Polybius, Histories

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Book 36 - Chapter 15

1
<w lemma="%2A%28%2Foti">Ὅτι</w> <w lemma="%2Aprousi%2Fas">Προυσίας</w> <w lemma="o%28">ὁ</w> <w lemma="basileu%2Fs">βασιλεύς</w>, <w lemma="ei%29dexqh%5Cs">εἰδεχθὴς</w> <w lemma="w%29%5Cn">ὢν</w> <w lemma="kata%5C">κατὰ</w> <w lemma="th%5Cn">τὴν</w> <w lemma="e%29%2Fmfasin">ἔμφασιν</w>, <w lemma="kai%2Fper">καίπερ</w> <w lemma="e%29k">ἐκ</w> <w lemma="sullogismou%3D">συλλογισμοῦ</w> <w lemma="belti%2Fwn">βελτίων</w> <w lemma="u%28pa%2Frxwn">ὑπάρχων</w>, <w lemma="h%28%2Fmisus">ἥμισυς</w> <w lemma="a%29nh%5Cr">ἀνὴρ</w> <w lemma="h%29%3Dn">ἦν</w> <w lemma="kata%5C">κατὰ</w> <w lemma="th%5Cn">τὴν</w> <w lemma="e%29pifa%2Fneian">ἐπιφάνειαν</w> <w lemma="kai%5C">καὶ</w> <w lemma="pro%5Cs">πρὸς</w> <w lemma="ta%5Cs">τὰς</w> <w lemma="polemika%5Cs">πολεμικὰς</w> <w lemma="xrei%2Fas">χρείας</w> <w lemma="a%29gennh%5Cs">ἀγεννὴς</w> <w lemma="kai%5C">καὶ</w> <w lemma="gunaikw%2Fdhs">γυναικώδης</w>.
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<w lemma="ou%29">οὐ</w> <w lemma="ga%5Cr">γὰρ</w> <w lemma="mo%2Fnon">μόνον</w> <w lemma="deilo%5Cs">δειλὸς</w> <w lemma="h%29%3Dn">ἦν</w>, <w lemma="a%29lla%5C">ἀλλὰ</w> <w lemma="kai%5C">καὶ</w> <w lemma="pro%5Cs">πρὸς</w> <w lemma="ta%5Cs">τὰς</w> <w lemma="kakopaqei%2Fas">κακοπαθείας</w> <w lemma="a%29llo%2Ftrios">ἀλλότριος</w> <w lemma="kai%5C">καὶ</w> <w lemma="sullh%2Fbdhn">συλλήβδην</w> <w lemma="e%29kteqhlumme%2Fnos">ἐκτεθηλυμμένος</w> <w lemma="kai%5C">καὶ</w> <w lemma="th%3D%7C">τῇ</w> <w lemma="yuxh%3D%7C">ψυχῇ</w> <w lemma="kai%5C">καὶ</w> <w lemma="tw%3D%7C">τῷ</w> <w lemma="sw%2Fmati">σώματι</w> <w lemma="par%27">παρ᾽</w> <w lemma="o%28%2Flon">ὅλον</w> <w lemma="to%5Cn">τὸν</w> <w lemma="bi%2Fon:">βίον·</w>
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<w lemma="o%28%2Fper">ὅπερ</w> <w lemma="h%28%2Fkista">ἥκιστα</w> <w lemma="bou%2Flontai">βούλονται</w> <w lemma="peri%5C">περὶ</w> <w lemma="tou%5Cs">τοὺς</w> <w lemma="basilei%3Ds">βασιλεῖς</w> <w lemma="u%28pa%2Frxein">ὑπάρχειν</w> <w lemma="a%28%2Fpantes">ἅπαντες</w> <w lemma="me%2Fn">μέν</w>, <w lemma="ma%2Flista">μάλιστα</w> <w lemma="de%5C">δὲ</w> <w lemma="to%5C">τὸ</w> <w lemma="tw%3Dn">τῶν</w> <w lemma="%2Abiqunw%3Dn">Βιθυνῶν</w> <w lemma="ge%2Fnos">γένος</w>.
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<w lemma="pollh%5C">πολλὴ</w> <w lemma="de%2F">δέ</w> <w lemma="tis">τις</w> <w lemma="a%29se%2Flgeia">ἀσέλγεια</w> <w lemma="kai%5C">καὶ</w> <w lemma="peri%5C">περὶ</w> <w lemma="ta%5Cs">τὰς</w> <w lemma="swmatika%5Cs">σωματικὰς</w> <w lemma="e%29piqumi%2Fas">ἐπιθυμίας</w> <w lemma="au%29tw%3D%7C">αὐτῷ</w> <w lemma="sunechkolou%2Fqei">συνεξηκολούθει</w>.
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<w lemma="paidei%2Fas">παιδείας</w> <w lemma="de%5C">δὲ</w> <w lemma="kai%5C">καὶ</w> <w lemma="filosofi%2Fas">φιλοσοφίας</w> <w lemma="kai%5C">καὶ</w> <w lemma="tw%3Dn">τῶν</w> <w lemma="e%29n">ἐν</w> <w lemma="tou%2Ftois">τούτοις</w> <w lemma="qewrhma%2Ftwn">θεωρημάτων</w> <w lemma="a%29%2Fpeiros">ἄπειρος</w> <w lemma="ei%29s">εἰς</w> <w lemma="te%2Flos">τέλος</w> <w lemma="h%29%3Dn">ἦν</w>
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<w lemma="kai%5C">καὶ</w> <w lemma="sullh%2Fbdhn">συλλήβδην</w> <w lemma="tou%3D">τοῦ</w> <w lemma="kalou%3D">καλοῦ</w> <w lemma="ti%2F">τί</w> <w lemma="pot%27">ποτ᾽</w> <w lemma="e%29%2Fstin">ἔστιν</w> <w lemma="ou%29d%27">οὐδ᾽</w> <w lemma="e%29%2Fnnoian">ἔννοιαν</w> <w lemma="ei%29%3Dxe">εἶχε</w>, <w lemma="%2Asardanapa%2Fllou">Σαρδαναπάλλου</w> <w lemma="de%5C">δὲ</w> <w lemma="ba%2Frbaron">βάρβαρον</w> <w lemma="bi%2Fon">βίον</w> <w lemma="e%29%2Fzh">ἔζη</w> <w lemma="kai%5C">καὶ</w> <w lemma="meq%27">μεθ᾽</w> <w lemma="h%28me%2Fran">ἡμέραν</w> <w lemma="kai%5C">καὶ</w> <w lemma="nu%2Fktwr">νύκτωρ</w>.
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<w lemma="toigarou%3Dn">τοιγαροῦν</w> <w lemma="a%28%2Fma">ἅμα</w> <w lemma="tw%3D%7C">τῷ</w> <w lemma="dra%2Fcasqai">δράξασθαι</w> <w lemma="braxei%2Fas">βραχείας</w> <w lemma="e%29lpi%2Fdos">ἐλπίδος</w> <w lemma="to%5C">τὸ</w> <w lemma="tw%3Dn">τῶν</w> <w lemma="basileuome%2Fnwn">βασιλευομένων</w> <w lemma="plh%3Dqos">πλῆθος</w> <w lemma="a%29meta%2Fklhton">ἀμετάκλητον</w> <w lemma="o%28rmh%5Cn">ὁρμὴν</w> <w lemma="e%29%2Fsxen">ἔσχεν</w> <w lemma="ei%29s">εἰς</w> <w lemma="to%5C">τὸ</w> <w lemma="mh%5C">μὴ</w> <w lemma="mo%2Fnon">μόνον</w> <w lemma="a%29llo%2Ftria">ἀλλότρια</w> <w lemma="fronei%3Dn">φρονεῖν</w> <w lemma="tou%3D">τοῦ</w> <w lemma="basile%2Fws">βασιλέως</w>, <w lemma="a%29lla%5C">ἀλλὰ</w> <w lemma="kai%5C">καὶ</w> <w lemma="timwri%2Fan">τιμωρίαν</w> <w lemma="bou%2Flesqai">βούλεσθαι</w> <w lemma="par%27">παρ᾽</w> <w lemma="au%29tou%3D">αὐτοῦ</w> <w lemma="lamba%2Fnein">λαμβάνειν</w>.
King Prusias was an ill-favoured man, and though possessed of fair reasoning power, was but half a man as regards his appearance, and had no more military capacity than a woman; for not only was he a coward, but he was incapable of putting up with hardship, and, to put it shortly, he was effeminate in body and mind through his whole life, a defect that no one, and least of all Bithynians, like to see in a king.
In addition to this he was most incontinent in satisfying his sensual appetites; he was entirely a stranger to literature, philosophy, and all such studies, and generally speaking had no notion whatever of what goodness and beauty are, but lived by day and night the barbarous life of a Sardanapallus.
So that all his subjects, the moment they saw the least chance of success, became irrevocably resolved not only to throw off allegiance to the king, but to exact punishment from him.