- Source
- Polybius. Vols. 1-4. Büttner-Wobst, Theodor, editor. Leipzig: Teubner, 1893.
- Translation
- AI-generated (gemini-3.5-flash) — machine translation; may contain errors
- Languages
- 日本語 · English · 简体中文 · 한국어
- CTS URN
- urn:cts:greekLit:tlg0543.tlg001.humanitext-grc2:35.2.1-35.2.15
- Generated
- Humanitext Reader · reader.humanitext.ai · 2026-11-12
The envoys from the Roman allies Belli and Titti, as well as those from the hostile Aravacae, are granted an audience before the Roman Senate and deliver speeches representing their respective positions.
ὅτι ἐπειδὴ1 οἱ Κελτίβηρες ἀνοχὰς ποιησάμενοι πρὸς Μάρκον Κλαύδιον τὸν στρατηγὸν τῶν Ῥωμαίων ἐξαπέστειλαν τὰς πρεσβείας εἰς τὴν Ῥώμην, οὗτοι μὲν τὴν ἡσυχίαν ἦγον, καραδοκοῦντες τὴν ἀπόφασιν τῆς συγκλήτου, Μάρκος δὲ στρατεύσας εἰς τοὺς Λυσιτανοὺς καὶ τὴν Νερκόβρικα πόλιν κατὰ κράτος ἑλὼν ἐν Κορδύβᾳ τὴν παραχειμασίαν ἐποιεῖτο.
When the Celtiberians, having made a truce with Marcus Claudius, the commander of the Romans, dispatched embassies to Rome, they remained quiet, waiting in expectation of the decision of the senate. Marcus, on his part, made an expedition against the Lusitanians, and having taken the city of Nercobrica by force, took up his winter quarters in Corduba.
τῶν δὲ πρέσβεων εἰς τὴν Ῥώμην παραγενομένων, τοὺς μὲν παρὰ τῶν Βελλῶν καὶ Τίττων, ὅσοι τὰ Ῥωμαίων ᾑροῦντο, παρεδέξαντο πάντας εἰς τὴν πόλιν, τοὺς δὲ παρὰ τῶν Ἀραυακῶν πέραν τοῦ Τιβέρεως ἐκέλευσαν κατασκηνοῦν διὰ τὸ πολεμίους ὑπάρχειν, ἕως βουλεύσωνται περὶ τῶν ὅλων.
When the envoys arrived in Rome, they received into the city all those from the Belli and Titti who favored the cause of the Romans, but they ordered those from the Aravacae to encamp on the other side of the Tiber because they were enemies, until they should deliberate on the whole matter.
γενομένου δὲ καιροῦ πρὸς ἔντευξιν, κατὰ πόλιν ὁ στρατηγὸς εἰσῆγε τοὺς συμμάχους.
When the time for the audience arrived, the praetor in the city introduced the allies.
οἱ δὲ καίπερ ὄντες βάρβαροι διετίθεντο λόγους καὶ πάσας ἐξευκρινεῖν ἐπειρῶντο τὰς διαφοράς, ὑποδεικνύντες ὡς, εἰ μὴ συσταλήσονται καὶ τεύξονται τῆς ἁρμοζούσης κολάσεως οἱ πεπολεμηκότες, παραυτίκα μέν, ἐπανελθόντων τῶν Ῥωμαϊκῶν στρατοπέδων ἐκ τῆς Ἰβηρίας, ἐκ χειρὸς προσεπιθήσουσι τὴν δίκην αὐτοῖς.2 ὡς προδόταις γεγονόσι,3 ταχὺ δὲ πάλιν αὐτοὶ κινήσουσι πραγμάτων ἀρχήν, ἐὰν ἀνεπιτίμητοι διαφύγωσιν ἐκ τῆς πρώτης ἁμαρτίας, ἑτοίμους δὲ πάντας πρὸς καινοτομίαν ποιήσουσι τοὺς κατὰ τὴν Ἰβηρίαν, ὡς ἱκανοὶ γεγονότες ἀντίπαλοι Ῥωμαίοις.
Although they were barbarians, they delivered well-ordered speeches and tried to clear up all the points of dispute, pointing out that, if those who had made war were not repressed and did not receive fitting punishment, immediately, upon the departure of the Roman legions from Iberia, they would inflict vengeance upon them with their own hands, on the ground of their having become traitors; and that they would soon again start a fresh disturbance themselves, if they escaped unpunished for their first offense, and would make all the inhabitants of Iberia ready for revolt, as having proved themselves capable of matching the Romans.
διόπερ ἠξίουν ἢ μένειν τὰ στρατόπεδα κατὰ τὴν Ἰβηρίαν καὶ διαβαίνειν καθʼ ἕκαστον ἔτος ὕπατον ἐφεδρεύσοντα τοῖς συμμάχοις καὶ κολάσοντα τὰς Ἀραυακῶν ἀδικίας, ἢ βουλομένους ἀπάγειν τὰς δυνάμεις παραδειγματιστέον εἶναι4 τὴν τῶν προειρημένων ἐπανάστασιν, ἵνα μηδεὶς ἔτι ποιεῖν θαρρῇ τὸ παραπλήσιον τούτοις.
For this reason, they requested either that the legions should remain in Iberia and a consul should cross over every year to watch over the allies and punish the injustices of the Aravacae, or, if they wished to withdraw their forces, that they should make an example of the rebellion of the aforementioned people, so that no one would dare to do the like hereafter.
οἱ μὲν οὖν Βελλῶν καὶ Τίττων συμμαχοῦντες Ῥωμαίοις ταῦτα καὶ τὰ τούτοις παραπλήσια διελέχθησαν.
Such, then, was the discourse of those of the Belli and Titti who were in alliance with the Romans.
ἐπὶ δὲ τούτοις εἰσῆγον τοὺς παρὰ τῶν πολεμίων.
After this, they introduced the envoys from the enemy.
οἱ δʼ Ἀραυάκαι παρελθόντες κατὰ μὲν τὴν ὑπόκρισιν ἐχρῶντο τοῖς λόγοις ὑποπεπτωκότως καὶ ταπεινῶς, τῇ γε μὴν προαιρέσει5 [ὡς] διέφαινον οὐκ εἰκούσῃ τοῖς ὅλοις οὐδʼ ἡττωμένῃ.
The Aravacae, coming forward, in their external behavior used submissive and humble language, but in their real purpose they showed a spirit that did not yield at all nor confess defeat.
καὶ γὰρ τὰ τῆς τύχης ἄδηλα πολλάκις ὑπεδείκνυον καὶ τὰς προγεγενημένας μάχας ἀμφιδηρίτους ποιοῦντες ἐν πάσαις ἔμφασιν ἀπέλειπον ὡς ἐπικυδεστέρων αὐτῶν γεγονότων.
For they frequently pointed out the uncertainty of fortune, and representing the past battles as doubtful, they left an impression in all of them of their having been more glorious.
τέλος δʼ ἦν τῶν λόγων· εἰ μέν τι δεῖ ῥητὸν πρόστιμον ὑπομένειν τῆς ἀγνοίας, ἀναδέχεσθαι τοῦτʼ ἔφασαν, τελεσθέντος δὲ τοῦ προστάγματος ἐπανάγειν ἠξίουν ἐπὶ τὰς κατὰ Τεβέριον ὁμολογίας αὐτοῖς γενομένας πρὸς τὴν σύγκλητον.
The conclusion of their speech was: if they must undergo any specified penalty for their ignorance, they said they would submit to it, but when the command was fulfilled, they requested to return to the treaty made with them in the time of Tiberius by the senate.
- 35.2.1ὅτι ἐπειδὴ
The introductory ὅτι indicating that the text is an excerpt (from the Excerpta). In translation, it is omitted as a grammatical particle and the sentence is translated directly starting from ἐπειδὴ.
- 35.2.7ἐκ χειρὸς προσεπιθήσουσι τὴν δίκην αὐτοῖς
The dative pronoun αὐτοῖς ("to them") refers contextually to the Roman allies (the Belli and Titti, who are the speakers), whom the hostile Aravacae would retaliate against directly, as implied by the preceding genitive absolute "upon the departure of the Roman legions" (ἐπανελθόντων τῶν Ῥωμαϊκῶν στρατοπέδων).
- 35.2.8ὡς προδόταις γεγονόσι
The dative participle γεγονόσι with ὡς, agreeing with the dative pronoun αὐτοῖς in 35.2.7. It expresses the subjective reason (ὡς) why the Aravacae would attack the allies, treating them "as having become traitors" by siding with Rome.
- 35.2.10παραδειγματιστέον εἶναι
An impersonal (or passive with the object "rebellion" ἐπανάστασις as subject) infinitive construction with the verbal adjective παραδειγματιστέον ("must be made an example of"). It depends on the main verb ἠξίουν ("they requested"), with the logical agent (the Romans) being omitted.
- 35.2.13τῇ γε μὴν προαιρέσει
The dative of respect προαιρέσει ("in their real purpose/resolve") is set in contrast with the preceding prepositional phrase κατὰ μὲν τὴν ὑπόκρισιν ("in their outward behavior") by the particles μέν... δέ (γε μήν), highlighting the contrast between the external submission and internal defiance of the Aravacae.
Translated by Gemini 3.5 Flash (published 2026-05-25) · Revision history (1, latest 2026-09-21)
- 2026-09-21 AI review — note 1