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Polybius · The Histories §4.85.1-4.85.6

Confrontation with Apelles and Aratus' Plea to Philip

Passage 362 of 1311 · Greek

Summary

Receiving Apelles' slander, King Philip summons Aratus and his party to confront Apelles. Aratus replies by urging the king not to believe such accusations hastily, but to conduct a thorough investigation first.

§4.85.1Μακεδόνας πόλεμον.
...war against the Macedonians.
τὸ μὲν οὖν πρῶτον Φίλιππος δεξάμενος τοὺς λόγους καλεῖν ἐκέλευε τοὺς περὶ τὸν Ἄρατον καὶ λέγειν ἐναντίον ἐκείνων ταῦτα τὸν Ἀπελλῆν.
At first, then, Philip, having received these words, ordered Aratus and his party to be summoned, and Apelles to say these things in their presence.
§4.85.2τῶν δὲ παραγενομένων, ἔλεγε τὰ προειρημένα τολμηρῶς καὶ καταπληκτικῶς ὁ Ἀπελλῆς, καί τι προσεπεῖπε τοιοῦτον ἔτι σιωπῶντος τοῦ βασιλέως· " §4.85.3ἐπείπερ οὕτως ἀχαρίστους ὑμᾶς ὁ βασιλεύς, Ἄρατε, καὶ λίαν ἀγνώμονας εὑρίσκει, κρίνει συναγαγὼν τοὺς Ἀχαιοὺς καὶ περὶ τούτων ἀπολογισμοὺς ποιησάμενος ἀπαλλάττεσθαι πάλιν εἰς Μακεδονίαν. §4.85.4"ὁ δὲ πρεσβύτερος Ἄρατος ὑπολαβὼν καθόλου μὲν ἠξίου τὸν Φίλιππον μηδενὶ τῶν λεγομένων ὀξέως μηδʼ ἀκρίτως μηδέποτε πιστεύειν, §4.85.5ὅταν δὲ κατά τινος τῶν φίλων καὶ συμμάχων προσπέσῃ τις αὐτῷ λόγος, τὸν ἀκριβέστερον ἔλεγχον ποιεῖσθαι πρὶν ἢ δέξασθαι τὴν διαβολήν· καὶ γὰρ βασιλικὸν εἶναι τὸ τοιοῦτο καὶ πρὸς πᾶν συμφέρον.
When they arrived, Apelles spoke the aforesaid things boldly and intimidatingly, and added something like this while the king was still silent: "Since, Aratus, the king finds you all so ungrateful and extremely unreasonable, he has decided, after gathering the Achaeans and demanding an accounting from them concerning these matters, to depart back to Macedonia." But Aratus the elder, taking up the word, urged Philip as a general rule never to believe any of the things said quickly or without examination, and whenever some report against any of his friends and allies should reach him, to make a more precise investigation before accepting the slander; for indeed such conduct is kingly and advantageous in every respect.
§4.85.6διὸ καὶ νῦν ἠξίου περὶ τῶν ὑπʼ Ἀπελλοῦ λεγομένων καλεῖν τοὺς ἀκηκοότας, ἄγειν εἰς τὸ μέσον τὸν εἰρηκότα πρὸς αὐτόν, μηδὲν παραλιπεῖν τῶν δυνατῶν εἰς τὸ γνῶναι τὴν ἀλήθειαν, πρὶν ἢ πρὸς τοὺς Ἀχαιοὺς
Therefore on this occasion too he urged him, concerning the things said by Apelles, to summon those who had heard them, to bring forward the one who had spoken to him, and to omit nothing of possible means to know the truth, before [making charges] to the Achaeans.

Notes

  1. §4.85.1καλεῖν ἐκέλευε τοὺς περὶ τὸν Ἄρατον καὶ λέγειν ἐναντίον ἐκείνων ταῦτα τὸν Ἀπελλῆν — The two infinitives καλεῖν and λέγειν dependent on the main verb ἐκέλευε have different subject constructions. While καλεῖν has an indefinite active subject ("he ordered [them] to summon" or practically passive "to be summoned"), λέγειν has its subject explicitly expressed in the accusative as τὸν Ἀπελλῆν ("ordered Apelles to say").
  2. §4.85.5ποιεῖσθαι — The infinitive ποιεῖσθαι depends on the verb ἠξίου (urged/requested) from the preceding section (§4.85.4), forming an indirect command with an understood subject accusative αὐτόν referring to Philip.
  3. §4.85.5βασιλικὸν εἶναι τὸ τοιοῦτο — An accusative with infinitive clause in indirect speech, continuing the thoughts or arguments introduced by ἠξίου (urged). τὸ τοιοῦτο (such a thing) is the subject, and βασιλικὸν (kingly) is the predicate adjective.

Cite this passage

Polybius, The Histories §4.85.1-4.85.6. Humanitext Reader, https://reader.humanitext.ai/en/text/urn:cts:greekLit:tlg0543.tlg001.humanitext-grc2:4.85.1-4.85.6

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