§16.34.1κατὰ δὲ τοὺς καιροὺς τούτους Ἄτταλος ὁ βασιλεὺς ἀκούσας πολιορκεῖσθαι τοὺς Ἀβυδηνούς, διʼ Αἰγαίου ποιησάμενος τὸν πλοῦν εἰς Τένεδον, ὁμοίως δὲ καὶ τῶν Ῥωμαίων Μάρκος Αἰμίλιος ὁ νεώτατος ἧκε καταπλέων εἰς αὐτὴν τὴν Ἄβυδον.
At about this time, King Attalus, hearing that the Abydenians were being besieged, made his voyage through the Aegean to Tenedos, and likewise of the Romans, Marcus Aemilius, the youngest, arrived, sailing into Abydos itself.
§16.34.2οἱ γὰρ Ῥωμαῖοι τὸ σαφὲς ἀκούσαντες ἐν τῇ Ῥόδῳ περὶ τῆς τῶν Ἀβυδηνῶν πολιορκίας καὶ βουλόμενοι πρὸς αὐτὸν τὸν Φίλιππον ποιήσασθαι τοὺς λόγους κατὰ τὰς ἐντολάς, ἐπιστήσαντες τὴν πρὸς τοὺς βασιλέας ὁρμὴν ἐξέπεμψαν τὸν προειρημένον, §16.34.3ὃς καὶ συμμίξας περὶ τὴν Ἄβυδον διεσάφει τῷ βασιλεῖ διότι δέδοκται τῇ συγκλήτῳ παρακαλεῖν αὐτὸν μήτε τῶν Ἑλλήνων μηδενὶ πολεμεῖν μήτε τοῖς Πτολεμαίου πράγμασιν ἐπιβάλλειν τὰς χεῖρας, περὶ δὲ τῶν εἰς Ἄτταλον καὶ Ῥοδίους ἀδικημάτων δίκας ὑποσχεῖν, §16.34.4καὶ διότι ταῦτα μὲν οὕτω πράττοντι τὴν εἰρήνην ἄγειν ἐξέσται, μὴ βουλομένῳ δὲ πειθαρχεῖν ἑτοίμως ὑπάρξειν τὸν πρὸς Ῥωμαίους πόλεμον.
For the Romans, having heard definite news in Rhodes about the siege of the Abydenians, and wishing to address Philip himself in accordance with their instructions, suspended their mission to the kings and sent the aforementioned person, who, meeting him near Abydos, made it clear to the king that the senate had resolved to demand of him that he should neither make war on any of the Greeks nor lay hands on the possessions of Ptolemy, and that he should submit to arbitration concerning the injuries done to Attalus and the Rhodians, and that if he acted thus, he would be permitted to remain at peace, but if he refused to obey, war with Rome would immediately await him.
§16.34.5τοῦ δὲ Φιλίππου βουλομένου διδάσκειν ὅτι Ῥόδιοι τὰς χεῖρας ἐπιβάλοιεν αὐτῷ, μεσολαβήσας ὁ Μάρκος ἤρετο "τί δαὶ Ἀθηναῖοι;
When Philip wished to explain that the Rhodians had laid hands on him first, Marcus interrupted him and asked, "What of the Athenians then?
τί δαὶ Κιανοί;
What of the Cianians?
τί δαὶ νῦν Ἀβυδηνοί;
What of the Abydenians now?
καὶ τούτων τίσ" ἔφη "σοὶ πρότερος ἐπέβαλε τὰς χεῖρας; " §16.34.6ὁ δὲ βασιλεὺς ἐξαπορήσας κατὰ τρεῖς τρόπους ἔφησεν αὐτῷ συγγνώμην ἔχειν ὑπερηφάνως ὁμιλοῦντι, πρῶτον μὲν ὅτι νέος ἐστὶ καὶ πραγμάτων ἄπειρος, δεύτερον ὅτι κάλλιστος ὑπάρχει τῶν καθʼ αὑτὸν — καὶ γὰρ ἦν τοῦτο κατʼ ἀλήθειαν — μάλιστα δʼ ὅτι Ῥωμαῖος.
Which of these," he said, "first laid hands on you?" The king, being at a loss for a reply, said that he excused his haughty manner of speaking for three reasons: first, because he was young and inexperienced in affairs; second, because he was the handsomest man of his time—for this was indeed the truth—and most of all because he was a Roman.
§16.34.7"ἐγὼ δὲ μάλιστα μὲν ἀξιῶ Ῥωμαίουσ" ἔφη "μὴ παραβαίνειν τὰς συνθήκας μηδὲ πολεμεῖν ἡμῖν· ἐὰν δὲ καὶ τοῦτο ποιῶσιν, ἀμυνούμεθα γενναίως, παρακαλέσαντες τοὺς θεούσ". οὗτοι μὲν οὖν ταῦτʼ εἰπόντες διεχωρίσθησαν ἀπʼ ἀλλήλων·
"But as for me," he said, "I demand above all that the Romans do not violate the treaty or make war on us; but if they do so, we shall defend ourselves courageously, calling upon the gods." Having spoken thus, they parted from one another.
§16.34.8ὁ δὲ Φίλιππος κυριεύσας τῆς πόλεως, τὴν ὕπαρξιν ἅπασαν καταλαβὼν συνηθροισμένην ὑπὸ τῶν Ἀβυδηνῶν ἐξ ἑτοίμου παρέλαβε.
Philip, having become master of the city, took possession without difficulty of all the property which had been collected in one place by the Abydenians.
§16.34.9θεωρῶν δὲ τὸ πλῆθος καὶ τὴν ὁρμὴν τῶν σφᾶς αὐτοὺς καὶ τὰ τέκνα καὶ τὰς γυναῖκας ἀποσφαττόντων, κατακαόντων, ἀπαγχόντων, εἰς τὰ φρέατα ῥιπτούντων, κατακρημνιζόντων ἀπὸ τῶν τεγῶν, §16.34.10ἐκπλαγὴς ἦν, καὶ διαλγῶν ἐπὶ τοῖς γινομένοις παρήγγειλε διότι τρεῖς ἡμέρας ἀναστροφὴν δίδωσι τοῖς βουλομένοις ἀπάγχεσθαι καὶ σφάττειν αὑτούς.
But seeing the multitude and the impetuosity of those who were cutting the throats of themselves, their children, and their wives, burning them, hanging them, throwing them into wells, and casting them down from the roofs, he was struck with horror, and being deeply grieved at what was happening, he issued a proclamation that he would allow three days' grace to those who wished to hang or kill themselves.
§16.34.11οἱ δʼ Ἀβυδηνοί, προδιειληφότες ὑπὲρ αὑτῶν κατὰ τὴν ἐξ ἀρχῆς στάσιν, καὶ νομίζοντες οἷον εἰ προδόται γίνεσθαι τῶν ὑπὲρ τῆς πατρίδος ἠγωνισμένων καὶ τεθνεώτων, οὐδαμῶς ὑπέμενον τὸ ζῆν, ὅσοι μὴ δεσμοῖς ἢ τοιαύταις ἀνάγκαις προκατελήφθησαν· §16.34.12οἱ δὲ λοιποὶ πάντες ὥρμων ἀμελλήτως κατὰ συγγενείας ἐπὶ τὸν θάνατον. —
The Abydenians, having already decided their fate in accordance with their original resolution, and thinking that to survive would be, as it were, to betray those who had fought and died for their country, would by no means endure to live, except those who had been prevented by chains or similar constraints; but all the rest rushed without delay, family by family, to their death.