Polybius, Histories

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Book 12 - Chapter 7

1
<w lemma="%2A%28%2Foti">Ὅτι</w> <w lemma="polla%5C">πολλὰ</w> <w lemma="i%28storei%3D">ἱστορεῖ</w> <w lemma="yeudh%3D">ψευδῆ</w> <w lemma="o%28">ὁ</w> <w lemma="%2Ati%2Fmaios">Τίμαιος</w>, <w lemma="kai%5C">καὶ</w> <w lemma="dokei%3D">δοκεῖ</w> <w lemma="to%5C">τὸ</w> <w lemma="para%2Fpan">παράπαν</w> <w lemma="ou%29k">οὐκ</w> <w lemma="a%29%2Fpeiros">ἄπειρος</w> <w lemma="w%29%5Cn">ὢν</w> <w lemma="ou%29deno%5Cs">οὐδενὸς</w> <w lemma="tw%3Dn">τῶν</w> <w lemma="toiou%2Ftwn">τοιούτων</w>, <w lemma="u%28po%5C">ὑπὸ</w> <w lemma="de%5C">δὲ</w> <w lemma="th%3Ds">τῆς</w> <w lemma="filoneiki%2Fas">φιλονεικίας</w> <w lemma="e%29piskotou%2Fmenos">ἐπισκοτούμενος</w>, <w lemma="o%28%2Ftan">ὅταν</w> <w lemma="a%28%2Fpac">ἅπαξ</w> <w lemma="h%29%5C">ἢ</w> <w lemma="ye%2Fgein">ψέγειν</w> <w lemma="h%29%5C">ἢ</w> <w lemma="tou%29nanti%2Fon">τοὐναντίον</w> <w lemma="e%29gkwmia%2Fzein">ἐγκωμιάζειν</w> <w lemma="tina%5C">τινὰ</w> <w lemma="pro%2Fqhtai">πρόθηται</w>, <w lemma="pa%2Fntwn">πάντων</w> <w lemma="e%29pilanqa%2Fnetai">ἐπιλανθάνεται</w> <w lemma="kai%5C">καὶ</w> <w lemma="polu%2F">πολύ</w> <w lemma="ti">τι</w> <w lemma="tou%3D">τοῦ</w> <w lemma="kaqh%2Fkontos">καθήκοντος</w> <w lemma="parekbai%2Fnei">παρεκβαίνει</w>.
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<w lemma="plh%5Cn">πλὴν</w> <w lemma="tau%3Dta">ταῦτα</w> <w lemma="me%5Cn">μὲν</w> <w lemma="h%28mi%3Dn">ἡμῖν</w> <w lemma="u%28pe%5Cr">ὑπὲρ</w> <w lemma="%2A%29aristote%2Flous">Ἀριστοτέλους</w> <w lemma="ei%29rh%2Fsqw">εἰρήσθω</w> <w lemma="pw%3Ds">πῶς</w> <w lemma="kai%5C">καὶ</w> <w lemma="ti%2Fsi">τίσι</w> <w lemma="prose%2Fxwn">προσέχων</w> <w lemma="toiau%2Fthn">τοιαύτην</w> <w lemma="e%29poih%2Fsato">ἐποιήσατο</w> <w lemma="th%5Cn">τὴν</w> <w lemma="peri%5C">περὶ</w> <w lemma="tw%3Dn">τῶν</w> <w lemma="%2Alokrw%3Dn">Λοκρῶν</w> <w lemma="e%29ch%2Fghsin:">ἐξήγησιν·</w>
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<w lemma="ta%5C">τὰ</w> <w lemma="de%5C">δὲ</w> <w lemma="le%2Fgesqai">λέγεσθαι</w> <w lemma="me%2Fllonta">μέλλοντα</w> <w lemma="peri%5C">περὶ</w> <w lemma="%2Atimai%2Fou">Τιμαίου</w> <w lemma="kai%5C">καὶ</w> <w lemma="th%3Ds">τῆς</w> <w lemma="o%28%2Flhs">ὅλης</w> <w lemma="sunta%2Fcews">συντάξεως</w> <w lemma="au%29tou%3D">αὐτοῦ</w> <w lemma="kai%5C">καὶ</w> <w lemma="kaqo%2Flou">καθόλου</w> <w lemma="peri%5C">περὶ</w> <w lemma="tou%3D">τοῦ</w> <w lemma="kaqh%2Fkontos">καθήκοντος</w> <w lemma="toi%3Ds">τοῖς</w> <w lemma="pragmateuome%2Fnois">πραγματευομένοις</w> <w lemma="i%28stori%2Fan">ἱστορίαν</w> <w lemma="toia%2Fnde">τοιάνδε</w> <w lemma="tina%5C">τινὰ</w> <w lemma="lh%2Fyetai">λήψεται</w> <w lemma="th%5Cn">τὴν</w> <w lemma="a%29pa%2Fnthsin">ἀπάντησιν</w>.
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<w lemma="o%28%2Fti">ὅτι</w> <w lemma="me%5Cn">μὲν</w> <w lemma="ou%29%3Dn">οὖν</w> <w lemma="a%29mfo%2Fteroi">ἀμφότεροι</w> <w lemma="kata%5C">κατὰ</w> <w lemma="to%5Cn">τὸν</w> <w lemma="ei%29ko%2Fta">εἰκότα</w> <w lemma="lo%2Fgon">λόγον</w> <w lemma="pepoi%2Fhntai">πεποίηνται</w> <w lemma="th%5Cn">τὴν</w> <w lemma="e%29pixei%2Frhsin">ἐπιχείρησιν</w>, <w lemma="kai%5C">καὶ</w> <w lemma="dio%2Fti">διότι</w> <w lemma="plei%2Fous">πλείους</w> <w lemma="ei%29si%5C">εἰσὶ</w> <w lemma="piqano%2Fthtes">πιθανότητες</w> <w lemma="e%29n">ἐν</w> <w lemma="th%3D%7C">τῇ</w> <w lemma="kat%27">κατ᾽</w> <w lemma="%2A%29aristote%2Flhn">Ἀριστοτέλην</w> <w lemma="i%28stori%2Fa%7C">ἱστορίᾳ</w>, <w lemma="dokw%3D">δοκῶ</w>, <w lemma="pa%3Ds">πᾶς</w> <w lemma="a%29%2Fn">ἄν</w> <w lemma="tis">τις</w> <w lemma="e%29k">ἐκ</w> <w lemma="tw%3Dn">τῶν</w> <w lemma="ei%29rhme%2Fnwn">εἰρημένων</w> <w lemma="o%28mologh%2Fseien:">ὁμολογήσειεν·</w> <w lemma="a%29lhqe%5Cs">ἀληθὲς</w> <w lemma="me%2Fntoi">μέντοι</w> <w lemma="ge">γε</w> <w lemma="kai%5C">καὶ</w> <w lemma="kaqa%2Fpac">καθάπαξ</w> <w lemma="diastei%3Dlai">διαστεῖλαι</w> <w lemma="peri%2F">περί</w> <w lemma="tinos">τινος</w> <w lemma="ou%29de%5Cn">οὐδὲν</w> <w lemma="e%29%2Fstin">ἔστιν</w> <w lemma="e%29n">ἐν</w> <w lemma="tou%2Ftois">τούτοις</w>.
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<w lemma="ou%29">οὐ</w> <w lemma="mh%5Cn">μὴν</w> <w lemma="a%29ll%27">ἀλλ᾽</w> <w lemma="e%29%2Fstw">ἔστω</w> <w lemma="to%5Cn">τὸν</w> <w lemma="%2Ati%2Fmaion">Τίμαιον</w> <w lemma="ei%29ko%2Fta">εἰκότα</w> <w lemma="le%2Fgein">λέγειν</w> <w lemma="ma%3Dllon">μᾶλλον</w>. <w lemma="dia%5C">διὰ</w> <w lemma="tau%2Fthn">ταύτην</w> <w lemma="ou%29%3Dn">οὖν</w> <w lemma="th%5Cn">τὴν</w> <w lemma="ai%29ti%2Fan">αἰτίαν</w> <w lemma="deh%2Fsei">δεήσει</w> <w lemma="pa%3Dn">πᾶν</w> <w lemma="r%28h%3Dma">ῥῆμα</w> <w lemma="kai%5C">καὶ</w> <w lemma="pa%3Dsan">πᾶσαν</w> <w lemma="fwnh%5Cn">φωνὴν</w> <w lemma="a%29kou%2Fein">ἀκούειν</w> <w lemma="kai%5C">καὶ</w> <w lemma="mo%2Fnon">μόνον</w> <w lemma="ou%29">οὐ</w> <w lemma="qana%2Ftou">θανάτου</w> <w lemma="kri%2Fsin">κρίσιν</w> <w lemma="u%28pe%2Fxein">ὑπέχειν</w> <w lemma="tou%5Cs">τοὺς</w> <w lemma="e%29n">ἐν</w> <w lemma="tai%3Ds">ταῖς</w> <w lemma="i%28stori%2Fais">ἱστορίαις</w> <w lemma="h%28%3Dtton">ἧττον</w> <w lemma="ei%29ko%2Fta">εἰκότα</w> <w lemma="le%2Fgontas">λέγοντας</w>; <w lemma="ou%29">οὐ</w> <w lemma="dh%2Fpou">δήπου</w>.
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<w lemma="toi%3Ds">τοῖς</w> <w lemma="me%5Cn">μὲν</w> <w lemma="ga%5Cr">γὰρ</w> <w lemma="kat%27">κατ᾽</w> <w lemma="a%29%2Fgnoian">ἄγνοιαν</w> <w lemma="yeudografou%3Dsin">ψευδογραφοῦσιν</w> <w lemma="e%29%2Ffamen">ἔφαμεν</w> <w lemma="dei%3Dn">δεῖν</w> <w lemma="dio%2Frqwsin">διόρθωσιν</w> <w lemma="eu%29menikh%5Cn">εὐμενικὴν</w> <w lemma="kai%5C">καὶ</w> <w lemma="suggnw%2Fmhn">συγγνώμην</w> <w lemma="e%29cakolouqei%3Dn">ἐξακολουθεῖν</w>, <w lemma="toi%3Ds">τοῖς</w> <w lemma="de%5C">δὲ</w> <w lemma="kata%5C">κατὰ</w> <w lemma="proai%2Fresin">προαίρεσιν</w> <w lemma="a%29parai%2Fthton">ἀπαραίτητον</w> <w lemma="kathgori%2Fan">κατηγορίαν</w>.
<head>Timaeus and the Character of a Historian</head>Timaeus makes many untrue statements; and he appears<pb n="87" />to have done so, not from ignorance, but because his view was distorted by party spirit. When once he has made up his mind to blame or praise, he forgets everything else and outsteps all bounds of propriety.<note anchored="yes" place="marg" id="note14">Timaeus and Aristotle.</note>So much for the nature of Aristotle's account of Locri, and the grounds on which it rested. But this naturally leads me to speak of Timaeus and his work as a whole, and generally of what is the duty of a man who undertakes to write history. Now I think that I have made it clear from what I have said, first, that both of them were writing conjecturally; and, secondly, that the balance of probability was on the side of Aristotle. It is in fact impossible in such matters to be positive and definite. But let us even admit that Timaeus gives the more probable account. Are the maintainers of the less probable theory, therefore, to be called by every possible term of abuse and obloquy, and all but be put on trial for their lives? Certainly not. Those who make untrue statements in their books from ignorance ought, I maintain, to be forgiven and corrected in a kindly spirit: it is only those who do so from deliberate intention that ought to be attacked without mercy.