- 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-lat2:37.53.15-37.53.28
- Generated
- Humanitext Reader · reader.humanitext.ai · 2026-11-10
Eumenes II recounts his immense merits and sacrifices during the war against Antiochus, citing the example of Masinissa, who rose from exile to greatness through Roman aid, and argues that if Rome decides to withdraw from Asia, no ally is more deserving of those lands than he.
pedestribus navalibusque copiis, ut nemo sociorum vestrorum me aequiperare posset, imperatores vestros adiuvi; commeatus terra marique suppeditavi; navalibus proeliis, quae multis locis facta sunt, omnibus adfui; nec labori meo nec periculo usquam peperci.
I assisted your generals with land and sea forces, so that none of your allies could equal me; I supplied provisions by land and sea; I was present at all the naval battles which took place in many locations; I spared neither my labor nor danger anywhere.
quod miserrimum est in bello, obsidionem passus sum, Pergami inclusus cum discrimine ultimo simul vitae regnique.
What is most wretched in war, I suffered a siege, shut up in Pergamum with the ultimate danger to both my life and my kingdom.
liberatus deinde obsidione, cum alia parte Antiochus alia Seleucus circa arcem regni mei castra haberent, relictis meis rebus tota classe ad Hellespontum L. Scipioni consuli vestro occurri, ut eum in traiciendo exercitu adiuvarem.
Then, freed from the siege, although Antiochus on one side and Seleucus on the other had their camps around the stronghold of my kingdom, I left my own affairs and went with my entire fleet to the Hellespont to meet your consul Lucius Scipio, in order to assist him in transporting his army.
posteaquam in Asiam exercitus vester est transgressus, numquam a consule abscessi; nemo miles Romanus magis adsiduus in castris fuit vestris quam ego fratresque mei; nulla expeditio, nullum equestre proelium sine me factum est;
After your army crossed into Asia, I never left the consul’s side; no Roman soldier was more constant in your camp than I and my brothers; no expedition, no cavalry battle was fought without me;
in acie ibi steti, eam partem sum tutatus, in qua me consul esse voluit. non sum hoc dicturus, patres conscripti: quis hoc bello meritis erga vos mecum comparari potest?
I stood there in the battle line, and I defended that part where the consul wished me to be. I am not going to say this, conscript fathers: “Who in this war can be compared with me in merits towards you?”
ego nulli omnium neque populorum neque regum, quos in magno honore habetis, non ausim me comparare.1
I should not dare not to compare myself with any of all the peoples or kings whom you hold in high honor.
Masinissa hostis vobis ante quam socius fuit, nec incolumi regno cum auxiliis suis, sed extorris, expulsus, amissis omnibus copiis, cum turma equitum in castra confugit vestra;
Masinissa was your enemy before he was your ally, and he fled for refuge to your camp, not with his kingdom unimpaired and accompanied by his auxiliary forces, but as an exile, driven out, with all his troops lost, with only a troop of cavalry;
tamen eum, quia in Africa adversus Syphacem et Carthaginiensis fideliter atque impigre vobiscum stetit, non in patrium solum regnum restituistis, sed adiecta opulentissima parte Syphacis regni praepotentem inter Africae reges fecistis.
nevertheless, because in Africa he stood faithfully and energetically with you against Syphax and the Carthaginians, you not only restored him to his father’s kingdom, but, by adding the richest part of Syphax’s kingdom, made him pre-eminent among the kings of Africa.
quo tandem igitur nos praemio atque honore digni apud vos sumus, qui numquam hostes, semper socii fuimus?
By what reward and honor, then, are we worthy in your eyes, who have never been enemies, but always allies?
pater, ego, fratres mei non in Asia tantum, sed etiam procul ab domo in Peloponneso in Boeotia in Aetolia, Philippi Antiochi Aetolico bello, terra marique pro vobis arma tulimus.
My father, myself, and my brothers have borne arms for you on land and sea, not only in Asia, but even far from home in the Peloponnese, in Boeotia, and in Aetolia, during the wars against Philip, Antiochus, and the Aetolians.
quid ergo postulas? dicat aliquis. ego, patres conscripti, quoniam dicere utique volentibus vobis parendum est, si vos ea mente ultra Tauri iuga emostis Antiochum, ut ipsi teneretis eas terras, nullos accolas nec finitimos habere quam vos malo, nec ulla re alia tutius stabiliusque regnum meum futurum spero;
”What then do you demand?” someone might say. I, conscript fathers, since I must obey you who wish me to speak in any case, if you removed Antiochus beyond the ridges of Mount Taurus with the intention of holding those lands yourselves, prefer to have no neighbors or borderers other than you, nor do I hope that my kingdom will be safer and more stable by any other means;
sed si vobis decedere inde atque deducere exercitus in animo est, neminem digniorem esse ex sociis vestris, qui bello a vobis parta possideat2 quam me dicere ausim.
but if it is in your mind to depart from there and withdraw your armies, I should dare to say that none of your allies is more worthy to possess what was acquired by you in war than I.
at enim magnificum est liberare civitates servas. ita opinor, si nihil hostile adversus vos fecerunt; sin autem Antiochi partis fuerunt, quanto est vestra prudentia et aequitate dignius3 sociis bene meritis quam hostibus vos consulere?”4
But indeed, “it is a glorious thing to set free enslaved cities.” So I think, if they have done nothing hostile against you; but if they were of Antiochus’ party, how much more worthy of your wisdom and equity is it for you to consult for well-deserving allies than for enemies?
- 37.53.20nulli omnium ... non ausim me comparare
The double negation (nulli ... non) yields a strong affirmative meaning. 'ausim' is an archaic perfect subjunctive of 'audeo' (to dare), used here as a potential subjunctive, meaning 'I should not dare not to compare myself' (i.e., 'I would certainly dare to compare myself').
- 37.53.27qui bello a vobis parta possideat
The verb 'possideat' in the relative clause introduced by 'qui' is in the present subjunctive, working with the comparative adjective 'digniorem' to form a relative clause of characteristic/suitability ('worthy to possess'). 'parta' is the neuter plural perfect participle of 'pario' (to acquire) used substantively, meaning 'things acquired'.
- 37.53.28quanto est vestra prudentia et aequitate dignius
'quanto' is an ablative of degree of difference modifying the comparative 'dignius'. 'vestra prudentia et aequitate' are ablatives governed by the comparative adjective 'dignius' (from 'dignus', which regularly takes the ablative), meaning 'how much more worthy of your wisdom and equity'.
- 37.53.28sociis ... quam hostibus vos consulere
'consulere' is a verb that takes the dative in the sense of 'to consult for, look after the interests of.' Here, 'sociis' (modified by 'bene meritis') and 'hostibus' are in the dative case, while 'vos' functions as the subject accusative of the infinitive 'consulere'.