- 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-lat2:45.4.1-45.4.7
- Generated
- Humanitext Reader · reader.humanitext.ai · 2026-11-13
The return of M. Marcellus from Hispania and the failed initial peace negotiations between the defeated King Perseus and the consul Paulus, where Perseus's insistence on his royal title led to rejection until he sued under a private name, though negotiations still broke down.
per eosdem dies et M. Marcellus, ex provincia Hispania decedens Marcolica nobili urbe capta, decem pondo auri et argenti ad summam sestertii deciens in aerarium rettulit.
During those same days, M. Marcellus also, on departing from the province of Hispania after capturing the noble city of Marcolica, brought into the treasury ten pounds of gold and silver to the sum of one million sesterces.
Paulus Aemilius consul cum castra, ut supra dictum est, ad Siras terrae Odomanticae haberet, litterae ab rege Perseo per ignobiles tres legatos ei allatae sunt. quos cum flentes ac sordidatos cerneret, et ipse inlacrimasse dicitur sorti humanae, quod, qui paulo ante non contentus regno Macedoniae Dardanos Illyriosque oppugnasset, Bastarnarum accivisset auxilia, is tum amisso exercitu, extorris regno, in parvam insulam conpulsus, supplex, fani religione, non viribus suis tutus esset.1
When the consul Paulus Aemilius, as was said above, had his camp at Sirae in the Odomantic territory, letters from King Perseus were brought to him by three low-born legates. When he saw them weeping and in squalid attire, he himself also is said to have shed tears for the human lot, because he who, a little before, not content with the kingdom of Macedonia, had attacked the Dardanians and Illyrians, and had summoned the aid of the Bastarnae, was then, having lost his army, banished from his kingdom, driven into a small island, as a suppliant, protected not by his own strength but by the sanctity of a temple.
sed postquam regem Persea consuli Paulo salutem legit, miserationem omnem stultitia ignorantis fortunam suam2 exemit.
But after he read “King Perseus to the consul Paulus, greeting,” the foolishness of one who did not know his own fortune removed all compassion.
itaque, quamquam in reliqua parte litterarum minime regiae preces erant, tamen sine responso ac sine litteris ea legatio dimissa est.
Therefore, although in the remaining part of the letter there were entreaties by no means kingly, yet without an answer and without a letter that embassy was dismissed.
sensit Perseus, cuius nominis obliviscendum victo esset;3 itaque alterae litterae cum privati nominis titulo missae et petiere et impetravere, ut aliqui ad eum mitterentur, cum quibus loqui de statu et condicione suae fortunae posset.
Perseus realized which name had to be forgotten by the vanquished; therefore a second letter, sent with the title of a private name, both requested and obtained that some persons should be sent to him with whom he might speak concerning the state and condition of his fortune.
missi sunt tres legati, P. Lentulus, A. Postumius Albinus, A. Antonius. nihil ea legatione perfectum est, Perseo regium nomen omni vi amplectente, Paulo, ut se suaque omnia in fidem et clementiam populi Romani permitteret, tendente.4
Three legates were sent: P. Lentulus, A. Postumius Albinus, and A. Antonius. Nothing was accomplished by that embassy, since Perseus clung to his kingly title with all his might, while Paulus insisted that he should surrender himself and all his possessions to the faith and clemency of the Roman people.
- 45.4.3quod, qui paulo ante non contentus regno Macedoniae Dardanos Illyriosque oppugnasset, Bastarnarum accivisset auxilia, is tum amisso exercitu, extorris regno, in parvam insulam conpulsus, supplex, fani religione, non viribus suis tutus esset
A causal clause introduced by the conjunction quod (because), explaining the reason why Paulus is said to have wept (dicitur inlacrimasse). The antecedent is is modified by the relative clause qui.... The verbs in both the relative clause (oppugnasset, accivisset) and the main clause of the quod-clause (tutus esset) are in the subjunctive mood, expressing the subjective or reported reason.
- 45.4.4ignorantis fortunam suam
Genitive singular of the present participle ignorans, modifying either the noun stultitia (foolishness) or an implied Persei (of Perseus), meaning 'the foolishness of one (Perseus) who was ignorant of his own fortune.'
- 45.4.6cuius nominis obliviscendum victo esset
An indirect question clause. It features the impersonal passive periphrastic construction obliviscendum esset with a dative of agent victo (for the vanquished) and the genitive object cuius nominis required by the verb obliviscor, meaning 'which name had to be forgotten by the vanquished.'
- 45.4.7Perseo regium nomen omni vi amplectente, Paulo... tendente
Two ablative absolute constructions (Perseo... amplectente and Paulo... tendente) in parallel, explaining the circumstances or reasons why the embassy failed. Paulo... tendente is followed by an ut clause indicating the substance of his insistence.