- 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
- Languages
- 日本語 · English · 简体中文 · 한국어
- CTS URN
- urn:cts:latinLit:phi0914.phi001.humanitext-lat2:34.24.1-34.24.7
- Generated
- Humanitext Reader · reader.humanitext.ai · 2026-11-08
Aristaenus of the Achaeans vehemently denounces the Aetolians as savage plunderers and implores Roman intervention. In response, Flamininus submits the question of war against Nabis to the council, and war is unanimously decreed.
haec vaniloquentia primum Aristaenum praetorem Achaeorum, excitavit.
These empty words first aroused Aristaenus, the praetor of the Achaeans.
“ne istuc” inquit “Iuppiter optimus maximus sirit Iunoque regina, cuius in tutela Argi sunt, ut1 illa civitas inter tyrannum Lacedaemonium et latrones Aetolos praemium sit posita in eo discrimine, ut miserius a vobis recipiatur, quam ab illo capta est.
“May Jupiter, Best and Greatest,” he said, “and Queen Juno, under whose protection Argos is, never permit this: namely, that that city should be placed in such peril as to be a prize between the Lacedaemonian tyrant and the Aetolian robbers, so that it should be recovered by you more miserably than it was captured by him.
mare interiectum ab istis praedonibus non tuetur nos, T. Quincti; quid, si in media Peloponneso arcem sibi fecerint, futurum nobis est? linguam tantum Graecorum habent, sicut speciem hominum;
The intervening sea does not protect us from those plunderers, Titus Quinctius; what, then, will become of us if they establish a stronghold for themselves in the middle of the Peloponnese? They possess only the language of the Greeks, just as they have the appearance of men;
moribus ritibusque efferatioribus quam ulli barbari, immo quam immanes beluae vivunt. itaque vos rogamus, Romani, ut et ab Nabide Argos reciperetis et ita res Graeciae constituatis, ut ab latrocinio quoque Aetolorum satis pacata haec relinquatis.”
they live with customs and rites more savage than any barbarians, indeed, than monstrous beasts. Therefore we entreat you, Romans, both to recover Argos from Nabis, and to settle the affairs of Greece in such a way that you leave this country sufficiently pacified from the robbery of the Aetolians as well.”
Romanus, cunctis undique increpantibus Aetolos, responsurum se fuisse iis dixit, nisi ita infensos omnis in eos videret,2 ut sedandi potius quam irritandi essent.3
The Roman, while everyone from all sides was railing against the Aetolians, said that he would have answered them, had he not seen that everyone was so incensed against them that they ought to be appeased rather than provoked.
contentum itaque opinione ea, quae de Romanis Aetolisque esset, referre se dixit, quid de Nabidis bello placeret, nisi redderet Achaeis Argos.
Therefore, saying that he was content with the opinion that existed concerning the Romans and Aetolians, he stated that he was bringing forward the question of what was pleased regarding the war with Nabis, unless he should restore Argos to the Achaeans.
cum omnes bellum decressent, auxilia ut pro viribus suis quaeque civitates mitterent, est hortatus. ad Aetolos legatum etiam misit, magis ut nudaret animos, id quod evenit, quam spe4 impetrari posse.
When everyone had decreed war, he exhorted each of the states to send auxiliary forces according to their strength. He also sent an envoy to the Aetolians, more to lay bare their intentions, as indeed happened, than in the hope that his demand could be obtained.
- 34.24.2ne istuc ... sirit ... ut ...
sirit is an archaic syncopated form of siverit (perfect subjunctive of sinere, expressing a wish). The demonstrative pronoun istuc (neuter accusative singular) anticipates the contents of the following ut clause.
- 34.24.5responsurum se fuisse ... nisi ... videret
A contrary-to-fact conditional sentence in indirect discourse. The apodosis, which would be in the pluperfect subjunctive in direct discourse (respondissem, "I would have answered"), is expressed by the future active participle with fuisse (responsurum fuisse). The protasis nisi videret (imperfect subjunctive) remains unchanged.
- 34.24.5ut sedandi potius quam irritandi essent
sedandi and irritandi are gerundives agreeing with omnis (the people who were incensed). It expresses that they (the angry crowd) were in a state of needing to be appeased rather than provoked.
- 34.24.7magis ut ... quam spe ...
An asymmetrical construction connected by the comparative magis. The first part is a purpose clause (ut + subjunctive), while the second part is a noun in the ablative case expressing cause or motive (spe), followed by an accusative with infinitive.