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Polybius · The Histories §21.18.1-21.18.10

Eumenes Arrives in Rome and Defers to the Senate

Passage 978 of 1311 · Greek

Summary

Following the victory over Antiochus, King Eumenes and various embassies arrived at Rome. The senate invited Eumenes to state his requests, but he politely deferred the decision to the senate, prompting them to recall him and request a more specific statement of his interests.

§21.18.1ὅτι ἤδη τῆς θερείας ἐνισταμένης μετὰ τὴν νίκην τῶν Ῥωμαίων τὴν πρὸς Ἀντίοχον παρῆν ὅ τε βασιλεὺς Εὐμένης οἵ τε παρʼ Ἀντιόχου πρέσβεις οἵ τε παρὰ τῶν Ῥοδίων, ὁμοίως δὲ καὶ παρὰ τῶν ἄλλων·
That, when the summer was already beginning after the victory of the Romans over Antiochus, King Eumenes arrived, as well as the envoys from Antiochus and those from the Rhodians, and likewise also those from the others.
§21.18.2σχεδὸν γὰρ ἅπαντες οἱ κατὰ τὴν Ἀσίαν εὐθέως μετὰ τὸ γενέσθαι τὴν μάχην ἔπεμπον πρεσβευτὰς εἰς τὴν Ῥώμην, διὰ τὸ πᾶσιν τότε καὶ πάσας τὰς ὑπὲρ τοῦ μέλλοντος ἐλπίδας ἐν τῇ συγκλήτῳ κεῖσθαι.
For almost all the inhabitants of Asia sent envoys to Rome immediately after the battle had taken place, because at that time all their hopes for the future were placed in the hands of the senate.
§21.18.3ἅπαντας μὲν οὖν τοὺς παραγενομένους ἐπεδέχετο φιλανθρώπως ἡ σύγκλητος, μεγαλομερέστατα δὲ καὶ κατὰ τὴν ἀπάντησιν καὶ τὰς τῶν ξενίων παροχὰς Εὐμένη τὸν βασιλέα, μετὰ δὲ τοῦτον τοὺς Ῥοδίους.
The senate, then, received all who arrived kindly, but most magnificently, both in their meeting and in the provision of hospitality, King Eumenes, and after him the Rhodians.
§21.18.4ἐπειδὴ δʼ ὁ τῆς ἐντεύξεως καιρὸς ἦλθεν, εἰσεκαλέσαντο πρῶτον τὸν βασιλέα καὶ λέγειν ἠξίουν μετὰ παρρησίας ὧν βούλεται τυχεῖν παρὰ τῆς συγκλήτου.
And when the time for the audience came, they first called in the king and requested him to speak with freedom of what he wished to obtain from the senate.
§21.18.5τοῦ δʼ Εὐμένους φήσαντος διότι εἰ καὶ παρʼ ἑτέρων τυχεῖν τινος ἐβούλετο φιλανθρώπου, Ῥωμαίοις ἂν ἐχρήσατο συμβούλοις πρὸς τὸ μήτʼ ἐπιθυμεῖν μηδενὸς παρὰ τὸ δέον μήτʼ ἀξιοῦν μηδʼ ἓν πέρα τοῦ καθήκοντος· §21.18.6ὁπότε δʼ αὐτῶν πάρεστι δεόμενος Ῥωμαίων, ἄριστον εἶναι νομίζει τὸ διδόναι τὴν ἐπιτροπὴν ἐκείνοις καὶ περὶ αὑτοῦ καὶ περὶ τῶν ἀδελφῶν·
But Eumenes said that, if he had wished to obtain any favor from others, he would have used the Romans as advisors, so as neither to desire anything beyond what was proper, nor to demand even a single thing beyond what was fitting; but since he was present to petition those very Romans, he thought it best to leave the decision to them, both concerning himself and concerning his brothers.
§21.18.7τῶν δὲ πρεσβυτέρων τινὸς ἀναστάντος καὶ κελεύοντος μὴ κατορρωδεῖν, ἀλλὰ λέγειν τὸ φαινόμενον, διότι πρόκειται τῇ συγκλήτῳ πᾶν αὐτῷ χαρίζεσθαι τὸ δυνατόν, ἔμεινεν ἐπὶ τῆς αὐτῆς γνώμης.
Although one of the elders rose and urged him not to be afraid, but to say what seemed good to him, because the senate's intention was to grant him every possible favor, he remained of the same opinion.
χρόνου δʼ ἐγγινομένου ὁ μὲν βασιλεὺς ἐξεχώρησεν, §21.18.8ἡ δὲ ἐντὸς ἐβουλεύετο τί δεῖ ποιεῖν.
After some time had elapsed, the king withdrew, and the senate within deliberated on what they ought to do.
§21.18.9ἔδοξεν οὖν τὸν Εὐμένη παρακαλεῖν αὐτὸν ὑποδεικνύναι θαρροῦντα περὶ ὧν πάρεστιν· καὶ γὰρ εἰδέναι τὰ διαφέροντα τοῖς ἰδίοις πράγμασιν ἐκεῖνον ἀκριβέστερον τὰ κατὰ τὴν Ἀσίαν.
They resolved, therefore, to request Eumenes to state with confidence the things concerning which he was present; for indeed he knew more accurately both the affairs of Asia and what was advantageous to his own interests.
§21.18.10δοξάντων δὲ τούτων εἰσεκλήθη, καὶ τῶν πρεσβυτέρων τινὸς ἀποδείξαντος τὰ δεδογμένα λέγειν
When this was resolved, he was called in, and one of the elders, having made known the resolution, told him to speak:

Notes

  1. 21.18.1ὅτι — A typical particle placed at the beginning of a section in the Excerpta (epitomes) of Polybius to introduce a new episode, implying an indirect reporting structure ('That...').
  2. 21.18.4ὧν βούλεται — The relative pronoun ὧν is attracted into the genitive case from an original accusative (ἃ) because its omitted antecedent (ἐκείνων) would be in the genitive as governed by the verb τυχεῖν.
  3. 21.18.5εἰ καὶ παρʼ ἑτέρων τυχεῖν τινος ἐβούλετο φιλανθρώπου, Ῥωμαίοις ἂν ἐχρήσατο συμβούλοις — A past contrary-to-fact conditional sentence, using the past indicative in the protasis (εἰ ... ἐβούλετο) and ἄν with the past indicative in the apodosis (ἂν ἐχρήσατο). It expresses the hypothetical situation: 'if he had wished... he would have used...'
  4. 21.18.9καὶ γὰρ εἰδέναι ... ἐκεῖνον — An accusative with infinitive construction (ἐκεῖνον εἰδέναι) within a γάρ clause, expressing the senate's internal reasoning or belief that led to their resolution (ἔδοξεν) in indirect discourse.

Cite this passage

Polybius, The Histories §21.18.1-21.18.10. Humanitext Reader, https://reader.humanitext.ai/en/text/urn:cts:greekLit:tlg0543.tlg001.humanitext-grc2:21.18.1-21.18.10

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