Polybius, Histories
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Book 31 - Chapter 16

1
<head lang="la">II. Res Asiae</head><w lemma="%2A%28%2Foti">Ὅτι</w> <w lemma="%2A%29artaci%2Fas">Ἀρταξίας</w> <w lemma="e%29bou%2Fleto">ἐβούλετο</w> <w lemma="e%29panele%2Fsqai">ἐπανελέσθαι</w> ?<w lemma=""></w>* <w lemma="paraine%2Fsesi">παραινέσεσι</w> <w lemma="de%5C">δὲ</w> <w lemma="%2A%29ariara%2Fqou">Ἀριαράθου</w> <w lemma="tou%3Dt%27">τοῦτ᾽</w> <w lemma="ou%29k">οὐκ</w> <w lemma="e%29%2Fpracen">ἔπραξεν</w> <w lemma="a%29ll%27">ἀλλ᾽</w> <w lemma="e%29ntimo%2Fteron">ἐντιμότερον</w> <w lemma="ei%29%3Dxen">εἶχεν</w> <w lemma="au%29to%5Cn">αὐτὸν</w> <w lemma="h%29%5C">ἢ</w> <w lemma="pro%2Fteron">πρότερον</w>. <w lemma="ou%28%2Ftws">οὕτως</w> <w lemma="h%28%2F">ἥ</w> <w lemma="te">τε</w> <w lemma="tou%3D">τοῦ</w> <w lemma="dikai%2Fou">δικαίου</w> <w lemma="fu%2Fsis">φύσις</w> <w lemma="e%29%2Fxei">ἔχει</w> <w lemma="mega%2Flhn">μεγάλην</w> <w lemma="du%2Fnamin">δύναμιν</w>,
2
<w lemma="ai%28%2F">αἵ</w> <w lemma="te">τε</w> <w lemma="tw%3Dn">τῶν</w> <w lemma="a%29gaqw%3Dn">ἀγαθῶν</w> <w lemma="a%29ndrw%3Dn">ἀνδρῶν</w> <w lemma="gnw%3Dmai">γνῶμαι</w> <w lemma="kai%5C">καὶ</w> <w lemma="paraine%2Fseis">παραινέσεις</w>, <w lemma="w%28%2Fste">ὥστε</w> <w lemma="mh%5C">μὴ</w> <w lemma="mo%2Fnon">μόνον</w> <w lemma="tou%5Cs">τοὺς</w> <w lemma="fi%2Flous">φίλους</w> <w lemma="a%29lla%5C">ἀλλὰ</w> <w lemma="kai%5C">καὶ</w> <w lemma="tou%5Cs">τοὺς</w> <w lemma="e%29xqrou%5Cs">ἐχθροὺς</w> <w lemma="polla%2Fkis">πολλάκις</w> <w lemma="sw%2F%7Czein">σῴζειν</w> <w lemma="kai%5C">καὶ</w> <w lemma="metatiqe%2Fnai">μετατιθέναι</w> <w lemma="ta%5Cs">τὰς</w> <w lemma="fu%2Fseis">φύσεις</w> <w lemma="au%29tw%3Dn">αὐτῶν</w> <w lemma="pro%5Cs">πρὸς</w> <w lemma="to%5C">τὸ</w> <w lemma="be%2Fltion">βέλτιον</w>. —
3
<w lemma=""></w> <w lemma="%2A%28%2Foti">Ὅτι</w> <w lemma="panto%5Cs">παντὸς</w> <w lemma="e%29pistoli%2Fou">ἐπιστολίου</w> <w lemma="to%5C">τὸ</w> <w lemma="ka%2Fllos">κάλλος</w> <w lemma="e%29sti%5C">ἐστὶ</w> <w lemma="sustatikw%2Fteron">συστατικώτερον</w>.
<head>V. Affairs of Asia</head>Artaxias wished to kill . . . but by the advice of Ariarathes instead of doing so held him in greater honour than formerly.
Such is the power of justice, and of the opinion and advice of good men that thereby not only our friends but our enemies are often saved and their natures changed for the better.
Good looks are a better recommendation than any letter.

Walbank Commentary

Overview
31.16.1 - 31.16.3
<p rend="Plain Text">Ariarathes rejects a proposal by Artaxias (162)</p> <p rend="Plain Text">For a rather fuller and clearer account of the incident related here see Diod. xxxi. 22. The date is probably 162if this excerpt from de sent. is from res Asiae of Ol. 154, 2 = 163/2; but one cannot exclude the possibility of its being from the next olympiad year (see p. 36).</p>
31.16.3 - 31.16.3
<p rend="Plain Text">Good looks a recommendation. This gnomic remark (also from de sent.) is attributed by Diog. Laert. v. 1. 18, to Aristotle; the context is unknown.</p>
Specifics
31.16.1 - 31.16.1
<p rend="Plain Text"> <emph rend="bold"><w lang="el-GR">Ἀρταξίας</w>:</emph> king of <a class="linkToPlace" target="_blank" href="/place?placename=Armenia&groupId=366&placeId=308">Armenia</a> (cf. xxv. 2. 12 n.). According to Diod. xxxi. 22, Ariarathes restored a certain Mithrobuzanes to his ancestral domain, whereupon Artaxias sent envoys to suggest that each should murder the young man who was at his court and that they should divide Sophenepresumably Mithrobuzanes' kingdom, an area between <a class="linkToPlace" target="_blank" href="/place?placename=Cappadocia&groupId=435&placeId=343">Cappadocia</a> and Armeniabetween them. Evidently the two young men referred toMithrobuzanes and anotherwere both claimants to the throne of Sophene. Mithrobuzanes may be the son or grandson of Zariadris, who made himself independent after <a class="linkToPlace" target="_blank" href="/place?placename=Magnesia&groupId=729&placeId=1336">Magnesia</a> (xxv. 2. 12 n.); see Weissbach, RE, 'Sophene', col. 1016. From Diodorus it is clear that the object of <w lang="el-GR">ἐβούλετο ἐπανελέσθαι</w> is the unnamed rival claimant at the Armenian court. With Mithrobuzanes established in Sophene, Artaxias had of course nothing to gain from murdering his protg. </p> <p rend="Plain Text"> <emph rend="bold"><w lang="el-GR">ἐντιμότερον . . . ἢ πρότερον</w>:</emph> this is not in Diodorus. </p>
31.16.2 - 31.16.2
<p rend="Plain Text"> <emph rend="bold"><w lang="el-GR">ἡ . . . τοῦ δικαίον φύσις</w>:</emph> von Scala, 221, attributes this sententious remark on the power of justice to the Stoa; but he quotes no firm evidence for this earlier than Seneca and M. Aurelius. </p>

Commentary