- Source
- Titi Livi ab urbe condita libri editionem priman, Pars I-IV, Libri I-XL. Editio Stereotypica. Weissenborn, Wilhelm; Mueller, Moritz, editors. Leipzig: Teubner, 1884-1911.
- Translation
- AI-generated (gemini-3.5-flash) — machine translation; may contain errors
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- CTS URN
- urn:cts:latinLit:phi0914.phi001.humanitext-lat2:32.19.1-32.19.13
- Generated
- Humanitext Reader · reader.humanitext.ai · 2026-11-07
While besieging Elatia, the consul begins negotiations to bring the Achaean League over to the Roman alliance. At a council held in Sicyon, ambassadors from Rome and various nations present their arguments, resulting in a day-long series of speeches.
Elatiam obsidenti consuli rei maioris spes adfulsit, Achaeorum gentem ab societate regia in Romanam amicitiam avertendi.
To the consul besieging Elatia, a hope of a greater matter shone forth, of turning the nation of the Achaeans from the royal alliance to Roman friendship.
Cycliadan, principem factionis ad Philippum trahentium1 res, expulerant; Aristaenus, qui Romanis gentem iungi volebat, praetor erat.
They had expelled Cycliadas, the leader of the faction of those drawing matters toward Philip; Aristaenus, who wished the nation to be joined to the Romans, was praetor.
classis Romana cum Attalo et Rhodiis Cenchreis stabat, parabantque communi omnes consilio Corinthum oppugnare.
The Roman fleet with Attalus and the Rhodians was stationed at Cenchreae, and they were all preparing by common counsel to attack Corinth.
optimum igitur ratus est, priusquam eam rem adgrederentur, legatos ad gentem Achaeorum mitti pollicentis,2 si ab rege ad Romanos defecissent, Corinthum contributuros in anticum gentis concilium.
Therefore, he thought it best, before they should undertake that matter, that ambassadors be sent to the nation of the Achaeans, promising that, if they should defect from the king to the Romans, they would annex Corinth into the ancient council of the nation.
auctore consule legati a fratre eius L. Quinctio et Attalo et Rhodiis et Atheniensibus ad Achaeos missi.
By the advice of the consul, ambassadors were sent to the Achaeans by his brother L. Quinctius, and by Attalus, and the Rhodians, and the Athenians.
Sicyone datum est iis concilium. erat autem non admodum simplex habitus inter Achaeos animorum: terrebat Nabis Lacedaemonius, gravis et adsiduus hostis;
A council was granted to them at Sicyon. But the state of minds among the Achaeans was not altogether simple: Nabis the Lacedaemonian, a heavy and constant enemy, terrified them;
horrebant Romana arma; Macedonum beneficiis et veteribus et recentibus obligati erant; regem ipsum suspectum habebant pro eius crudelitate perfidiaque, neque ex iis, quae tum ad tempus faceret, aestimantes graviorem post bellum dominum futurum cernebant.3
they dreaded Roman arms; they were bound by the benefits of the Macedonians, both ancient and recent; they held the king himself suspect on account of his cruelty and perfidy, nor, judging from those things which he was then doing to suit the time, did they fail to perceive that he would be a harsher master after the war.
neque solum, quid in senatu quisque civitatis suae aut in communibus conciliis gentis pro sententia dicerent, ignorabant, sed ne ipsis quidem secum cogitantibus, quid vellent aut quid optarent, satis constabat. ad homines ita incertos introductis legatis potestas dicendi facta est.
And not only were they ignorant of what each should say as his opinion in the senate of his own state or in the common councils of the nation, but it was not even sufficiently clear to themselves, as they pondered with themselves, what they wished or what they hoped for. To men so uncertain, when the ambassadors had been introduced, the power of speaking was given.
Romanus primum legatus L. Calpurnius, deinde Attali regis legati, post eos Rhodii disseruerunt;
First the Roman ambassador L. Calpurnius, then the ambassadors of King Attalus, and after them the Rhodians spoke;
Philippi deinde legatis potestas dicendi facta est; postremi Athenienses, ut refellerent Macedonum dicta, auditi sunt. ii fere atrocissime in regem, quia nulli nec plura nec tam acerba passi erant, invecti sunt.
then the power of speaking was given to the ambassadors of Philip; last of all, the Athenians were heard, that they might refute the words of the Macedonians. These inveighed against the king almost most fiercely, because no others had suffered either more or such bitter things.
et illa quidem contio sub occasum solis tot legatorum perpetuis orationibus die absumpto dimissa est.
And indeed that assembly was dismissed near the setting of the sun, the day having been consumed by the continuous speeches of so many ambassadors.
- 32.19.2trahentium
The present participle trahentium is in the genitive plural, modifying an implied pronoun eorum (those who...), and restricts or describes the content of factionis ('the faction [of those] drawing matters toward Philip').
- 32.19.4pollicentis
This is an alternative spelling with the ending -is instead of the classical accusative plural -es (pollicentes), modifying the preceding noun legatos (ambassadors). The subsequent contributuros [esse] is a future active infinitive, whose logical subject is the Romans (Romanos), not the ambassadors themselves.
- 32.19.8neque ... cernebant
Taking the negative neque with the verb cernebant. It functions as a litotes ('nor did they fail to perceive', i.e., 'they clearly foresaw'). Paralleling the preceding suspectum habebant (they held him suspect), it indicates that the Achaeans realistically perceived Philip's true intentions.