Humanitext Reader

Polybius · The Histories §33.17.1-33.17.5

Distress of the Rhodians and Their Desperate Measures

Passage 1239 of 1311 · Greek

Summary

Suffering from a series of unexpected events, the Rhodians fall into irrational behavior, just like chronic patients who resort to superstitions when medicine fails, including reinstating a previously rejected magistrate.

§33.17.1ὅτι οἱ Ῥόδιοι δυσθετούμενοι τοῖς συμβαίνουσιν εἰς παραλόγους τινὰς ἐνέπεσαν ὁρμὰς καὶ παρασκευὰς καὶ πρὸς παραπλησίαν διάθεσιν ἦλθον τοῖς ἐν ταῖς πολυχρονίοις ἀρρωστίαις δυσποτμοῦσι.
That the Rhodians, being distressed by the events, fell into certain irrational impulses and preparations, and came to a state similar to those who suffer ill fortune in long-term illnesses.
§33.17.2καὶ γὰρ ἐκεῖνοι πολλάκις, ἐπειδὰν πάντα ποιοῦντες κατὰ λόγον τῆς θεραπείας καὶ πειθαρχοῦντες τοῖς ἰατροῖς μὴ δύνωνται τῆς ἐπὶ τὸ βέλτιον προκοπῆς ἅψασθαι, δυσθετούμενοι τοῖς συμβαίνουσιν ἀποδυσπετεῖν ἀναγκάζονται, καὶ τινὲς μὲν θύταις καὶ μάντεσι προσέχειν, ἔνιοι δὲ πάσης ἐπῳδῆς καὶ παντὸς περιάμματος πεῖραν λαμβάνειν.
For those people also often, when they cannot achieve any progress toward improvement, even though they do everything in accordance with the reason of treatment and obey the physicians, being distressed by the events, are forced to lose heart, and some are forced to attend to sacrificers and diviners, while others try every incantation and every amulet.
§33.17.3ὃ καὶ περὶ τοὺς Ῥοδίους συνέβαινε· πάντων γὰρ αὐτοῖς παρὰ δόξαν ἀπαντωμένων, ἠναγκάζοντο παντὶ τῷ λεγομένῳ προσέχειν καὶ πᾶσαν ἐλπίδα σωματοποιεῖν καὶ προσδέχεσθαι.
This is what happened to the Rhodians as well; for as everything turned out contrary to their expectation, they were forced to attend to every rumor, and to give substance to and cherish every hope.
§33.17.4καὶ τοῦτʼ ἐδόκουν πάσχειν εἰκότως· ὅταν γὰρ μηδὲν ἀνύηται τῶν κατὰ λόγον, δέῃ δὲ κατʼ ἀνάγκην ἐνεργεῖσθαι τὸ συνεχές, ἀπάγκη πεῖραν λαμβάνειν καὶ τῶν παρὰ λόγον.
And they seemed to suffer this with good reason; for when none of the rational measures succeed, and yet it is necessary to continue acting under compulsion, it is inevitable to make trial of even the irrational.
§33.17.5διὸ καὶ Ῥόδιοι ἐμπεσόντες εἰς τοιαύτην διάθεσιν ἐποίησάν τι τῶν γινομένων καὶ ὃν ἀπεδοκίμασαν ἄρχοντα, τοῦτον πάλιν εἵλοντο ἄρχοντα, καὶ ἄλλα τινὰ παράλογα.
Therefore the Rhodians also, having fallen into such a state, did some extraordinary things, and the very magistrate whom they had rejected, they elected as magistrate again, along with certain other irrational acts.

Notes

  1. 33.17.1τοῖς ἐν ταῖς πολυχρονίοις ἀρρωστίαις δυσποτμοῦσι — A dative case governed by the adjective παραπλησίαν ('similar to'). The participle δυσποτμοῦσι ('those suffering ill fortune') refers to patients, modified by the prepositional phrase ἐν ταῖς πολυχρονίοις ἀρρωστίαις ('in long-term illnesses').
  2. 33.17.2προσέχειν ... λαμβάνειν — These infinitives are coordinated as complements to the preceding passive verb ἀναγκάζονται ('are forced to'). While they could theoretically be construed as historical infinitives, it is more natural to view them as depending on the force of ἀναγκάζονται.
  3. 33.17.5ὃν ἀπεδοκίμασαν ἄρχοντα, τοῦτον πάλιν εἵλοντο ἄρχοντα — In the relative clause ὃν ... ἄρχοντα, the noun ἄρχοντα, which serves as the antecedent, is attracted into the relative clause. In the main clause, τοῦτον functions as its resumptive pronoun, with ἄρχοντα repeated as a predicative accusative ('as magistrate').

Cite this passage

Polybius, The Histories §33.17.1-33.17.5. Humanitext Reader, https://reader.humanitext.ai/en/text/urn:cts:greekLit:tlg0543.tlg001.humanitext-grc2:33.17.1-33.17.5

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