Polybius, Histories

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Book 11 - Chapter 1a

1
<head lang="la">I. Ex Prooemio</head><w lemma="%2A%29%2Fisws">Ἴσως</w> <w lemma="de%2F">δέ</w> <w lemma="tines">τινες</w> <w lemma="e%29pizhtou%3Dsi">ἐπιζητοῦσι</w> <w lemma="pw%3Ds">πῶς</w> <w lemma="h%28mei%3Ds">ἡμεῖς</w> <w lemma="ou%29">οὐ</w> <w lemma="prografa%5Cs">προγραφὰς</w> <w lemma="e%29n">ἐν</w> <w lemma="tau%2Fth%7C">ταύτῃ</w> <w lemma="th%3D%7C">τῇ</w> <w lemma="bi%2Fblw%7C">βίβλῳ</w>, <w lemma="kaqa%2Fper">καθάπερ</w> <w lemma="oi%28">οἱ</w> <w lemma="pro%5C">πρὸ</w> <w lemma="h%28mw%3Dn">ἡμῶν</w>, <w lemma="a%29lla%5C">ἀλλὰ</w> <w lemma="kai%5C">καὶ</w> <w lemma="proekqe%2Fseis">προεκθέσεις</w> <w lemma="kaq%27">καθ᾽</w> <w lemma="e%28ka%2Fsthn">ἑκάστην</w> <w lemma="o%29lumpia%2Fda">ὀλυμπιάδα</w> <w lemma="pepoih%2Fkamen">πεποιήκαμεν</w> <w lemma="tw%3Dn">τῶν</w> <w lemma="pra%2Fcewn">πράξεων</w>.
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<w lemma="e%29gw%5C">ἐγὼ</w> <w lemma="de%5C">δὲ</w> <w lemma="kri%2Fnw">κρίνω</w> <w lemma="xrh%2Fsimon">χρήσιμον</w> <w lemma="me%5Cn">μὲν</w> <w lemma="ei%29%3Dnai">εἶναι</w> <w lemma="kai%5C">καὶ</w> <w lemma="to%5C">τὸ</w> <w lemma="tw%3Dn">τῶν</w> <w lemma="prografw%3Dn">προγραφῶν</w> <w lemma="ge%2Fnos:">γένος·</w> <w lemma="kai%5C">καὶ</w> <w lemma="ga%5Cr">γὰρ</w> <w lemma="ei%29s">εἰς</w> <w lemma="e%29pi%2Fstasin">ἐπίστασιν</w> <w lemma="a%29%2Fgei">ἄγει</w> <w lemma="tou%5Cs">τοὺς</w> <w lemma="a%29naginw%2Fskein">ἀναγινώσκειν</w> <w lemma="qe%2Flontas">θέλοντας</w> <w lemma="kai%5C">καὶ</w> <w lemma="sunekkalei%3Dtai">συνεκκαλεῖται</w> <w lemma="kai%5C">καὶ</w> <w lemma="parorma%3D%7C">παρορμᾷ</w> <w lemma="pro%5Cs">πρὸς</w> <w lemma="th%5Cn">τὴν</w> <w lemma="a%29na%2Fgnwsin">ἀνάγνωσιν</w> <w lemma="tou%5Cs">τοὺς</w> <w lemma="e%29ntugxa%2Fnontas">ἐντυγχάνοντας</w>, <w lemma="pro%5Cs">πρὸς</w> <w lemma="de%5C">δὲ</w> <w lemma="tou%2Ftois">τούτοις</w> <w lemma="pa%3Dn">πᾶν</w> <w lemma="to%5C">τὸ</w> <w lemma="zhtou%2Fmenon">ζητούμενον</w> <w lemma="e%28toi%2Fmws">ἑτοίμως</w> <w lemma="e%29%2Fnestin">ἔνεστιν</w> <w lemma="eu%28rei%3Dn">εὑρεῖν</w> <w lemma="dia%5C">διὰ</w> <w lemma="tou%2Ftou:">τούτου·</w>
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<w lemma="qewrw%3Dn">θεωρῶν</w> <w lemma="de%5C">δὲ</w> <w lemma="dia%5C">διὰ</w> <w lemma="polla%5Cs">πολλὰς</w> <w lemma="ai%29ti%2Fas">αἰτίας</w> <w lemma="kai%5C">καὶ</w> <w lemma="ta%5Cs">τὰς</w> <w lemma="tuxou%2Fsas">τυχούσας</w> <w lemma="o%29ligwrou%2Fmenon">ὀλιγωρούμενον</w> <w lemma="kai%5C">καὶ</w> <w lemma="fqeiro%2Fmenon">φθειρόμενον</w> <w lemma="to%5C">τὸ</w> <w lemma="tw%3Dn">τῶν</w> <w lemma="prografw%3Dn">προγραφῶν</w> <w lemma="ge%2Fnos">γένος</w>, <w lemma="ou%28%2Ftws">οὕτως</w> <w lemma="kai%5C">καὶ</w> <w lemma="dia%5C">διὰ</w> <w lemma="tau%3Dta">ταῦτα</w> <w lemma="pro%5Cs">πρὸς</w> <w lemma="tou%3Dto">τοῦτο</w> <w lemma="to%5C">τὸ</w> <w lemma="me%2Fros">μέρος</w> <w lemma="kathne%2Fxqhn:">κατηνέχθην·</w>
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<w lemma="th%3Ds">τῆς</w> <w lemma="ga%5Cr">γὰρ</w> <w lemma="proekqe%2Fsews">προεκθέσεως</w> <w lemma="ou%29">οὐ</w> <w lemma="mo%2Fnon">μόνον</w> <w lemma="i%29sodunamou%2Fshs">ἰσοδυναμούσης</w> <w lemma="pro%5Cs">πρὸς</w> <w lemma="th%5Cn">τὴν</w> <w lemma="prografh%2Fn">προγραφήν</w>, <w lemma="a%29lla%5C">ἀλλὰ</w> <w lemma="kai%5C">καὶ</w> <w lemma="plei%3Do%2Fn">πλεῖόν</w> <w lemma="ti">τι</w> <w lemma="duname%2Fnhs">δυναμένης</w>, <w lemma="a%28%2Fma">ἅμα</w> <w lemma="de%5C">δὲ</w> <w lemma="kai%5C">καὶ</w> <w lemma="xw%2Fran">χώραν</w> <w lemma="e%29xou%2Fshs">ἐχούσης</w> <w lemma="a%29sfaleste%2Fran">ἀσφαλεστέραν</w> <w lemma="dia%5C">διὰ</w> <w lemma="to%5C">τὸ</w> <w lemma="sumpeple%2Fxqai">συμπεπλέχθαι</w> <w lemma="th%3D%7C">τῇ</w> <w lemma="pragmatei%2Fa%7C">πραγματείᾳ</w>,
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<w lemma="tou%2Ftw%7C">τούτῳ</w> <w lemma="ma%3Dllon">μᾶλλον</w> <w lemma="e%29dokima%2Fsamen">ἐδοκιμάσαμεν</w> <w lemma="xrh%3Dsqai">χρῆσθαι</w> <w lemma="tw%3D%7C">τῷ</w> <w lemma="me%2Frei">μέρει</w> <w lemma="par%27">παρ᾽</w> <w lemma="o%28%2Flhn">ὅλην</w> <w lemma="th%5Cn">τὴν</w> <w lemma="su%2Fntacin">σύνταξιν</w> <w lemma="plh%5Cn">πλὴν</w> <w lemma="e%28%5Cc">ἓξ</w> <w lemma="tw%3Dn">τῶν</w> <w lemma="prw%2Ftwn">πρώτων</w> <w lemma="bubli%2Fwn:">βυβλίων·</w> <w lemma="e%29n">ἐν</w> <w lemma="e%29kei%2Fnois">ἐκείνοις</w> <w lemma="de%5C">δὲ</w> <w lemma="prografa%5Cs">προγραφὰς</w> <w lemma="e%29poihsa%2Fmeqa">ἐποιησάμεθα</w> <w lemma="dia%5C">διὰ</w> <w lemma="to%5C">τὸ</w> <w lemma="mh%5C">μὴ</w> <w lemma="li%2Fan">λίαν</w> <w lemma="e%29narmo%2Fzein">ἐναρμόζειν</w> <w lemma="e%29n">ἐν</w> <w lemma="au%29toi%3Ds">αὐτοῖς</w> <w lemma="to%5C">τὸ</w> <w lemma="tw%3Dn">τῶν</w> <w lemma="proekqe%2Fsewn">προεκθέσεων</w> <w lemma="ge%2Fnos">γένος</w>.
<head>I. From the Preface</head>Some will perhaps inquire why in this work I do not, like former authors, write prologues but give a summary of the events in each Olympiad.
I indeed regard a prologue as a useful kind of thing, since it fixes the attention of those who wish to read the work and stimulates and encourages readers in their task, besides which by this means any matter that we are in search of can be easily found.
But as I saw that for various fortuitous reasons prologues were now neglected and had degenerated in style, I was led to adopt the other alternative.
For an introductory summary is not only of equal value to a prologue but even of somewhat greater, while at the same time it occupies a surer position, as it forms an integral part of the work.
I, therefore, decided to employ this method throughout except in the first six books to which I wrote prologues, because in their case previous summaries are not very suitable.