Ἀπετάφρευον
they fenced off with a ditch
Translated by Jennifer Benedict15 May 2001Vetting: high6 revisions
Translation
Menander [writes]: "for the Romans did not fence [camps] off with ditches earlier nor indeed did they have this sort of knowledge at all in their repetoire until Mauricius the son of Paulos began the war in the east. But then, when he held the generalship and it was leading him by a direct route to be emperor,1 he initiated this sort of thing, which he had noticed that their idleness made necessary. For the matter had been one that the Romans did not want and it had sunk into oblivion. For labour [is] enemy to hesitation."
Greek original · Adler’s text
Ἀπετάφρευον· Μένανδρος· οἱ Ῥωμαῖοι γὰρ οὐκ ἀπετάφρευον τὸ πρότερον οὔτε μὴν ἐν ἐπιστήμῃ πάμπαν τὸ τοιόνδε εἶχον πρότερον, ἢ Μαυρίκιον τὸν Παύλου ἡγήσασθαι τοῦ ἑῴου πολέμου. ἐπειδὴ δὲ, ὅτε τὴν στρατηγίαν εἶχεν, ἡγεμονεύουσαν αὐτῷ τῆς ἐπὶ τὴν βασιλείαν ἀτραποῦ, τὸ τοιόνδε ῥᾳθυμίᾳ παροφθὲν ἐς τὸ δέον ἐπανήγαγε. Ῥωμαίοις γὰρ μὴ βουλομένοις ἦν τὸ χρῆμα καὶ εἰς λήθην κατώλισθε. πόνος γὰρ ὄκνῳ πολέμιος.
Betacode
*)apeta/freuon: *me/nandros: oi( *(rwmai=oi ga\r ou)k a)peta/freuon to\ pro/teron ou)/te mh\n e)n e)pisth/mh| pa/mpan to\ toio/nde ei)=xon pro/teron, h)\ *mauri/kion to\n *pau/lou h(gh/sasqai tou= e(w/|ou pole/mou. e)peidh\ de\, o(/te th\n strathgi/an ei)=xen, h(gemoneu/ousan au)tw=| th=s e)pi\ th\n basilei/an a)trapou=, to\ toio/nde r(a|qumi/a| parofqe\n e)s to\ de/on e)panh/gage. *(rwmai/ois ga\r mh\ boulome/nois h)=n to\ xrh=ma kai\ ei)s lh/qhn katw/lisqe. po/nos ga\r o)/knw| pole/mios.
Notes (1)
- Menander Protector fr. 23.3 Blockley (200-201). The Suda entry is unattributed, but Blockley (282 note 274) notes that the style is strongly Menandrian. Having no prior military experience, Mauricius was appointed general in the east in late 577 or early 578; cf. PLRE IIIb s.v. Mauricius(4) and Blockley (op. cit.).
- 1Mauricius (Maurice) was emperor 582-602; see mu 294. On Paulos, protopatricius and caput senatus ?582-593, see PLRE IIIb s.v. Paulus(23). ↩
References
R.C. Blockley, ed. and trans., The History of Menander the Guardsman, (Cambridge 1985)
J.R. Martindale, The Prosopography of the Later Roman Empire, vol. IIIb, (Cambridge, 1992)
J.R. Martindale, The Prosopography of the Later Roman Empire, vol. IIIb, (Cambridge, 1992)
Neighbouring entries
Revision history6 revisions · last 20 Aug 2024
- expanded primary note and n.1, added bibliography — Ronald Allen
- Revised — David Whitehead
- more keywords — David Whitehead
- updated ref — David Whitehead
- supplemented translation; added keyword; cosmetics — David Whitehead
- modified translation; added keyword; cosmetics — David Whitehead
- Translated — Jennifer Benedict