Polybius, Histories

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Book 12 - Chapter 25c

1
<w lemma="%2A%29%2Fisws">Ἴσως</w> <w lemma="d%27">δ᾽</w> <w lemma="ou%29%3Dn">οὖν</w> <w lemma="a%29%2Fn">ἄν</w> <w lemma="tis">τις</w> <w lemma="e%29naporh%2Fseie">ἐναπορήσειε</w> <w lemma="pw%3Ds">πῶς</w> <w lemma="toiou%3Dtos">τοιοῦτος</w> <w lemma="w%29%5Cn">ὢν</w> <w lemma="oi%28%3Don">οἷον</w> <w lemma="h%28mei%3Ds">ἡμεῖς</w> <w lemma="u%28podei%2Fknumen">ὑποδείκνυμεν</w> <w lemma="toiau%2Fths">τοιαύτης</w> <w lemma="par%27">παρ᾽</w> <w lemma="e%29ni%2Fois">ἐνίοις</w> <w lemma="a%29podoxh%3Ds">ἀποδοχῆς</w> <w lemma="te%2Fteuxe">τέτευχε</w> <w lemma="kai%5C">καὶ</w> <w lemma="pi%2Fstews">πίστεως</w>.
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<w lemma="tou%2Ftou">τούτου</w> <w lemma="d%27">δ᾽</w> <w lemma="e%29sti%5Cn">ἐστὶν</w> <w lemma="ai%29%2Ftion">αἴτιον</w> <w lemma="dio%2Fti">διότι</w> <w lemma="pleonazou%2Fshs">πλεοναζούσης</w> <w lemma="au%29tw%3D%7C">αὐτῷ</w> <w lemma="kata%5C">κατὰ</w> <w lemma="th%5Cn">τὴν</w> <w lemma="pragmatei%2Fan">πραγματείαν</w> <w lemma="th%3Ds">τῆς</w> <w lemma="kata%5C">κατὰ</w> <w lemma="tw%3Dn">τῶν</w> <w lemma="a%29%2Fllwn">ἄλλων</w> <w lemma="e%29pitimh%2Fsews">ἐπιτιμήσεως</w> <w lemma="kai%5C">καὶ</w> <w lemma="loidori%2Fas">λοιδορίας</w> <w lemma="ou%29k">οὐκ</w> <w lemma="e%29k">ἐκ</w> <w lemma="th%3Ds">τῆς</w> <w lemma="au%28tou%3D">αὑτοῦ</w> <w lemma="qewrei%3Dtai">θεωρεῖται</w> <w lemma="pragmatei%2Fas">πραγματείας</w> <w lemma="ou%29d%27">οὐδ᾽</w> <w lemma="e%29k">ἐκ</w> <w lemma="tw%3Dn">τῶν</w> <w lemma="i%29di%2Fwn">ἰδίων</w> <w lemma="a%29pofa%2Fsewn">ἀποφάσεων</w>, <w lemma="a%29ll%27">ἀλλ᾽</w> <w lemma="e%29k">ἐκ</w> <w lemma="th%3Ds">τῆς</w> <w lemma="tw%3Dn">τῶν</w> <w lemma="pe%2Flas">πέλας</w> <w lemma="kathgori%2Fas">κατηγορίας</w>, <w lemma="pro%5Cs">πρὸς</w> <w lemma="o%28%5C">ὃ</w> <w lemma="ge%2Fnos">γένος</w> <w lemma="kai%5C">καὶ</w> <w lemma="polupragmosu%2Fnhn">πολυπραγμοσύνην</w> <w lemma="dokei%3D">δοκεῖ</w> <w lemma="moi">μοι</w> <w lemma="kai%5C">καὶ</w> <w lemma="fu%2Fsin">φύσιν</w> <w lemma="prosene%2Fgkasqai">προσενέγκασθαι</w> <w lemma="diafe%2Frousan:">διαφέρουσαν·</w>
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<w lemma="paraplh%2Fsion">παραπλήσιον</w> <w lemma="ga%5Cr">γὰρ</w> <w lemma="dh%2F">δή</w> <w lemma="ti">τι</w> <w lemma="toiou%3Dto">τοιοῦτο</w> <w lemma="sumbe%2Fbhke">συμβέβηκε</w> <w lemma="kai%5C">καὶ</w> <w lemma="%2Astra%2Ftwni">Στράτωνι</w> <w lemma="tw%3D%7C">τῷ</w> <w lemma="fusikw%3D%7C:">φυσικῷ·</w> <w lemma="kai%5C">καὶ</w> <w lemma="ga%5Cr">γὰρ</w> <w lemma="e%29kei%3Dnos">ἐκεῖνος</w> <w lemma="o%28%2Ftan">ὅταν</w> <w lemma="e%29gxeirh%2Fsh%7C">ἐγχειρήσῃ</w> <w lemma="ta%5Cs">τὰς</w> <w lemma="tw%3Dn">τῶν</w> <w lemma="a%29%2Fllwn">ἄλλων</w> <w lemma="do%2Fcas">δόξας</w> <w lemma="diaste%2Fllesqai">διαστέλλεσθαι</w> <w lemma="kai%5C">καὶ</w> <w lemma="yeudopoiei%3Dn">ψευδοποιεῖν</w>, <w lemma="qauma%2Fsio%2Fs">θαυμάσιός</w> <w lemma="e%29stin:">ἐστιν·</w> <w lemma="o%28%2Ftan">ὅταν</w> <w lemma="d%27">δ᾽</w> <w lemma="e%29c">ἐξ</w> <w lemma="au%28tou%3D">αὑτοῦ</w> <w lemma="ti">τι</w> <w lemma="profe%2Frhtai">προφέρηται</w> <w lemma="kai%2F">καί</w> <w lemma="ti">τι</w> <w lemma="tw%3Dn">τῶν</w> <w lemma="i%29di%2Fwn">ἰδίων</w> <w lemma="e%29pinohma%2Ftwn">ἐπινοημάτων</w> <w lemma="e%29chgh%3Dtai">ἐξηγῆται</w>, <w lemma="para%5C">παρὰ</w> <w lemma="polu%5C">πολὺ</w> <w lemma="fai%2Fnetai">φαίνεται</w> <w lemma="toi%3Ds">τοῖς</w> <w lemma="e%29pisth%2Fmosin">ἐπιστήμοσιν</w> <w lemma="eu%29hqe%2Fsteros">εὐηθέστερος</w> <w lemma="au%28tou%3D">αὑτοῦ</w> <w lemma="kai%5C">καὶ</w> <w lemma="nwqro%2Fteros">νωθρότερος</w>.
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<w lemma="kai%2F">καί</w> <w lemma="moi">μοι</w> <w lemma="dokei%3D">δοκεῖ</w> <w lemma="panta%2Fpasin">παντάπασιν</w> <w lemma="o%28%2Fmoio%2Fn">ὅμοιόν</w> <w lemma="ti">τι</w> <w lemma="gi%2Fnesqai">γίνεσθαι</w> <w lemma="peri%5C">περὶ</w> <w lemma="tou%5Cs">τοὺς</w> <w lemma="gra%2Ffontas">γράφοντας</w> <w lemma="tw%3D%7C">τῷ</w> <w lemma="peri%5C">περὶ</w> <w lemma="to%5Cn">τὸν</w> <w lemma="o%28%2Flon">ὅλον</w> <w lemma="h%28mw%3Dn">ἡμῶν</w> <w lemma="bi%2Fon">βίον</w> <w lemma="sumbai%2Fnonti:">συμβαίνοντι·</w>
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<w lemma="kai%5C">καὶ</w> <w lemma="ga%5Cr">γὰρ</w> <w lemma="e%29n">ἐν</w> <w lemma="tou%2Ftw%7C">τούτῳ</w> <w lemma="to%5C">τὸ</w> <w lemma="me%5Cn">μὲν</w> <w lemma="e%29pitimh%3Dsai">ἐπιτιμῆσαι</w> <w lemma="toi%3Ds">τοῖς</w> <w lemma="pe%2Flas">πέλας</w> <w lemma="e%29sti%5C">ἐστὶ</w> <w lemma="r%28a%2F%7Cdion">ῥᾴδιον</w>, <w lemma="to%5C">τὸ</w> <w lemma="d%27">δ᾽</w> <w lemma="au%28to%5Cn">αὑτὸν</w> <w lemma="a%29nama%2Frthton">ἀναμάρτητον</w> <w lemma="pare%2Fxesqai">παρέχεσθαι</w> <w lemma="xalepo%2Fn">χαλεπόν</w>, <w lemma="kai%5C">καὶ</w> <w lemma="sxedo%5Cn">σχεδὸν</w> <w lemma="w%28s">ὡς</w> <w lemma="e%29%2Fpos">ἔπος</w> <w lemma="ei%29pei%3Dn">εἰπεῖν</w> <w lemma="i%29%2Fdoi">ἴδοι</w> <w lemma="tis">τις</w> <w lemma="a%29%5Cn">ἂν</w> <w lemma="tou%5Cs">τοὺς</w> <w lemma="proxeiro%2Ftata">προχειρότατα</w> <w lemma="toi%3Ds">τοῖς</w> <w lemma="pe%2Flas">πέλας</w> <w lemma="e%29pitimw%3Dntas">ἐπιτιμῶντας</w> <w lemma="plei%3Dsta">πλεῖστα</w> <w lemma="peri%5C">περὶ</w> <w lemma="to%5Cn">τὸν</w> <w lemma="i%29%2Fdion">ἴδιον</w> <w lemma="bi%2Fon">βίον</w> <w lemma="a%28marta%2Fnontas">ἁμαρτάνοντας</w>.
<head>General Remarks on Timaeus as an Historian</head>The story of the brazen bull is this. It was made by<note anchored="yes" place="marg" id="note40">The brazen bull of phalaris.</note>Phalaris at Agrigentum; and he used to force men to get into it, and then by way of punishment light a fire underneath. The metal becoming thus red hot, the man inside was roasted and scorched to death; and when he screamed in his agony, the sound from the machine was very like the bellowing of a bull. When the Carthaginians conquered <a class="linkToPlace" target="_blank" href="/place?placename=Sicily&groupId=973&placeId=1724">Sicily</a> this bull was removed from Agrigentum to <a class="linkToPlace" target="_blank" href="/place?placename=Carthage&groupId=441&placeId=820">Carthage</a>. The trap door between the shoulders, through which the victims used to be let down, still remains; and no other reason for the construction of such a bull in <a class="linkToPlace" target="_blank" href="/place?placename=Carthage&groupId=441&placeId=820">Carthage</a> can be discovered at all: yet Timaeus has undertaken to upset the common story, and to refute the declarations of poets and historians, by alleging that the bull at <a class="linkToPlace" target="_blank" href="/place?placename=Carthage&groupId=441&placeId=820">Carthage</a> did not come from Agrigentum, and that no such figure ever existed there; and he has composed a lengthy treatise to prove this. . . .What epithet ought one to apply to Timaeus, and what word will properly characterise him? A man of his kind appears to me to deserve the very bitterest of the terms which he has applied to others. It has already been sufficiently proved that he is a carping, false and impudent writer; and from what remains to be said he will be shown to be unphilosophical, and, in short, utterly uninstructed. For towards the end of his twenty-first book, in the course of his "harangue of Timoleon," he remarks that "the whole sublunary world being divided into three parts —Asia, <a class="linkToPlace" target="_blank" href="/place?placename=Libya&groupId=686&placeId=427">Libya</a>, and Europe. . . ."<note anchored="yes" place="unspecified" id="note41">See<ref target="b3c37" targOrder="U">3, 37</ref>. The point seems to be that the remark was too commonplace to put into the mouth of a hero.</note>One could scarcely believe such a remark to have come, I don't say from Timaeus, but even from the proverbial Margites. . . .<pb n="102" />