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Polybius · The Histories §18.48.1-18.48.10

Division of Tasks among the Ten Commissioners

Passage 938 of 1311 · Greek

Summary

The ten Roman commissioners divide their tasks to oversee the liberation of various cities and carry out negotiations with Philip and Antiochus, while addressing the grievances of the Aetolians by advising them to send an embassy to Rome.

§18.48.1ταῦτα δὲ διοικήσαντες ἐμέρισαν σφᾶς αὐτούς, §18.48.2καὶ Πόπλιος μὲν Λέντλος εἰς Βαργύλια πλεύσας ἠλευθέρωσε τούτους, Λεύκιος δὲ Στερτίνιος εἰς Ἡφαιστίαν καὶ Θάσον ἀφικόμενος καὶ τὰς ἐπὶ Θρᾴκης πόλεις ἐποίησε τὸ παραπλήσιον.
Having settled these matters, they divided themselves into groups, and Publius Lentulus sailed to Bargylia and set them free, while Lucius Stertinius went to Hephaestia and Thasos and the cities in Thrace and did the like.
§18.48.3πρὸς δὲ τὸν Ἀντίοχον ὥρμησαν Πόπλιος Οὐίλλιος καὶ Λεύκιος Τερέντιος, οἱ δὲ περὶ Γνάιον τὸν Κορνήλιον πρὸς τὸν βασιλέα Φίλιππον.
Publius Villius and Lucius Terentius set out for Antiochus, while Gnaeus Cornelius and his company went to King Philip.
§18.48.4ᾧ καὶ συμμίξαντες πρὸς τοῖς Τέμπεσι περί τε τῶν ἄλλων διελέχθησαν ὑπὲρ ὧν εἶχον τὰς ἐντολάς, καὶ συνεβούλευον αὐτῷ πρεσβευτὰς πέμπειν εἰς τὴν Ῥώμην ὑπὲρ συμμαχίας, ἵνα μὴ δοκῇ τοῖς καιροῖς ἐφεδρεύων ἀποκαραδοκεῖν τὴν Ἀντιόχου παρουσίαν.
Meeting him near Tempe, they discussed the other matters on which they had instructions, and advised him to send envoys to Rome to make an alliance, so that he might not seem, by waiting upon events, to be expecting the arrival of Antiochus.
§18.48.5τοῦ δὲ βασιλέως συγκαταθεμένου τοῖς ὑποδεικνυμένοις, εὐθέως ἀπʼ ἐκείνου χωρισθέντες ἧκον ἐπὶ τὴν τῶν Θερμικῶν σύνοδον,
Since the king agreed to their suggestions, they parted from him at once and arrived at the Thermic assembly.
§18.48.6καὶ παρελθόντες εἰς τὰ πλήθη παρεκάλουν τοὺς Αἰτωλοὺς διὰ πλειόνων μένειν ἐπὶ τῆς ἐξ ἀρχῆς αἱρέσεως καὶ διαφυλάττειν τὴν πρὸς Ῥωμαίους εὔνοιαν.
Coming forward before the multitude, they urged the Aetolians at length to remain loyal to their original choice and to preserve their goodwill toward the Romans.
§18.48.7πολλῶν δὲ παρισταμένων, καὶ τῶν μὲν πρᾴως καὶ πολιτικῶς μεμψιμοιρούντων αὐτοῖς ἐπὶ τῷ μὴ κοινωνικῶς χρῆσθαι τοῖς εὐτυχήμασι μηδὲ τηρεῖν τὰς ἐξ ἀρχῆς συνθήκας, §18.48.8τῶν δὲ λοιδορούντων καὶ φασκόντων οὔτʼ ἂν ἐπιβῆναι τῆς Ἑλλάδος οὐδέποτε Ῥωμαίους οὔτʼ ἂν νικῆσαι Φίλιππον, εἰ μὴ διʼ ἑαυτούς,
While many were present, some of them complained gently and politely of the Romans' failure to share the fruits of success with them and to keep their original treaty, while others abused them, asserting that the Romans would never have set foot in Greece nor conquered Philip but for themselves.
§18.48.9τὸ μὲν ἀπολογεῖσθαι πρὸς ἕκαστα τούτων οἱ περὶ τὸν Γνάιον ἀπεδοκίμασαν, παρεκάλουν δʼ αὐτοὺς πρεσβεύειν εἰς τὴν Ῥώμην, διότι πάντων παρὰ τῆς συγκλήτου τεύξονται τῶν δικαίων· ὃ καὶ πεισθέντες ἐποίησαν.
Gnaeus and his company thought it best not to defend themselves against each of these charges, but urged them to send envoys to Rome, since they would obtain full justice from the Senate; and they were persuaded to do so.
§18.48.10καὶ τὸ μὲν τέλος τοῦ πρὸς Φίλιππον πολέμου τοιαύτην ἔσχε διάθεσιν.
In this manner, then, the war against Philip was brought to its conclusion.

Notes

  1. 18.48.4τοῖς καιροῖς ἐφεδρεύων — The participle ἐφεδρεύων accompanied by the dative τοῖς καιροῖς means 'lying in wait for opportunities' or 'watching the course of events.' It conveys the concern that Philip might appear to be maintaining neutrality merely to wait for a favorable moment amid the tensions between Rome and Antiochus.
  2. 18.48.7τῶν μὲν... μεμψιμοιρούντων — Following the genitive absolute πολλῶν δὲ παρισταμένων, the constructions τῶν μὲν... μεμψιμοιρούντων and τῶν δὲ... (§18.48.8) with genitive participles function as a distributive genitive absolute, detailing the divergent reactions of different groups among the 'many' (πολλῶν) present.
  3. 18.48.8οὔτʼ ἂν ἐπιβῆναι... οὔτʼ ἂν νικῆσαι... εἰ μὴ διʼ ἑαυτούς — This is a past unreal (contrary-to-fact) conditional sentence in indirect speech. The direct form would be οὔτ’ ἂν ἐπέβησαν... οὔτ’ ἂν ἐνίκησαν... εἰ μὴ δι’ ἡμᾶς ('they would never have set foot... nor conquered... if not for us'), which has been changed into the infinitive with ἄν due to the governing participle φασκόντων. The phrase δι’ ἑαυτούς refers reflexively to the Aetolians themselves.

Cite this passage

Polybius, The Histories §18.48.1-18.48.10. Humanitext Reader, https://reader.humanitext.ai/en/text/urn:cts:greekLit:tlg0543.tlg001.humanitext-grc2:18.48.1-18.48.10

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