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Polybius · The Histories §5.10.1-5.10.11

Moderation of Past Kings and Critique of Philip V

Passage 374 of 1311 · Greek

Summary

The author presents Philip II and Alexander the Great as examples of moderation and piety toward defeated enemies and sacred sites, criticizing the current Philip V for failing to emulate their virtues and acting in the opposite manner.

§5.10.1τοῖς προειρημένοις.
from those mentioned above.
καὶ μὴν ὁ πρῶτος αὐτῶν αὐξήσας τὴν βασιλείαν καὶ γενόμενος ἀρχηγὸς τοῦ προσχήματος τῆς οἰκίας, Φίλιππος νικήσας Ἀθηναίους τὴν ἐν Χαιρωνείᾳ μάχην, οὐ τοσοῦτον ἤνυσε διὰ τῶν ὅπλων ὅσον διὰ τῆς ἐπιεικείας καὶ φιλανθρωπίας τῶν τρόπων.
And indeed, the first of them to expand the kingdom and become the founder of the family's renown, Philip, having defeated the Athenians in the battle of Chaeronea, accomplished not so much by arms as by his moderation and humanity of character.
§5.10.2τῷ μὲν γὰρ πολέμῳ καὶ τοῖς ὅπλοις αὐτῶν μόνων περιεγένετο καὶ κύριος κατέστη τῶν ἀντιταξαμένων, τῇ δʼ εὐγνωμοσύνῃ καὶ μετριότητι πάντας Ἀθηναίους ἅμα καὶ τὴν πόλιν αὐτῶν ἔσχεν ὑποχείριον, §5.10.3οὐκ ἐπιμετρῶν τῷ θυμῷ τοῖς πραττομένοις, ἀλλὰ μέχρι τούτου πολεμῶν καὶ φιλονεικῶν, ἕως τοῦ λαβεῖν ἀφορμὰς πρὸς ἀπόδειξιν τῆς αὑτοῦ πρᾳότητος καὶ καλοκἀγαθίας.
For by war and arms he conquered only those who opposed him and became master of his adversaries, but by his thoughtfulness and moderation he got all the Athenians and their city at once into his power, not allowing his anger to measure his actions, but carrying on war and contention only so far as to find opportunities for displaying his own gentleness and goodness.
§5.10.4τοιγαροῦν χωρὶς λύτρων ἀποστείλας τοὺς αἰχμαλώτους καὶ κηδεύσας Ἀθηναίων τοὺς τετελευτηκότας, ἔτι δὲ συνθεὶς Ἀντιπάτρῳ τὰ τούτων ὀστᾶ καὶ τῶν ἀπαλλαττομένων τοὺς πλείστους ἀμφιέσας, μικρᾷ δαπάνῃ διὰ τὴν ἀγχίνοιαν τὴν μεγίστην πρᾶξιν κατειργάσατο· §5.10.5τὸ γὰρ Ἀθηναίων φρόνημα καταπληξάμενος τῇ μεγαλοψυχίᾳ πρὸς πᾶν ἑτοίμους αὐτοὺς ἔσχε συναγωνιστὰς ἀντὶ πολεμίων.
Therefore, by sending back the prisoners without ransom, by burying the dead of the Athenians, and further, by committing their bones to Antipater and clothing most of those who were departing, he accomplished the greatest achievement at little expense through his sagacity; for having struck down the pride of the Athenians by his high-mindedness, he made them ready allies in everything instead of enemies.
§5.10.6τί δʼ Ἀλέξανδρος;
And what of Alexander?
ἐκεῖνος γὰρ ἐπὶ τοσοῦτον ἐξοργισθεὶς Θηβαίοις ὥστε τοὺς μὲν οἰκήτορας ἐξανδραποδίσασθαι, τὴν δὲ πόλιν εἰς ἔδαφος κατασκάψαι, τῆς γε πρὸς τοὺς θεοὺς εὐσεβείας οὐκ ὠλιγώρησε περὶ τὴν κατάληψιν τῆς πόλεως, §5.10.7ἀλλὰ πλείστην ἐποιήσατο πρόνοιαν ὑπὲρ τοῦ μηδʼ ἀκούσιον ἁμάρτημα γενέσθαι περὶ τὰ ἱερὰ καὶ καθόλου τὰ τεμένη.
For though he was so enraged against the Thebans as to enslave the inhabitants and raze the city to the ground, he did not neglect piety toward the gods when capturing the city, but took the greatest care that not even an involuntary offense should occur regarding the temples and the sacred enclosures in general.
§5.10.8καὶ μὴν ὅτε διαβὰς εἰς τὴν Ἀσίαν μετεπορεύετο τὴν Περσῶν ἀσέβειαν εἰς τοὺς Ἕλληνας, παρὰ μὲν τῶν ἀνθρώπων ἐπειράθη λαβεῖν δίκην ἀξίαν τῶν σφίσι πεπραγμένων, τῶν δὲ τοῖς θεοῖς καταπεφημισμένων πάντων ἀπέσχετο, καίπερ τῶν Περσῶν μάλιστα περὶ τοῦτο τὸ μέρος ἐξαμαρτόντων ἐν τοῖς κατὰ τὴν Ἑλλάδα τόποις.
Moreover, when he crossed over into Asia to avenge the impiety of the Persians against the Greeks, he indeed attempted to exact from the men a fitting punishment for their deeds, but he refrained from everything that had been dedicated to the gods, although the Persians had sinned most of all in this very respect in the territories of Greece.
§5.10.9ταῦτʼ οὖν ἐχρῆν καὶ τότε Φίλιππον ἐν νῷ λαμβάνοντα συνεχῶς μὴ οὕτως τῆς ἀρχῆς ὡς τῆς προαιρέσεως καὶ τῆς μεγαλοψυχίας διάδοχον αὑτὸν ἀναδεικνύναι καὶ κληρονόμον τῶν προειρημένων ἀνδρῶν.
These things, therefore, Philip also ought to have kept constantly in mind at that time, and to have shown himself a successor and heir of the aforementioned men, not so much of their rule as of their purpose and high-mindedness.
§5.10.10ὁ δʼ ἵνα μὲν καὶ συγγενὴς Ἀλεξάνδρου καὶ Φιλίππου φαίνηται μεγάλην ἐποιεῖτο παρʼ ὅλον τὸν βίον σπουδήν, ἵνα δὲ ζηλωτὴς οὐδὲ τὸν ἐλάχιστον ἔσχε λόγον.
But while he made a great effort throughout his whole life to appear a kinsman of Alexander and Philip, he took not the slightest account of being their emulator.
§5.10.11τοιγαροῦν τἀναντία τοῖς προειρημένοις ἀνδράσιν ἐπιτηδεύων τῆς ἐναντίας ἔτυχε παρὰ πᾶσι
Therefore, practicing the opposite of the aforementioned men, he met with the opposite (reputation) among all...

Notes

  1. 5.10.1τοῖς προειρημένοις — A dative phrase continuing from the preposition ἐπί at the end of the previous chapter (5.9.10), completing the clause "obtained (immortal honor and glory) among (the aforementioned)."
  2. 5.10.3ἕως τοῦ λαβεῖν — The conjunction ἕως is used with the genitive article and infinitive (τοῦ λαβεῖν) to form an adverbial phrase expressing a temporal limit ("until obtaining").
  3. 5.10.4συνθεὶς Ἀντιπάτρῳ τὰ τούτων ὀστᾶ — The participle συνθεὶς (aorist active participle of συντίθημι) takes the dative Ἀντιπάτρῳ and the accusative τὰ τούτων ὀστᾶ, meaning "having committed their bones to Antipater." Here, συντίθημι is used in the sense of delivering or entrusting remains.
  4. 5.10.11τῆς ἐναντίας ἔτυχε — The verb ἔτυχε (aorist of τυγχάνω) governs the genitive. τῆς ἐναντίας is a feminine genitive singular adjective, with a feminine noun meaning "reputation" or "opinion" (such as δόξης or εὐδοξίας) understood from the context.

Cite this passage

Polybius, The Histories §5.10.1-5.10.11. Humanitext Reader, https://reader.humanitext.ai/en/text/urn:cts:greekLit:tlg0543.tlg001.humanitext-grc2:5.10.1-5.10.11

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