Humanitext Reader

Plutarch · Life of Sertorius §24.1-24.4

Treaty with Mithridates and Marius in Asia

Passage 24 of 27 · Greek

Summary

Mithridates is amazed by Sertorius' firm diplomatic stance but signs a treaty with him. Marcus Marius, sent by Sertorius as general, enters Asia with Mithridates playing a subordinate role, and Marius wins over the local cities by granting them freedom and tax immunity.

§24.1ταῦτα ἀπαγγελθέντα Μιθριδάτης διὰ θάμβους ἐποιεῖτο· καὶ λέγεται μὲν εἰπεῖν πρὸς τοὺς φίλους· τί δῆτα προστάξει Σερτώριος ἐν Παλατίῳ καθεζόμενος, εἰ νῦν εἰς τὴν Ἀτλαντικὴν ἐξεωσμένος θάλασσαν ὅρους ἡμῶν τῇ βασιλείᾳ τίθησι καὶ πειρωμένοις Ἀσίας ἀπειλεῖ πόλεμον; §24.2οὐ μὴν ἀλλὰ γίνονταί γε συνθῆκαι καὶ ὅρκοι, Καππαδοκίαν καὶ Βιθυνίαν ἔχειν Μιθριδάτην· Σερτωρίου στρατηγὸν αὐτῷ καὶ στρατιώτας πέμποντος, Σερτώριον δὲ παρὰ Μιθριδάτου λαβεῖν τρισχίλια τάλαντα καὶ τεσσαράκοντα ναῦς.
When these things were reported, Mithridates was filled with amazement; and he is said to have said to his friends: "What, indeed, will Sertorius command when he is seated on the Palatine, if now, when he has been driven out to the Atlantic Sea, he sets limits to our kingdom and threatens us with war if we attempt to take Asia?" Nevertheless, a treaty was made and oaths were sworn, to the effect that Mithridates should have Cappadocia and Bithynia, Sertorius sending him a general and soldiers, and that Sertorius should receive from Mithridates three thousand talents and forty ships.
§24.3πέμπεται δὲ καὶ στρατηγὸς εἰς Ἀσίαν ὑπὸ Σερτωρίου τῶν ἀπὸ βουλῆς πεφευγότων πρὸς αὐτὸν Μᾶρκος Μάριος, ᾧ συνεξελών τινας πόλεις τῶν Ἀσιάδων ὁ Μιθριδάτης εἰσελαύνοντι μετὰ ῥάβδων καὶ πελέκεων αὐτὸς εἵπετο δευτέραν τάξιν καὶ σχῆμα θεραπεύοντος ἑκουσίως ἀνειληφώς.
Moreover, Marcus Marius, one of those senators who had fled to him, was sent by Sertorius as general to Asia; and Mithridates, after jointly capturing some of the Asiatic cities with him, followed behind him as he made his entry with rods and axes, having voluntarily assumed a subordinate rank and the posture of an attendant.
§24.4ὁ δὲ τὰς μὲν ἠλευθέρου, ταῖς δὲ ἀτέλειαν γράφων χάριτι Σερτωρίου κατήγγελεν, ὥστε τὴν Ἀσίαν αὖθις ἐνοχλουμένην μὲν ὑπὸ τῶν τελωνῶν, βαρυνομένην δὲ ταῖς πλεονεξίαις καὶ ὑπερηφανίαις τῶν ἐπισκήνων, ἀναπτοηθῆναι πρὸς τὴν ἐλπίδα καὶ ποθεῖν τὴν προσδοκωμένην μεταβολὴν τῆς ἡγεμονίας.
And he, on the one hand, freed some of the cities, and to others proclaimed immunity from taxes by the favor of Sertorius, so that Asia, which was on the one hand troubled again by the tax-collectors, and on the other hand burdened by the greed and arrogance of those quartered upon them, was fluttered with hope and yearned for the expected change of government.

Notes

  1. 24.1διὰ θάμβους ἐποιεῖτο — The idiom διὰ θάμβους ποιεῖσθαί τι means 'to receive something with amazement, to wonder at'. It takes the preceding passive participle phrase ταῦτα ἀπαγγελθέντα ('these things having been reported') as its direct object.
  2. 24.2Καππαδοκίαν καὶ Βιθυνίαν ἔχειν Μιθριδάτην· ... Σερτώριον δὲ ... λαβεῖν — These are accusative-with-infinitive clauses (ἔχειν and λαβεῖν) acting in apposition to explain the contents of the treaty (γίνονται συνθῆκαι). Interspersed between them is a genitive absolute clause (Σερτωρίου ... πέμποντος) indicating a condition or accompaniment.
  3. 24.3ᾧ συνεξελών τινας πόλεις τῶν Ἀσιάδων ὁ Μιθριδάτης εἰσελαύνοντι μετὰ ῥάβδων καὶ πελέκεων αὐτὸς εἵπετο — The dative relative pronoun ᾧ, together with the subsequent dative present participle εἰσελαύνοντι, serves as the dative object governed by the main verb εἵπετο ('followed'). The structure means 'Mithridates himself followed him [Marius] as he entered with rods and axes.' The participle συνεξελών ('having jointly captured') agrees with the main subject ὁ Μιθριδάτης.
  4. 24.4ὥστε τὴν Ἀσίαν ... ἀναπτοηθῆναι πρὸς τὴν ἐλπίδα καὶ ποθεῖν — A consecutive (result) clause introduced by ὥστε with the accusative and infinitive. The accusative τὴν Ἀσίαν is the subject of the infinitives ἀναπτοηθῆναι ('to be fluttered/excited') and ποθεῖν ('to yearn'). A pair of passive participle phrases (ἐνοχλουμένην μὲν... βαρυνομένην δέ...) describing Asia's current miserable state is inserted to modify the subject.

Cite this passage

Plutarch, Life of Sertorius §24.1-24.4. Humanitext Reader, https://reader.humanitext.ai/en/text/urn:cts:greekLit:tlg0007.tlg042.humanitext-grc2:24.1-24.4

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