§18.51.1σιώπησαν· ὁ δὲ βασιλεὺς πρῶτον μὲν διαπορεῖν ἔφη κατὰ τίνα λόγον ἀμφισβητοῦσι πρὸς αὐτὸν ὑπὲρ τῶν ἐπὶ τῆς Ἀσίας πόλεων· πᾶσι γὰρ μᾶλλον ἐπιβάλλειν τοῦτο ποιεῖν ἢ Ῥωμαίοις.
They fell silent; and the king said, first of all, that he wondered on what principle they disputed with him over the cities in Asia; for it was more fitting for anyone else to do this than for the Romans.
§18.51.2δεύτερον δʼ ἠξίου μηδὲν αὐτοὺς πολυπραγμονεῖν καθόλου τῶν κατὰ τὴν Ἀσίαν· οὐδὲ γὰρ αὐτὸς περιεργάζεσθαι τῶν κατὰ τὴν Ἰταλίαν ἁπλῶς οὐδέν.
Secondly, he demanded that they should not meddle at all in the affairs of Asia; for he himself did not interfere in any way with those of Italy.
§18.51.3εἰς δὲ τὴν Εὐρώπην ἔφη διαβεβηκέναι μετὰ τῶν δυνάμεων ἀνακτησόμενος τὰ κατὰ τὴν Χερρόνησον καὶ τὰς ἐπὶ Θρᾴκης πόλεις· τὴν γὰρ τῶν τόπων τούτων ἀρχὴν μάλιστα πάντων αὑτῷ καθήκειν.
He said that he had crossed over into Europe with his forces in order to recover the region of the Chersonese and the cities in Thrace; for the sovereignty over these places belonged to himself more than to anyone else.
§18.51.4εἶναι μὲν γὰρ ἐξ ἀρχῆς τὴν δυναστείαν ταύτην Λυσιμάχου, Σελεύκου δὲ πολεμήσαντος πρὸς αὐτὸν καὶ κρατήσαντος τῷ πολέμῳ πᾶσαν τὴν Λυσιμάχου βασιλείαν δορίκτητον γενέσθαι Σελεύκου.
For this dominion had belonged originally to Lysimachus, but when Seleucus made war on him and conquered him in the war, the whole kingdom of Lysimachus became the prize of Seleucus' spear.
§18.51.5κατὰ δὲ τοὺς τῶν αὑτοῦ προγόνων περισπασμοὺς ἐν τοῖς ἑξῆς χρόνοις πρῶτον μὲν Πτολεμαῖον παρασπασάμενον σφετερίσασθαι τοὺς τόπους τούτους, δεύτερον δὲ Φίλιππον.
But in the subsequent times, owing to the distractions of his ancestors, first Ptolemy had snatched and appropriated these places, and secondly Philip.
§18.51.6αὐτὸς δὲ νῦν οὐ κτᾶσθαι τοῖς Φιλίππου καιροῖς συνεπιτιθέμενος, ἀλλʼ ἀνακτᾶσθαι τοῖς ἰδίοις δικαίοις συγχρώμενος.
He himself was not now acquiring them by taking advantage of Philip's difficulties, but was recovering them by exercising his own just rights.
§18.51.7Λυσιμαχεῖς δέ, παραλόγως ἀναστάτους γεγονότας ὑπὸ Θρᾳκῶν, οὐκ ἀδικεῖν Ῥωμαίους κατάγων καὶ συνοικίζων· §18.51.8ποιεῖν γὰρ τοῦτʼ ἔφη βουλόμενος οὐ Ῥωμαίοις τὰς χεῖρας ἐπιβαλεῖν, Σελεύκῳ δʼ οἰκητήριον ἑτοιμάζειν.
And in restoring and resettling the people of Lysimacheia, who had been unexpectedly driven out by the Thracians, he was doing no wrong to the Romans; for he said he was doing this not because he wished to lay hands on the Romans, but because he wished to prepare a dwelling-place for Seleucus.
§18.51.9τὰς δʼ αὐτονόμους τῶν κατὰ τὴν Ἀσίαν πόλεων οὐ διὰ τῆς Ῥωμαίων ἐπιταγῆς δέον εἶναι τυγχάνειν τῆς ἐλευθερίας, ἀλλὰ διὰ τῆς αὑτοῦ χάριτος.
As for the autonomous cities in Asia, they ought to obtain their freedom not through the dictate of the Romans, but through his own grace.
§18.51.10τὰ δὲ πρὸς Πτολεμαῖον αὐτὸς ἔφη διεξάξειν εὐδοκουμένως ἐκείνῳ· κρίνειν γὰρ οὐ φιλίαν μόνον, ἀλλὰ καὶ μετὰ τῆς φιλίας ἀναγκαιότητα συντίθεσθαι πρὸς αὐτόν.
And regarding his relations with Ptolemy, he said he would settle them in a manner satisfactory to him; for he intended to establish with him not only friendship, but also an alliance of affinity alongside friendship.