§39.3.1ὅτι διὰ τὴν προϋπάρχουσαν τοῦ πλήθους πρὸς Φιλοποίμενα εὔνοιαν οὐ καθεῖλον τὰς εἰκόνας αὐτοῦ ἐν πόλεσί τισιν οὔσας· οὕτως μοι δοκεῖ πᾶν τὸ γινόμενον ἀληθινῶς ἐνεργάζεσθαί τινα δυσεξάλειπτον εὔνοιαν τοῖς εὖ παθοῦσι.
That owing to the pre-existing goodwill of the populace toward Philopoemen, they did not destroy his statues that were in certain cities; thus it seems to me that everything that truly happens instills a certain indelible goodwill in those who have received benefits.
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διὸ καὶ δικαίως ἂν εἴποι τις τὸ περιφερόμενον, §39.3.2οὐ θύρᾳ, τὸ δὴ λεγόμενον, ἀλλʼ ἀμφόδῳ διέψευσται. — §39.3.3οὐσῶν δὲ πολλῶν μὲν εἰκόνων αὐτοῦ μεγάλων δὲ τιμῶν, ἃς αἱ πόλεις ἐψηφίσαντο, Ῥωμαῖος ἀνὴρ ἐν τοῖς περὶ Κόρινθον ἀτυχήμασι τῆς Ἑλλάδος ἐπεχείρησεν ἀνελεῖν ἁπάσας καὶ διώκειν αὐτόν, ἐνδεικνύμενος ὥσπερ ἔτι ζῶντα Ῥωμαίοις πολέμιον καὶ κακόνουν γενέσθαι.
Wherefore also one might justly say the common proverb, "He missed, as the saying goes, not by a door, but by a street." Although there were many statues of him and great honors which the cities had decreed, a certain Roman, during the misfortunes of Greece around Corinth, attempted to remove them all and to prosecute him, trying to show that he had been an enemy and ill-disposed to the Romans, as if he were still alive.
λόγων δὲ λεχθέντων καὶ Πολυβίου πρὸς τὸν συκοφάντην ἀντειπόντος, οὔθʼ ὁ Μόμμιος οὔτε οἱ πρέσβεις ὑπέμειναν ἀνδρὸς ἐνδόξου τιμὰς ἀφανίσαι. —
But when arguments were spoken and Polybius replied to the accuser, neither Mummius nor the commissioners consented to efface the honors of an illustrious man.
§39.3.4ἐπεβάλετο διδάσκειν διὰ πλειόνων ἀκολούθως τοῖς ἐν ἀρχαῖς ἡμῖν εἰρημένοις περὶ τἀνδρός.
He undertook to explain at greater length, in accordance with what we said in the beginning about the man.
§39.3.5ταῦτα δʼ ἦν ὅτι διαφέροιτο μὲν πρὸς Ῥωμαίους πολλάκις ὑπὲρ τῶν ἐπιταττομένων, διαφέροιτο δʼ ἐπὶ τοσοῦτον ἐφʼ ὅσον διδάσκειν καὶ πείθειν ὑπὲρ τῶν ἀμφισβητουμένων, οὐδὲ τοῦτο ποιεῖν εἰκῇ.
And these arguments were that, while he indeed frequently differed with the Romans regarding their commands, he differed only so far as to instruct and persuade them concerning the points in dispute, and did not even do this at random.
§39.3.6πεῖραν δὲ τῆς προαιρέσεως αὐτὸν ἀληθινὴν ἔφη καὶ τὸ δὴ λεγόμενον ἐκ πυρὸς παρεσχῆσθαι χάριν κατὰ τοὺς Φιλιππικοὺς καὶ κατὰ τοὺς Ἀντιοχικοὺς καιρούς· §39.3.7πλείστην γὰρ ἔχοντα ῥοπὴν τότε τῶν Ἑλλήνων καὶ διὰ τὴν αὑτοῦ δύναμιν καὶ τὴν τῶν Ἀχαιῶν ἀληθινώτατα διατετηρηκέναι τὴν πρὸς Ῥωμαίους φιλίαν, §39.3.8μετασχόντα τοῦ δόγματος τοῖς Ἀχαιοῖς, ἐν ᾧ τετραμήνῳ πρότερον τῆς Ῥωμαίων διαβάσεως Ἀντιόχῳ καὶ τοῖς Αἰτωλοῖς τὸν ἀπὸ τῆς χώρας πόλεμον ἐξήνεγκαν, τῶν ἄλλων Ἑλλήνων σχεδὸν ἁπάντων ἀπηλλοτριωμένων τῆς Ῥωμαίων φιλίας.
And he said that he had provided a true proof of his purpose—and, as the saying goes, a favor tested by fire—during the times of the Macedonian and Antiochian wars; for though he then possessed the greatest influence among the Greeks, both through his own power and that of the Achaeans, he had most genuinely maintained his friendship toward the Romans, having shared with the Achaeans in the decree by which, four months before the crossing of the Romans, they declared war from their territory against Antiochus and the Aetolians, when almost all the other Greeks had alienated themselves from the friendship of the Romans.
§39.3.9ὧν οἱ δέκα διακούσαντες καὶ τὴν προαίρεσιν ἀποδεξάμενοι τοῦ λέγοντος συνεχώρησαν καταμόνους αὐτῷ τὰς τιμὰς ὑπάρχειν ἐν πάσαις ταῖς πόλεσι.
The ten commissioners, having heard these things and having accepted the speaker's purpose, agreed that his honors should remain undisturbed for him in all the cities.
§39.3.10λαβόμενος δὲ τῆς ἀφορμῆς ταύτης Πολύβιος τὰς εἰκόνας ᾐτήσατο τὸν στρατηγόν, καίπερ ἤδη μετακεκομισμένας εἰς Ἀκαρνανίαν ἐκ Πελοποννήσου, λέγω δὲ τὴν Ἀχαιοῦ καὶ τὴν Ἀράτου καὶ Φιλοποίμενος.
Taking advantage of this opportunity, Polybius asked the general for the statues, although they had already been transported from the Peloponnese to Acarnania—I mean those of Achaeus, Aratus, and Philopoemen.
§39.3.11ἐν οἷς ἀγασθὲν τὸ πλῆθος αὐτοῦ τὴν προαίρεσιν ἔστησεν αὐτοῦ λιθίνην εἰκόνα. —
Wherefore the populace, admiring his character, set up a stone statue of him.