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Polybius · The Histories §32.2.1-32.2.8

Reception of Demetrius's Envoys and the Assassin Isocrates

Passage 1209 of 1311 · Greek

Summary

The senate accepted the envoys and crown from King Demetrius but refused to receive the assassins. The text describes the background of Isocrates, a grammarian who rashly justified the assassination.

§32.2.1ὅτι ἧκον καὶ παρὰ τοῦ Δημητρίου τοῦ βασιλέως πρέσβεις οἱ περὶ τὸν Μηνοχάρην, στέφανον ἀπὸ μυρίων χρυσῶν τῇ Ῥώμῃ κομίζοντες, ἅμα δὲ καὶ τὸν προσενέγκαντα τῷ Γναΐῳ τὰς χεῖρας ἄγοντες.
Envoys also arrived from King Demetrius, led by Menochares, bringing a crown of the value of ten thousand gold pieces to Rome, and at the same time bringing the man who had laid hands upon Gnaeus.
§32.2.2ἡ δὲ σύγκλητος ἐπὶ πολὺν μὲν χρόνον διηπόρησε περὶ τούτων πῶς δεῖ χρήσασθαι τοῖς πράγμασιν, §32.2.3ὅμως δὲ προσεδέξατο καὶ τοὺς πρεσβευτὰς καὶ τὸν στέφανον· τούς γε μὴν ἀγομένους ἀνθρώπους οὐ προσεδέξατο.
For a long time the senate was in great doubt as to how they should deal with these matters, but they nevertheless accepted both the envoys and the crown; however, they did not accept the men who were brought to them.
§32.2.4καίτοι γε Δημήτριος οὐ μόνον τὸν Λεπτίνην ἀπέστειλε τὸν αὐτόχειρα τοῦ Γναΐου γενόμενον, ἀλλὰ καὶ τὸν Ἰσοκράτην.
And yet Demetrius had sent not only Leptines, who had been the actual slayer of Gnaeus, but also Isocrates.
§32.2.5οὗτος δʼ ἦν μὲν γραμματικὸς τῶν τὰς ἀκροάσεις ποιουμένων, φύσει δʼ ὢν λάλος καὶ πέρπερος καὶ κατακορὴς προσέκοπτε μὲν καὶ τοῖς Ἕλλησιν, ἅτε καὶ τῶν περὶ τὸν Ἀλκαῖον ἐν ταῖς Συγκρίσεσιν ἐπιδεξίως σκωπτόντων αὐτὸν καὶ διαχλευαζόντων, §32.2.6παραγενόμενος δʼ εἰς τὴν Συρίαν καὶ καταφρονήσας τῶν ἀνθρώπων οὐκ ἠρκεῖτο περὶ τῶν ἰδίων ἐπιτηδευμάτων ποιούμενος τοὺς λόγους, §32.2.7ἀλλὰ καὶ πραγματικὰς ἀποφάσεις ἐξέβαλε, φάσκων δίκαια πεπονθέναι τὸν Γνάιον, δεῖν δὲ καὶ τοὺς ἄλλους πρεσβευτὰς ἀπολωλέναι πρὸς τὸ μηδὲ τὸν ἀγγελοῦντα καταλειφθῆναι τοῖς Ῥωμαίοις τὸ γεγονός, ἵνα παύσωνται τῶν ὑπερηφάνων ἐπιταγμάτων καὶ τῆς ἀνέδην ἐξουσίας.
The latter was a grammarian among those who gave public lectures, but being by nature talkative, boastful, and offensive, he had also clashed with the Greeks, so that Alcaeus and his circle cleverly mocked and ridiculed him in their "Comparisons." Having arrived in Syria and despising the people there, he was not satisfied with making speeches about his own profession, but also poured out political pronouncements, asserting that Gnaeus had suffered what he deserved, and that the other envoys too ought to have been put to death, so that not even a messenger might be left to report the event to the Romans, in order that they might cease from their arrogant dictates and unlimited power.
§32.2.8τοιαῦτα μὲν οὖν ῥιψολογῶν ἐνέπεσεν εἰς τὴν προειρημένην ἀτυχίαν.
Pouring out such random words, he thus fell into the aforementioned misfortune.

Notes

  1. §32.2.1τὸν προσενέγκαντα τῷ Γναΐῳ τὰς χεῖρας — Meaning "the one who laid hands upon Gnaeus." The basic meaning of the verb προσφέρω "to bring/stretch out" combined with τὰς χεῖρας "hands" and the dative τῷ Γναΐῳ metaphorically expresses committing violence against or assassinating someone.
  2. §32.2.5τῶν τὰς ἀκροάσεις ποιουμένων — A partitive genitive. It indicates that Isocrates belonged to the class of grammarians (γραμματικός) who "conduct public lectures or recitations" (ποιουμένων).
  3. §32.2.5ἅτε καὶ τῶν περὶ τὸν Ἀλκαῖον ... σκωπτόντων αὐτὸν καὶ διαχλευαζόντων — A construction combining the causal particle ἅτε (indicating an objective ground) with the genitive absolute "των ... σκωπτόντων ... καὶ διαχλευαζόντων". Additionally, the idiom "οἱ περὶ τὸν Ἀλκαῖον" refers either to "Alcaeus and his circle" or simply to "Alcaeus himself."
  4. §32.2.7πρὸς τὸ μηδὲ τὸν ἀγγελοῦντα καταλειφθῆναι — A construction consisting of the preposition πρὸς, the neuter accusative article τό, and an infinitive (here, the passive καταλειφθῆναι) expressing purpose. The subject of the infinitive is the accusative τὸν ἀγγελοῦντα (the future participle "one who would report/messenger"). The negative particle μηδέ expresses strong negation ("not even").

Cite this passage

Polybius, The Histories §32.2.1-32.2.8. Humanitext Reader, https://reader.humanitext.ai/en/text/urn:cts:greekLit:tlg0543.tlg001.humanitext-grc2:32.2.1-32.2.8

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