Polybius, Histories

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Book 5 - Chapter 32

1
<w lemma="taton">τατον</w>. <w lemma="oi%28">οἱ</w> <w lemma="me%5Cn">μὲν</w> <w lemma="ga%5Cr">γὰρ</w> <w lemma="a%29rxai%3Doi">ἀρχαῖοι</w> <w lemma="th%5Cn">τὴν</w> <w lemma="a%29rxh%5Cn">ἀρχὴν</w> <w lemma="h%28%2Fmisu">ἥμισυ</w> <w lemma="tou%3D">τοῦ</w> <w lemma="panto%5Cs">παντὸς</w> <w lemma="ei%29%3Dnai">εἶναι</w> <w lemma="fa%2Fskontes">φάσκοντες</w> <w lemma="megi%2Fsthn">μεγίστην</w> <w lemma="parh%2F%7Cnoun">παρῄνουν</w> <w lemma="poiei%3Dsqai">ποιεῖσθαι</w> <w lemma="spoudh%5Cn">σπουδὴν</w> <w lemma="e%29n">ἐν</w> <w lemma="e%28ka%2Fstois">ἑκάστοις</w> <w lemma="u%28pe%5Cr">ὑπὲρ</w> <w lemma="tou%3D">τοῦ</w> <w lemma="kalw%3Ds">καλῶς</w> <w lemma="a%29%2Frcasqai:">ἄρξασθαι·</w>
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<w lemma="dokou%3Dntes">δοκοῦντες</w> <w lemma="dh%5C">δὴ</w> <w lemma="le%2Fgein">λέγειν</w> <w lemma="u%28perbolikw%3Ds">ὑπερβολικῶς</w> <w lemma="e%29llipe%2Fstero%2Fn">ἐλλιπέστερόν</w> <w lemma="moi">μοι</w> <w lemma="fai%2Fnontai">φαίνονται</w> <w lemma="th%3Ds">τῆς</w> <w lemma="a%29lhqei%2Fas">ἀληθείας</w> <w lemma="ei%29rhke%2Fnai">εἰρηκέναι</w>. <w lemma="qarrw%3Dn">θαρρῶν</w> <w lemma="ga%5Cr">γὰρ</w> <w lemma="a%29%2Fn">ἄν</w> <w lemma="tis">τις</w> <w lemma="ei%29%2Fpeien">εἴπειεν</w> <w lemma="ou%29x">οὐχ</w> <w lemma="h%28%2Fmisu">ἥμισυ</w> <w lemma="th%5Cn">τὴν</w> <w lemma="a%29rxh%5Cn">ἀρχὴν</w> <w lemma="ei%29%3Dnai">εἶναι</w> <w lemma="tou%3D">τοῦ</w> <w lemma="panto%2Fs">παντός</w>, <w lemma="a%29lla%5C">ἀλλὰ</w> <w lemma="kai%5C">καὶ</w> <w lemma="pro%5Cs">πρὸς</w> <w lemma="to%5C">τὸ</w> <w lemma="te%2Flos">τέλος</w> <w lemma="diatei%2Fnein">διατείνειν</w>.
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<w lemma="pw%3Ds">πῶς</w> <w lemma="ga%5Cr">γὰρ</w> <w lemma="a%29%2Frcasqai%2F">ἄρξασθαί</w> <w lemma="tinos">τινος</w> <w lemma="kalw%3Ds">καλῶς</w> <w lemma="oi%28%3Do%2Fn">οἷόν</w> <w lemma="te">τε</w> <w lemma="mh%5C">μὴ</w> <w lemma="properilabo%2Fnta">προπεριλαβόντα</w> <w lemma="tw%3D%7C">τῷ</w> <w lemma="nw%3D%7C">νῷ</w> <w lemma="th%5Cn">τὴν</w> <w lemma="sunte%2Fleian">συντέλειαν</w> <w lemma="th%3Ds">τῆς</w> <w lemma="e%29pibolh%3Ds">ἐπιβολῆς</w> <w lemma="mhde%5C">μηδὲ</w> <w lemma="ginw%2Fskonta">γινώσκοντα</w> <w lemma="pou%3D">ποῦ</w> <w lemma="kai%5C">καὶ</w> <w lemma="pro%5Cs">πρὸς</w> <w lemma="ti%2F">τί</w> <w lemma="kai%5C">καὶ</w> <w lemma="ti%2Fnos">τίνος</w> <w lemma="xa%2Frin">χάριν</w> <w lemma="e%29piba%2Flletai">ἐπιβάλλεται</w> <w lemma="tou%3Dto">τοῦτο</w> <w lemma="poiei%3Dn">ποιεῖν</w>;
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<w lemma="pw%3Ds">πῶς</w> <w lemma="de%5C">δὲ</w> <w lemma="pa%2Flin">πάλιν</w> <w lemma="oi%28%3Do%2Fn">οἷόν</w> <w lemma="te">τε</w> <w lemma="sugkefalaiw%2Fsasqai">συγκεφαλαιώσασθαι</w> <w lemma="pra%2Fgmata">πράγματα</w> <w lemma="deo%2Fntws">δεόντως</w> <w lemma="mh%5C">μὴ</w> <w lemma="sunanafe%2Fronta">συναναφέροντα</w> <w lemma="th%5Cn">τὴν</w> <w lemma="a%29rxh%5Cn">ἀρχὴν</w> <w lemma="po%2Fqen">πόθεν</w> <w lemma="h%29%5C">ἢ</w> <w lemma="pw%3Ds">πῶς</w> <w lemma="h%29%5C">ἢ</w> <w lemma="dia%5C">διὰ</w> <w lemma="ti%2F">τί</w> <w lemma="pro%5Cs">πρὸς</w> <w lemma="ta%5Cs">τὰς</w> <w lemma="e%29nestw%2Fsas">ἐνεστώσας</w> <w lemma="a%29fi%3Dktai">ἀφῖκται</w> <w lemma="pra%2Fceis">πράξεις</w>;
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<w lemma="dio%2Fper">διόπερ</w> <w lemma="ou%29x">οὐχ</w> <w lemma="e%28%2Fws">ἕως</w> <w lemma="tou%3D">τοῦ</w> <w lemma="me%2Fsou">μέσου</w> <w lemma="nomi%2Fzontas">νομίζοντας</w> <w lemma="diatei%2Fnein">διατείνειν</w> <w lemma="ta%5Cs">τὰς</w> <w lemma="a%29rxa%2Fs">ἀρχάς</w>, <w lemma="a%29ll%27">ἀλλ᾽</w> <w lemma="e%28%2Fws">ἕως</w> <w lemma="tou%3D">τοῦ</w> <w lemma="te%2Flous">τέλους</w>, <w lemma="plei%2Fsthn">πλείστην</w> <w lemma="peri%5C">περὶ</w> <w lemma="tau%2Ftas">ταύτας</w> <w lemma="poihte%2Fon">ποιητέον</w> <w lemma="spoudh%5Cn">σπουδὴν</w> <w lemma="kai%5C">καὶ</w> <w lemma="tou%5Cs">τοὺς</w> <w lemma="le%2Fgontas">λέγοντας</w> <w lemma="kai%5C">καὶ</w> <w lemma="tou%5Cs">τοὺς</w> <w lemma="a%29kou%2Fontas">ἀκούοντας</w> <w lemma="peri%5C">περὶ</w> <w lemma="tw%3Dn">τῶν</w> <w lemma="o%28%2Flwn">ὅλων</w>. <w lemma="o%28%5C">ὃ</w> <w lemma="dh%5C">δὴ</w> <w lemma="kai%5C">καὶ</w> <w lemma="nu%3Dn">νῦν</w> <w lemma="h%28mei%3Ds">ἡμεῖς</w> <w lemma="peiraso%2Fmeqa">πειρασόμεθα</w> <w lemma="poiei%3Dn">ποιεῖν</w>.
<head><foreign lang="la">Dimidium Facti Qui Coepit Habet</foreign>, Well Begun is Half Done</head>For the old saying, "Well begun is half done," was meant by its inventors to urge the importance of taking the greater pains to make a good beginning than anything else. And though some may consider this an exaggeration, in my opinion it comes short of the truth; for one might say with confidence, not that "the beginning was half the business," but rather that it was near being the whole. For how can one make a good beginning without having first grasped in thought the complete plan, or without knowing where, with what object, and with what purpose he is undertaking the business? Or how can a man sum up a series of events satisfactorily without a reference to their origin, and without showing his point of departure, or why and how he has arrived at the particular crisis at which he finds himself? Therefore both historian and reader alike should be exceedingly careful to mark the beginnings of events, with a conviction that their influence does not stop half-way, but is paramount to the end. And this is what I shall endeavour to do.