- 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
- Languages
- 日本語 · English · 简体中文 · 한국어
- CTS URN
- urn:cts:latinLit:phi0914.phi001.humanitext-lat2:39.50.1-39.50.11
- Generated
- Humanitext Reader · reader.humanitext.ai · 2026-11-11
The captured Philopoemen is imprisoned in an underground treasury in Messene and subsequently poisoned by the decision of the rebel leaders. Following his death, the Achaean League forces Messene to surrender, recovers his remains for a grand burial, and historians elevate his memory alongside Hannibal and Scipio.
iam invesperascebat, et non modo cetera, sed ne in proximam quidem noctem1 ubi satis tuto custodiretur,2 expediebant.
It was already growing dark, and they were unable to prepare not to mention other things, but even a place where he could be guarded with sufficient safety for the coming night.
obstupuerant ad magnitudinem pristinae eius fortunae virtutisque, et neque ipsi domum recipere custodiendum audebant nec cuiquam uni custodiam eius satis credebant.
They were awed by the greatness of his former fortune and virtue, and neither dared to receive him into their own homes to be guarded, nor did they sufficiently trust the custody of him to any single person.
admonent deinde quidam esse thesaurum publicum sub terra, saxo quadrato saeptum. eo vinctus demittitur, et saxum ingens, quo operitur, machina superimpositum est.
Then some people reminded them that there was a public treasury underground, enclosed with squared stone. Bound as he was, he was let down into it, and a huge stone by which it was covered was placed over it by a machine.
ita loco potius quam homini cuiquam credendam custodiam rati, lucem insequentem exspectaverunt. postero die multitudo quidem integra, memor pristinorum eius in civitatem meritorum, parcendum ac per eum remedia quaerenda esse3 praesentium malorum censebant:
Thus thinking that the custody should be trusted to a place rather than to any man, they waited for the following day. On the next day, the entire multitude, indeed, mindful of his former services to the state, thought that he ought to be spared and that through him remedies for their present evils should be sought.
defectionis auctores, quorum in manu res publica erat, in secreto consultantes omnes ad necem eius consentiebant. sed utrum maturarent an differrent, ambigebatur.
On the other hand, the authors of the revolt, in whose hands the government was, consulting in secret, all agreed upon his death; but it was debated whether they should hasten it or defer it.
vicit pars avidior poenae, missusque qui venenum ferret.4 accepto poculo nihil aliud locutum ferunt quam quaesisse, si incolumis Lycortas — is alter imperator Achaeorum erat — equitesque evasissent.
The party more eager for punishment prevailed, and a messenger was sent to carry the poison. On receiving the cup, they say he said nothing else than to ask if Lycortas—who was the other general of the Achaeans—and the horsemen had escaped in safety.
postquam dictum est incolumes esse, “bene habet” inquit et poculo impavide exhausto haud ita multo post exspiravit.
After he was told that they were safe, he said, “It is well,” and, having fearlessly drained the cup, expired not long after.
non diuturnum mortis eius gaudium auctoribus crudelitatis fuit. victa namque Messene bello exposcentibus Achaeis dedidit noxios, ossaque reddita Philopoemenis sunt, et sepultus ab universo Achaico est concilio, adeo omnibus humanis congestis honoribus, ut ne divinis quidem abstineretur.5
The joy over his death was not long-lasting for the authors of the cruelty. For Messene, defeated in the war, surrendered the guilty ones at the demand of the Achaeans; and the bones of Philopoemen were restored and he was buried by the entire Achaean league, with all human honors so heaped upon him that not even divine ones were withheld.
ab scriptoribus rerum Graecis Latinisque tantum huic viro tribuitur, ut a quibusdam eorum, velut ad insignem notam huius anni, memoriae mandatum sit tres claros imperatores eo anno decessisse, Philopoemenem, Hannibalem, P. Scipionem:
So much tribute is paid to this man by Greek and Latin historians that it has been recorded by some of them, as if for a notable mark of this year, that three famous generals died in that year: Philopoemen, Hannibal, and P. Scipio.
adeo in aequo eum duarum potentissimarum gentium summis imperatoribus posuerunt.
So much did they place him on an equal footing with the supreme commanders of the two most powerful nations.
- 39.50.1non modo cetera, sed ne in proximam quidem noctem
A correlative structure where non modo lacks its own verb, and the main verb expediebant (with sed ne... quidem) governs both parts: 'not to mention other things, they were unable to prepare even a place...'.
- 39.50.1ubi satis tuto custodiretur
A relative clause of purpose or characteristic introduced by the relative adverb ubi (with an omitted antecedent like locus), using the imperfect subjunctive passive custodiretur.
- 39.50.5parcendum ac per eum remedia quaerenda esse
An accusative and infinitive construction depending on censebant. Here parcendum (esse) is the impersonal passive periphrastic of the intransitive verb parcere (governing the dative), meaning 'that he should be spared', while remedia quaerenda esse is the personal passive periphrastic with remedia as the subject.
- 39.50.7missusque qui venenum ferret
The auxiliary verb est is omitted after missus. The relative pronoun qui introduces a clause of purpose, taking the imperfect subjunctive ferret.
- 39.50.9ut ne divinis quidem abstineretur
A negative result clause containing ut ne... quidem. The verb abstineretur is used impersonally from the intransitive abstinere: 'so that not even divine honors were abstained from [by them]'.