother Plator). γαμεῖν is the infinitive depending on μέλλοντα.
  3. §29.13.2αὐτὸν γῆμαι — The intensive pronoun αὐτόν serves as the subject accusative of the infinitive γῆμαι (married), emphasizing "Genthius himself" in contrast to his brother Plator.

Cite this passage

Polybius, The Histories §29.13.1-29.13.2. Humanitext Reader, https://reader.humanitext.ai/en/text/urn:cts:greekLit:tlg0543.tlg001.humanitext-grc2:29.13.1-29.13.2

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