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Polybius · The Histories §38.18.1-38.18.12

Diaeus's Atrocities and Fortune Saving the Achaeans

Passage 1299 of 1311 · Greek

Summary

Diaeus and his associates torture and execute political opponents while releasing others for bribes. The author interprets the rapid defeat of the Achaeans as a saving intervention of 'Fortune' to prevent worse internal atrocities, citing a well-known contemporary proverb.

§38.18.1ὅθεν ἐν τοιούτοις ὄντος τοῦ διαβουλίου καὶ τὸ τέλος ἀκόλουθον ἐξέβη τῶν δοξάντων.
Therefore, as the deliberation was in such a state, the outcome of their decisions also turned out in a corresponding manner.
§38.18.2παραυτίκα μὲν οὖν συνέκλεισαν οὐ μόνον τοὺς περὶ τὸν Ἀνδρωνίδαν καὶ Λάγιον, ἀλλὰ καὶ τὸν ὑποστράτηγον Σωσικράτην, ἐπενέγκαντες αἰτίαν ὅτι προστατήσαι τοῦ διαβουλίου καὶ συναποφήναιτο πέμπειν πρὸς τὸν Καικίλιον καὶ συλλήβδην πάντων εἴη τῶν κακῶν αἴτιος·
Immediately, then, they imprisoned not only Andronidas and Lagius with their companions, but also the vice-general Sosicrates, bringing against him the charge that he had presided over the deliberation, had consented to send messengers to Caecilius, and was, in short, the cause of all the evils.
§38.18.3εἰς δὲ τὴν ἐπαύριον καθίσαντες δικαστὰς τοῦ μὲν Σωσικράτους κατεδίκασαν θάνατον καὶ δήσαντες καὶ στρεβλοῦντες προσεκαρτέρουν, ἕως διέφθειραν τὸν ἄνθρωπον, οὐδὲν εἰπόντα τῶν ἐκείνοις προσδοκωμένων.
On the following day, having seated the judges, they condemned Sosicrates to death, and binding him and putting him to the torture, they persisted until they destroyed the man, though he said nothing of what they expected.
§38.18.4τὸν δὲ Λάγιον καὶ τὸν Ἀνδρωνίδαν καὶ τὸν Ἄρχιππον ἀφῆκαν, ἅμα μὲν τοῦ πλήθους εἰς ἐπίστασιν παραγενομένου διὰ τὴν εἰς τὸν Σωσικράτη παρανομίαν, ἅμα δὲ τοῦ Διαίου λαβόντος παρὰ μὲν Ἀνδρωνίδου τάλαντον, παρὰ δʼ Ἀρχίππου τετταράκοντα μνᾶς.
But they released Lagius, Andronidas, and Archippus, partly because the multitude had come to their senses owing to the lawlessness committed against Sosicrates, and partly because Diaeus had received a talent from Andronidas and forty minae from Archippus.
§38.18.5οὐδὲ γὰρ ἐπὶ τοῦ σκάμματος ὤν, τὸ δὴ λεγόμενον, ἐδύνατο λῆξαι τῆς περὶ τοῦτο τὸ μέρος ἀναισχυντίας καὶ παρανομίας ὁ προειρημένος.
For not even when "on the very scratch," as the saying goes, was the aforementioned man able to desist from his shamelessness and lawlessness in this regard.
§38.18.6παραπλήσια δὲ τούτοις ἔπραξε καὶ βραχεῖ χρόνῳ πρότερον εἰς Φιλῖνον τὸν Κορίνθιον· προθεὶς γὰρ αἰτίαν ὅτι διαπέμπεται πρὸς Μεναλκίδαν καὶ τὰ Ῥωμαίων φρονεῖ, τόν τε Φιλῖνον καὶ τοὺς υἱοὺς αὐτοῦ μαστιγῶν καὶ στρεβλῶν ἐν συνόψει πάντας ἀλλήλων οὐ πρότερον ἔληξε πρὶν ἢ διέφθειρε τὰ μειράκια καὶ τὸν Φιλῖνον.
He had done things very similar to these a short time before to Philinus of Corinth; for having brought against him the charge that he was sending messages to Menalcidas and favoring the Roman cause, he flogged and tortured Philinus and his sons in full view of one another, and did not desist until he had destroyed both the youths and Philinus.
§38.18.7τοιαύτης δὲ τῆς ἀνοίας καὶ τῆς ἀκρισίας συμβαινούσης περὶ πάντας οἵαν οὐδʼ ἂν ἐν βαρβάροις εὕροι τις ῥᾳδίως, δῆλον ὡς εἰκότως ἄν τις ἐπιζητήσειε πῶς οὐκ ἄρδην ἀπώλοντο πάντες.
As such folly and madness prevailed among all, the like of which one would not easily find even among barbarians, it is clear that one might reasonably ask how they did not all perish root and branch.
§38.18.8ἐγὼ γὰρ ἂν εἴποιμι διότι δοκεῖ μοι καθαπερανεὶ τύχη τις ἀντερεῖσαι πανοῦργος καὶ τεχνικὴ πρὸς τὴν ἄνοιαν καὶ μανίαν τῶν ἡγουμένων, ἥτις ἐξωθουμένη πάντῃ καὶ πάντως ὑπὸ τῆς ἀγνοίας τῶν προεστώτων, βουλομένη δὲ κατὰ πάντα τρόπον σῴζειν τοὺς Ἀχαιούς, ἐπὶ τὸ καταλειπόμενον ἦλθεν ὥσπερ ἀγαθὸς παλαιστής.
For I would say that it seems to me as if a certain crafty and skillful Fortune opposed herself to the folly and madness of the leaders; which, though driven into a corner in every way and by all means by the ignorance of those in power, yet wishing by all means to save the Achaeans, resorted to her last remaining resource like a good wrestler.
§38.18.9τοῦτο δʼ ἦν τὸ ταχέως σφῆλαι καὶ ῥᾳδίως ἡττῆσαι τοὺς Ἕλληνας· ὅπερ ἐποίησε.
And this was to trip up the Greeks quickly and defeat them easily; which is exactly what she did.
§38.18.10διὰ γὰρ τοῦτο συνέβη μήτε τὴν τῶν Ῥωμαίων ὀργὴν καὶ θυμὸν ἐκκαυθῆναι πορρωτέρω, μηδʼ ἐλθεῖν τὰς ἐκ τῆς Λιβύης δυνάμεις, μήτε τοὺς προεστῶτας, ὄντας οἵους εἶπον, ἐπιλαβομένους δὲ προτερήματος, ἀποδείξασθαι τὴν αὑτῶν ἀσέβειαν εἰς τοὺς ὁμοφύλους.
For owing to this, it came about that neither was the anger and wrath of the Romans inflamed any further, nor did the forces from Libya arrive, nor did the leaders—being such as I have described, but had they obtained any success—manifest their own impiety towards their fellow countrymen.
§38.18.11τί γὰρ εἰκὸς ἦν πρᾶξαι τούτους κατὰ τῶν ἰδίων, ἐπιλαβομένους ἀφορμῆς τινος ἢ προτερήματος, δῆλόν ἐστιν ἐκ τῶν προειρημένων διὰ τὸ κατὰ λόγον.
For what they would likely have done to their own people, had they obtained any pretext or success, is clear from what has been said before, in accordance with reason.
§38.18.12ἅπαντες δὲ τότε τὴν παροιμίαν ταύτην διὰ στόματος ἔσχον, ὡς "εἰ μὴ ταχέως ἀπωλόμεθα, οὐκ ἂν ἐσώθημεν. "
And everyone at that time had this proverb on their lips: "If we had not perished quickly, we should not have been saved."

Notes

  1. §38.18.2ὅτι προστατήσαι — In the ὅτι clause dependent on a past verb (represented here by the participle ἐπενέγκαντες), the optative (προστατήσαι, συναποφήναιτο, εἴη) is used to express indirect discourse (optative of oblique or indirect discourse), replacing the original past indicative verbs of the allegation.
  2. §38.18.4ἅμα μὲν τοῦ πλήθους... ἅμα δὲ τοῦ Διαίου... — Two genitive absolute constructions (τοῦ πλήθους... παραγενομένου and τοῦ Διαίου λαβόντος) are coordinated by the correlative adverbs ἅμα μέν ... ἅμα δέ ... ('on the one hand... on the other hand...'), explaining the dual reasons for the release (ἀφῆκαν).
  3. §38.18.8καθαπερανεὶ — A contraction of καθάπερ ἂν εἰ ('just as if'), here functioning as a single adverb modifying the infinitive ἀντερεῖσαι. It lends a hypothetical or figurative nuance to the accusative and infinitive construction (τύχη τις ἀντερεῖσαι) which serves as the subject of the main verb δοκεῖ.

Cite this passage

Polybius, The Histories §38.18.1-38.18.12. Humanitext Reader, https://reader.humanitext.ai/en/text/urn:cts:greekLit:tlg0543.tlg001.humanitext-grc2:38.18.1-38.18.12

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