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Polybius · The Histories §9.31.1-9.31.7

Sparta's Choice of the Aetolian Alliance and Oaths

Passage 632 of 1311 · Greek

Summary

Chlaeneas the Aetolian envoy concludes his speech by recalling that Sparta, in a free deliberation, chose to ally with Aetolia rather than Macedonia, emphasizing their sacred obligation to keep their current pledges.

§9.31.1ταῦτα μὲν οὖν εἰρήσθω μοι κατὰ τὴν ἐξ ἀρχῆς πρόθεσιν χάριν τοῦ γνῶναι πάντας ὑμᾶς διότι καὶ μὴ προεισδεδεμένους, ἀλλʼ ἐξ ἀκεραίου βουλευομένους, μᾶλλον Αἰτωλοῖς ἡμᾶς ἢ Μακεδόσιν ἐχρῆν συμμαχεῖν.
Let these things, then, have been said by me in accordance with my original purpose, for the sake of all of you knowing that, even if you were not previously bound but were deliberating from a fresh start, it was more proper for you to ally with the Aetolians than with the Macedonians.
§9.31.2εἰ δὲ καὶ προκατέχεσθε καὶ προδιειλήφατε περὶ τούτων, τίς ἔτι καταλείπεται λόγος;
But if you are already preoccupied and have already made up your minds about these matters, what argument is still left?
§9.31.3εἰ γὰρ συνέθεσθε τὴν νῦν ὑπάρχουσαν ὑμῖν πρὸς ἡμᾶς συμμαχίαν πρότερον τῶν ὑπʼ Ἀντιγόνου γεγονότων εἰς ὑμᾶς εὐεργετημάτων, ἴσως ἦν εἰκὸς διαπορεῖν, εἰ δέον ἐστί, τοῖς ἐπιγεγονόσιν εἴκοντας παριδεῖν τι τῶν πρότερον ὑπαρχόντων.
For if you had concluded your present alliance with us prior to the benefits conferred upon you by Antigonus, it would perhaps be reasonable to hesitate whether, yielding to subsequent events, it was necessary to overlook any of your previous obligations.
§9.31.4ἐπεὶ δὲ συντετελεσμένης ὑπʼ Ἀντιγόνου τῆς πολυθρυλήτου ταύτης ἐλευθερίας καὶ σωτηρίας, ἣν οὗτοι παρʼ ἕκαστον ὑμῖν ὀνειδίζουσι, μετὰ δὲ ταῦτα βουλευόμενοι καὶ πολλάκις ἑαυτοῖς δόντες λόγον, ποτέροις ὑμᾶς δεῖ κοινωνεῖν πραγμάτων, Αἰτωλοῖς ἢ Μακεδόσιν, εἵλεσθε μετέχειν Αἰτωλοῖς, οἷς ἐδώκατε περὶ τούτων πίστεις καὶ κατελάβετε παρʼ ἡμῶν, καὶ συμπεπολεμήκατε τὸν πρῴην συστάντα πόλεμον ἡμῖν πρὸς Μακεδόνας, τίς ἔτι δύναται περὶ τούτων εἰκότως ἐπαπορεῖν;
But since, after that much-talked-of freedom and safety had been accomplished by Antigonus—which these men reproach you with at every turn—and when after this you deliberated and often debated with yourselves which of the two you ought to associate with, the Aetolians or the Macedonians, you chose to share with the Aetolians, to whom you gave pledges on these matters and received them from us, and you fought alongside us in the war recently waged against the Macedonians, who can still with reason raise any further doubt about these matters?
§9.31.5τὰ μὲν γὰρ πρὸς Ἀντίγονον καὶ Φίλιππον ὑμῖν ὑπάρχοντα φιλάνθρωπα παρεγράφη τότε.
For the friendly relations existing on your part towards Antigonus and Philip were cancelled at that time.
§9.31.6λοιπὸν ἢ διʼ Αἰτωλῶν ἀδίκημά τι δεῖ μετὰ ταῦτα γεγονὸς εἰς ὑμᾶς δεικνύειν ἢ διὰ Μακεδόνων εὐεργεσίαν ἢ μηδετέρου τούτων ἐπιγεγονότος, πῶς, οἷς πρότερον ἐξ ἀκεραίου βουλευόμενοι δικαίως οὐ προσέσχετε, τούτων νῦν ἐντραπέντες ἀνασκευάζειν μέλλετε συνθήκας, ὅρκους, τὰς μεγίστας πίστεις παρʼ ἀνθρώποις;
Consequently, it is necessary either to show some wrong subsequently done to you by the Aetolians, or some benefit by the Macedonians; but if neither of these has occurred, how is it that, turning now towards those whom you previously, when deliberating from a fresh start, rightly ignored, you are going to annul treaties, oaths, and the greatest pledges among men?
§9.31.7ὁ μὲν οὖν Χλαινέας τοιαῦτα διαλεχθεὶς καὶ δόξας δυσαντιρρήτως εἰρηκέναι κατέπαυσε τὸν λό
Chlaeneas, then, having spoken in this manner and seeming to have spoken unanswerably, ended his speech.

Notes

  1. §9.31.1ἡμᾶς — Although the manuscripts read ἡμᾶς ('us'), the context—where the Aetolian envoy Chlaeneas is addressing the Lacedaemonians—strongly suggests that this is a corruption of ὑμᾶς ('you') due to iotacism. Alternatively, some interpret ἡμᾶς as referring to both Aetolians and Lacedaemonians collectively, but in any case, the sense is that the Lacedaemonians ought to have allied with the Aetolians rather than the Macedonians.
  2. §9.31.4συντετελεσμένης ὑπʼ Ἀντιγόνου τῆς πολυθρυλήτου ταύτης ἐλευθερίας καὶ σωτηρίας — This is a genitive absolute construction which, combined with the subsequent phrase 'μετὰ δὲ ταῦτα' (after this), sets the temporal background leading up to the main verb εἵλεσθε (you chose). The relative clause beginning with ἣν (which) modifies 'freedom and safety' within the genitive absolute.
  3. §9.31.6λοιπὸν ἢ διʼ Αἰτωλῶν ἀδίκημά τι δεῖ μετὰ ταῦτα γεγονὸς εἰς ὑμᾶς δεικνύειν — The overall sentence structure is introduced by λοιπὸν (consequently), with three alternatives set in disjunction by ἢ (either/or). The first ἢ introduces 'one must show some wrong by Aetolians,' the second ἢ introduces 'or [one must show] some benefit by Macedonians' (with δεῖ understood), and the third ἢ introduces the main rhetorical question starting with πῶς (how), which asks how they can break their oaths when neither of the two has occurred (μηδετέρου τούτων ἐπιγεγονότος, a genitive absolute).
  4. §9.31.7τὸν λό — A textual lacuna or truncation in the manuscript, which cuts off in the middle of τὸν λόγον ('his speech'). The translation supplies the full sense ('ended his speech') for clarity.

Cite this passage

Polybius, The Histories §9.31.1-9.31.7. Humanitext Reader, https://reader.humanitext.ai/en/text/urn:cts:greekLit:tlg0543.tlg001.humanitext-grc2:9.31.1-9.31.7

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