Roman Embassy Report and War against the Delmatians — Polybius, The Histories Book 32 (32.13.1–32.13.9), Greek & English

§32.13.1

ὅτι¹ τῶν περὶ τὸν Γάιον Φάννιον παραγεγονότων ἐκ τῆς Ἰλλυρίδος καὶ διασαφούντων ὅτι τοσοῦτον ἀπέχοιεν οἱ Δελματεῖς τοῦ διορθοῦσθαί τι τῶν ἐγκαλουμένων πρὸς τοὺς ὑπʼ αὐτῶν φάσκοντας ἀδικεῖσθαι συνεχῶς, ὡς² οὐδὲ λόγον ἐπιδέχοιντο καθόλου παρʼ αὐτῶν, λέγοντες οὐδὲν αὑτοῖς εἶναι καὶ Ῥωμαίοις κοινόν· πρὸς δὲ τούτοις διεσάφουν μήτε κατάλυμα δοθῆναι σφίσι μήτε παροχήν, ἀλλὰ καὶ τοὺς ἵππους, οὓς εἶχον παρʼ ἑτέρας πόλεως, ἀφελέσθαι τοὺς Δελματεῖς μετὰ βίας αὑτῶν·

When the embassy under Gaius Fannius returned from Illyria and reported that the Delmatians were so far from correcting any of the grievances complained of by those who claimed to be continually wronged by them, that they would not even admit any discussion at all with them, saying that they had nothing in common with the Romans; and in addition to this, they reported that neither lodging nor provisions were given to them, but that the Delmatians had even violently taken away the horses which they had obtained from another city;

§32.13.3

ἑτοίμους δʼ εἶναι καὶ τὰς χεῖρας προσάγειν, εἰ μὴ συνείξαντες τῷ καιρῷ μετὰ πολλῆς ἡσυχίας ἐποιήσαντο τὴν ἀπόλυσιν.³

and that they were even ready to lay hands on them, if they had not yielded to the occasion and made their departure in deep silence.

§32.13.4

ὧν ἡ σύγκλητος ἀκούσασα μετʼ ἐπιστάσεως ἠγανάκτει μὲν καὶ ἐπὶ τῇ τῶν Δελματέων ἀπειθείᾳ καὶ σκαιότητι, τὸ δὲ πλεῖστον ὑπέλαβε τὸν καιρὸν ἐπιτήδειον εἶναι πρὸς τὸ πολεμῆσαι τοῖς προειρημένοις διὰ πλείους αἰτίας.

The senate, having heard these things with attention, was indeed indignant at the disobedience and rudeness of the Delmatians, but above all it considered the occasion to be opportune for making war on the aforementioned people for several reasons.

§32.13.5

τά τε γὰρ μέρη ταῦτα τῆς Ἰλλυρίδος τὰ νεύοντα πρὸς τὸν Ἀδρίαν ἀνεπίσκεπτα τελέως ἦν αὐτοῖς, ἐξ οὗ⁴ Δημήτριον τὸν Φάριον ἐξέβαλον, τούς τε κατὰ τὴν Ἰταλίαν ἀνθρώπους οὐκ ἐβούλοντο κατʼ οὐδένα τρόπον ἀποθηλύνεσθαι διὰ τὴν πολυχρόνιον εἰρήνην·

For those parts of Illyria which face the Adriatic had been entirely neglected by them ever since they expelled Demetrius of Pharos, and they did not wish the people in Italy to become in any way effeminate through the long-continued peace;

§32.13.7

ἔτος γὰρ ἦν τότε δωδέκατον ἀπὸ τοῦ πρὸς Περσέα πολέμου καὶ τῶν ἐν Μακεδονίᾳ πράξεων. διόπερ ἐβουλεύοντο, πόλεμον ἐνστησάμενοι πρὸς τοὺς προειρημένους ἅμα μὲν ὡσανεὶ καινοποιῆσαι τὰς ὁρμὰς καὶ προθυμίας τῶν ἰδίων ὄχλων, ἅμα δὲ καταπληξάμενοι τοὺς Ἰλλυριοὺς ἀναγκάσαι πειθαρχεῖν τοῖς ὑπʼ αὐτῶν παραγγελλομένοις.

for it was then the twelfth year since the war against Perseus and the operations in Macedonia. Therefore, they resolved, by undertaking a war against the aforementioned, on the one hand, as it were, to renew the impulses and enthusiasm of their own populace, and on the other hand, by striking terror into the Illyrians, to compel them to obey their commands.

§32.13.9

αὗται μὲν οὖν ἦσαν αἰτίαι διʼ ἃς ἐπολέμησαν Ῥωμαῖοι Δελματεῦσι· τοῖς γε μὴν ἐκτὸς τὸν πόλεμον ἀνεδείκνυον, ὡς διὰ τὴν εἰς τοὺς πρεσβευτὰς ὕβριν κεκρικότες πολεμεῖν. —

These, then, were the causes for which the Romans made war on the Delmatians; but to the outside world they announced the war as if they had decided to fight because of the insult to their ambassadors. —

Syntax notes4 items

32.13.1ὅτι
This ὅτι is typical of Byzantine historical excerpts (Excerpta), serving to introduce a summarized narrative segment. The whole passage functions as a substantive clause detailing how the senate responded to the embassy's report.
32.13.1τοσοῦτον ἀπέχοιεν ... τοῦ διορθοῦσθαί ... ὡς ...
A correlative construction expressing degree: 'they were so far (τοσοῦτον ἀπέχοιεν) from correcting... (genitive infinitive τοῦ διορθοῦσθαι) that (ὡς)...'. The optatives ἀπέχοιεν and ἐπιδέχοιντο are oblique optatives representing the report in past sequence.
32.13.3εἰ μὴ συνείξαντες τῷ καιρῷ μετὰ πολλῆς ἡσυχίας ἐποιήσαντο τὴν ἀπόλυσιν
An unreal conditional sentence in past time. The apodosis is represented by the infinitive ἑτοίμους δʼ εἶναι (equivalent to ἑτοῖμοι ἦσαν in direct speech). It states that the Delmatians would have laid hands on them if the ambassadors had not yielded (participial adjunct συνείξαντες agreeing with the subject of the conditional clause) and made their departure quietly.
32.13.6ἐξ οὗ
A prepositional phrase with the neuter relative pronoun, functioning adverbially to mean 'ever since' (equivalent to 'since the time when'). It refers back to the expulsion of Demetrius of Pharos in the Second Illyrian War (219 BC), after which the region was neglected.

Translated by Gemini 3.5 Flash (published 2026-05-25) · Revision history (1, latest 2026-10-09)

2026-10-09 Collated with the printed edition — source 1

urn:cts:greekLit:tlg0543.tlg001.humanitext-grc2:32.13.1-32.13.9