§2.2.1κατὰ δὲ τοὺς καιροὺς τούτους Ῥωμαῖοι τὴν πρώτην διάβασιν εἰς τὴν Ἰλλυρίδα καὶ ταῦτα τὰ μέρη τῆς Εὐρώπης ἐπεβάλοντο ποιεῖσθαι μετὰ δυνάμεως.
At about this time the Romans undertook to make their first crossing with an army into Illyria and these parts of Europe.
ἅπερ οὐ παρέργως, §2.2.2ἀλλὰ μετʼ ἐπιστάσεως θεωρητέον τοῖς βουλομένοις ἀληθινῶς τήν τε πρόθεσιν τὴν ἡμετέραν συνθεάσασθαι καὶ τὴν αὔξησιν καὶ κατασκευὴν τῆς Ῥωμαίων δυναστείας.
This matter must be viewed not cursorily, but with close attention, by those who wish truly to grasp both our purpose and the growth and establishment of the Roman power.
§2.2.3ἔγνωσαν δὲ διαβαίνειν διά τινας τοιαύτας αἰτίας.
They resolved to cross for some such reasons.
§2.2.4Ἄγρων ὁ τῶν Ἰλλυριῶν βασιλεὺς ἦν μὲν υἱὸς Πλευράτου, δύναμιν δὲ πεζὴν καὶ ναυτικὴν μεγίστην ἔσχε τῶν πρὸ αὐτοῦ βεβασιλευκότων ἐν Ἰλλυριοῖς.
Agron, the king of the Illyrians, was the son of Pleuratus, and possessed a land and naval force greater than any of those who had ruled in Illyria before him.
§2.2.5οὗτος ὑπὸ Δημητρίου τοῦ Φιλίππου πατρὸς πεισθεὶς χρήμασιν ὑπέσχετο βοηθήσειν Μεδιωνίοις ὑπʼ Αἰτωλῶν πολιορκουμένοις.
Having been persuaded with money by Demetrius, the father of Philip, he promised to succour the Medionians, who were being besieged by the Aetolians.
§2.2.6Αἰτωλοὶ γὰρ οὐδαμῶς δυνάμενοι πεῖσαι Μεδιωνίους μετέχειν σφίσι τῆς αὐτῆς πολιτείας, ἐπεβάλοντο κατὰ κράτος ἑλεῖν αὐτούς.
For the Aetolians, being in no way able to persuade the Medionians to share the same polity with them, undertook to capture them by force.
§2.2.7στρατεύσαντες οὖν πανδημεὶ καὶ περιστρατοπεδεύσαντες αὐτῶν τὴν πόλιν κατὰ τὸ συνεχὲς ἐπολιόρκουν, πᾶσαν βίαν προσφέροντες καὶ μηχανήν.
Having therefore marched out in full force and encamped around their city, they besieged it continuously, applying every force and engine.
§2.2.8συνάψαντος δὲ τοῦ χρόνου τῶν ἀρχαιρεσίων, καὶ δέον στρατηγὸν ἕτερον αἱρεῖσθαι, καὶ τῶν πολιορκουμένων ἤδη κακῶς διακειμένων καὶ δοκούντων ἀνʼ ἑκάστην ἡμέραν ἐνδώσειν ἑαυτούς, ὁ προϋπάρχων στρατηγὸς προσφέρει λόγον τοῖς Αἰτωλοῖς φάσκων, §2.2.9ἐπειδὴ τὰς κακοπαθείας καὶ τοὺς κινδύνους αὐτὸς ἀναδέδεκται τοὺς κατὰ τὴν πολιορκίαν, δίκαιον εἶναι καὶ τὴν οἰκονομίαν τῶν λαφύρων, ἐπὰν κρατήσωσι, καὶ τὴν ἐπιγραφὴν τῶν ὅπλων ἑαυτῷ συγχωρεῖσθαι.
And as the time of the elections drew near, and it was necessary to elect another general, and the besieged were already in a bad plight and seemed likely to surrender from day to day, the existing general brought a proposal to the Aetolians, saying that, since he himself had undergone the hardships and dangers of the siege, it was just that both the distribution of the booty, when they should capture the city, and the dedication of the arms should be granted to him.
τινῶν δέ, §2.2.10καὶ μάλιστα τῶν προϊόντων πρὸς τὴν ἀρχήν, ἀμφισβητούντων πρὸς τὰ λεγόμενα καὶ παρακαλούντων τὰ πλήθη μὴ προδιαλαμβάνειν, ἀλλʼ ἀκέραιον ἐᾶν, ᾧ ποτʼ ἂν ἡ τύχη βουληθῇ περιθεῖναι τοῦτον τὸν στέφανον, §2.2.11ἔδοξε τοῖς Αἰτωλοῖς, ὃς ἂν ἐπικατασταθεὶς στρατηγὸς κρατήσῃ τῆς πόλεως, κοινὴν ποιεῖν τῷ προϋπάρχοντι καὶ τὴν οἰκονομίαν
But since some, and especially those who were candidates for the office, disputed his words and exhorted the multitude not to decide beforehand, but to leave the matter open for whomever Fortune might wish to invest with this crown, the Aetolians resolved that whoever, having been appointed as the next general, should capture the city, should share both the distribution with the existing one