Polybius, Histories

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Book 20 - Chapter 8

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<w lemma="%2A%29anti%2Foxos">Ἀντίοχος</w> <w lemma="de%5C">δὲ</w> <w lemma="o%28">ὁ</w> <w lemma="me%2Fgas">μέγας</w> <w lemma="e%29pikalou%2Fmenos">ἐπικαλούμενος</w>, <w lemma="o%28%5Cn">ὃν</w> <w lemma="%2A%28rwmai%3Doi">Ῥωμαῖοι</w> <w lemma="kaqei%3Dlon">καθεῖλον</w>, <w lemma="w%28s">ὡς</w> <w lemma="i%28storei%3D">ἱστορεῖ</w> <w lemma="%2Apolu%2Fbios">Πολύβιος</w> <w lemma="e%29n">ἐν</w> <w lemma="th%3D%7C">τῇ</w> <w lemma="ei%29kosth%3D%7C">εἰκοστῇ</w>, <w lemma="parelqw%5Cn">παρελθὼν</w> <w lemma="ei%29s">εἰς</w> <w lemma="%2Axalki%2Fda">Χαλκίδα</w> <w lemma="th%3Ds">τῆς</w> <w lemma="%2Aeu%29boi%2Fas">Εὐβοίας</w> <w lemma="sunete%2Flei">συνετέλει</w> <w lemma="ga%2Fmous">γάμους</w>, <w lemma="penth%2Fkonta">πεντήκοντα</w> <w lemma="me%5Cn">μὲν</w> <w lemma="e%29%2Fth">ἔτη</w> <w lemma="gegonw%5Cs">γεγονὼς</w> <w lemma="kai%5C">καὶ</w> <w lemma="du%2Fo">δύο</w> <w lemma="ta%5C">τὰ</w> <w lemma="me%2Fgista">μέγιστα</w> <w lemma="tw%3Dn">τῶν</w> <w lemma="e%29%2Frgwn">ἔργων</w> <w lemma="a%29neilhfw%2Fs">ἀνειληφώς</w>, <w lemma="th%2Fn">τήν</w> <w lemma="te">τε</w> <w lemma="tw%3Dn">τῶν</w> <w lemma="%2A%28ellh%2Fnwn">Ἑλλήνων</w> <w lemma="e%29leuqe%2Frwsin">ἐλευθέρωσιν</w>, <w lemma="w%28s">ὡς</w> <w lemma="au%29to%5Cs">αὐτὸς</w> <w lemma="e%29phgge%2Flleto">ἐπηγγέλλετο</w>, <w lemma="kai%5C">καὶ</w> <w lemma="to%5Cn">τὸν</w> <w lemma="pro%5Cs">πρὸς</w> <w lemma="%2A%28rwmai%2Fous">Ῥωμαίους</w> <w lemma="po%2Flemon">πόλεμον</w>.
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<w lemma="e%29rasqei%5Cs">ἐρασθεὶς</w> <w lemma="ou%29%3Dn">οὖν</w> <w lemma="parqe%2Fnou">παρθένου</w> <w lemma="%2Axalkidikh%3Ds">Χαλκιδικῆς</w> <w lemma="kata%5C">κατὰ</w> <w lemma="to%5Cn">τὸν</w> <w lemma="tou%3D">τοῦ</w> <w lemma="pole%2Fmou">πολέμου</w> <w lemma="kairo%5Cn">καιρὸν</w> <w lemma="e%29filotimh%2Fsato">ἐφιλοτιμήσατο</w> <w lemma="gh%3Dmai">γῆμαι</w> <w lemma="au%29th%2Fn">αὐτήν</w>, <w lemma="oi%29nopo%2Fths">οἰνοπότης</w> <w lemma="w%29%5Cn">ὢν</w> <w lemma="kai%5C">καὶ</w> <w lemma="me%2Fqais">μέθαις</w> <w lemma="xai%2Frwn">χαίρων</w>.
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<w lemma="h%29%3Dn">ἦν</w> <w lemma="d%27">δ᾽</w> <w lemma="au%28%2Fth">αὕτη</w> <w lemma="%2Akleoptole%2Fmou">Κλεοπτολέμου</w> <w lemma="me%5Cn">μὲν</w> <w lemma="quga%2Fthr">θυγάτηρ</w>, <w lemma="e%28no%5Cs">ἑνὸς</w> <w lemma="tw%3Dn">τῶν</w> <w lemma="e%29pifanw%3Dn">ἐπιφανῶν</w>, <w lemma="ka%2Fllei">κάλλει</w> <w lemma="de%5C">δὲ</w> <w lemma="pa%2Fsas">πάσας</w> <w lemma="u%28perba%2Fllousa">ὑπερβάλλουσα</w>.
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<w lemma="kai%5C">καὶ</w> <w lemma="tou%5Cs">τοὺς</w> <w lemma="ga%2Fmous">γάμους</w> <w lemma="suntelw%3Dn">συντελῶν</w> <w lemma="e%29n">ἐν</w> <w lemma="th%3D%7C">τῇ</w> <w lemma="%2Axalki%2Fdi">Χαλκίδι</w> <w lemma="au%29to%2Fqi">αὐτόθι</w> <w lemma="die%2Ftriye">διέτριψε</w> <w lemma="to%5Cn">τὸν</w> <w lemma="xeimw%3Dna">χειμῶνα</w>, <w lemma="tw%3Dn">τῶν</w> <w lemma="e%29nestw%2Ftwn">ἐνεστώτων</w> <w lemma="ou%29d%27">οὐδ᾽</w> <w lemma="h%28ntinou%3Dn">ἡντινοῦν</w> <w lemma="poiou%2Fmenos">ποιούμενος</w> <w lemma="pro%2Fnoian">πρόνοιαν</w>, <w lemma="e%29%2Fqeto">ἔθετο</w> <w lemma="de%5C">δὲ</w> <w lemma="kai%5C">καὶ</w> <w lemma="th%3D%7C">τῇ</w> <w lemma="paidi%5C">παιδὶ</w> <w lemma="o%29%2Fnoma">ὄνομα</w> <w lemma="%2Aeu%29%2Fboian">Εὔβοιαν</w>.
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<w lemma="h%28tthqei%5Cs">ἡττηθεὶς</w> <w lemma="ou%29%3Dn">οὖν</w> <w lemma="tw%3D%7C">τῷ</w> <w lemma="pole%2Fmw%7C">πολέμῳ</w> <w lemma="e%29%2Ffugen">ἔφυγεν</w> <w lemma="ei%29s">εἰς</w> <w lemma="%2A%29%2Fefeson">Ἔφεσον</w> <w lemma="meta%5C">μετὰ</w> <w lemma="th%3Ds">τῆς</w> <w lemma="neoga%2Fmou">νεογάμου</w>. <foreign lang="la">Nec praeter quingentos,</foreign><w lemma=""></w>
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<w lemma=""></w> <foreign lang="la">qui circa regem fuerunt, ex toto exercitu quisquam effugit, etiam ex decem milibus militum, quos Polybio auctore traiecisse secum regem in Graeciam scripsimus, exiguus numerus.</foreign><w lemma=""></w>
<head>Wedding of Antiochus</head>Antiochus, surnamed the Great, he whom the Romans overthrew, upon reaching <a class="linkToPlace" target="_blank" href="/place?placename=Chalcis&groupId=457&placeId=853">Chalcis</a>, as Polybius tells us in his 20th Book, celebrated his wedding. He was then fifty years old, and had undertaken two very serious tasks, one being the liberation of Greece, as he himself gave out, the other a war with <a class="linkToPlace" target="_blank" href="/place?placename=Rome&groupId=935&placeId=1669">Rome</a>.
He fell in love, then, with a maiden of <a class="linkToPlace" target="_blank" href="/place?placename=Chalcis&groupId=457&placeId=853">Chalcis</a> at the time of the war, and was most eager to make her his wife, being himself a wine-bibber and fond of getting drunk.
She was the daughter of Cleoptolemus, a noble Chalcidian, and of surpassing beauty.
So celebrating his wedding at <a class="linkToPlace" target="_blank" href="/place?placename=Chalcis&groupId=457&placeId=853">Chalcis</a>, he spent the whole winter there not giving a moment\'s thought to the situation of affairs.
He gave the girl the name <a class="linkToPlace" target="_blank" href="/place?placename=Euboea&groupId=584&placeId=1091">Euboea</a>, and when defeated in the war fled to Ephesus with his bride.
Not a soul escaped from the whole army except the five hundred who were round the king, and a very small number of the ten thousand soldiers whom Polybius tells us he had brought over with him to Greece.