Aetolian Embassy to Rome and Leon's Speech — Livy, History of Rome Book 38 (38.10.1–38.10.6), Latin & English

§38.10.1

profectus ab Ambracia consul in mediterranea Aetoliae ad Argos Amphilochium — viginti duo milia ab Ambracia abest — castra posuit.

Setting out from Ambracia, the consul marched into the inland parts of Aetolia and pitched his camp at Argos Amphilochium—it is twenty-two miles distant from Ambracia.

§38.10.2

eo tandem legati Aetoli mirante consule, quod morarentur, venerunt. inde, postquam approbasse pacem concilium Aetolorum accepit, iussis proficisci Romam ad senatum permissoque, ut et Rhodii et Athenienses deprecatores irent, dato, qui simul cum iis proficisceretur, C. Valerio fratre¹ ipse in Cephallaniam traiecit. praeoccupatas auris animosque principum Romae criminibus Philippi invenerunt, qui per legatos, per litteras Dolopas Amphilochosque et Athamaniam erepta sibi querens,² praesidiaque sua, postremo filium etiam Persea ex Amphilochis pulsum, averterat senatum ab audiendis precibus eorum.

There at last the Aetolian ambassadors arrived, while the consul wondered why they were delaying. Then, after he received word that the council of the Aetolians had approved the peace, he ordered them to set out for the senate at Rome, permitted both the Rhodians and the Athenians to go as intercessors, and, having given his brother Gaius Valerius to set out together with them, he himself crossed over to Cephallania. In Rome, the ambassadors found the ears and minds of the leading men already preoccupied by the accusations of Philip, who, complaining through ambassadors and letters that the Dolopians, Amphilochians, and Athamania had been snatched from him, and his garrisons, and finally even his son Perseus driven out of the Amphilochians, had turned the senate away from hearing their prayers.

§38.10.4

Rhodii tamen et Athenienses cum silentio auditi sunt. Atheniensis legatus Leon Hicesiae filius eloquentia etiam dicitur movisse;

The Rhodians and Athenians, however, were heard in silence. The Athenian ambassador Leon, son of Hicesias, is said to have moved them even by his eloquence;

§38.10.5

qui vulgata similitudine, mari tranquillo, quod ventis concitaretur, aequiperando multitudinem Aetolorum, usus, cum in fide Romanae societatis mansissent, insita gentis tranquillitate quiesse³ eos aiebat;

using a well-known comparison, by likening the multitude of the Aetolians to a calm sea that is stirred up by the winds, he said that, as long as they had remained in allegiance to the Roman alliance, they had rested in the innate tranquility of their nation;

§38.10.6

postquam flare ab Asia Thoas et Dicaearchus, ab Europa Menestas et Damocritus coepissent, tum illam tempestatem coortam, quae ad Antiochum eos sicuti in scopulum intulisset.

but after Thoas and Dicaearchus began to blow from Asia, and Menestas and Damocritus from Europe, then that tempest arose which carried them to Antiochus as if onto a reef.

Syntax notes3 items

38.10.2dato, qui simul cum iis proficisceretur, C. Valerio fratre
An ablative absolute construction where the noun phrase 'C. Valerio fratre' functions as the logical subject of the participle 'dato'. The imperfect subjunctive 'proficisceretur' in the relative clause (qui-clause) expresses purpose or intended role.
38.10.3Dolopas Amphilochosque et Athamaniam erepta sibi querens
The perfect passive participle 'erepta' is in the neuter plural, following the grammatical rule of agreement where a mixture of masculine plural nouns ('Dolopas', 'Amphilochos') and a feminine singular noun ('Athamaniam') is referred to collectively in the neuter plural.
38.10.5quiesse
A syncopated (shortened) form of the perfect infinitive 'quievisse'. It functions as the infinitive in the accusative and infinitive construction introduced by 'aiebat', with 'eos' (referring to the Aetolians) as its subject accusative.

Translated by Gemini 3.5 Flash (published 2026-05-25)urn:cts:latinLit:phi0914.phi001.humanitext-lat2:38.10.1-38.10.6