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Polybius · The Histories §18.49.1-18.49.3

Arrival of Roman Envoys to Antiochus in Selymbria

Passage 939 of 1311 · Greek

Summary

After mentioning a desperate resort to flee to the Romans, the text describes the arrival of Lucius Cornelius and other senatorial envoys in Selymbria for peace negotiations while Antiochus was successfully pursuing his enterprise in Thrace.

§18.49.1ἐάν, τὸ δὴ λεγόμενον, τρέχωσι τὴν ἐσχάτην, ἐπὶ τοὺς Ῥωμαίους καταφεύξονται καὶ τούτοις ἐγχειριοῦσι σφᾶς αὐτοὺς καὶ τὴν πόλιν. — §18.49.2ὅτι προχωρούσης τῷ Ἀντιόχῳ κατὰ νοῦν τῆς ἐπιβολῆς παρόντι ἐν Θρᾴκῃ τῷ Ἀντιόχῳ κατέπλευσαν εἰς Σηλυβρίαν οἱ περὶ Λεύκιον Κορνήλιον.
If they, as the saying goes, run their last course, they will flee to the Romans and hand themselves and their city over to them. — While Antiochus's enterprise was proceeding according to his wish, and while he was present in Thrace, Lucius Cornelius and his company sailed into Selymbria.
§18.49.3οὗτοι δʼ ἦσαν παρὰ τῆς συγκλήτου πρέσβεις ἐπὶ τὰς διαλύσεις ἐξαπεσταλμένοι τὰς Ἀντιόχου καὶ
These were envoys dispatched by the Senate for the settlement of the affairs of Antiochus, and

Notes

  1. §18.49.1τρέχωσι τὴν ἐσχάτην — An idiomatic expression. The omitted noun is generally understood to be δρόμον (course) or πλάστιγγα (scale), meaning "to resort to the last extremity" or "to run the last course".
  2. §18.49.2ὅτι — Since this passage is preserved in excerpts, the initial ὅτι serves as an introductory marker ("that...") for the excerpt and is left untranslated to make a natural main clause.
  3. §18.49.2προχωρούσης τῷ Ἀντιόχῳ κατὰ νοῦν τῆς ἐπιβολῆς παρόντι ἐν Θρᾴκῃ τῷ Ἀντιόχῳ — Within the genitive absolute construction προχωρούσης ... τῆς ἐπιβολῆς ("as the enterprise was proceeding"), the dative of interest τῷ Ἀντιόχῳ is used and repeated with the appositive τῷ Ἀντιόχῳ accompanied by the participle παρόντι ("being present").

Cite this passage

Polybius, The Histories §18.49.1-18.49.3. Humanitext Reader, https://reader.humanitext.ai/en/text/urn:cts:greekLit:tlg0543.tlg001.humanitext-grc2:18.49.1-18.49.3

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