- 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-lat2:36.32.1-36.32.9
- Generated
- Humanitext Reader · reader.humanitext.ai · 2026-11-09
Hierocles, the governor of Zacynthus, sells the island to the Achaeans, but the Romans demand its return as their rightful prize of war. Quinctius advises the Achaeans using the simile of a tortoise to warn against expanding beyond the Peloponnese, and Zacynthus is ultimately handed over to Rome.
is post fugam ab Thermopylis Antiochi Amynandrumque a Philippo Athamania pulsum1 missis ultro ad Diophanen praetorem Achaeorum nuntiis pecunia pactus insulam Achaeis tradidit.
He, after the flight of Antiochus from Thermopylae and the expulsion of Amynander from Athamania by Philip, having on his own initiative sent messengers to Diophanes, the praetor of the Achaeans, and having agreed on a sum of money, handed over the island to the Achaeans.
id praemium belli suum esse aequum censebant Romani: non enim M’. Acilium consulem legionesque Romanas Diophani et Achaeis ad Thermopylas pugnasse.2
The Romans thought it fair that this prize of war should be theirs; for they argued that consul M’. Acilius and the Roman legions had not fought at Thermopylae for the sake of Diophanes and the Achaeans.
Diophanes adversus haec purgare interdum sese gentemque, interdum de iure facti disserere.3
Against these arguments, Diophanes sometimes cleared himself and his nation, and sometimes discussed the legality of the deed.
quidam Achaeorum et initio eam se rem aspernatos testabantur et tunc pertinaciam increpitabant praetoris;
Some of the Achaeans testified that they had rejected that matter even from the beginning, and they then rebuked the obstinacy of the praetor;
auctoribusque iis decretum est, ut T. Quinctio ea res permitteretur. erat Quinctius sicut adversantibus asper, ita, si cederes, idem placabilis. omissa contentione vocis vultusque “si utilem” inquit, “possessionem eius insulae censerem Achaeis esse, auctor essem4 senatui populoque Romano, ut eam vos habere sinerent;
and on their advice, it was decreed that the matter should be left to Titus Quinctius. Quinctius was, just as harsh to those who opposed him, so likewise placable if one yielded. Laying aside the vehemence of his voice and expression, he said, “If I thought the possession of that island were useful to the Achaeans, I would advise the senate and the Roman people to allow you to keep it;
ceterum sicut testudinem, ubi collecta in suum tegumen est, tutam ad omnis ictus video esse, ubi exserit partis aliquas, quodcumque nudavit, obnoxium atque infirmum habere, haud dissimiliter vos,5 Achaei, clausos undique mari, quae intra Peloponnesi sunt terminos, ea et iungere vobis et iuncta tueri facile, simul aviditate plura amplectendi hinc excedatis, nuda vobis omnia, quae extra sint, et exposita ad omnes ictus esse.”
but, just as I see that a tortoise is safe from all blows when it is gathered into its shell, but when it thrusts out any parts, whatever it has exposed, it holds vulnerable and weak, not very differently you, Achaeans, enclosed on all sides by the sea, can easily both unite to yourselves those things which are within the boundaries of the Peloponnese, and protect them when united, but as soon as you depart from here out of a desire to embrace more, everything which is outside is bare to you and exposed to all blows.”
adsentienti omni concilio nec Diophane ultra tendere auso Zacynthus Romanis traditur.
With the whole council agreeing, and Diophanes not daring to contend any further, Zacynthus was handed over to the Romans.
- 36.32.1Amynandrumque a Philippo Athamania pulsum
This is an 'ab urbe condita' construction (noun + perfect passive participle) governed by the preposition 'post', coordinated with the preceding noun phrase 'post fugam' by '-que'. It means 'and after the expulsion of Amynander from Athamania by Philip'.
- 36.32.2non enim M’. Acilium consulem legionesque Romanas Diophani et Achaeis ad Thermopylas pugnasse
An indirect statement (accusative and infinitive construction) depending on the main verb 'censebant', presenting the reasoning of the Romans. The datives 'Diophani et Achaeis' are datives of advantage (dativus commodi), meaning 'for the sake of Diophanes and the Achaeans'.
- 36.32.3purgare interdum sese gentemque, interdum de iure facti disserere
The verbs 'purgare' and 'disserere' are historical infinitives, functioning as imperfect indicative verbs with the nominative subject 'Diophanes'. This is a stylistic feature of Livy used to create a vivid and rapid narrative.
- 36.32.5si utilem ... censerem ... auctor essem
A present contrary-to-fact conditional sentence using the imperfect subjunctive in both the protasis (censerem) and apodosis (essem), expressing Quinctius's current hypothetical position ('if I thought... I would advise...').
- 36.32.6haud dissimiliter vos
This is the second part of the comparison (simile) corresponding to 'sicut testudinem video...' in the preceding sentence. The clauses concerning 'Achaei' ('ea et iungere... facile [esse]' and 'nuda vobis omnia... esse') are structured as accusative and infinitive clauses depending on the verb of perception 'video' from the first part. Additionally, 'simul' in §36.32.8 functions as a temporal conjunction ('simul ac', meaning 'as soon as'), taking the subjunctive 'excedatis'.