- 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-lat2:35.49.1-35.49.13
- Generated
- Humanitext Reader · reader.humanitext.ai · 2026-11-09
Quinctius refutes the boasts of the Aetolians and King Antiochus, mocking the diverse Asian forces by comparing them to a meal prepared from a single domestic pig. He points out the actual weakness of the king's forces and urges the Achaeans to trust Roman fidelity and reject neutral passivity.
ad ea Quinctius, coram quibus magis, quam apud quos1 verba faceret, dicere Archidamum rationem habuisse:
To this Quinctius replied that Archidamus had shown regard to those in whose presence he was speaking, rather than to those among whom he spoke:
Achaeos enim probe scire Aetolorum omnem ferociam in verbis, non in factis esse, et in conciliis magis contionibusque quam in acie apparere:
for the Achaeans knew full well that all the fierceness of the Aetolians lay in words, not in deeds, and was displayed in councils and assemblies rather than in the battle line:
itaque parvi Achaeorum existimationem, quibus notos esse se scirent, fecisse; legatis regis et per eos absenti regi eum se iactasse.
therefore he had made little account of the opinion of the Achaeans, to whom he knew his people were well known, and had boasted of himself to the king’s legates, and through them to the absent king.
quod si quis antea ignorasset, quae res Antiochum et Aetolos coniunxisset, ex legatorum sermone potuisse apparere, mentiendo in vicem iactandoque vires, quas non haberent, inflasse vana spe atque inflatos esse,2 “dum hi ab se victum Philippum, sua virtute protectos Romanos et, quae modo audiebatis, narrant vos ceterasque civitates et gentes suam sectam esse secuturos, rex contra peditum equitumque nubes iactat et consternit maria classibus suis.
But if anyone had previously been ignorant of what had united Antiochus and the Aetolians, it might have become apparent from the speeches of the ambassadors, that by lying to one another in turn and boasting of forces which they did not possess, they had puffed each other up with empty hope and had themselves been puffed up. ”While these men tell how Philip was conquered by them, and the Romans protected by their valor, and, as you were just now hearing, that you and the rest of the states and nations would follow their lead, the king on his part boasts of clouds of infantry and cavalry, and covers the seas with his fleets.
est autem res simillima cenae Chalcidensis hospitis mei, et hominis boni et sciti convivatoris, apud quem solstitiali tempore comiter accepti cum miraremur, unde illi eo tempore anni tam varia et multa venatio, homo non quam isti sunt gloriosus renidens condimentis ait varietatem illam et speciem ferinae carnis ex mansueto sue factam.” hoc dici apte in copias regis, quae paulo ante iactatae sint, posse:
But this situation is very like a dinner given by my host at Chalcis, a worthy man and a clever entertainer. When we were hospitably received by him at the summer solstice, and we wondered how he could have obtained so many and various kinds of wild game at that season of the year, that man, not boastful as these fellows are, said with a smile that all that variety and appearance of wild game had been made from a tame pig by means of seasonings.” He said that this could be aptly applied to the forces of the king, which had been boasted of a little while ago:
varia enim genera armorum et multa nomina gentium inauditarum, Dahas et Medos et Cadusios et Elymaeos, Suros omnis esse, haud paulo mancipiorum melius propter servilia ingenia quam militum genus.
for the various kinds of armor and the many names of unheard-of nations, the Dahae, Medes, Cadusians, and Elymaeans, were all Syrians, a class much better fitted for slaves because of their servile nature than for soldiers.
“et utinam subicere vestris oculis, Achaei, possem concursationem regis magni ab Demetriade nunc Lamiam in concilium Aetolorum nunc Chalcidem;
”And would that I could place before your eyes, Achaeans, the rushing about of the great king from Demetrias, now to Lamia to the council of the Aetolians, now to Chalcis;
videretis vix duarum male plenarum legiuncularum instar3 in castris regis; videretis regem nunc mendicantem prope frumentum ab Aetolis, quod militi admetiatur. nunc mutuas pecunias faenore in stipendium quaerentem, nunc ad portas Chalcidis stantem et mox, inde exclusum, nihil aliud quam Aulide atque Euripo spectatis in Aetoliam redeuntem. male crediderunt et Antiochus Aetolis et Aetoli regiae vanitati:
you would see in the king’s camp what is scarcely the equivalent of two poorly-filled little legions; you would see the king now almost begging for grain from the Aetolians, to measure out to his soldiers; now seeking borrowed money at interest for pay; now standing at the gates of Chalcis, and soon, shut out from there, returning to Aetolia after seeing nothing other than Aulis and the Euripus. Both Antiochus foolishly trusted the Aetolians, and the Aetolians the king’s vanity:
quo minus vos decipi debetis, sed expertae potius spectataeque Romanorum fidei credere.
wherefore you ought the less to be deceived, but rather to trust the tried and tested loyalty of the Romans.
nam quod optimum esse dicunt, non interponi vos bello, nihil immo tam alienum rebus vestris est; quippe sine gratia sine dignitate praemium victoris eritis.”
For as to what they say is best, that you do not interpose yourselves in the war, nay, nothing is so contrary to your interests; for indeed, without gratitude and without dignity, you will become the prize of the victor.”
- 35.49.1coram quibus magis, quam apud quos
A contrast between the prepositions coram ("in the presence of," as onlookers) and apud ("among," as the addressees). Quinctius sarcastically points out that Archidamus was speaking to impress the king's envoys present in the audience rather than to convince his actual hosts (the Achaeans). The subjunctive faceret is due to the suboblique clause within the indirect speech.
- 35.49.4inflasse vana spe atque inflatos esse
A contrast between the syncopated active perfect infinitive inflasse (for inflavisse) and the passive perfect infinitive inflatos esse. The implied subject refers to both Antiochus and the Aetolians. By lying to one another in turn (in vicem), they "puffed up" the other party with false hopes while simultaneously "being puffed up" themselves by the other's lies.
- 35.49.10vix duarum male plenarum legiuncularum instar
The indeclinable noun instar is used with the genitive (duarum ... legiuncularum) to mean "the equivalent of" or "something of the size of." The adverb male negatively modifies the adjective plenarum to mean "badly filled" or "under-strength" (similar to male sanus, "unsound"). The diminutive legiuncula ("little legion") is used mockingly to disparage the actual size and strength of the king's forces.