Roman Embassy to Hannibal over Saguntum — Polybius, The Histories Book 3 (3.15.1–3.15.13), Greek & English

§3.15.1

οἱ δὲ Ζακανθαῖοι συνεχῶς ἔπεμπον εἰς τὴν Ῥώμην, ἅμα μὲν ἀγωνιῶντες περὶ σφῶν καὶ προορώμενοι τὸ μέλλον, ἅμα δὲ βουλόμενοι μὴ λανθάνειν Ῥωμαίους τὴν γινομένην εὔροιαν¹ Καρχηδονίοις τῶν κατʼ Ἰβηρίαν πραγμάτων.

Meanwhile, the Saguntines continually sent envoys to Rome, partly because they were anxious about themselves and foresaw the future, and partly because they did not wish the successful progress of Carthaginian affairs in Iberia to escape the notice of the Romans.

§3.15.2

Ῥωμαῖοι δὲ πλεονάκις αὐτῶν παρακηκοότες τότε πρεσβευτὰς ἐξαπέστειλαν τοὺς ἐπισκεψομένους ὑπὲρ τῶν προσπιπτόντων.

The Romans, having repeatedly disregarded them, then sent ambassadors to investigate what was reported.

§3.15.3

Ἀννίβας δὲ κατὰ τοὺς αὐτοὺς καιροὺς πεποιημένος ὑφʼ αὑτὸν οὓς προέθετο παρῆν αὖθις μετὰ τῶν δυνάμεων παραχειμάσων εἰς Καινὴν πόλιν, ἥτις ὡσανεὶ πρόσχημα καὶ βασίλειον ἦν Καρχηδονίων ἐν τοῖς κατὰ τὴν Ἰβηρίαν τόποις.

Around the same time, Hannibal, having brought under his power those whom he had intended, arrived again with his forces to winter in New Carthage, which was as it were the stronghold and capital of the Carthaginians in the regions of Iberia.

§3.15.4

καταλαβὼν δὲ τὴν παρὰ τῶν Ῥωμαίων πρεσβείαν καὶ δοὺς αὑτὸν εἰς ἔντευξιν διήκουε περὶ τῶν ἐνεστώτων.

Finding there the embassy from the Romans, and admitting them to an audience, he listened to them concerning the current matters.

§3.15.5

Ῥωμαῖοι μὲν οὖν διεμαρτύροντο Ζακανθαίων ἀπέχεσθαι — κεῖσθαι γὰρ αὐτοὺς² ἐν τῇ σφετέρᾳ πίστει — καὶ τὸν Ἴβηρα ποταμὸν μὴ διαβαίνειν κατὰ τὰς ἐπʼ Ἀσδρούβου γενομένας ὁμολογίας.

The Romans, then, protested that he should keep his hands off the Saguntines—for they were under Roman protection—and not cross the river Ebro, according to the agreements made in the time of Hasdrubal.

§3.15.6

ὁ δʼ Ἀννίβας, ἅτε νέος μὲν ὤν, πλήρης δὲ πολεμικῆς ὁρμῆς, ἐπιτυχὴς δʼ ἐν ταῖς ἐπιβολαῖς, πάλαι δὲ παρωρμημένος πρὸς τὴν κατὰ Ῥωμαίων ἔχθραν, πρὸς μὲν ἐκείνους, ὡς κηδόμενος Ζακανθαίων, ἐνεκάλει Ῥωμαίοις διότι μικροῖς ἔμπροσθεν χρόνοις, στασιαζόντων αὐτῶν, λαβόντες τὴν ἐπιτροπὴν [εἰς τὸ διαλῦσαι] ἀδίκως ἐπανέλοιντό τινας τῶν προεστώτων· οὓς οὐ περιόψεσθαι παρεσπονδημένους·³ πάτριον γὰρ εἶναι Καρχηδονίοις τὸ μηδένα τῶν ἀδικουμένων περιορᾶν·

But Hannibal, being young and full of martial spirit, successful in his enterprises, and long since stirred up to enmity against the Romans, to them, pretending to care for the Saguntines, accused the Romans of having unjustly put to death some of their leading men when, a short time before, they were in a state of sedition and had accepted Roman arbitration; and he said he would not overlook them who had been treated with treachery, for it was an ancestral custom of the Carthaginians not to overlook any who were wronged.

§3.15.8

πρὸς δὲ Καρχηδονίους διεπέμπετο, πυνθανόμενος τί δεῖ ποιεῖν, ὅτι Ζακανθαῖοι πιστεύοντες τῇ Ῥωμαίων συμμαχίᾳ τινὰς τῶν ὑφʼ αὑτοὺς ταττομένων ἀδικοῦσι.

While to Carthage he sent messengers, asking what he should do, saying that the Saguntines, relying on their alliance with Rome, were wronging some of those subject to Carthage.

§3.15.9

καθόλου δʼ ἦν πλήρης ἀλογίας καὶ θυμοῦ βιαίου· διὸ καὶ ταῖς μὲν ἀληθιναῖς αἰτίαις οὐκ ἐχρῆτο, κατέφευγε δʼ εἰς προφάσεις ἀλόγους· ἅπερ εἰώθασι ποιεῖν οἱ διὰ τὰς προεγκαθημένας αὐτοῖς ὁρμὰς ὀλιγωροῦντες τοῦ καθήκοντος.

In general, he was full of irrationality and violent anger; therefore, he did not employ the true causes, but took refuge in unreasonable pretexts, which is what those who disregard duty because of pre-existing impulses are accustomed to do.

§3.15.10

πόσῳ γὰρ ἦν ἄμεινον⁴ οἴεσθαι δεῖν Ῥωμαίους ἀποδοῦναι σφίσι Σαρδόνα καὶ τοὺς ἐπιταχθέντας ἅμα ταύτῃ φόρους, οὓς τοῖς καιροῖς συνεπιθέμενοι πρότερον ἀδίκως παρʼ αὐτῶν ἔλαβον· εἰ δὲ μή, φάναι πολεμήσειν;

For how much better would it have been to demand that the Romans restore to them Sardinia and the tribute imposed along with it, which they had previously taken from them unjustly by taking advantage of the circumstances, and otherwise, to declare that they would make war?

§3.15.11

νῦν δὲ τὴν μὲν οὖσαν αἰτίαν ἀληθινὴν παρασιωπῶν, τὴν δʼ οὐχ ὑπάρχουσαν περὶ Ζακανθαίων πλάττων, οὐ μόνον ἀλόγως, ἔτι δὲ μᾶλλον ἀδίκως κατάρχειν ἐδόκει τοῦ πολέμου.

But as it was, by keeping silent about the true cause which existed, and inventing one about the Saguntines which did not exist, he seemed to be beginning the war not only unreasonably, but still more unjustly.

§3.15.12

οἱ δὲ τῶν Ῥωμαίων πρέσβεις, ὅτι μὲν εἴη πολεμητέον σαφῶς εἰδότες, ἀπέπλευσαν εἰς Καρχηδόνα, τὰ παραπλήσια θέλοντες ἐπιμαρτύρασθαι κἀκείνους·

The Roman ambassadors, knowing clearly that they would have to fight a war, sailed away to Carthage, wishing to protest to them as well in a similar manner.

§3.15.13

οὐ μὴν ἐν Ἰταλίᾳ γε πολεμήσειν ἤλπισαν, ἀλλʼ ἐν Ἰβηρίᾳ, χρήσεσθαι δὲ πρὸς τὸν πόλεμον ὁρμητηρίῳ τῇ Ζακανθαίων πόλει.

Indeed, they did not expect that they would fight the war in Italy, but in Iberia, and that they would use the city of the Saguntines as a base of operations for the war.

Syntax notes4 items

3.15.1μὴ λανθάνειν Ῥωμαίους τὴν γινομένην εὔροιαν
The verb λανθάνειν, which typically means 'to escape the notice of' and takes an accusative of person, here functions in a construction with a double accusative (or one of person, Ῥωμαίους, and one of thing, τὴν γινομένην εὔροιαν), meaning 'not to let the successful progress of Carthaginian affairs escape the notice of the Romans.'
3.15.5κεῖσθαι γὰρ αὐτοὺς
Although this is a causal clause introduced by the conjunction γάρ, it takes the form of an accusative with infinitive (κεῖσθαι αὐτούς) because it remains under the influence of the indirect speech introduced by the main verb διεμαρτύροντο.
3.15.7οὓς οὐ περιόψεσθαι παρεσπονδημένους
Due to the continuation of the indirect speech, the clause introduced by the relative pronoun οὕς uses the infinitive περιόψεσθαι. The participle παρεσπονδημένους ('having had treaties broken against them') functions as a predicative participle with περιόψεσθαι ('to overlook them being wronged').
3.15.10πόσῳ γὰρ ἦν ἄμεινον
The imperfect ἦν in the impersonal expression ἦν ἄμεινον, even without the particle ἄν, expresses a counterfactual or unfulfilled past possibility ('how much better it would have been to...'). The implied subject of the following infinitives (οἴεσθαι δεῖν... and φάναι) is Hannibal (or the Carthaginians).

Translated by Gemini 3.5 Flash (published 2026-05-25) · Revision history (1, latest 2026-09-21)

2026-09-21 AI review — translation 1

urn:cts:greekLit:tlg0543.tlg001.humanitext-grc2:3.15.1-3.15.13