Polybius, Histories

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Book 32 - Chapter 2

1
<w lemma="%2A%28%2Foti">Ὅτι</w> <w lemma="h%28%3Dkon">ἧκον</w> <w lemma="kai%5C">καὶ</w> <w lemma="para%5C">παρὰ</w> <w lemma="tou%3D">τοῦ</w> <w lemma="%2Adhmhtri%2Fou">Δημητρίου</w> <w lemma="tou%3D">τοῦ</w> <w lemma="basile%2Fws">βασιλέως</w> <w lemma="pre%2Fsbeis">πρέσβεις</w> <w lemma="oi%28">οἱ</w> <w lemma="peri%5C">περὶ</w> <w lemma="to%5Cn">τὸν</w> <w lemma="%2Amhnoxa%2Frhn">Μηνοχάρην</w>, <w lemma="ste%2Ffanon">στέφανον</w> <w lemma="a%29po%5C">ἀπὸ</w> <w lemma="muri%2Fwn">μυρίων</w> <w lemma="xrusw%3Dn">χρυσῶν</w> <w lemma="th%3D%7C">τῇ</w> <w lemma="%2A%28rw%2Fmh%7C">Ῥώμῃ</w> <w lemma="komi%2Fzontes">κομίζοντες</w>, <w lemma="a%28%2Fma">ἅμα</w> <w lemma="de%5C">δὲ</w> <w lemma="kai%5C">καὶ</w> <w lemma="to%5Cn">τὸν</w> <w lemma="prosene%2Fgkanta">προσενέγκαντα</w> <w lemma="tw%3D%7C">τῷ</w> <w lemma="%2Agnai+%2Fw%7C">Γναΐῳ</w> <w lemma="ta%5Cs">τὰς</w> <w lemma="xei%3Dras">χεῖρας</w> <w lemma="a%29%2Fgontes">ἄγοντες</w>.
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<w lemma="h%28">ἡ</w> <w lemma="de%5C">δὲ</w> <w lemma="su%2Fgklhtos">σύγκλητος</w> <w lemma="e%29pi%5C">ἐπὶ</w> <w lemma="polu%5Cn">πολὺν</w> <w lemma="me%5Cn">μὲν</w> <w lemma="xro%2Fnon">χρόνον</w> <w lemma="dihpo%2Frhse">διηπόρησε</w> <w lemma="peri%5C">περὶ</w> <w lemma="tou%2Ftwn">τούτων</w> <w lemma="pw%3Ds">πῶς</w> <w lemma="dei%3D">δεῖ</w> <w lemma="xrh%2Fsasqai">χρήσασθαι</w> <w lemma="toi%3Ds">τοῖς</w> <w lemma="pra%2Fgmasin">πράγμασιν</w>,
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<w lemma="o%28%2Fmws">ὅμως</w> <w lemma="de%5C">δὲ</w> <w lemma="prosede%2Fcato">προσεδέξατο</w> <w lemma="kai%5C">καὶ</w> <w lemma="tou%5Cs">τοὺς</w> <w lemma="presbeuta%5Cs">πρεσβευτὰς</w> <w lemma="kai%5C">καὶ</w> <w lemma="to%5Cn">τὸν</w> <w lemma="ste%2Ffanon:">στέφανον·</w> <w lemma="tou%2Fs">τούς</w> <w lemma="ge">γε</w> <w lemma="mh%5Cn">μὴν</w> <w lemma="a%29gome%2Fnous">ἀγομένους</w> <w lemma="a%29nqrw%2Fpous">ἀνθρώπους</w> <w lemma="ou%29">οὐ</w> <w lemma="prosede%2Fcato">προσεδέξατο</w>.
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<w lemma="kai%2Ftoi">καίτοι</w> <w lemma="ge">γε</w> <w lemma="%2Adhmh%2Ftrios">Δημήτριος</w> <w lemma="ou%29">οὐ</w> <w lemma="mo%2Fnon">μόνον</w> <w lemma="to%5Cn">τὸν</w> <w lemma="%2Alepti%2Fnhn">Λεπτίνην</w> <w lemma="a%29pe%2Fsteile">ἀπέστειλε</w> <w lemma="to%5Cn">τὸν</w> <w lemma="au%29to%2Fxeira">αὐτόχειρα</w> <w lemma="tou%3D">τοῦ</w> <w lemma="%2Agnai+%2Fou">Γναΐου</w> <w lemma="geno%2Fmenon">γενόμενον</w>, <w lemma="a%29lla%5C">ἀλλὰ</w> <w lemma="kai%5C">καὶ</w> <w lemma="to%5Cn">τὸν</w> <w lemma="%2A%29isokra%2Fthn">Ἰσοκράτην</w>.
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<w lemma="ou%28%3Dtos">οὗτος</w> <w lemma="d%27">δ᾽</w> <w lemma="h%29%3Dn">ἦν</w> <w lemma="me%5Cn">μὲν</w> <w lemma="grammatiko%5Cs">γραμματικὸς</w> <w lemma="tw%3Dn">τῶν</w> <w lemma="ta%5Cs">τὰς</w> <w lemma="a%29kroa%2Fseis">ἀκροάσεις</w> <w lemma="poioume%2Fnwn">ποιουμένων</w>, <w lemma="fu%2Fsei">φύσει</w> <w lemma="d%27">δ᾽</w> <w lemma="w%29%5Cn">ὢν</w> <w lemma="la%2Flos">λάλος</w> <w lemma="kai%5C">καὶ</w> <w lemma="pe%2Frperos">πέρπερος</w> <w lemma="kai%5C">καὶ</w> <w lemma="katakorh%5Cs">κατακορὴς</w> <w lemma="prose%2Fkopte">προσέκοπτε</w> <w lemma="me%5Cn">μὲν</w> <w lemma="kai%5C">καὶ</w> <w lemma="toi%3Ds">τοῖς</w> <w lemma="%2A%28%2Fellhsin">Ἕλλησιν</w>, <w lemma="a%28%2Fte">ἅτε</w> <w lemma="kai%5C">καὶ</w> <w lemma="tw%3Dn">τῶν</w> <w lemma="peri%5C">περὶ</w> <w lemma="to%5Cn">τὸν</w> <w lemma="%2A%29alkai%3Don">Ἀλκαῖον</w> <w lemma="e%29n">ἐν</w> <w lemma="tai%3Ds">ταῖς</w> <w lemma="%2Asugkri%2Fsesin">Συγκρίσεσιν</w> <w lemma="e%29pideci%2Fws">ἐπιδεξίως</w> <w lemma="skwpto%2Fntwn">σκωπτόντων</w> <w lemma="au%29to%5Cn">αὐτὸν</w> <w lemma="kai%5C">καὶ</w> <w lemma="diaxleuazo%2Fntwn">διαχλευαζόντων</w>,
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<w lemma="parageno%2Fmenos">παραγενόμενος</w> <w lemma="d%27">δ᾽</w> <w lemma="ei%29s">εἰς</w> <w lemma="th%5Cn">τὴν</w> <w lemma="%2Asuri%2Fan">Συρίαν</w> <w lemma="kai%5C">καὶ</w> <w lemma="katafronh%2Fsas">καταφρονήσας</w> <w lemma="tw%3Dn">τῶν</w> <w lemma="a%29nqrw%2Fpwn">ἀνθρώπων</w> <w lemma="ou%29k">οὐκ</w> <w lemma="h%29rkei%3Dto">ἠρκεῖτο</w> <w lemma="peri%5C">περὶ</w> <w lemma="tw%3Dn">τῶν</w> <w lemma="i%29di%2Fwn">ἰδίων</w> <w lemma="e%29pithdeuma%2Ftwn">ἐπιτηδευμάτων</w> <w lemma="poiou%2Fmenos">ποιούμενος</w> <w lemma="tou%5Cs">τοὺς</w> <w lemma="lo%2Fgous">λόγους</w>,
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<w lemma="a%29lla%5C">ἀλλὰ</w> <w lemma="kai%5C">καὶ</w> <w lemma="pragmatika%5Cs">πραγματικὰς</w> <w lemma="a%29pofa%2Fseis">ἀποφάσεις</w> <w lemma="e%29ce%2Fbale">ἐξέβαλε</w>, <w lemma="fa%2Fskwn">φάσκων</w> <w lemma="di%2Fkaia">δίκαια</w> <w lemma="peponqe%2Fnai">πεπονθέναι</w> <w lemma="to%5Cn">τὸν</w> <w lemma="%2Agna%2Fion">Γνάιον</w>, <w lemma="dei%3Dn">δεῖν</w> <w lemma="de%5C">δὲ</w> <w lemma="kai%5C">καὶ</w> <w lemma="tou%5Cs">τοὺς</w> <w lemma="a%29%2Fllous">ἄλλους</w> <w lemma="presbeuta%5Cs">πρεσβευτὰς</w> <w lemma="a%29polwle%2Fnai">ἀπολωλέναι</w> <w lemma="pro%5Cs">πρὸς</w> <w lemma="to%5C">τὸ</w> <w lemma="mhde%5C">μηδὲ</w> <w lemma="to%5Cn">τὸν</w> <w lemma="a%29ggelou%3Dnta">ἀγγελοῦντα</w> <w lemma="kataleifqh%3Dnai">καταλειφθῆναι</w> <w lemma="toi%3Ds">τοῖς</w> <w lemma="%2A%28rwmai%2Fois">Ῥωμαίοις</w> <w lemma="to%5C">τὸ</w> <w lemma="gegono%2Fs">γεγονός</w>, <w lemma="i%28%2Fna">ἵνα</w> <w lemma="pau%2Fswntai">παύσωνται</w> <w lemma="tw%3Dn">τῶν</w> <w lemma="u%28perhfa%2Fnwn">ὑπερηφάνων</w> <w lemma="e%29pitagma%2Ftwn">ἐπιταγμάτων</w> <w lemma="kai%5C">καὶ</w> <w lemma="th%3Ds">τῆς</w> <w lemma="a%29ne%2Fdhn">ἀνέδην</w> <w lemma="e%29cousi%2Fas">ἐξουσίας</w>.
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<w lemma="toiau%3Dta">τοιαῦτα</w> <w lemma="me%5Cn">μὲν</w> <w lemma="ou%29%3Dn">οὖν</w> <w lemma="r%28iyologw%3Dn">ῥιψολογῶν</w> <w lemma="e%29ne%2Fpesen">ἐνέπεσεν</w> <w lemma="ei%29s">εἰς</w> <w lemma="th%5Cn">τὴν</w> <w lemma="proeirhme%2Fnhn">προειρημένην</w> <w lemma="a%29tuxi%2Fan">ἀτυχίαν</w>.
<head>Embassies from Demetrius</head>Envoys headed by Menochares also came from King Demetrius bringing the "crown" of ten thousand gold pieces dedicated to <a class="linkToPlace" target="_blank" href="/place?placename=Rome&groupId=935&placeId=1669">Rome</a>, and with the assassin of Gnaeus Octavius in their custody.
The senate remained long in doubt as to how to deal with the matter, but nevertheless they received the crown and the envoys.
They did not, however, take over the men who were in custody.
And yet Demetrius had not only sent Leptines, the murderer of Gnaeus, but also Isocrates.
This man was one of those grammarians who declaim in public, and being by nature a chatterbox, a braggart, and a bore, had given offence in Greece also, where Alcaeus<note place="end" resp="tr" id="note1">Probably an Epicurean philosopher and writer of this name.</note>had very cleverly taken him off and made fun of him in his Comparisons, and when he came to <a class="linkToPlace" target="_blank" href="/place?placename=Syria&groupId=995&placeId=502">Syria</a> and conceived a contempt for the inhabitants, he was not satisfied with holding forth on his own subjects, but gave vent to pronouncements on public affairs, saying that Gnaeus had met with his deserts, and that the other legates should have been killed also, so that not one should be left to report the matter to the Romans, and this would put a stop to their haughty orders and their unrestrained exercise of power.
It was by these incautious utterances that he got himself into trouble as I have stated.