§36.17.1ἐγὼ δέ, φησὶν ὁ Πολύβιος ἐπιτιμῶν τοῖς τὴν τύχην καὶ τὴν εἱμαρμένην ἐπιγράφουσιν ἐπί τε τὰς κοινὰς πράξεις καὶ τὰς κατʼ ἰδίαν περιπετείας, νῦν βούλομαι περὶ τούτου τοῦ μέρους διαστείλασθαι καθʼ ὅσον ὁ τῆς πραγματικῆς ἱστορίας ἐπιδέχεται τρόπος. §36.17.2ὧν μὲν νὴ Δίʼ ἀδύνατον ἢ δυσχερὲς τὰς αἰτίας καταλαβεῖν ἄνθρωπον ὄντα, περὶ τούτων ἴσως ἄν τις ἀπορῶν ἐπὶ τὸν θεὸν τὴν ἀναφορὰν ποιοῖτο καὶ τὴν τύχην, οἶον ὄμβρων καὶ νιφετῶν ἐξαισίων ἐπιφορὰ συνεχής, ἢ τἀναντία πάλιν αὐχμῶν καὶ πάγων καὶ διὰ ταῦτα φθορὰ καρπῶν, ὁμοίως λοιμικαὶ διαθέσεις συνεχεῖς, ἄλλα παραπλήσια τούτοις, ὧν οὐκ εὐμαρὲς τὴν αἰτίαν εὑρεῖν.
"But I," says Polybius, censuring those who attribute both public actions and private misfortunes to fortune and fate, "wish now to distinguish concerning this matter as far as the method of pragmatic history allows." For those things of which it is impossible or difficult for a human being to understand the causes, one might perhaps, being in difficulty, refer them to God and fortune; such as a continuous downpour of extraordinary rains and snows, or conversely, droughts and frosts, and consequently the destruction of crops, likewise continuous pestilential conditions, and other things similar to these, of which it is not easy to find the cause.
§36.17.3διόπερ εἰκότως περὶ τῶν τοιούτων ἀκολουθοῦντες ταῖς τῶν πολλῶν δόξαις διὰ τὴν ἀπορίαν, ἱκετεύοντες καὶ θύοντες ἐξιλασκόμενοι τὸ θεῖον, πέμπομεν ἐρησόμενοι τοὺς θεοὺς τί ποτʼ ἂν ἢ λέγουσιν ἢ πράττουσιν ἡμῖν ἄμεινον εἴη καὶ γένοιτο παῦλα τῶν ἐνεστώτων κακῶν.
Therefore, reasonably following the opinions of the multitude regarding such matters because of our difficulty, supplicating and appeasing the divine with sacrifices, we send to ask the gods what we might say or do that would be better for us, and that there might be a cessation of the present evils.
§36.17.4ὧν δὲ δυνατόν ἐστι τὴν αἰτίαν εὑρεῖν, ἐξ ἧς καὶ διʼ ἣν ἐγένετο τὸ συμβαῖνον, οὐχί μοι δοκεῖ τῶν τοιούτων δεῖν ἐπὶ τὸ θεῖον ποιεῖσθαι τὴν ἀναφοράν.
But of those things of which it is possible to find the cause from which and through which the event occurred, it does not seem to me that we should refer them to the divine.
§36.17.5λέγω δʼ οἷον οὕτως.
I mean something like this.
ἐπέσχεν ἐν τοῖς καθʼ ἡμᾶς καιροῖς τὴν Ἑλλάδα πᾶσαν ἀπαιδία καὶ συλλήβδην ὀλιγανθρωπία, διʼ ἣν αἵ τε πόλεις ἐξηρημώθησαν καὶ ἀφορίαν εἶναι συνέβαινε, καίπερ οὔτε πολέμων συνεχῶν ἐσχηκότων ἡμᾶς οὔτε λοιμικῶν περιστάσεων.
In our times, a lack of children and a general depopulation prevailed over the whole of Greece, through which the cities were desolated and a failure of crops occurred, although neither continuous wars nor pestilential circumstances possessed us.
§36.17.6εἴ τις οὖν περὶ τούτου συνεβούλευσεν εἰς θεοὺς πέμπειν ἐρησομένους τί ποτʼ ἂν ἢ λέγοντες ἢ πράττοντες πλείονες γινοίμεθα καὶ κάλλιον οἰκοίημεν τὰς πόλεις, ἆρʼ οὐ μάταιος ἂν ἐφαίνετο, τῆς αἰτίας προφανοῦς ὑπαρχούσης καὶ τῆς διορθώσεως ἐν ἡμῖν κειμένης;
If, therefore, someone had advised regarding this to send to the gods to ask what we might say or do to become more numerous and inhabit our cities better, would he not have appeared foolish, since the cause was obvious and the correction lay within ourselves?
§36.17.7τῶν γὰρ ἀνθρώπων εἰς ἀλαζονείαν καὶ φιλοχρημοσύνην, ἔτι δὲ ῥᾳθυμίαν ἐκτετραμμένων καὶ μὴ βουλομένων μήτε γαμεῖν μήτʼ, ἐὰν γήμωσι, τὰ γινόμενα τέκνα τρέφειν, ἀλλὰ μόλις ἓν τῶν πλείστων ἢ δύο χάριν τοῦ πλουσίους τούτους καταλιπεῖν καὶ σπαταλῶντας θρέψαι, ταχέως ἔλαθε τὸ κακὸν αὐξηθέν.
For since men had turned aside to vanity and love of money, and furthermore to laziness, and were unwilling either to marry or, if they did marry, to rear the children born to them, but scarcely to rear one or two of the majority for the sake of leaving them rich and nurturing them in luxury, the evil rapidly grew without being noticed.
§36.17.8ὅτε γὰρ ἑνὸς ὄντος ἢ δυεῖν, τούτων τὸν μὲν πόλεμος, τὸν δὲ νόσος ἐνστᾶσα παρείλετο, δῆλον ὡς ἀνάγκη καταλείπεσθαι τὰς οἰκήσεις ἐρήμους, καὶ καθάπερ ἐπὶ τῶν μελιττῶν τὰ σμήνη, τὸν αὐτὸν τρόπον κατὰ βραχὺ καὶ τὰς πόλεις ἀπορουμένας ἀδυνατεῖν.
For when, there being only one or two children, war or an ensuing disease took away one of these, it is clear that the houses must be left desolate, and in the same manner as with swarms of bees, the cities gradually became helpless through lack of resources.
§36.17.9ὑπὲρ ὧν οὐδὲ χρεία παρὰ τῶν θεῶν πυνθάνεσθαι πῶς ἂν ἀπολυθείημεν τῆς τοιαύτης βλάβης· §36.17.10ὁ γὰρ τυχὼν τῶν ἀνθρώπων ἐρεῖ διότι μάλιστα μὲν αὐτοὶ διʼ αὑτῶν, μεταθέμενοι τὸν ζῆλον, εἰ δὲ μή, νόμους γράψαντες, ἵνα τρέφηται τὰ γινόμενα.
Concerning which there is not even any need to inquire from the gods how we might be delivered from such a harm; for any ordinary person will say that it is especially by ourselves, changing our zeal, or otherwise, by writing laws so that the children born may be reared.
περὶ τούτων οὔτε μάντεων οὔτε τερατειῶν χρεία.
Concerning these things there is need of neither seers nor portents.
§36.17.11ὁ δʼ αὐτὸς λόγος καὶ περὶ τῶν κατὰ μέρος.
And the same argument holds also concerning individual matters.
§36.17.12ἀλλʼ ἐπʼ ἐκείνων ἐφʼ ὧν ἀλήπτους ἢ δυσλήπτους εἶναι τὰς αἰτίας συμβαίνει, διαπορητέον· ὧν ἓν ἦν καὶ τὸ περὶ Μακεδόνας γεγενημένον.
But in those cases where it happens that the causes are impossible or difficult to grasp, we must inquire; of which one was that which happened concerning the Macedonians.
§36.17.13Μακεδόνες μὲν γὰρ ὑπὸ Ῥωμαίων πολλῶν καὶ μεγάλων ἐτετεύχεισαν φιλανθρωπιῶν, κοινῇ μὲν πάντες ἀπολυθέντες μοναρχικῶν ἐπιταγμάτων καὶ φόρων καὶ μεταλαβόντες ἀπὸ δουλείας ὁμολογουμένως ἐλευθερίαν, ἰδίᾳ δὲ πάλιν κατὰ πόλεις ἐκλυθέντες ἐκ μεγάλων στάσεων καὶ φόνων ἐμφυλίων διὰ τῆς Ῥωμαίων φιλοτ?ιμίας· ἅ?μ?α? δυσμενείας μ?ὲ?ν? ἢ βλάβης τῆς ἐν τοῖς πρότερον καιροῖς πρὸς Ῥωμαίους ἔτι γεύ φιλ πόλεως· ὑπὸ δὲ τοῦ Ψευδοφιλίππου πρῶτον μὲν πρ ε?ξ?ε?τ?ο?ι? διῄτ πολλοὺς μὲν ἀν φρ πλείστους ἐπεῖδον αὐτῶν ἐν πάνυ βραχεῖ χρόνῳ φυγαδευθέντας καὶ στρεβλωθέντας καὶ φονευθέντας ἢ τῶν ἐν τοῖς π?ρ?ό?τ?ε?ρ?ο?ν? καιροῖς ὑπὸ τῶν κατʼ ἀλήθειαν β?α?σι ἤδη τοῦτο γε ε?χ? ῶς απαντ?ε?σ?ι? ἐπὶ το εἴ αι τῶν ἐξ ἀρχῆς βασιλέων, ὡς ὑβρίζ καὶ πλείστο?ι?σ? ε?μ?ο?σ? τῶν βρ καὶ Ῥωμαίων στρατοπεδεύματος ἐξ αὐτῆς μεταμέλοι· ἐν ἀδικ τῶν πρὸ τοῦ Ψευδοφιλίππου μὲν εἰς αὐτοὺς παρανομημάτων· ο?ἱ? δ?ὲ? τ?ὸ?
For the Macedonians had obtained many great benefits from the Romans, being collectively freed from monarchical orders and taxes, and having admittedly received freedom instead of slavery, and individually, city by city, being delivered from great factions and civil slaughters through the Romans' generosity... at the same time, of the hostility or harm in former times towards the Romans... but under the False Philip, first indeed... they saw very many of themselves in a very short time exiled, tortured, and murdered, more than... under those who were in former times truly kings... already this... for all to... as they insulted... and most of... that they regretted the departure of the Roman army... in injustice of the lawless acts committed against them before the False Philip... and they...
§36.17.14π?ο?λ?λ?ῶ?ν? τ?ε? μ?ε?τ?ὰ? μὲν τοῦ Δημητρίου καὶ πάλιν μετὰ Περσέως μαχόμενοι πρὸς Ῥωμαίους ἡττήθησαν, ἀνδρὶ δὲ στυγνῷ συναγωνιζόμενοι καὶ περὶ τῆς τούτου βασιλείας ἀνδραγαθήσαντες ἐνίκησαν Ῥωμαίους.
And after fighting many times with Demetrius and again with Perseus against the Romans, they were defeated, but fighting alongside a hateful man and acting courageously for his kingdom, they defeated the Romans.
§36.17.15ἐξ ὧν τίς οὐκ ἂν ἐπαπορήσειεν ἐπὶ τῷ συμβάντι;
From which, who would not be perplexed at what happened?
τὴν γὰρ αἰτίαν εὑρεῖν τούτων δυσχερές.
For it is difficult to find the cause of these things.
§36.17.16διόπερ ἄν τις ἐπὶ τῶν τοιούτων διαθέσεων δαιμονοβλάβειαν εἴπειε τὸ γεγονὸς καὶ μῆνιν ἐκ θεῶν ἅπασι Μακεδόσιν ἀπηντῆσθαι.
Therefore, in such states of mind, one might say that what happened was a divine stroke and that a wrath from the gods had fallen upon all the Macedonians.
δῆλον δʼ ἔστιν ἐκ τῶν λέγεσθαι μελλόντων.
And this will be clear from what is about to be said.