me-me

[satyrica]

yoinked from sea_cucumber/winterdreamer

1. Grab the nearest book.
2. Open the book to page 56.
3. Find the fifth sentence.
4. Post the text of the next seven sentences in your journal along with these instructions.
5. Don't dig for your favourite book, the cool book, or the intellectual one: pick the CLOSEST.

On the other hand, the men whom he represented as defeated and beleaguered are suddenly reported as having broken out, pursued their enemies, taken control of the open country and finally placed Syracuse under siege. It is impossible to reconcile the two versions of events, so it follows that either his account of the earlier or else of the later operations must be false. It is the former which is inaccurate. The Syracusans and the Carthaginians actually did abandon the open country, and the Romans immediately began to make war on Syracuse, and, as he says, on Echetla too, a town which lies between Syracuse and Carthaginian territory. We must therefore admit that the first part of Philinus' report is false, and that this historian represents the Romans as having been defeated in the fighting in front of Messana, whereas in fact they had been victorious. We shall find that this fault is repeated throughout Philinus' history, and the case is similar in that of Fabius, as I shall show when the occasion arises. At any rate I have made my point in respect of this digression, and shall now return to the matter in hand and do my utmost to give a true picture of this war, taking a short road and confining my narrative strictly to the order of events.

Polybius critiques his sources: has scholarship seen any major changes in the intervening 2000 years?

Comments

[mazrj.livejournal.com]

Closest book is a little ones board book :D which could have been interesting, but it only has 12 pages.