§4.2.1καλλίστην ὑπόστασιν ὑπολαμβάνοντες εἶναι ταύτην διὰ τὸ πρῶτον μὲν τὴν Ἀράτου σύνταξιν ἐπὶ τούτους καταστρέφειν τοὺς καιρούς, οἷς συνάπτοντες τὴν διήγησιν τὸν ἀκόλουθον ὑπὲρ τῶν Ἑλλήνων ἀποδιδόναι προῃρήμεθα λόγον, §4.2.2δεύτερον δὲ διὰ τὸ καὶ τοὺς χρόνους οὕτως συντρέχειν τοὺς ἑξῆς καὶ τοὺς πίπτοντας ὑπὸ τὴν ἡμετέραν ἱστορίαν ὥστε τοὺς μὲν καθʼ ἡμᾶς εἶναι, τοὺς δὲ κατὰ τοὺς πατέρας ἡμῶν· ἐξ οὗ συμβαίνει τοῖς μὲν αὐτοὺς ἡμᾶς παραγεγονέναι, τὰ δὲ παρὰ τῶν ἑωρακότων ἀκηκοέναι.
considering this to be the finest starting-point, first because the work of Aratus ends at these very times, connecting our narrative with which we have chosen to deliver the subsequent account concerning the Greeks, and secondly because the subsequent times, namely those falling under our history, so coincide that some belong to our own age, and others to that of our fathers; from which it results that we ourselves have been present at some of the events, and have heard of the others from those who saw them.
§4.2.3τὸ γὰρ ἀνωτέρω προσλαμβάνειν τοῖς χρόνοις, ὡς ἀκοὴν ἐξ ἀκοῆς γράφειν, οὐκ ἐφαίνεθʼ ἡμῖν ἀσφαλεῖς ἔχειν οὔτε τὰς διαλήψεις οὔτε τὰς ἀποφάσεις.
For to take in times still further back, so as to write hearsay from hearsay, did not seem to us to afford any secure basis either for judgements or for assertions.
§4.2.4μάλιστα δʼ ἀπὸ τούτων ἠρξάμεθα τῶν καιρῶν διὰ τὸ καὶ τὴν τύχην ὡς ἂν εἰ κεκαινοποιηκέναι πάντα τὰ κατὰ τὴν οἰκουμένην ἐν τοῖς προειρημένοις καιροῖς.
And we made our beginning especially from these times because Fortune, as it were, had also made a complete revolution in all the affairs of the inhabited world during the aforementioned times.
§4.2.5Φίλιππος μὲν γὰρ ὁ Δημητρίου κατὰ φύσιν υἱὸς ἔτι παῖς ὢν ἄρτι παρελάμβανε τὴν Μακεδόνων ἀρχήν· §4.2.6Ἀχαιὸς δὲ τῆς ἐπὶ τάδε τοῦ Ταύρου δυναστεύων οὐ μόνον προστασίαν εἶχε βασιλικήν, ἀλλὰ καὶ δύναμιν· §4.2.7ὁ δὲ Μέγας ἐπικληθεὶς Ἀντίοχος μικροῖς ἀνώτερον χρόνοις, τἀδελφοῦ Σελεύκου μετηλλαχότος, ἔτι κομιδῇ νέος ὢν τὴν ἐν Συρίᾳ διεδέδεκτο βασιλείαν.
For Philip, the son of Demetrius by nature, being still a boy, was just taking over the sovereignty of the Macedonians; and Achaeus, ruling over the country on this side of Taurus, had not only royal authority, but also power; and Antiochus, surnamed the Great, a little before this time, upon the death of his brother Celeucus, being still quite young, had succeeded to the kingdom in Syria.
§4.2.8ἅμα δὲ τούτοις Ἀριαράθης παρέλαβε τὴν Καππαδοκῶν ἀρχήν.
At the same time with these, Ariarathes took over the sovereignty of the Greeks of Cappadocia.
ὁ δὲ Φιλοπάτωρ Πτολεμαῖος ἐν τοῖς αὐτοῖς καιροῖς τῶν κατʼ Αἴγυπτον ἐγεγόνει κύριος.
And Ptolemy Philopator, in the same periods, had become master of Egypt.
§4.2.9Λυκοῦργος δὲ Λακεδαιμονίων μετʼ οὐ πολὺ κατεστάθη βασιλεύς.
And Lycurgus not long after was established as king of the Lacedaemonians.
ᾕρηντο δὲ Καρχηδόνιοι προσφάτως ἐπὶ τὰς προειρημένας πράξεις στρατηγὸν αὑτῶν Ἀννίβαν.
And the Carthaginians had recently elected Hannibal as their general for the aforementioned operations.
§4.2.10οὕτως δὲ τοιαύτης περὶ πάσας τὰς δυναστείας καινοποιίας οὔσης, ἔμελλε πραγμάτων ἔσεσθαι καινῶν ἀρχή.
Since therefore there was such a renewal in all the ruling powers, there was bound to be a beginning of new affairs.
τοῦτο γὰρ δὴ πέφυκε καὶ φιλεῖ συμβαίνειν κατὰ φύσιν· ὃ καὶ τότε συνέβη γενέσθαι.
For this indeed is natural and is wont to happen in the course of nature, which also came to pass at that time.
§4.2.11Ῥωμαῖοι μὲν γὰρ καὶ Καρχηδόνιοι τὸν προειρημένον ἐνεστήσαντο πόλεμον, Ἀντίοχος δὲ καὶ Πτολεμαῖος ἅμα τούτοις τὸν ὑπὲρ τῆς Κοίλης Συρίας, Ἀχαιοὶ δὲ καὶ Φίλιππος τὸν πρὸς Αἰτωλοὺς καὶ Λακεδαιμονίους· οὗ τὰς αἰτίας συνέβη γενέσθαι τοιαύτας.
For the Romans and Carthaginians engaged in the aforementioned war, and Antiochus and Ptolemy at the same time in that for Coele-Syria, and the Achaeans and Philip in that against the Aetolians and Lacedaemonians, of which the causes happened to be as follows.