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Polybius · The Histories §5.2.1-5.2.11

Philip's Naval Preparations and the Plot of Apelles

Passage 366 of 1311 · Greek

Summary

After the dissolution of the Achaean assembly, King Philip decides to conduct the war by sea and trains the Macedonian phalangites in rowing and heavy labor. Meanwhile, Apelles, resentful of his loss of influence, conspires with Leontius and Megaleas to sabotage the king's plans, departing for Chalcis to cut off his supplies.

§5.2.1δοξάντων δὲ τούτων, οἱ μὲν Ἀχαιοὶ διελύθησαν ἐπὶ τὰς πόλεις· τῷ δὲ βασιλεῖ βουλευομένῳ μετὰ τῶν φίλων, ἐπειδὴ συνῆλθον αἱ δυνάμεις ἐκ τῆς παραχειμασίας, ἔδοξε χρῆσθαι κατὰ θάλατταν τῷ πολέμῳ.
When these measures were resolved upon, the Achaeans dispersed to their several cities; and the king, after consulting with his friends, once the forces had assembled from their winter quarters, decided to conduct the war by sea.
§5.2.2οὕτως γὰρ ἐπέπειστο μόνως αὐτὸς μὲν δυνήσεσθαι ταχέως πανταχόθεν ἐπιφαίνεσθαι τοῖς πολεμίοις, τοὺς δʼ ὑπεναντίους ἥκιστʼ ἂν δύνασθαι παραβοηθεῖν ἀλλήλοις, §5.2.3ἅτε διεσπασμένους μὲν ταῖς χώραις, δεδιότας δʼ ἑκάστους περὶ σφῶν διὰ τὴν ἀδηλότητα καὶ τὸ τάχος τῆς κατὰ θάλατταν παρουσίας τῶν πολεμίων· πρὸς γὰρ Αἰτωλοὺς καὶ Λακεδαιμονίους ἔτι δʼ Ἠλείους ὁ πόλεμος ἦν αὐτῷ.
For he was convinced that in this way alone he would be able to appear suddenly before the enemy from all sides, whereas his opponents would be least able to bring help to one another, inasmuch as they were split up in their territories, and each stood in fear for themselves owing to the uncertainty and speed of the enemy's appearance by sea; for his war was against the Aetolians, Lacedaemonians, and moreover the Eleans.
§5.2.4κριθέντων δὲ τούτων, ἥθροιζε τάς τε τῶν Ἀχαιῶν νῆας καὶ τὰς σφετέρας εἰς τὸ Λέχαιον, καὶ συνεχεῖς ποιούμενος ἀναπείρας ἐγύμναζε τοὺς φαλαγγίτας καὶ συνείθιζε ταῖς εἰρεσίαις, προθύμως αὐτῷ πρὸς τὸ παραγγελλόμενον συνυπακουόντων τῶν Μακεδόνων· §5.2.5πρός τε γὰρ τοὺς ἐν γῇ κινδύνους ἐκ παρατάξεως γενναιότατοι πρός τε τὰς κατὰ θάλατταν ἐκ τοῦ καιροῦ χρείας ἑτοιμότατοι, λειτουργοί γε μὴν περὶ τὰς ταφρείας καὶ χαρακοποιίας καὶ πᾶσαν τὴν τοιαύτην ταλαιπωρίαν φιλοπονώτατοί τινες, §5.2.6οἵους Ἡσίοδος παρεισάγει τοὺς Αἰακίδας, πολέμῳ κεχαρηότας ἠΰτε δαιτί.
These things being decided, he assembled both the Achaean ships and his own at Lechaeum, and by conducting continuous practice he trained the phalangites and accustomed them to rowing, the Macedonians eagerly obeying his commands; for they were most gallant in facing dangers on land in regular battle, most ready for the immediate requirements of service at sea, and indeed most industrious workers when it came to digging trenches, making palisades, and all such laborious tasks, being such as Hesiod introduces the sons of Aeacus, rejoicing in war as if in a feast.
§5.2.7ὁ μὲν οὖν βασιλεὺς καὶ τὸ τῶν Μακεδόνων πλῆθος ἐν τῷ Κορίνθῳ διέτριβε, περὶ τὴν κατὰ θάλατταν ἄσκησιν καὶ παρασκευὴν γινόμενος· §5.2.8ὁ δʼ Ἀπελλῆς, οὔτʼ ἐπικρατεῖν τοῦ Φιλίππου δυνάμενος οὔτε φέρειν τὴν ἐλάττωσιν παρορώμενος, ποιεῖται συνωμοσίαν πρὸς τοὺς περὶ Λεόντιον καὶ Μεγαλέαν, ὥστʼ ἐκείνους μὲν συμπαρόντας ἐπʼ αὐτῶν τῶν καιρῶν ἐθελοκακεῖν καὶ λυμαίνεσθαι τὰς τοῦ βασιλέως χρείας, αὐτὸς δὲ χωρισθεὶς εἰς Χαλκίδα φροντίζειν ἵνα μηδαμόθεν αὐτῷ χορηγία παραγίνηται πρὸς τὰς ἐπιβολάς.
So the king and the mass of the Macedonians remained in Corinth, occupied with their training and preparations by sea; but Apelles, being unable either to dominate Philip or to bear his own loss of influence from being overlooked, entered into a conspiracy with Leontius and Megaleas and their party, on the condition that they, being present with the king, should act half-heartedly at critical moments and ruin the king's service, while he himself, having departed for Chalcis, should see to it that no supplies should reach him from any quarter for his undertakings.
§5.2.9οὗτος μὲν οὖν τοιαῦτα συνθέμενος καὶ κακοτροπευσάμενος πρὸς τοὺς προειρημένους ἀπῆρεν εἰς τὴν Χαλκίδα; σκήψεις τινὰς εὐλόγους πρὸς τὸν βασιλέα πορισάμενος· §5.2.10κἀκεῖ διατρίβων οὕτως βεβαίως ἐτήρει τὰ κατὰ τοὺς ὅρκους, πάντων αὐτῷ πειθαρχούντων κατὰ τὴν προγεγενημένην πίστιν, ὥστε τὸ τελευταῖον ἀναγκασθῆναι τὸν βασιλέα διʼ ἀπορίαν ἐνέχυρα τιθέντα τῶν πρὸς τὴν χρείαν ἀργυρωμάτων ἀπὸ τούτων ποιεῖσθαι τὴν διαγωγήν.
So, having made such an agreement and plotted with the aforementioned men, he set sail for Chalcis, having provided some plausible excuses to the king; and while staying there, he kept his oath so steadfastly, everyone obeying him in accordance with his former influence, that at last the king, because of his destitution, was forced to pawn the silver plate meant for his service, and support himself from the proceeds.
§5.2.11ἡθροισμένων δὲ τῶν πλοίων, καὶ τῶν Μακεδόνων ἤδη ταῖς εἰρεσίαις κατηρτισμένων, σιτομετρήσας καὶ μισθοδοτήσας ὁ βασιλεὺς τὴν δύναμιν ἀνήχθη, καὶ κατῆρε δευτεραῖος εἰς Πάτρας, ἔχων Μακεδόνας μὲν ἑξακισχιλίους, μισθοφόρους δὲ χιλίους καὶ διακοσίους.
When the ships had been collected, and the Macedonians were already well-trained in rowing, the king, having distributed the corn and paid the forces, put to sea, and on the second day arrived at Patrae, having six thousand Macedonians and twelve hundred mercenaries.

Notes

  1. §5.2.3ἅτε διεσπασμένους μὲν ταῖς χώραις, δεδιότας δʼ ἑκάστους — The conjunction ἅτε is used with the accusative participles διεσπασμένους and δεδιότας to state an objective reason. These participles agree in gender, number, and case with τοὺς δʼ ὑπεναντίους ('their opponents' in the accusative) from the preceding clause in §5.2.2.
  2. §5.2.5λειτουργοί γε μὴν περὶ τὰς ταφρείας καὶ χαρακοποιίας... φιλοπονώτατοί τινες — Following the superlative adjectives in the previous clauses (γενναιότατοι, ἑτοιμότατοι), this phrase describes the character of the Macedonians. A copula (such as εἰσί) or a participle (like ὄντες) is ellipsis-implied, and the phrase functions as 'being most industrious workers when it came to...'.
  3. §5.2.8ὥστʼ ἐκείνους μὲν συμπαρόντας ἐπʼ αὐτῶν τῶν καιρῶν ἐθελοκακεῖν... αὐτὸς δὲ χωρισθεὶς... φροντίζειν — This is an infinitive construction introduced by ὥστε (expressing result or intended result) defining the terms of the conspiracy (συνωμοσίαν). The particles μέν ... δέ contrast the partition of roles: the other conspirators (ἐκείνους in the accusative) are to sabotage the service, while Apelles himself (αὐτός in the nominative, matching the subject of the main verb) is to cut off supplies.
  4. §5.2.10ὥστε τὸ τελευταῖον ἀναγκασθῆναι τὸν βασιλέα... — A result clause introduced by ὥστε meaning 'so that...'. The subject of the passive infinitive ἀναγκασθῆναι ('to be forced') is the accusative τὸν βασιλέα, with which the participle τιθέντα agrees. The infinitive dependent on ἀναγκασθῆναι (specifying what he was forced to do) is ποιεῖσθαι τὴν διαγωγήν ('to support his living'), which is modified by the prepositional phrase ἀπὸ τούτων ('from these,' i.e., from the pawned silver plate).

Cite this passage

Polybius, The Histories §5.2.1-5.2.11. Humanitext Reader, https://reader.humanitext.ai/en/text/urn:cts:greekLit:tlg0543.tlg001.humanitext-grc2:5.2.1-5.2.11

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