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Polybius · The Histories §4.68.1-4.68.7

Euripidas's March and Secret Retreat from Philip

Passage 345 of 1311 · Greek

Summary

While Philip encamps in Phliasia, the Elean general Euripidas marches nearby to plunder Sicyon. Upon discovering the presence of the Macedonian army from captured Cretans, Euripidas secretly retreats, while Philip, unaware of the enemy, continues his planned march toward Caphyae.

§4.68.1πέδευσε τῆς Φλιασίας περὶ τὸ Διοσκούριον.
mped in Phliasia near the Dioscurium.
κατὰ δὲ τοὺς αὐτοὺς καιροὺς Εὐριπίδας, ἔχων Ἠλείων δύο λόχους μετὰ τῶν πειρατῶν καὶ μισθοφόρων, ὥστʼ εἶναι τοὺς πάντας εἰς δισχιλίους καὶ διακοσίους, ἅμα δὲ τούτοις ἱππεῖς ἑκατόν, ὁρμήσας ἐκ Ψωφῖδος ἐποιεῖτο τὴν πορείαν διὰ τῆς Φενικῆς καὶ Στυμφαλίας, οὐδὲν μὲν εἰδὼς τῶν κατὰ τὸν Φίλιππον, βουλόμενος δὲ κατασῦραι τὴν τῶν Σικυωνίων χώραν.
At the same period, Euripidas, having two companies of Eleans with the pirates and mercenaries, so that the whole force amounted to about two thousand two hundred men, and along with these a hundred horsemen, set out from Psophis and made his march through Pheneus and Stymphalia, knowing nothing of Philip's movements, but wishing to plunder the territory of the Sicyonians.
§4.68.2τῆς δὲ νυκτὸς τῆς αὐτῆς, ἐν ᾗ συνέβαινε στρατοπεδεύειν τὸν Φίλιππον περὶ τὸ Διοσκούριον, παρηλλαχὼς τὴν στρατοπεδείαν τοῦ βασιλέως περὶ τὴν ἑωθινὴν ἐμβάλλειν οἷός τʼ ἦν εἰς τὴν Σικυωνίαν.
On the very same night on which it happened that Philip was encamped near the Dioscurium, Euripidas had passed by the king's camp, and was about to invade Sicyonia around daybreak.
§4.68.3τῶν δὲ παρὰ τοῦ Φιλίππου Κρητῶν τινες ἀπολελοιπότες τὰς τάξεις καὶ διιχνεύοντες περὶ τὰς προνομείας ἐμπίπτουσιν εἰς τοὺς περὶ τὸν Εὐριπίδαν·
But some of the Cretans from Philip's army, having left their ranks and scouting around for plunder, fell in with Euripidas's force.
§4.68.4οὓς ἀνακρίνας καὶ συνεὶς τὴν παρουσίαν τῶν Μακεδόνων ὁ προειρημένος, οὐδενὶ ποιήσας φανερὸν οὐδὲν τῶν προσπεπτωκότων, ἀναλαβὼν τὴν δύναμιν ἐξ ὑποστροφῆς αὖθις ἀνέλυε τὴν αὐτὴν ὁδὸν ἐν ᾗπερ ἧκε, §4.68.5βουλόμενος, ἅμα δὲ καὶ κατελπίζων καταταχήσειν τοὺς Μακεδόνας διεκβαλὼν τὴν Στυμφαλίαν καὶ συνάψας ταῖς ὑπερκειμέναις δυσχωρίαις.
Having questioned them and realized the presence of the Macedonians, the aforementioned commander, without making any of the intelligence known to anyone, took his force and immediately retreated back by the very same road by which he had come, wishing, and at the same time hoping, to outstrip the Macedonians by passing through Stymphalia and reaching the difficult passes that lay above.
§4.68.6ὁ δὲ βασιλεύς, οὐδὲν εἰδὼς τῶν περὶ τοὺς ὑπεναντίους, κατὰ δὲ τὴν αὑτοῦ πρόθεσιν ἀναζεύξας τὴν ἑωθινὴν προῆγε, κρίνων ποιεῖσθαι τὴν πορείαν παρʼ αὐτὸν τὸν Στύμφαλον ὡς ἐπὶ τὰς Καφύας· §4.68.7ἐνθάδε γὰρ ἐγεγράφει τοῖς Ἀχαιοῖς συνα
But the king, knowing nothing of the enemy's situation, broke camp at daybreak according to his original plan and advanced, deciding to make his march past Stymphalus itself towards Caphyae; for he had written to the Achaeans to mee

Notes

  1. §4.68.1ὥστʼ εἶναι τοὺς πάντας εἰς δισχιλίους καὶ διακοσίους — The conjunction ὥστε introducing a clause of result with the infinitive εἶναι, indicating the total size of the army resulting from the combination of different forces ('so that the whole force amounted to...').
  2. §4.68.2παρηλλαχὼς τὴν στρατοπεδείαν τοῦ βασιλέως ... ἐμβάλλειν οἷός τʼ ἦν — The phrase οἷός τʼ ἦν (from οἷός τʼ εἰμί, meaning 'to be able to' or 'to be on the point of') is followed by the infinitive ἐμβάλλειν, describing how Euripidas was in a position to invade, or just about to invade, Sicyonia. The perfect participle παρηλλαχὼς denotes a prior action of having already bypassed the king's camp.
  3. §4.68.4οὐδενὶ ποιήσας φανερὸν οὐδὲν τῶν προσπεπτωκότων — The double negative οὐδενὶ ... οὐδὲν emphasizes that the commander revealed absolutely nothing. τῶν προσπεπτωκότων is a partitive genitive of the neuter plural perfect participle used substantively, referring to the intelligence that had just reached him.
  4. §4.68.5καταταχήσειν τοὺς Μακεδόνας — The future infinitive καταταχήσειν is used after κατελπίζων ('hoping' or 'expecting') to express a strong expectation of a future action. τοὺς Μακεδόνας acts as the subject accusative of the infinitive.
  5. §4.68.7ἐνθάδε γὰρ ἐγεγράφει τοῖς Ἀχαιοῖς συνα — The sentence is cut off mid-word at συνα (most likely συναντᾶν, 'to meet'). The pluperfect ἐγεγράφει ('he had written') indicates that Philip had already dispatched his written instructions prior to the events currently described.

Cite this passage

Polybius, The Histories §4.68.1-4.68.7. Humanitext Reader, https://reader.humanitext.ai/en/text/urn:cts:greekLit:tlg0543.tlg001.humanitext-grc2:4.68.1-4.68.7

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