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Polybius · The Histories §39.5.1-39.5.6

Polybius's Arbitration of Greek Cities and Honors

Passage 1308 of 1311 · Greek

Summary

After the departure of the ten commissioners to Italy, Polybius visited and arbitrated the Greek cities, successfully establishing the new constitution and laws, for which he received the highest honors from the people.

§39.5.1ταῦτα δὲ διοικήσαντες ἐν ἓξ μησὶν οἱ δέκα [καὶ] τῆς ἐαρινῆς ὥρας ἐνισταμένης ἀπέπλευσαν εἰς τὴν Ἰταλίαν, καλὸν δεῖγμα τῆς Ῥωμαίων προαιρέσεως ἀπολελοιπότες πᾶσι τοῖς Ἕλλησιν.
Having arranged these things in six months, the ten commissioners, as the spring season was beginning, sailed away to Italy, having left behind for all the Greeks a fine proof of the policy of the Romans.
§39.5.2ἐνετείλαντο δὲ τῷ Πολυβίῳ χωριζόμενοι τὰς πόλεις ἐπιπορευθῆναι καὶ περὶ ὧν οἱ ἄνθρωποι ἀμφιβάλλουσι διευκρινῆσαι, μέχρις οὗ συνήθειαν ἔχωσι τῇ πολιτείᾳ καὶ τοῖς νόμοις.
On departing, they charged Polybius to visit the cities and to decide and clarify those matters about which the people were in doubt, until they should become accustomed to the constitution and the laws.
§39.5.3ὃ δὴ καὶ μετά τινα χρόνον ἐποίησε πρὸς λόγον τοὺς ἀνθρώπους στέρξαι τὴν δεδομένην πολιτείαν καὶ μηδὲν ἀπόρημα μήτε κατʼ ἰδίαν μήτε κατὰ κοινὸν ἐκ τῶν νόμων γενέσθαι περὶ μηδενός.
And this indeed, after some time, caused the people reasonably to embrace the given constitution, and ensured that no difficulty, either private or public, arose from the laws concerning any matter.
§39.5.4διὸ καὶ καθόλου μὲν ἐξ ἀρχῆς ἀποδεχόμενοι καὶ τιμῶντες τὸν ἄνδρα, περὶ τοὺς ἐσχάτους καιροὺς καὶ τὰς προειρημένας πράξεις εὐδοκούμενοι κατὰ πάντα τρόπον ταῖς μεγίσταις τιμαῖς ἐτίμησαν αὐτὸν κατὰ πόλεις καὶ ζῶντα καὶ μεταλλάξαντα. §39.5.5πάντες δʼ ἔκριναν κατὰ λόγον τοῦτο ποιεῖν·
Wherefore, although from the beginning they had generally welcomed and honored the man, being highly pleased with him in these last times and for the aforementioned actions, they honored him in every way with the greatest honors city by city, both while he was living and after he had passed away.
μὴ γὰρ ἐξεργασαμένου τούτου καὶ γράψαντος τοὺς περὶ τῆς κοινῆς δικαιοδοσίας νόμους ἄκριτα πάντα ἦν καὶ πολλῆς γέμοντα ταραχῆς.
And everyone judged that they did this with good reason; for if he had not worked out and written the laws concerning common jurisdiction, everything would have been undecided and full of great confusion.
§39.5.6διὸ καὶ τοῦτο κάλλιστον Πολυβίῳ πεπρᾶχθαι νομιστέον πάντων τῶν προειρημένων. —
Wherefore, this must be considered the finest deed achieved by Polybius of all the aforementioned.

Notes

  1. §39.5.3ὃ δὴ καὶ μετά τινα χρόνον ἐποίησε — The relative pronoun ὃ refers back to the entire action of the preceding sentence (Polybius's arbitration). The verb ἐποίησε acts causatively ('brought it about that...'), governing the following accusative and infinitive structures (τοὺς ἀνθρώπους στέρξαι... and μηδὲν ἀπόρημα... γενέσθαι).
  2. §39.5.5μὴ γὰρ ἐξεργασαμένου τούτου καὶ γράψαντος τοὺς περὶ τῆς κοινῆς δικαιοδοσίας νόμους ἄκριτα πάντα ἦν — The genitive absolute with the negative μὴ (ἐξεργασαμένου... γράψαντος) functions as a conditional clause ('if he had not worked out and written...'). In the main clause, the past indicative ἦν, despite lacking the particle ἄν, expresses a past contrary-to-fact apodosis ('would have been').

Cite this passage

Polybius, The Histories §39.5.1-39.5.6. Humanitext Reader, https://reader.humanitext.ai/en/text/urn:cts:greekLit:tlg0543.tlg001.humanitext-grc2:39.5.1-39.5.6

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