Failed Conference between Flamininus and Philip and Battle — Livy, History of Rome Book 32 (32.10.1–32.10.12), Latin & English

§32.10.1

diesque quadraginta sine ullo conatu sedentes in conspectu hostium absumpserant. inde spes data Philippo est per Epirotarum gentem temptandae pacis;

And they had spent forty days sitting in the sight of the enemy without making any attempt. Thereupon hope was given to Philip of attempting peace through the nation of the Epirotes;

§32.10.2

habitoque concilio delecti ad eam rem agendam Pausanias praetor et Alexander magister equitum consulem et regem, ubi in artissimas ripas Aous cogitur amnis, in conloquium adduxerunt.

and having held a council, Pausanias the praetor and Alexander the master of the horse, who had been chosen to conduct that matter, brought the consul and the king to a conference, where the river Aous is confined within very narrow banks.

§32.10.3

summa postulatorum consulis erat: praesidia ex civitatibus rex deduceret; iis, quorum agros urbesque populatus esset, redderet res, quae comparerent; ceterorum aequo arbitrio aestimatio fieret.

The substance of the consul’s demands was: the king should withdraw his garrisons from the cities; to those whose lands and cities he had plundered, he should restore such property as was visible; for the rest, an estimation should be made by a fair arbitration.

§32.10.4

Philippus aliam aliarum civitatium condicionem esse respondit: quas ipse cepisset, eas liberaturum; quae sibi traditae a maioribus essent, earum hereditaria ac iusta possessione non excessurum.

Philip replied that the condition of the various cities was different: those which he himself had captured, he would liberate; but from those which had been handed down to him by his ancestors, he would not withdraw from their hereditary and lawful possession.

§32.10.5

si quas quererentur belli clades eae civitates, cum quibus bellatum foret, arbitro quo vellent populorum,¹ cum quibus pax utrisque fuisset, se usurum.

If those cities with which war had been waged should complain of any losses of war, he would submit to the arbitration of whichever of the nations they wished, with which there had been peace for both parties.

§32.10.6

consul nihil ad id quidem arbitro aut iudice opus esse dicere; cui enim non apparere² ab eo, qui prior arma intulisset, iniuriam ortam, nec Philippum ab ullis bello lacessitum priorem vim omnibus fecisse?

The consul said that there was no need at all of any arbitrator or judge for that matter; for to whom was it not clear that the injury had arisen from him who first brought arms, and that Philip, unprovoked by any in war, had been the first to use violence against all?

§32.10.7

inde cum ageretur, quae civitates liberandae essent, Thessalos primos omnium nominavit consul. ad id vero adeo accensus indignatione est rex, ut exclamaret: “quid victo gravius imperares, T. Quincti?”, atque ita se ex colloquio proripuit; et temperatum aegre est, quin³ missilibus, quia dirempti medio amni fuerant, pugnam inter se consererent.

When it was then discussed which cities were to be liberated, the consul named the Thessalians first of all. At this indeed the king was so inflamed with indignation that he exclaimed: “What more severe command would you impose upon a vanquished foe, Titus Quinctius?” and thus he flung himself out of the conference; and it was with difficulty restrained from their joining battle with one another with missiles, because they had been separated by the middle of the river.

§32.10.9

postero die per excursiones ab stationibus primo in planitie satis ad id patenti multa levia commissa proelia sunt;

On the following day, by excursions from the stations, many light battles were joined at first in a plain sufficiently open for that purpose;

§32.10.10

deinde recipientibus se regiis in arta et confragosa loca aviditate accensi certaminis eo quoque Romani penetravere.

then, as the king’s men retreated into narrow and rugged places, the Romans, inflamed with the eagerness for battle, penetrated thither also.

§32.10.11

pro his ordo et militaris disciplina et genus armorum erat, aptum tegendis corporibus; pro hoste loca et catapultae ballistaeque in omnibus prope rupibus quasi in muro dispositae.

For these, their order, military discipline, and the kind of weapons, suitable for protecting their bodies, was an advantage; for the enemy, the terrain, and the catapults and ballistas placed on almost all the cliffs as if upon a wall.

§32.10.12

multis hinc atque illinc vulneribus acceptis, cum etiam, ut in proelio iusto, aliquot cecidissent, nox pugnae finem fecit.

Having received many wounds on this side and on that, when some had even fallen, as in a regular battle, night put an end to the fighting.

Syntax notes3 items

32.10.5arbitro quo vellent populorum
arbitro is an ablative functioning as the object of usurum [esse] (from utor). populorum is a partitive genitive, but the antecedent has been incorporated into the relative clause quo vellent, structurally equivalent to populorum eorum, quos vellent ('of those nations which they wished').
32.10.6cui enim non apparere
In the indirect discourse (Oratio Obliqua) introduced by the historical infinitive dicere, a rhetorical question of the third person ('to whom was it not clear?') is expressed by the accusative with infinitive (cui ... apparere) rather than the subjunctive.
32.10.8temperatum aegre est, quin
temperatum est is an impersonal passive meaning 'it was restrained/refrained.' Since it contains a negative or preventive sense, it is followed by quin with the subjunctive (consererent) to mean 'from joining [battle].'

Translated by Gemini 3.5 Flash (published 2026-05-25)urn:cts:latinLit:phi0914.phi001.humanitext-lat2:32.10.1-32.10.12