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Polybius · The Histories §18.8.1-18.8.10

Private Talks between Philip and Titus on Peace Terms

Passage 897 of 1311 · Greek

Summary

Philip arrived late in the evening and negotiated privately with Titus, presenting specific conditions for the restoration and evacuation of territories for peace, which Titus then explained to the other envoys.

§18.8.1τῆς δʼ ἡμέρας ἤδη προαγούσης ἐπὶ πολὺ καὶ σχεδὸν ἀπεγνωκότων τῶν περὶ τὸν Τίτον, παρῆν ὁ Φίλιππος δείλης ὀψίας ἐπιφαινόμενος μεθʼ ὧν καὶ πρότερον,
But when the day was already far advanced and those around Titus had almost given up hope, Philip arrived late in the evening, appearing with the same companions as before.
§18.8.2κατατετριφὼς τὴν ἡμέραν, ὡς μὲν αὐτὸς ἔφη, διὰ τὴν ἀπορίαν καὶ δυσχρηστίαν τῶν ἐπιταττομένων, ὡς δὲ τοῖς ἄλλοις ἐδόκει, βουλόμενος ἐκκλεῖσαι τῷ καιρῷ τήν τε τῶν Ἀχαιῶν καὶ τὴν τῶν Αἰτωλῶν κατηγορίαν· §18.8.3ἑώρα γὰρ τῇ πρόσθεν ἀπαλλαττόμενος ἀμφοτέρους τούτους ἑτοίμους ὄντας πρὸς τὸ συμπλέκεσθαι καὶ μεμψιμοιρεῖν αὐτῷ.
He had spent the day, as he himself claimed, because of the difficulty and complexity of the demands, but as it seemed to the others, because he wished to shut out the accusations of both the Achaians and the Aetolians by means of the late hour; for he had seen, on departing the day before, that both of these were ready to engage in conflict and find fault with him.
§18.8.4διὸ καὶ τότε συνεγγίσας ἠξίου τὸν τῶν Ῥωμαίων στρατηγὸν ἰδίᾳ πρὸς αὐτὸν διαλεχθῆναι περὶ τῶν ἐνεστώτων, ἵνα μὴ λόγοι γένωνται μόνον ἐξ ἀμφοτέρων ἁψιμαχούντων, ἀλλὰ καὶ τέλος τι τοῖς ἀμφισβητουμένοις ἐπιτεθῇ.
Therefore, on approaching this time also, he requested that the Roman general should discuss the present matters with him in private, so that there should not only be words from both sides skirmishing with each other, but also some end might be put to the matters in dispute.
§18.8.5πλεονάκις δʼ αὐτοῦ παρακαλοῦντος καὶ προσαξιοῦντος, ἤρετο τοὺς συμπαρόντας ὁ Τίτος τί δέον εἴη ποιεῖν.
Since he urged and requested this repeatedly, Titus asked those present what ought to be done.
§18.8.6τῶν δὲ κελευόντων συνελθεῖν καὶ διακοῦσαι τῶν λεγομένων, παραλαβὼν ὁ Τίτος Ἄππιον Κλαύδιον χιλίαρχον ὄντα τότε, τοῖς μὲν ἄλλοις μικρὸν ἀπὸ τῆς θαλάττης ἀναχωρήσασιν εἶπεν αὐτόθι μένειν, αὐτὸς δὲ τὸν Φίλιππον ἐκέλευσεν ἐκβαίνειν.
And as they urged him to meet and hear what was said, Titus, taking with him Appius Claudius, who was then a military tribune, told the others to withdraw a short distance from the sea and wait there, while he himself ordered Philip to land.
§18.8.7ὁ δὲ βασιλεὺς παραλαβὼν Ἀπολλόδωρον καὶ Δημοσθένην ἀπέβη, συμμίξας δὲ τῷ Τίτῳ διελέγετο καὶ πλείω χρόνον.
The king, taking Apollodorus and Demosthenes with him, disembarked, and joining Titus, conversed with him for a considerable time.
§18.8.8τίνα μὲν οὖν ἦν τὰ τότε ῥηθέντα παρʼ ἑκατέρου, δυσχερὲς εἰπεῖν· ἔφη δʼ οὖν ὁ Τίτος μετὰ τὸ χωρισθῆναι τὸν Φίλιππον, διασαφῶν τοῖς ἄλλοις τὰ παρὰ τοῦ βασιλέως, §18.8.9Αἰτωλοῖς μὲν ἀποδοῦναι Φάρσαλον καὶ Λάρισαν, Θήβας δʼ οὐκ ἀποδιδόναι, Ῥοδίοις δὲ τῆς μὲν Περαίας παραχωρεῖν, Ἰασοῦ δὲ καὶ Βαργυλίων οὐκ ἐκχωρεῖν· Ἀχαιοῖς δὲ παραδιδόναι τὸν Κόρινθον καὶ τὴν τῶν Ἀργείων πόλιν.
It is difficult, indeed, to say what was said by each side on that occasion; but Titus, after parting from Philip, explained the king's proposals to the others and stated that: To the Aetolians he would restore Pharsalus and Larissa, but would not restore Thebes; to the Rhodians he would cede Peraia, but would not evacuate Iasos and Bargylia; and to the Achaians he would hand over Corinth and the city of the Argives.
§18.8.10Ῥωμαίοις δὲ τὰ κατὰ τὴν Ἰλλυρίδα φάναι παραδώσειν καὶ τοὺς αἰχμαλώτους πάντας, Ἀττάλῳ δὲ τάς τε ναῦς ἀποκαταστήσειν καὶ τῶν ἀνδρῶν τῶν ἐν ταῖς ναυμαχίαις ἁλόντων ὅσοι περίεισι.
To the Romans, he said he would hand over the territories in Illyria and all the prisoners; and to Attalus he would restore the ships and all those of the men captured in the sea-fights who still survived.

Notes

  1. 18.8.2βουλόμενος ἐκκλεῖσαι τῷ καιρῷ τήν τε τῶν Ἀχαιῶν καὶ τὴν τῶν Αἰτωλῶν κατηγορίαν — τῷ καιρῷ is a dative of means/cause, meaning 'by means of the late hour' or 'by the limitation of time.' It explains Philip's motive for arriving late. The object of the infinitive ἐκκλεῖσαι ('to shut out' or 'to exclude') is the accusation of the Achaians and Aetolians.
  2. 18.8.3ἑτοίμους ὄντας πρὸς τὸ συμπλέκεσθαι καὶ μεμψιμοιρεῖν αὐτῷ — ἑτοίμους ὄντας is a participle serving as the object complement of the verb ἑώρα, agreeing with the accusative ἀμφοτέρους τούτους (a construction of a verb of physical/mental perception). αὐτῷ is the dative governed by συμπλέκεσθαι and μεμψιμοιρεῖν, referring to Philip.
  3. 18.8.8ἔφη δʼ οὖν ὁ Τίτος ... διασαφῶν τοῖς ἄλλοις τὰ παρὰ τοῦ βασιλέως — The main verb ἔφη introduces the long series of accusative and infinitive clauses in §§18.8.9-10 (ἀποδοῦναι, ἀποδιδόναι, παραχωρεῖν, ἐκχωρεῖν, παραδιδόναι, and, following φάναι in §18.8.10, παραδώσειν and ἀποκαταστήσειν). The participle διασαφῶν ('explaining') agrees with the subject ὁ Τίτος.
  4. 18.8.10Ῥωμαίοις δὲ τὰ κατὰ τὴν Ἰλλυρίδα φάναι παραδώσειν — The infinitive φάναι ('to say') depends on the main verb ἔφη ('Titus said') from the previous section. This creates a double indirect discourse: 'Titus said that Philip said that he would hand over...'. The subject of the future infinitive παραδώσειν is Philip, identical to the subject of φάναι.

Cite this passage

Polybius, The Histories §18.8.1-18.8.10. Humanitext Reader, https://reader.humanitext.ai/en/text/urn:cts:greekLit:tlg0543.tlg001.humanitext-grc2:18.8.1-18.8.10

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