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Polybius · The Histories §38.13.1-38.13.9

Critolaus's Denunciation of Traitors and War Decree

Passage 1294 of 1311 · Greek

Summary

Defying the restraint of the Achaean leaders, Critolaus incites the crowd by accusing internal traitors and passes a war resolution granting him extraordinary power, while the Roman legates disperse.

§38.13.1προθέσεως.
...undertakings.
τῶν δὲ τῆς γερουσίας βουλομένων ἐπιλαμβάνεσθαι καὶ κωλύειν αὐτὸν τῶν τοιούτων λόγων, περισπασάμενος τοὺς στρατιώτας κατανίστατο, κελεύων προσελθεῖν, ἐγγίσαι, τολμῆσαί τινα μόνον ἅψασθαι τῆς χλαμύδος. §38.13.2καθόλου δʼ ἔφη πολὺν ἤδη χρόνον παρακατεσχηκὼς αὑτὸν οὐκέτι δύνασθαι καρτερεῖν, ἀλλʼ ἐρεῖν τὸ φαινόμενον. §38.13.3δεῖν γὰρ οὐ Λακεδαιμονίους οὐδὲ Ῥωμαίους ἀγωνιᾶν οὕτως ὡς τοὺς ἐξ αὐτῶν συνεργοῦντας τοῖς ἐχθροῖς· εἶναι γάρ τινας τοὺς πλεῖον Ῥωμαίοις εὐνοοῦντας καὶ Λακεδαιμονίοις ἢ τοῖς σφετέροις πράγμασιν. §38.13.4καὶ τούτων πίστιν ἔφερεν· ἔφη γὰρ Εὐαγόραν τὸν Αἰγιέα καὶ τὸν Τριταιέα Στρατίον πάντα τὰ λεγόμενα διʼ ἀπορρήτων ἐν ταῖς συναρχίαις διασαφεῖν τοῖς περὶ τὸν Γνάιον. §38.13.5τοῦ δὲ Στρατίου συμμεμιχέναι μὲν τοῖς ἀνθρώποις ὁμολογοῦντος καὶ μετὰ ταῦτα συμμίξειν φάσκοντος φίλοις οὖσι καὶ συμμάχοις, ἀνηγγελκέναι δʼ ὁρκιζομένου μηδὲν τῶν ἐν ταῖς συναρχίαις εἰρημένων, ὀλίγοι μέν τινες ἐπίστευον, οἱ δὲ πλείους προσεδέχοντο τὰς διαβολάς. §38.13.6ὁ δὲ Κριτόλαος παροξύνας τοὺς ὄχλους διὰ τῆς τούτων κατηγορίας ἔπεισε τοὺς Ἀχαιοὺς πάλιν ψηφίσασθαι λόγῳ μὲν τὸν πρὸς Λακεδαιμονίους πόλεμον, ἔργῳ δὲ τὸν πρὸς Ῥωμαίους· §38.13.7καὶ προσεπεμέτρησεν ἕτερον ψήφισμα παράνομον, ὥστε κυρίους εἶναι τοὺς ἀνθρώπους οὓς [ἂν] ἐπὶ στρατηγίαν αἱρήσονται· διʼ οὗ τρόπου τινὰ μοναρχικὴν ἀνέλαβεν ἐξουσίαν. §38.13.8οὗτος μὲν οὖν ταῦτα διοικησάμενος ἐγίνετο περὶ τὸ πραγματοκοπεῖν καὶ Ῥωμαίοις ἐπιβάλλειν τὰς χεῖρας, οὐδενὶ λόγῳ τοῦτο πράττων, ἀλλὰ πάντων ἀσεβεστάτοις καὶ παρανομωτάτοις ἐπιβαλλόμενος· §38.13.9τῶν δὲ πρέσβεων ὁ μὲν Γνάιος εἰς Ἀθήνας ἀπῆρεν κἀκεῖθεν εἰς Λακεδαίμονα προσεδρεύσων τοῖς καιροῖς, ὁ δʼ Αὖλος εἰς Ναύπακτον, οἱ δὲ δύο μέχρι τῆς τοῦ Καικιλίου παρουσίας ἔμειναν ἐν ταῖς Ἀθήναις.
When the members of the council wished to censure him and prevent him from making such speeches, he drew his soldiers around him and stood his ground, bidding anyone to approach, come near, and dare to touch even his cloak. In general, he declared that he had restrained himself for a long time and could no longer endure it, but would speak what was apparent. For they ought not to fear the Lacedaemonians or the Romans so much as those among themselves who were cooperating with the enemy; for there were some who favored the Romans and Lacedaemonians more than their own affairs. And he brought forward proof of this; for he asserted that Evagoras of Aegium and Stratius of Tritaea revealed all that was said in secret in the college of magistrates to Gnaeus and his colleagues. Although Stratius admitted that he had associated with those men and stated that he would associate with them in the future as they were friends and allies, while swearing that he had reported nothing of what was said in the college, only a few believed him, and the majority accepted the slanders. Critolaus, having exasperated the crowds by his accusation of these men, persuaded the Achaeans to vote again for war, in word against the Lacedaemonians, but in deed against the Romans. And he added another illegal decree, to the effect that the men whom they should elect to the generalship should have absolute power; by which means he assumed a kind of monarchical authority. Having managed these affairs in this manner, he set about causing trouble and laying hands on the Romans, doing this with no rational motive, but undertaking the most impious and unlawful of all schemes. Of the legates, Gnaeus set sail for Athens and from there went to Lacedaemon to watch the turn of events, Aulus went to Naupactus, and the other two remained in Athens until the arrival of Caecilius.
καὶ τὰ μὲν κατὰ τὴν Πελοπόννησον ἐν τούτοις ἦν. —
And such was the state of affairs in the Peloponnese.

Notes

  1. §38.13.1προθέσεως — This word connects with the feminine singular genitive article `τῆς` at the very end of the preceding chunk, serving as the genitive object of the verb `κοινωνεῖν`. It demonstrates the continuity of the sentence across the chunk boundary.
  2. §38.13.1τῶν δὲ τῆς γερουσίας βουλομένων — Genitive absolute construction. `τῶν τῆς γερουσίας` (the members of the council) serves as the logical subject.
  3. §38.13.1κελεύων προσελθεῖν, ἐγγίσαι, τολμῆσαί τινα — The infinitives `προσελθεῖν`, `ἐγγίσαι`, and `τολμῆσαι` are all governed by the participle `κελεύων`, with the accusative `τινα` acting as their logical subject. The infinitive `ἅψασθαι` is dependent on `τολμῆσαι`.
  4. §38.13.3δεῖν γὰρ οὐ Λακεδαιμονίους οὐδὲ Ῥωμαίους ἀγωνιᾶν — An accusative and infinitive construction in indirect speech continuing from `ἔφη` (§38.13.2). The impersonal verb `δεῖ` becomes the infinitive `δεῖν`, while `ἀγωνιᾶν` is the infinitive dependent on it. The nouns `Λακεδαιμονίους οὐδὲ Ῥωμαίους` are the accusative objects of `ἀγωνιᾶν` (the objects of fear), while the logical subject of `ἀγωνιᾶν` is the Achaeans, understood from the context.
  5. §38.13.5φίλοις οὖσι καὶ συμμάχοις — Dative. It functions appositively to the dative `τοῖς ἀνθρώποις`, which represents the party associated with, as governed by the associative verb `συμμεμιχέναι` and the future infinitive `συμμίξειν`.
  6. §38.13.7οὓς [ἂν] ἐπὶ στρατηγίαν αἱρήσονται — The relative clause employs `[ἂν]` with the future indicative `αἱρήσονται` (though some manuscripts read the subjunctive `αἱρήσωνται` or `αἱρῶνται`), expressing a general expectation or an unspecified, hypothetical person in the future.

Cite this passage

Polybius, The Histories §38.13.1-38.13.9. Humanitext Reader, https://reader.humanitext.ai/en/text/urn:cts:greekLit:tlg0543.tlg001.humanitext-grc2:38.13.1-38.13.9

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