- 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-lat2:34.59.1-34.59.8
- Generated
- Humanitext Reader · reader.humanitext.ai · 2026-11-08
The Roman commissioner Sulpicius demands that Antiochus' envoys choose between the two proposed conditions. The king's envoys request time for deliberation, resulting in the postponement of the decision and the reappointment of the same embassy to the king.
cum haesitaret Hegesianax nec infitiari posset honestiorem causam libertatis quam servitutis praetexi titulo,1 “quin mittimus ambages?” inquit P. Sulpicius, qui maximus natu ex decem legatis erat;
When Hegesianax hesitated and could not deny that a more honorable cause of liberty than of servitude was put forward as a pretext, Publius Sulpicius, who was the eldest of the ten commissioners, said: “Why do we not drop these evasions?
“alteram ex duabus condicionibus, quae modo diserte a Quinctio latae sunt, legite aut supersedete de amicitia agere.”2
Choose one of the two conditions which have just been explicitly proposed by Quinctius, or cease to negotiate about friendship.”
“nos vero” inquit Menippus “nec volumus nec possumus pacisci quicquam, quo regnum Antiochi minuatur.”
”As for us,” Menippus said, “we neither wish nor are able to agree to anything by which the kingdom of Antiochus may be diminished.”
postero die Quinctius legationes universas Graeciae Asiaeque cum in senatum introduxisset, ut scirent, quali animo populus Romanus, quali Antiochus erga civitates Graeciae essent, postulata et regis et sua exposuit:
On the following day, when Quinctius had introduced all the embassies of Greece and Asia into the senate, in order that they might know with what mind the Roman people and with what mind Antiochus stood toward the cities of Greece, he set forth both the king’s demands and his own:
renuntiarent3 civitatibus suis populum Romanum, qua virtute quaque fide libertatem eorum a Philippo vindicaverit, eadem ab Antiocho, nisi decedat Europa, vindicaturum.
they should report to their cities that with the same courage and the same good faith with which the Roman people had rescued their liberty from Philip, they would rescue it from Antiochus, unless he departed from Europe.
tum Menippus deprecari et Quinctium et patres institit, ne festinarent decernere, quo decreto4 turbaturi orbem terrarum essent; tempus et sibi sumerent et regi ad cogitandum darent; cogitaturum, cum renuntiatae condiciones essent, et impetraturum aliquid aut pacis causa concessurum. ita integra dilata res est.
Then Menippus began to entreat both Quinctius and the senators not to hasten to make a decree, by which decree they would throw the world into confusion; they should take time for themselves and give the king time to deliberate; when the conditions had been reported to him, he would deliberate and would either obtain some terms or make some concessions for the sake of peace. Thus the matter was postponed undecided.
legatos mitti ad regem eosdem, qui Lysimachiae apud eum fuerant, placuit, P. Sulpicium, P. Villium, P. Aelium.
It was resolved that the same envoys who had been with him at Lysimachia should be sent to the king, namely Publius Sulpicius, Publius Villius, and Publius Aelius.
- 34.59.1honestiorem causam libertatis quam servitutis praetexi titulo
An accusative and infinitive clause acting as the object of infitiari ("to deny"). causam is the subject accusative, praetexi is the present passive infinitive, and titulo is an ablative of manner or means meaning "as a pretext" or "under the title."
- 34.59.2legite aut supersedete de amicitia agere
legite is the plural imperative of legere in the sense of "to choose" (equivalent to eligere), rather than its more common meaning "to read." supersedete is the plural imperative of supersedere ("to desist from," "to refrain from"), which here takes the complementary infinitive agere.
- 34.59.5renuntiarent
An imperfect subjunctive expressing an indirect command in independent discourse ("they should report"), representing the Senate's instruction to the envoys. The subsequent populum Romanum ... vindicaturum is an accusative and infinitive clause of indirect discourse with the omission of esse in the future infinitive vindicaturum [esse].
- 34.59.7quo decreto
A relative connection (nexus relativus), equivalent to the demonstrative eo decreto ("by which decree / by this decree"). The following turbaturi orbem terrarum essent is an active periphrastic conjugation (future participle + esse) in the imperfect subjunctive, expressing either a subordinate clause in indirect discourse or a subjective reason advanced by Menippus ("since they would throw...").