Polybius, Histories

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Book 12 - Chapter 22

1
<w lemma="%2Ata%5C">Τὰ</w> <w lemma="me%5Cn">μὲν</w> <w lemma="ga%5Cr">γὰρ</w> <w lemma="a%28%2Fma">ἅμα</w> <w lemma="tou%2Ftois">τούτοις</w> <w lemma="a%29logh%2Fmata">ἀλογήματα</w> <w lemma="makro%5Cn">μακρὸν</w> <w lemma="a%29%5Cn">ἂν</w> <w lemma="ei%29%2Fh">εἴη</w> <w lemma="le%2Fgein">λέγειν</w> <w lemma="pa%2Fnta">πάντα</w> <w lemma="plh%5Cn">πλὴν</w> <w lemma="tele%2Fws">τελέως</w> <w lemma="o%29li%2Fgwn">ὀλίγων</w>.
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<w lemma="fhsi%5C">φησὶ</w> <w lemma="ga%5Cr">γὰρ</w> <w lemma="to%5Cn">τὸν</w> <w lemma="%2A%29ale%2Fcandron">Ἀλέξανδρον</w> <w lemma="spouda%2Fzein">σπουδάζειν</w> <w lemma="kata%5C">κατὰ</w> <w lemma="th%5Cn">τὴν</w> <w lemma="ta%2Fcin">τάξιν</w>, <w lemma="i%28%2Fna">ἵνα</w> <w lemma="kata%5C">κατὰ</w> <w lemma="to%5Cn">τὸν</w> <w lemma="%2Adarei%3Don">Δαρεῖον</w> <w lemma="au%29to%5Cn">αὐτὸν</w> <w lemma="poih%2Fshtai">ποιήσηται</w> <w lemma="th%5Cn">τὴν</w> <w lemma="ma%2Fxhn:">μάχην·</w> <w lemma="o%28moi%2Fws">ὁμοίως</w> <w lemma="de%5C">δὲ</w> <w lemma="kata%5C">κατὰ</w> <w lemma="me%5Cn">μὲν</w> <w lemma="a%29rxa%5Cs">ἀρχὰς</w> <w lemma="kai%5C">καὶ</w> <w lemma="to%5Cn">τὸν</w> <w lemma="%2Adarei%3Don">Δαρεῖον</w> <w lemma="au%29to%5Cn">αὐτὸν</w> <w lemma="bou%2Flesqai">βούλεσθαι</w> <w lemma="kata%5C">κατὰ</w> <w lemma="to%5Cn">τὸν</w> <w lemma="%2A%29ale%2Fcandron">Ἀλέξανδρον</w>, <w lemma="u%28%2Fsteron">ὕστερον</w> <w lemma="de%5C">δὲ</w> <w lemma="metanoh%3Dsai">μετανοῆσαι</w>.
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<w lemma="pw%3Ds">πῶς</w> <w lemma="d%27">δ᾽</w> <w lemma="e%29pe%2Fgnwsan">ἐπέγνωσαν</w> <w lemma="a%29llh%2Flous">ἀλλήλους</w> <w lemma="ou%28%3Dtoi">οὗτοι</w> <w lemma="pou%3D">ποῦ</w> <w lemma="th%3Ds">τῆς</w> <w lemma="i%29di%2Fas">ἰδίας</w> <w lemma="duna%2Fmews">δυνάμεως</w> <w lemma="e%29%2Fxousi">ἔχουσι</w> <w lemma="th%5Cn">τὴν</w> <w lemma="ta%2Fcin">τάξιν</w>, <w lemma="h%29%5C">ἢ</w> <w lemma="pou%3D">ποῦ</w> <w lemma="mete%2Fbh">μετέβη</w> <w lemma="pa%2Flin">πάλιν</w> <w lemma="o%28">ὁ</w> <w lemma="%2Adarei%3Dos">Δαρεῖος</w>, <w lemma="a%28plw%3Ds">ἁπλῶς</w> <w lemma="ou%29de%5Cn">οὐδὲν</w> <w lemma="le%2Fgetai">λέγεται</w>.
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<w lemma="pw%3Ds">πῶς</w> <w lemma="de%5C">δὲ</w> <w lemma="prosane%2Fbh">προσανέβη</w> <w lemma="pro%5Cs">πρὸς</w> <w lemma="th%5Cn">τὴν</w> <w lemma="o%29fru%5Cn">ὀφρὺν</w> <w lemma="tou%3D">τοῦ</w> <w lemma="potamou%3D">ποταμοῦ</w> <w lemma="falaggitw%3Dn">φαλαγγιτῶν</w> <w lemma="ta%2Fcis">τάξις</w>, <w lemma="a%29po%2Ftomon">ἀπότομον</w> <w lemma="ou%29%3Dsan">οὖσαν</w> <w lemma="kai%5C">καὶ</w> <w lemma="batw%2Fdh">βατώδη</w>; <w lemma="kai%5C">καὶ</w> <w lemma="ga%5Cr">γὰρ</w> <w lemma="tou%3Dto">τοῦτο</w> <w lemma="para%5C">παρὰ</w> <w lemma="lo%2Fgon">λόγον</w>.
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<w lemma="%2A%29aleca%2Fndrw%7C">Ἀλεξάνδρῳ</w> <w lemma="me%5Cn">μὲν</w> <w lemma="ou%29%3Dn">οὖν</w> <w lemma="ou%29k">οὐκ</w> <w lemma="e%29poiste%2Fon">ἐποιστέον</w> <w lemma="th%5Cn">τὴν</w> <w lemma="toiau%2Fthn">τοιαύτην</w> <w lemma="a%29topi%2Fan">ἀτοπίαν</w> <w lemma="dia%5C">διὰ</w> <w lemma="to%5C">τὸ</w> <w lemma="pa%3Dsin">πᾶσιν</w> <w lemma="o%28mologoume%2Fnhn">ὁμολογουμένην</w> <w lemma="paralamba%2Fnesqai">παραλαμβάνεσθαι</w> <w lemma="peri%5C">περὶ</w> <w lemma="au%29tou%3D">αὐτοῦ</w> <w lemma="th%5Cn">τὴν</w> <w lemma="e%29n">ἐν</w> <w lemma="toi%3Ds">τοῖς</w> <w lemma="polemikoi%3Ds">πολεμικοῖς</w> <w lemma="e%29mpeiri%2Fan">ἐμπειρίαν</w> <w lemma="kai%5C">καὶ</w> <w lemma="tribh%5Cn">τριβὴν</w> <w lemma="e%29k">ἐκ</w> <w lemma="paido%2Fs">παιδός</w>,
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<w lemma="tw%3D%7C">τῷ</w> <w lemma="de%5C">δὲ</w> <w lemma="suggrafei%3D">συγγραφεῖ</w> <w lemma="ma%3Dllon">μᾶλλον</w>, <w lemma="o%28%5Cs">ὃς</w> <w lemma="dia%5C">διὰ</w> <w lemma="th%5Cn">τὴν</w> <w lemma="a%29peiri%2Fan">ἀπειρίαν</w> <w lemma="ou%29de%5C">οὐδὲ</w> <w lemma="to%5C">τὸ</w> <w lemma="dunato%5Cn">δυνατὸν</w> <w lemma="kai%5C">καὶ</w> <w lemma="to%5C">τὸ</w> <w lemma="mh%5C">μὴ</w> <w lemma="dunato%5Cn">δυνατὸν</w> <w lemma="e%29n">ἐν</w> <w lemma="toi%3Ds">τοῖς</w> <w lemma="toiou%2Ftois">τοιούτοις</w> <w lemma="du%2Fnatai">δύναται</w> <w lemma="dieukrinei%3Dn">διευκρινεῖν</w>.
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<w lemma="peri%5C">περὶ</w> <w lemma="me%5Cn">μὲν</w> <w lemma="ou%29%3Dn">οὖν</w> <w lemma="%2A%29efo%2Frou">Ἐφόρου</w> <w lemma="kai%5C">καὶ</w> <w lemma="%2Akallisqe%2Fnous">Καλλισθένους</w> <w lemma="tau%3Dq%27">ταῦθ᾽</w> <w lemma="h%28mi%3Dn">ἡμῖν</w> <w lemma="ei%29rh%2Fsqw">εἰρήσθω</w>.
<head>Further Absurdities</head>It would be tedious to mention all his other absurdities in connexion with this battle. I must be content with a very few. He says, for instance, that "Alexander took care in arranging his order of battle to be himself personally opposed to Darius; and that at first Darius was equally anxious to be opposite Alexander, but afterwards altered his mind." But he does not vouchsafe to tell us how these kings learnt at what part of their respective forces they were each posted, or to what point in his own line Darius re-transferred himself. Again, how could a phalanx mount to the edge of the river bank, when it was precipitous and covered with brushwood? Such a piece of bad generalship must not be attributed to Alexander, because he is acknowledged by all to have been a skilful strategist and to have studied the subject from childhood: we must rather attribute it to the historian's want of ability to descern between what is or is not practicable in such movements. So much for Ephorus and Callisthenes. . . .