Polybius, Histories

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Book 12 - Chapter 4c

1
<w lemma="e%29k">ἐκ</w> <w lemma="th%3Ds">τῆς</w> <w lemma="tou%3D">τοῦ</w> <w lemma="zw%2F%7Cou">ζῴου</w> <w lemma="ptw%2Fsews">πτώσεως</w>. <w lemma="o%28">ὁ</w> <w lemma="de%5C">δὲ</w> <w lemma="%2Ati%2Fmaios">Τίμαιος</w> <w lemma="peri%5C">περὶ</w> <w lemma="tou%3Dto">τοῦτο</w> <w lemma="to%5C">τὸ</w> <w lemma="me%2Fros">μέρος</w> <w lemma="th%3Ds">τῆς</w> <w lemma="a%29logi%2Fas">ἀλογίας</w> <w lemma="ou%29">οὐ</w> <w lemma="mo%2Fnon">μόνον</w> <w lemma="a%29peiri%2Fan">ἀπειρίαν</w>, <w lemma="e%29%2Fti">ἔτι</w> <w lemma="de%5C">δὲ</w> <w lemma="ma%3Dllon">μᾶλλον</w> <w lemma="o%29yimaqi%2Fan">ὀψιμαθίαν</w> <w lemma="dokei%3D">δοκεῖ</w> <w lemma="moi">μοι</w> <w lemma="pollh%5Cn">πολλὴν</w> <w lemma="e%29pifai%2Fnein">ἐπιφαίνειν</w>, <w lemma="o%28%2Fs">ὅς</w> <w lemma="ge">γε</w>, <w lemma="dio%2Fti">διότι</w> <w lemma="qu%2Fousin">θύουσιν</w> <w lemma="i%28%2Fppon">ἵππον</w>, <w lemma="eu%29qe%2Fws">εὐθέως</w> <w lemma="u%28pe%2Flabe">ὑπέλαβε</w> <w lemma="tou%3Dto">τοῦτο</w> <w lemma="poiei%3Dn">ποιεῖν</w> <w lemma="au%29tou%5Cs">αὐτοὺς</w> <w lemma="dia%5C">διὰ</w> <w lemma="to%5C">τὸ</w> <w lemma="th%5Cn">τὴν</w> <w lemma="%2Atroi%2Fan">Τροίαν</w> <w lemma="a%29f%27">ἀφ᾽</w> <w lemma="i%28%2Fppou">ἵππου</w> <w lemma="dokei%3Dn">δοκεῖν</w> <w lemma="e%28alwke%2Fnai">ἑαλωκέναι</w>.
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<w lemma=""></w> <w lemma="%2Aplh%5Cn">Πλὴν</w> <w lemma="o%28%2Fti">ὅτι</w> <w lemma="ge">γε</w> <w lemma="kakw%3Ds">κακῶς</w> <w lemma="i%28sto%2Frhke">ἱστόρηκε</w> <w lemma="kai%5C">καὶ</w> <w lemma="ta%5C">τὰ</w> <w lemma="peri%5C">περὶ</w> <w lemma="th%5Cn">τὴν</w> <w lemma="%2Alibu%2Fhn">Λιβύην</w> <w lemma="kai%5C">καὶ</w> <w lemma="ta%5C">τὰ</w> <w lemma="peri%5C">περὶ</w> <w lemma="th%5Cn">τὴν</w> <w lemma="%2Asardo%2Fna">Σαρδόνα</w>, <w lemma="kai%5C">καὶ</w> <w lemma="ma%2Flista">μάλιστα</w> <w lemma="ta%5C">τὰ</w> <w lemma="kata%5C">κατὰ</w> <w lemma="th%5Cn">τὴν</w> <w lemma="%2A%29itali%2Fan">Ἰταλίαν</w>,
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<w lemma="e%29k">ἐκ</w> <w lemma="tou%2Ftwn">τούτων</w> <w lemma="e%29sti%5C">ἐστὶ</w> <w lemma="sumfane%2Fs">συμφανές</w>, <w lemma="kai%5C">καὶ</w> <w lemma="kaqo%2Flou">καθόλου</w> <w lemma="dio%2Fti">διότι</w> <w lemma="to%5C">τὸ</w> <w lemma="peri%5C">περὶ</w> <w lemma="ta%5Cs">τὰς</w> <w lemma="a%29nakri%2Fseis">ἀνακρίσεις</w> <w lemma="me%2Fros">μέρος</w> <w lemma="e%29pise%2Fsurtai">ἐπισέσυρται</w> <w lemma="par%27">παρ᾽</w> <w lemma="au%29tw%3D%7C">αὐτῷ</w> <w lemma="tele%2Fws:">τελέως·</w> <w lemma="o%28%2Fper">ὅπερ</w> <w lemma="e%29sti%5C">ἐστὶ</w> <w lemma="kuriw%2Ftaton">κυριώτατον</w> <w lemma="th%3Ds">τῆς</w> <w lemma="i%28stori%2Fas">ἱστορίας</w>.
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<w lemma="e%29peidh%5C">ἐπειδὴ</w> <w lemma="ga%5Cr">γὰρ</w> <w lemma="ai%28">αἱ</w> <w lemma="me%5Cn">μὲν</w> <w lemma="pra%2Fceis">πράξεις</w> <w lemma="a%28%2Fma">ἅμα</w> <w lemma="pollaxh%3D%7C">πολλαχῇ</w> <w lemma="suntelou%3Dntai">συντελοῦνται</w>, <w lemma="parei%3Dnai">παρεῖναι</w> <w lemma="de%5C">δὲ</w> <w lemma="to%5Cn">τὸν</w> <w lemma="au%29to%5Cn">αὐτὸν</w> <w lemma="e%29n">ἐν</w> <w lemma="plei%2Fosi">πλείοσι</w> <w lemma="to%2Fpois">τόποις</w> <w lemma="kata%5C">κατὰ</w> <w lemma="to%5Cn">τὸν</w> <w lemma="au%29to%5Cn">αὐτὸν</w> <w lemma="kairo%5Cn">καιρὸν</w> <w lemma="a%29du%2Fnaton">ἀδύνατον</w>, <w lemma="o%28moi%2Fws">ὁμοίως</w> <w lemma="ge">γε</w> <w lemma="mh%5Cn">μὴν</w> <w lemma="ou%29d%27">οὐδ᾽</w> <w lemma="au%29to%2Fpthn">αὐτόπτην</w> <w lemma="gene%2Fsqai">γενέσθαι</w> <w lemma="pa%2Fntwn">πάντων</w> <w lemma="tw%3Dn">τῶν</w> <w lemma="kata%5C">κατὰ</w> <w lemma="th%5Cn">τὴν</w> <w lemma="oi%29koume%2Fnhn">οἰκουμένην</w> <w lemma="to%2Fpwn">τόπων</w> <w lemma="kai%5C">καὶ</w> <w lemma="tw%3Dn">τῶν</w> <w lemma="e%29n">ἐν</w> <w lemma="toi%3Ds">τοῖς</w> <w lemma="to%2Fpois">τόποις</w> <w lemma="i%29diwma%2Ftwn">ἰδιωμάτων</w> <w lemma="to%5Cn">τὸν</w> <w lemma="e%28%2Fna">ἕνα</w> <w lemma="dunato%2Fn">δυνατόν</w>,
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<w lemma="katalei%2Fpetai">καταλείπεται</w> <w lemma="punqa%2Fnesqai">πυνθάνεσθαι</w> <w lemma="me%5Cn">μὲν</w> <w lemma="w%28s">ὡς</w> <w lemma="para%5C">παρὰ</w> <w lemma="plei%2Fstwn">πλείστων</w>, <w lemma="pisteu%2Fein">πιστεύειν</w> <w lemma="de%5C">δὲ</w> <w lemma="toi%3Ds">τοῖς</w> <w lemma="a%29ci%2Fois">ἀξίοις</w> <w lemma="pi%2Fstews">πίστεως</w>, <w lemma="krith%5Cn">κριτὴν</w> <w lemma="d%27">δ᾽</w> <w lemma="ei%29%3Dnai">εἶναι</w> <w lemma="tw%3Dn">τῶν</w> <w lemma="prospipto%2Fntwn">προσπιπτόντων</w> <w lemma="mh%5C">μὴ</w> <w lemma="kako%2Fn">κακόν</w>.
Timaeus in dealing with the foolish practice seems to me to exhibit not only ignorance but pedantry in supposing that in sacrificing a horse they do so because Troy was said to have been taken by means of a horse.
But from all this it is evident that the account he gives of <a class="linkToPlace" target="_blank" href="/place?placename=Africa&groupId=300&placeId=294">Africa</a>, of <a class="linkToPlace" target="_blank" href="/place?placename=Sardinia&groupId=947&placeId=1685">Sardinia</a>, and especially of <a class="linkToPlace" target="_blank" href="/place?placename=Italy&groupId=656&placeId=1199">Italy</a>, is inaccurate,
and we see that generally the task of investigation has been entirely scamped by him, and this is the most important part of history.
For since many events occur at the same time in different places, and one man cannot be in several places at one time, nor is it possible for a single man to have seen with his own eyes every place in the world and all the peculiar features of different places, the only thing left for an historian is
to inquire from as many people as possible, to believe those worthy of belief and to be an adequate critic of the reports that reach him.