Polybius, Histories

Translation

Book 7 - Chapter 7

<w lemma="%2A%28%2Foti">Ὅτι</w> <w lemma="tine%5Cs">τινὲς</w> <w lemma="tw%3Dn">τῶν</w> <w lemma="logogra%2Ffwn">λογογράφων</w> <w lemma="tw%3Dn">τῶν</w> <w lemma="u%28pe%5Cr">ὑπὲρ</w> <w lemma="th%3Ds">τῆς</w> <w lemma="katastrofh%3Ds">καταστροφῆς</w> <w lemma="tou%3D">τοῦ</w> <w lemma="%2A%28ierwnu%2Fmou">Ἱερωνύμου</w> <w lemma="gegrafo%2Ftwn">γεγραφότων</w> <w lemma="polu%2Fn">πολύν</w> <w lemma="tina">τινα</w> <w lemma="pepoi%2Fhntai">πεποίηνται</w> <w lemma="lo%2Fgon">λόγον</w> <w lemma="kai%5C">καὶ</w> <w lemma="pollh%2Fn">πολλήν</w> <w lemma="tina">τινα</w> <w lemma="diate%2Fqeintai">διατέθεινται</w> <w lemma="teratei%2Fan">τερατείαν</w>, <w lemma="e%29chgou%2Fmenoi">ἐξηγούμενοι</w> <w lemma="me%5Cn">μὲν</w> <w lemma="ta%5C">τὰ</w> <w lemma="pro%5C">πρὸ</w> <w lemma="th%3Ds">τῆς</w> <w lemma="a%29rxh%3Ds">ἀρχῆς</w> <w lemma="au%29toi%3Ds">αὐτοῖς</w> <w lemma="geno%2Fmena">γενόμενα</w> <w lemma="shmei%3Da">σημεῖα</w> <w lemma="kai%5C">καὶ</w> <w lemma="ta%5Cs">τὰς</w> <w lemma="a%29tuxi%2Fas">ἀτυχίας</w> <w lemma="ta%5Cs">τὰς</w> <w lemma="%2Asurakosi%2Fwn">Συρακοσίων</w>,

<w lemma="tragw%7Cdou%3Dntes">τραγῳδοῦντες</w> <w lemma="de%5C">δὲ</w> <w lemma="th%5Cn">τὴν</w> <w lemma="w%29mo%2Fthta">ὠμότητα</w> <w lemma="tw%3Dn">τῶν</w> <w lemma="tro%2Fpwn">τρόπων</w> <w lemma="kai%5C">καὶ</w> <w lemma="th%5Cn">τὴν</w> <w lemma="a%29se%2Fbeian">ἀσέβειαν</w> <w lemma="tw%3Dn">τῶν</w> <w lemma="pra%2Fcewn">πράξεων</w>, <w lemma="e%29pi%5C">ἐπὶ</w> <w lemma="de%5C">δὲ</w> <w lemma="pa%3Dsi">πᾶσι</w> <w lemma="to%5C">τὸ</w> <w lemma="para%2Flogon">παράλογον</w> <w lemma="kai%5C">καὶ</w> <w lemma="to%5C">τὸ</w> <w lemma="deino%5Cn">δεινὸν</w> <w lemma="tw%3Dn">τῶν</w> <w lemma="peri%5C">περὶ</w> <w lemma="th%5Cn">τὴν</w> <w lemma="katastrofh%5Cn">καταστροφὴν</w> <w lemma="au%29tou%3D">αὐτοῦ</w> <w lemma="sumba%2Fntwn">συμβάντων</w>, <w lemma="w%28%2Fste">ὥστε</w> <w lemma="mh%2Fte">μήτε</w> <w lemma="%2Afa%2Flarin">Φάλαριν</w> <w lemma="mh%2Ft%27">μήτ᾽</w> <w lemma="%2A%29apollo%2Fdwron">Ἀπολλόδωρον</w> <w lemma="mh%2Ft%27">μήτ᾽</w> <w lemma="a%29%2Fllon">ἄλλον</w> <w lemma="mhde%2Fna">μηδένα</w> <w lemma="gegone%2Fnai">γεγονέναι</w> <w lemma="tu%2Frannon">τύραννον</w> <w lemma="e%29kei%2Fnou">ἐκείνου</w> <w lemma="pikro%2Fteron">πικρότερον</w>.

<w lemma="kai%2Ftoi">καίτοι</w> <w lemma="pai%3Ds">παῖς</w> <w lemma="paralabw%5Cn">παραλαβὼν</w> <w lemma="th%5Cn">τὴν</w> <w lemma="a%29rxh%2Fn">ἀρχήν</w>, <w lemma="ei%29%3Dta">εἶτα</w> <w lemma="mh%3Dnas">μῆνας</w> <w lemma="ou%29">οὐ</w> <w lemma="plei%2Fous">πλείους</w> <w lemma="triw%3Dn">τριῶν</w> <w lemma="kai%5C">καὶ</w> <w lemma="de%2Fka">δέκα</w> <w lemma="biw%2Fsas">βιώσας</w> <w lemma="meth%2Fllace">μετήλλαξε</w> <w lemma="to%5Cn">τὸν</w> <w lemma="bi%2Fon">βίον</w>.

<w lemma="kata%5C">κατὰ</w> <w lemma="de%5C">δὲ</w> <w lemma="to%5Cn">τὸν</w> <w lemma="xro%2Fnon">χρόνον</w> <w lemma="tou%3Dton">τοῦτον</w> <w lemma="e%28%2Fna">ἕνα</w> <w lemma="me%2Fn">μέν</w> <w lemma="tina">τινα</w> <w lemma="kai%5C">καὶ</w> <w lemma="deu%2Fteron">δεύτερον</w> <w lemma="e%29streblw%3Dsqai">ἐστρεβλῶσθαι</w> <w lemma="kai%2F">καί</w> <w lemma="tinas">τινας</w> <w lemma="tw%3Dn">τῶν</w> <w lemma="fi%2Flwn">φίλων</w> <w lemma="kai%5C">καὶ</w> <w lemma="tw%3Dn">τῶν</w> <w lemma="a%29%2Fllwn">ἄλλων</w> <w lemma="%2Asurakosi%2Fwn">Συρακοσίων</w> <w lemma="a%29pekta%2Fnqai">ἀπεκτάνθαι</w> <w lemma="dunato%2Fn">δυνατόν</w>, <w lemma="u%28perbolh%5Cn">ὑπερβολὴν</w> <w lemma="de%5C">δὲ</w> <w lemma="gegone%2Fnai">γεγονέναι</w> <w lemma="paranomi%2Fas">παρανομίας</w> <w lemma="kai%5C">καὶ</w> <w lemma="parhllagme%2Fnhn">παρηλλαγμένην</w> <w lemma="a%29se%2Fbeian">ἀσέβειαν</w> <w lemma="ou%29k">οὐκ</w> <w lemma="ei%29ko%2Fs">εἰκός</w>.

<w lemma="kai%5C">καὶ</w> <w lemma="tw%3D%7C">τῷ</w> <w lemma="me%5Cn">μὲν</w> <w lemma="tro%2Fpw%7C">τρόπῳ</w> <w lemma="diafero%2Fntws">διαφερόντως</w> <w lemma="ei%29kai%3Don">εἰκαῖον</w> <w lemma="au%29to%5Cn">αὐτὸν</w> <w lemma="gegone%2Fnai">γεγονέναι</w> <w lemma="kai%5C">καὶ</w> <w lemma="para%2Fnomon">παράνομον</w> <w lemma="fate%2Fon">φατέον</w>, <w lemma="ou%29">οὐ</w> <w lemma="mh%5Cn">μὴν</w> <w lemma="ei%29%2Fs">εἴς</w> <w lemma="ge">γε</w> <w lemma="su%2Fgkrisin">σύγκρισιν</w> <w lemma="a%29kte%2Fon">ἀκτέον</w> <w lemma="ou%29deni%5C">οὐδενὶ</w> <w lemma="tw%3Dn">τῶν</w> <w lemma="proeirhme%2Fnwn">προειρημένων</w> <w lemma="tura%2Fnnwn">τυράννων</w>.

<w lemma="a%29lla%2F">ἀλλά</w> <w lemma="moi">μοι</w> <w lemma="dokou%3Dsin">δοκοῦσιν</w> <w lemma="oi%28">οἱ</w> <w lemma="ta%5Cs">τὰς</w> <w lemma="e%29pi%5C">ἐπὶ</w> <w lemma="me%2Frous">μέρους</w> <w lemma="gra%2Ffontes">γράφοντες</w> <w lemma="pra%2Fceis">πράξεις</w>, <w lemma="e%29peida%5Cn">ἐπειδὰν</w> <w lemma="u%28poqe%2Fseis">ὑποθέσεις</w> <w lemma="eu%29perilh%2Fptous">εὐπεριλήπτους</w> <w lemma="u%28posth%2Fswntai">ὑποστήσωνται</w> <w lemma="kai%5C">καὶ</w> <w lemma="stena%2Fs">στενάς</w>, <w lemma="ptwxeu%2Fontes">πτωχεύοντες</w> <w lemma="pragma%2Ftwn">πραγμάτων</w> <w lemma="a%29nagka%2Fzesqai">ἀναγκάζεσθαι</w> <w lemma="ta%5C">τὰ</w> <w lemma="mikra%5C">μικρὰ</w> <w lemma="mega%2Fla">μεγάλα</w> <w lemma="poiei%3Dn">ποιεῖν</w> <w lemma="kai%5C">καὶ</w> <w lemma="peri%5C">περὶ</w> <w lemma="tw%3Dn">τῶν</w> <w lemma="mhde%5C">μηδὲ</w> <w lemma="mnh%2Fmhs">μνήμης</w> <w lemma="a%29ci%2Fwn">ἀξίων</w> <w lemma="pollou%2Fs">πολλούς</w> <w lemma="tinas">τινας</w> <w lemma="diati%2Fqesqai">διατίθεσθαι</w> <w lemma="lo%2Fgous">λόγους</w>. <w lemma="e%29%2Fnioi">ἔνιοι</w> <w lemma="de%5C">δὲ</w> <w lemma="kai%5C">καὶ</w> <w lemma="di%27">δι᾽</w> <w lemma="a%29krisi%2Fan">ἀκρισίαν</w> <w lemma="ei%29s">εἰς</w> <w lemma="to%5C">τὸ</w> <w lemma="paraplh%2Fsion">παραπλήσιον</w> <w lemma="tou%2Ftois">τούτοις</w> <w lemma="e%29mpi%2Fptousin">ἐμπίπτουσιν</w>.

<w lemma="o%28%2Fsw%7C">ὅσῳ</w> <w lemma="ga%5Cr">γὰρ</w> <w lemma="a%29%2Fn">ἄν</w> <w lemma="tis">τις</w> <w lemma="eu%29logw%2Fteron">εὐλογώτερον</w> <w lemma="kai%5C">καὶ</w> <w lemma="peri%5C">περὶ</w> <w lemma="tau%3Dta">ταῦτα</w> <w lemma="to%5Cn">τὸν</w> <w lemma="a%29naplhrou%3Dnta">ἀναπληροῦντα</w> <w lemma="ta%5Cs">τὰς</w> <w lemma="bu%2Fblous">βύβλους</w> <w lemma="kai%5C">καὶ</w> <w lemma="to%5Cn">τὸν</w> <w lemma="e%29pimetrou%3Dnta">ἐπιμετροῦντα</w> <w lemma="lo%2Fgon">λόγον</w> <w lemma="th%3Ds">τῆς</w> <w lemma="dihgh%2Fsews">διηγήσεως</w> <w lemma="ei%29s">εἰς</w> <w lemma="%2A%28ie%2Frwna">Ἱέρωνα</w> <w lemma="kai%5C">καὶ</w> <w lemma="%2Age%2Flwna">Γέλωνα</w> <w lemma="dia%2Fqoito">διάθοιτο</w>, <w lemma="parei%5Cs">παρεὶς</w> <w lemma="%2A%28ierw%2Fnumon">Ἱερώνυμον</w>.

<w lemma="kai%5C">καὶ</w> <w lemma="ga%5Cr">γὰρ</w> <w lemma="toi%3Ds">τοῖς</w> <w lemma="filhko%2Fois">φιληκόοις</w> <w lemma="h%28di%2Fwn">ἡδίων</w> <w lemma="ou%28%3Dtos">οὗτος</w> <w lemma="kai%5C">καὶ</w> <w lemma="toi%3Ds">τοῖς</w> <w lemma="filomaqou%3Dsi">φιλομαθοῦσι</w>

Some of the historians who have described the fall of Hieronymus have done so at great length and introduced much of the marvellous, telling of the prodigies that occurred before his reign and the misfortunes of the Syracusans,

and describing in tragic colours the cruelty of his character and the impiety of his actions, and finally the strange and terrible nature of the circumstances attending his death, so that neither Phalaris nor Apollodorus nor any other tyrant would seem to have been more savage than he.

And yet he was a boy when he succeeded to power, and lived only thirteen months after.

In this space of time it is possible that one or two men may have been tortured, and some of his friends and of the other Syracusans put to death, but it is hardly probable that there was any excess of unlawful violence or any extraordinary impiety.

One must admit that his character was exceedingly capricious and violent; but he is not at least to be compared with either of these tyrants.

The fact, as it seems to me, is that those who write narratives of particular events, when they have to deal with a subject which is circumscribed and narrow, are compelled for lack of facts to make small things great and to devote much space to matters really not worthy of record. There are some also who fall into a similar error through lack of judgement. How much more justifiable indeed it would be for a writer to devote those pages of narrative which serve to fill up his book to overflowing to Hiero and Gelo, making no mention at all of Hieronymus?

This would be both more agreeable to the curious reader and more useful to the student.

Walbank Commentary

Overview

7.6.0 - 7.8.0

On Hiero, Gelo, and Hieronymus; criticism of previous writers

Specifics

7.7.1 - 7.7.1

<emph rend="bold"><w lang="el-GR">τινὲς τῶν λογογράφων κτλ</w>.:</emph> <w lang="el-GR">λογογράφοι</w> here are simply 'historians, prose-writers', contrasted with poets (cf. Thuc. i. 21. 1 with Gomme's comments, Commentary, ad loc.; Jacoby, Atthis, 300 n. 28); in xii. 28. 11 the sense is different. In using the word here P. may have in mind the pejorative context in which Thucydides uses it. The reference will be largely (though not exclusively, cf. § 6) to Baton of <a class="linkToPlace" target="_blank" href="/place?placename=Sinope&groupId=978&placeId=1730">Sinope</a>, author of a work <w lang="el-GR">περὶ τῆς τοῦ Ἱερωνύμου τυραννίδος</w> (Athen. vi. 251 E) and other historical studies (cf. FGH, 268). The only fragment of this work on Hieronymus makes Thraso (see 2. 2 n.) one of the king's flatterers and attributes his downfall to another flatterer, Sosis, who also appears at a later stage in Livy (xxiv. 21. 4). Jacoby argues that Livy, xxiv. 5. 9–14, describing the torture of Callo, is not from P., and therefore that Sosis may have been Thraso's destroyer in the Polybian version; but this is not convincing. Clearly there were several versions of these events and Baton's was not P.'s. Other <w lang="el-GR">λογογράφοι</w> will be the Hannibal-historians, such as Eumachus (see i. 3. 2 n.), who is known to have described Hieronymus' reign in the way here attacked (FGH, 178 F 1 = Athen. xiii. 577 A). Von Fritz, Geschichtsschreibung, i. 2. 340 ff., on <w lang="el-GR">λογογράφοι</w>, agrees that P.'s usage here is influenced by Thucydides. On P. and Thucydides see J. de Romilly, History and Theory, 1975, 230. <emph rend="bold"><w lang="el-GR">πολύν τινα . . . τερατείαν</w>:</emph> repeated (except the second <w lang="el-GR">τινά)</w> from ii. 17. 6, where P. is speaking primarily of tragic poets; see ad loc. <emph rend="bold"><w lang="el-GR">τὰ πρὸ τῆς ἀρχῆς αὐτοῖς γενόμενα σημεῖα</w>:</emph> <w lang="el-GR">αὐτοῖς</w> is attributed to the <milestone unit="page" n="39">[39]</milestone> epitomator and taken to refer to the Syracusans; but Schweighaeuser's <w lang="el-GR">αὐτοῦ</w> is attractive.

7.7.2 - 7.7.2

<emph rend="bold"><w lang="el-GR">Φάλαριν . . . Ἀπολλόδωρον</w>:</emph> mentioned together in Seneca, de ira, ii. 5. 1. Phalaris, who from a position of trust (Arist. Pol. vii (v). 10. 1310 b 28, <w lang="el-GR">ἐκ τῶν τιμῶν</w>; Polyaen. v. 1. 1, <w lang="el-GR">τελώνης)</w> rose to be tyrant of Agrigentum, ruled there probably from 571 to 555 (Euseb. Chron. ii. 94 Sch.; cf. Suidas, who dates his accession to Ol. 52 = 572–68; the seventh-century date recorded elsewhere in Eusebius can be ignored). He had become a synonym for the cruel tyrant as early as 470, when Pindar wrote (Pyth. 1. 95–96): <w lang="el-GR">τὸν δὲ ταύρῳ χαλκέῳ καυτῆρα νηλέα νόονἐχθρὰ Φάλαριν κατέχει παντᾷ φάτις</w>. For the brazen bull in which he roasted his enemies cf. xii. 25. 1–5 nn. See Lenschau, RE, 'Phalaris', cols. 1649–52; Dunbabin, 314–23. Apollodorus was a democratic leader who seized power in Cassandreia shortly after the death of Ptolemy Ceraunus (i. 6. 5 n.), probably in 279 (Polyaen. vi. 7. 2), and maintained it with the help of Galatian mercenaries (Diod. xxii. 5. 2) and alliances with Antiochus I and <a class="linkToPlace" target="_blank" href="/place?placename=Sparta&groupId=660&placeId=1208">Sparta</a> (Polyaen. ibid.; Pausan. iv. 5. 4–5), until expelled in 276 by Ameinias, a pirate employed by Antigonus Gonatas (Polyaen. iv. 6. 18). His cruelty also was proverbial; cf. Seneca, de ira, ii. 5. 1; de benef. vii. 19. 7 (Rossbach's emendation); Plut. Mor. 555 B; Dio Chrys. ii. 76. Tarn (AG, 171 n. 8) suggests that if Lycophron's tragedy, <w lang="el-GR">Κασσανδρεῖς</w>, was based, as Niebuhr thought (Kl. Schr. i. 449–50), on Apollodorus' reign of terror, the sensational stories in Plutarch and Polyaenus may derive from this play; but for other suggestions about the theme of the <w lang="el-GR">Κασσανδρεῖς</w> see von Holzinger's edition of the Alexandra (Leipzig, 1896), 6. On Apollodorus' cruelty see Tarn, AG, 171–2; Kaerst, RE, 'Apollodorus (43)', col. 2851.

7.7.3 - 7.7.3

<emph rend="bold"><w lang="el-GR">μῆνας οὐ πλείους τριῶν καὶ δέκα</w>:</emph> he reigned from early in 215 to early in 214 (above, p. 2).

7.7.4 - 7.7.4

<emph rend="bold"><w lang="el-GR">οὐκ εἰκός</w>:</emph> since P. uses only the argument from probability to controvert the sensational version (probably Baton's: cf. § 1 n.), he will have had access to no favourable account of this reign; see Jacoby, commentary on FGH, 268 F 4. For the sensational account Meyer (Kl. Schr. ii. 85 n. 1) compares the history of the last Chaldaean kings in Berossus (FGH, 680 F 9 (a) = Joseph. c. Ap. i. 146 ff.), where Nabuchodonosor's infant son Awl-Marduk is murdered after ruling <w lang="el-GR">ἀνόμως καὶ ἀσέλγως</w>, and Nergal-ar-usur's son Labri-Marduk is also murdered after nine months <w lang="el-GR">διὰ τὸ πολλὰ ἐμφαίνειν κακοήθη</w>.

7.7.5 - 7.7.5

<emph rend="bold"><w lang="el-GR">εἰκαῖ?ον</w>:</emph> 'capricious' (Paton), 'unstable' (cf. 4. 6, <w lang="el-GR">ἀκατάστατον)</w>, rather than 'rash, hasty' (LSJ).

7.7.6 - 7.7.6

<emph rend="bold"><w lang="el-GR">οἱ τὰς ἐπὶ μέρους γράφοντες πράξεις</w>:</emph> 'writers of monographs', cf. i. 4. 3 n., iii. 32. 3, xvi. 14. 1. On the temptation to write up one's <milestone unit="page" n="40">[40]</milestone> material when composing a monograph cf. xii. 23. 7, xxix. 12. 4–5; Avenarius, 104. <emph rend="bold"><w lang="el-GR">τὰ μικρὰ μεγάλα ποιεῖν</w>:</emph> cf. xii. 25 g 3 n., xxix. 12. 2–3 (repeating and developing the phrase); see B. L. Ullman, TAPA, 1942, 42–43.

7.7.7 - 7.7.7

<emph rend="bold"><w lang="el-GR">ὅσῳ γὰρ ἄν τις . . . διάθοιτο</w>:</emph> 'how much more sensible indeed would it be, if a writer were to apply that amplification of the narrative, which serves to fill out the book, to Hiero and Gelo.' P. uses the phrase <w lang="el-GR">ὁ ἐπιμετρῶν λόγος</w> elsewhere (xii. 28. 10, xv. 34. 1, 35. 1) to describe the expansion of a narrative by added argument and comment; he also uses the phrases <w lang="el-GR">τὸν μετ᾿ αὐξήσεως λόγον</w> (xv. 36. 1) and <w lang="el-GR">τὸν ἐπεκδιδάσκοντα λόγον</w> (xv. 35. 7). Such expansion is bad only when exaggerated and disproportionate, as here where it is applied to Hieronymus, or, for example, to Agathocles of <a class="linkToPlace" target="_blank" href="/place?placename=Alexandria&groupId=1063&placeId=1868">Alexandria</a> (xv. 35. 1). It is hard to get any sense for <w lang="el-GR">καὶ περὶ ταῦτα</w>; and with Schweighaeuser I am disposed to accept Reiske's emendation <w lang="el-GR">καὶ περιττότερον</w>: 'how much more sensible would it be and how much richer the history, if a writer etc.' <emph rend="bold"><w lang="el-GR">Ἱέρωνα καὶ Γέλωνα</w>:</emph> Gelo had been raised to co-regency; cf. Archimedis op. ed. Heiberg, ii. 241. 1, 290. 17; Syll. 428–9.

7.7.8 - 7.7.8

<emph rend="bold"><w lang="el-GR">τοῖς φιληκόοις . . . τοῖς φιλομαθοῦσι</w>:</emph> the latter are 'students' (cf. iii. 22. 9 n.), the former casual readers who 'like a story' and enjoy <w lang="el-GR">ὁ γενεαλογικὸς τρόπος</w> (ix. 1. 4). In xi. 19 a 2 P. calls these casual readers <w lang="el-GR">τοὺς ἀκού?οντας</w>, as distinct from <w lang="el-GR">τοὺς φιλομαθοῦντας</w>.

Addenda & corrigenda

7.7.1 - 7.7.1

<emph rend="bold">7. 1. <w lang="el-GR">τινὲς τῶν λογογράφων</w>:</emph> von Fritz, Geschichtsschreibung, i. 2. 340 ff., on <w lang="el-GR">λογογράφοι</w>, agrees that P.'s usage here is influenced by Thucydides. On P. and Thucydides see J. de Romilly, History and Theory, 1975, 230. <emph rend="bold">9:</emph> for the treaty between Philip and Hannibal see Schmitt, SV A, iii. no. 528. On p. 43, l. 18, for 'Bomilcar' read 'Barmocar'.

Polybius, Histories

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