Polybius, Histories
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Book 32 - Chapter 4

1
<head lang="la">II. Res Graeciae</head><w lemma="%2A%28%2Foti">Ὅτι</w> <w lemma="%2Aluki%2Fskou">Λυκίσκου</w> <w lemma="tou%3D">τοῦ</w> <w lemma="%2Aai%29twlou%3D">Αἰτωλοῦ</w> <w lemma="tara">ταρα</w> <w lemma="xw%2Fdous">χώδους</w> <w lemma="o%29%2Fntos">ὄντος</w> <w lemma="kai%5C">καὶ</w> <w lemma="qorubw%2Fdous">θορυβώδους</w>, <w lemma="a%29naireqe%2Fntos">ἀναιρεθέντος</w> <w lemma="de%5C">δὲ</w> <w lemma="tou%2Ftou">τούτου</w>, <w lemma="to%5C">τὸ</w> <w lemma="e%28ch%3Ds">ἑξῆς</w> <w lemma="oi%28">οἱ</w> <w lemma="%2Aai%29twloi%5C">Αἰτωλοὶ</w> <w lemma="w%28mofro%2Fnhsan">ὡμοφρόνησαν</w> <w lemma="kai%5C">καὶ</w> <w lemma="w%28mono%2Fhsan">ὡμονόησαν</w> <w lemma="e%28no%5Cs">ἑνὸς</w> <w lemma="a%29nqrw%2Fpou">ἀνθρώπου</w> <w lemma="paraxwrh%2Fsantos:">παραχωρήσαντος·</w>
2
<w lemma="thlikau%2Fth">τηλικαύτη</w> <w lemma="ti%2Fs">τίς</w> <w lemma="e%29stin">ἐστιν</w>, <w lemma="w%28s">ὡς</w> <w lemma="e%29%2Foike">ἔοικε</w>, <w lemma="du%2Fnamis">δύναμις</w> <w lemma="e%29n">ἐν</w> <w lemma="tai%3Ds">ταῖς</w> <w lemma="tw%3Dn">τῶν</w> <w lemma="a%29nqrw%2Fpwn">ἀνθρώπων</w> <w lemma="fu%2Fsesin">φύσεσιν</w>, <w lemma="w%28%2Fste">ὥστε</w> <w lemma="mh%5C">μὴ</w> <w lemma="mo%2Fnon">μόνον</w> <w lemma="strato%2Fpeda">στρατόπεδα</w> <w lemma="kai%5C">καὶ</w> <w lemma="po%2Fleis">πόλεις</w>, <w lemma="a%29lla%5C">ἀλλὰ</w> <w lemma="kai%5C">καὶ</w> <w lemma="ta%5Cs">τὰς</w> <w lemma="e%29qnika%5Cs">ἐθνικὰς</w> <w lemma="susta%2Fseis">συστάσεις</w> <w lemma="kai%5C">καὶ</w> <w lemma="ta%5Cs">τὰς</w> <w lemma="o%28losxerei%3Ds">ὁλοσχερεῖς</w> <w lemma="diafora%5Cs">διαφορὰς</w> <w lemma="th%3Ds">τῆς</w> <w lemma="oi%29koume%2Fnhs">οἰκουμένης</w> <w lemma="di%27">δι᾽</w> <w lemma="e%28no%5Cs">ἑνὸς</w> <w lemma="a%29ndro%5Cs">ἀνδρὸς</w> <w lemma="a%29reth%5Cn">ἀρετὴν</w> <w lemma="kai%5C">καὶ</w> <w lemma="kaki%2Fan">κακίαν</w> <w lemma="pote%5C">ποτὲ</w> <w lemma="me%5Cn">μὲν</w> <w lemma="tw%3Dn">τῶν</w> <w lemma="megi%2Fstwn">μεγίστων</w> <w lemma="kakw%3Dn">κακῶν</w>, <w lemma="pote%5C">ποτὲ</w> <w lemma="de%5C">δὲ</w> <w lemma="tw%3Dn">τῶν</w> <w lemma="megi%2Fstwn">μεγίστων</w> <w lemma="a%29gaqw%3Dn">ἀγαθῶν</w> <w lemma="pei%3Dran">πεῖραν</w> <w lemma="lamba%2Fnein">λαμβάνειν</w>. —
3
<w lemma=""></w> <w lemma="%2A%28%2Foti">Ὅτι</w> <w lemma="%2Aluki%2Fskos">Λυκίσκος</w> <w lemma="ka%2Fkistos">κάκιστος</w> <w lemma="w%29%5Cn">ὢν</w> <w lemma="kalw%3Ds">καλῶς</w> <w lemma="kate%2Fstreye">κατέστρεψε</w> <w lemma="to%5Cn">τὸν</w> <w lemma="bi%2Fon">βίον</w>, <w lemma="w%28%2Fste">ὥστε</w> <w lemma="tou%5Cs">τοὺς</w> <w lemma="plei%2Fstous">πλείστους</w> <w lemma="ei%29ko%2Ftws">εἰκότως</w> <w lemma="o%29neidi%2Fzein">ὀνειδίζειν</w> <w lemma="th%3D%7C">τῇ</w> <w lemma="tu%2Fxh%7C">τύχῃ</w> <w lemma="dio%2Fti">διότι</w> <w lemma="to%5C">τὸ</w> <w lemma="tw%3Dn">τῶν</w> <w lemma="a%29gaqw%3Dn">ἀγαθῶν</w> <w lemma="a%29ndrw%3Dn">ἀνδρῶν</w> <w lemma="a%29%3Dqlon">ἆθλον</w> <w lemma="th%5Cn">τὴν</w> <w lemma="eu%29qanasi%2Fan">εὐθανασίαν</w> <w lemma="toi%3Ds">τοῖς</w> <w lemma="xeiri%2Fstois">χειρίστοις</w> <w lemma="e%29ni%2Fote">ἐνίοτε</w> <w lemma="periti%2Fqhsin">περιτίθησιν</w>. —
<head>II. Affair of Greece</head><head>Aetolia after the Death of Lyciscus</head>Lyciscus the Aetolian was a turbulent and noisy man, and after he was slain, the Aetolians from this time forward lived in unison and concord, simply owing to the removal of this one man.
So great it seems is the power exercised by men's natures that not only armies and cities, but national groups and in fact all the different peoples which compose the whole world, experience the extremities sometimes of misfortune and sometimes of prosperity, owing to the good or bad character of a single man.
Lyciscus was a thoroughly bad man but he ended his life nobly, so that most people reasonably upbraid Fortune, in that she sometimes grants to the worst men that fine death which is the guerdon due to the good and brave.

Walbank Commentary

Overview
32.4.1 - 32.4.3
<p rend="Plain Text">Aetolia after Lyciscus' death</p> <p rend="Plain Text"> This passage, made up of two excerpts (4. 1–2 and 4. 3) from de sent., forms part of res Graeciae of Ol. 155, 1 = 160/59; see p. 38. The first <milestone unit="page" n="521">[521]</milestone> three lines are oddly worded and betray the compression of the excerptor. </p>
Specifics
32.4.1 - 32.4.1
<p rend="Plain Text"> <emph rend="bold"><w lang="el-GR">Λυκί?σκου</w>:</emph> on Lyciscus of Stratus see xxvii. 15. 14 n., xxviii. 4. 5, 4. 9, xxx. 13. 4, 13. 11. </p>
32.4.2 - 32.4.2
<p rend="Plain Text"> <emph rend="bold"><w lang="el-GR">ἐθνικὰς συστάσεις</w>:</emph> 'national groups' (cf. xxiii. 1. 3, xxx. 13. 6). Here P. is thinking of federal states such as the Aetolian Confederacy; but, as the phrase <w lang="el-GR">τὰς ὁλοσχερεῖς διαφορὰς τῆς οἰκουμένης</w> makes clear, P. is speaking generally and is more concerned to embrace all groupings within his generalization than to distinguish between them (cf. iv. 21. 2, <w lang="el-GR">κατὰ τὰς ἐθνικὰς καὶ τὰς ὁλοσχερεῖς διαστάσεις)</w>. </p> <p rend="Plain Text"> <emph rend="bold"><w lang="el-GR">δι᾽ ἑνὸς ἀνδρός</w>:</emph> for this theme see i. 35 n. (Xanthippus), viii. 3. 3 n., 7. 7 (Archimedes), ix. 22. 1, 22. 6 (Hannibal); cf. von Scala, 94 n. 6 (fanciful ideas on the influence of Heracleitus). See further Lehmann, 294–5, who links this passage with P.'s views about Callicrates' role in <a class="linkToPlace" target="_blank" href="/place?placename=Achaea&groupId=272&placeId=533">Achaea</a> (xxiv. 10. 8–15). </p>
32.4.3 - 32.4.3
<p rend="Plain Text"> <emph rend="bold"><w lang="el-GR">καλῶς κατέστρεψε τὸν βίον</w>:</emph> evidently a violent, but honourable death; no details survive. </p> <p rend="Plain Text"> <emph rend="bold"><w lang="el-GR">τῇ τύχῃ . . . ἆθλον . . . περιτίθησιν</w>:</emph> for Fortune as awarder of prizes cf. iii. 63. 3 n. Susemihi (ii. 96 n. 68) suggests that by making 'a good death' the fitting reward for good men P. may be casting doubt on the existence of a life beyond; but these phrases (cf. viii. 12. 8) are perhaps too stereotyped to reveal anything of P.'s personal beliefs. </p>

Commentary