§3.1πυνθανόμενος δὲ ὁ Τίτος τοὺς πρὸ ἑαυτοῦ στρατηγούς, τοῦτο μὲν Σουλπίκιον, τοῦτο δὲ Πόπλιον, ὀψὲ τῆς ὥρας ἐμβαλόντας εἰς Μακεδονίαν καὶ τοῦ πολέμου βραδέως ἁψαμένους κατατετρῖφθαι τοπομαχοῦντας καὶ διαπληκτιζομένους ἀκροβολισμοῖς ὑπὲρ ὁδῶν καὶ σιτολογίας πρὸς τὸν Φίλιππον, οὐκ ᾤετο δεῖν, §3.2ὥσπερ ἐκεῖνοι καταναλώσαντες οἴκοι τὸν ἐνιαυτὸν ἐν τιμαῖς καὶ πολιτείαις ὕστερον ἐξώρμησαν ἐπὶ τὰς στρατείας, οὕτως καὶ αὐτὸς ἐνιαυτὸν ἐπικερδᾶναι τῇ ἀρχῇ, τὸν μὲν ὑπατεύσας, τῷ δὲ πολεμήσας, ἀλλʼ ὁμοῦ φιλοτιμούμενος ἐνεργὸν τῷ πολέμῳ τὴν ἀρχὴν παρασχεῖν, τὰς μὲν ἐν τῇ πόλει τιμὰς καὶ προεδρίας ἀφῆκεν, §3.3αἰτησάμενος δὲ παρὰ τῆς βουλῆς τὸν ἀδελφὸν αὑτῷ Λεύκιον ἄρχοντα νεῶν συστρατεύειν, καὶ τῶν μετὰ Σκηπίωνος ἐν Ἰβηρίᾳ μὲν Ἀσδρούβαν, ἐν Λιβύῃ δὲ Ἀννίβαν αὐτὸν καταμεμαχημένων τοὺς ἀκμάζοντας ἔτι καὶ προθύμους ἀναλαβὼν ὥσπερ στόμωμα, τρισχιλίους γενομένους, εἰς τὴν Ἤπειρον ἀσφαλῶς διεπέρασε.
And Titus, learning that the generals before him, on the one hand Sulpicius, and on the other hand Publius, having invaded Macedonia late in the season and having slowly laid hold of the war, had worn themselves out fighting for positions and skirmishing with Philip over roads and foraging, did not think he ought, just as those men, having spent the year at home in honors and public business, had afterward set out on their campaigns, so also himself to gain an extra year for his command, by spending the one as consul and the other in waging war; but at the same time, desiring to make his command active in the war, he gave up the honors and front-seat privileges in the city, and having requested from the senate his brother Lucius to campaign with him as commander of the fleet, and taking along, as a sort of steel-edge, those who were still in their prime and eager among the men who with Scipio had defeated Hasdrubal in Spain and Hannibal himself in Libya, numbering three thousand, he safely crossed over into Epirus.
§3.4καὶ τὸν Πόπλιον εὑρὼν μετὰ τῆς δυνάμεως ἀντιστρατοπεδεύοντα τῷ Φιλίππῳ τὰς περὶ τὸν Ἄψον ποταμὸν ἐμβολὰς καὶ τὰ Στενὰ φυλάττοντι πολὺν ἤδη χρόνον, οὐδὲν δὲ περαίνοντα διὰ τὴν ὀχυρότητα τῶν χωρίων, παρέλαβε τὸ στράτευμα καὶ τὸν Πόπλιον ἀποπέμψας κατεσκέπτετο τοὺς τόπους, εἰσὶ δὲ ὀχυροὶ μὲν οὐχ ἧττον τῶν περὶ τὰ Τέμπη, κάλλη δὲ δένδρων, ὡς ἐκεῖνοι, καὶ χλωρότητα ὕλης καὶ διατριβὰς καὶ λειμῶνας ἡδεῖς οὐκ ἔχουσιν.
And finding Publius encamped with his force against Philip, who had already for a long time been guarding the passes and the Narrows around the Apsus river but was achieving nothing because of the strength of the positions, he took over the army and, having sent Publius away, surveyed the terrain; and these places are no less strong than those around Tempe, but they do not possess the beauty of trees, like those, nor the greenness of foliage, nor pleasant retreats and meadows.
§3.5ὀρῶν δὲ μεγάλων καὶ ὑψηλῶν ἑκατέρωθεν εἰς μίαν φάραγγα μεγίστην καὶ βαθεῖαν συμφερομένων διεκπίπτων ὁ Ἄψος καὶ σχῆμα καὶ τάχος ἐξομοιοῦται πρὸς τὸν Πηνειόν, τὴν μὲν ἄλλην ἅπασαν ἀποκρύπτων ὑπώρειαν, ἐκτομὴν δὲ κρημνώδη καὶ στενὴν παρὰ τὸ ῥεῖθρον ἀπολείπων ἀτραπόν, οὐδὲ ἄλλως ῥᾳδίαν στρατεύματι διελθεῖν, εἰ δὲ καὶ φυλάττοιτο, παντελῶς ἄπορον.
For great and high mountains coming together from either side into a single, very large and deep ravine, the Apsus, bursting through, resembles the Peneius in both shape and speed, hiding all the rest of the mountain-base, and leaving a steep and narrow path cut along the stream, which even otherwise is not easy for an army to traverse, and if it should also be guarded, is utterly impassable.