§24.13.1ὁ δὲ Φιλοποίμην οὐκ ἐπὶ τοσοῦτον ἔφη δεῖν ἀμαθίαν αὑτοῦ καταγινώσκειν ὥστε μὴ δύνασθαι μετρεῖν μήτε τὴν διαφορὰν τοῦ πολιτεύματος τῶν Ῥωμαίων καὶ τῶν Ἀχαιῶν μήτε τὴν ὑπερβολὴν τῆς δυνάμεως" §24.13.2ἀλλὰ πάσης ὑπεροχῆς φύσιν ἐχούσης ἀεὶ βαρύτερον χρῆσθαι τοῖς ὑποταττομένοις, πότερον" ἔφη "συμφέρει συνεργεῖν ταῖς ὁρμαῖς ταῖς τῶν κρατούντων καὶ μηθὲν ἐμποδὼν ποιεῖν, ἵνʼ ὡς τάχιστα πεῖραν λάβωμεν τῶν βαρυτάτων ἐπιταγμάτων ἢ τοὐναντίον, καθʼ ὅσον οἷοί τʼ ἐσμέν, συμπαλαίοντας προσαντέχειν ἐπὶ τοσοῦτον, ἐφʼ ὅσον μέλλομεν τελέως
Philopoemen, on the other hand, said that he ought not to be accused of such great ignorance as not to be able to measure either the difference of the constitution of the Romans and the Achaeans, or the superiority of their power: "But since it is the nature of every superior power always to treat its subjects more harshly," he said, "is it advantageous to cooperate with the impulses of those who rule and place no obstacle in their way, so that we may as quickly as possible experience the heaviest commands, or, on the contrary, as far as we are able, by wrestling together, to hold out against them to such an extent, as far as we are going to completely...
§24.13.3κἂν ἐπιτάττωσιν καὶ τούτων ὑπομιμνήσκοντες αὐτοὺς ἐπιλαμβανώμεθα τῆς ὁρμῆς, παρακαθέξομεν ἐπὶ ποσὸν τὸ πικρὸν αὐτῶν τῆς ἐξουσίας, ἄλλως τε δὴ καὶ περὶ πλείονος ποιουμένων Ῥωμαίων ἕως γε τοῦ νῦν, ὡς αὐτὸς φής, Ἀρίσταινε, τὸ τηρεῖν τοὺς ὅρκους καὶ τὰς συνθήκας καὶ τὴν πρὸς τοὺς συμμάχους πίστιν.
And even if they command, if we, by reminding them of these things, check their impulse, we shall restrain to some extent the bitterness of their authority, especially since the Romans, at least until now, as you yourself say, Aristaenus, value highly the keeping of oaths, treaties, and faith towards allies.
§24.13.4ἐὰν δʼ αὐτοὶ καταγνόντες τῶν ἰδίων δικαίων αὐτόθεν εὐθέως καθάπερ οἱ δοριάλωτοι πρὸς πᾶν τὸ κελευόμενον ἑτοίμους ἡμᾶς αὐτοὺς παρασκευ
άζωμεν, τί διοίσει τὸ τῶν Ἀχαιῶν ἔθνος Σικελιωτῶν καὶ Καπυανῶν τῶν ὁμολογουμένως καὶ πάλαι δουλευόντων;
But if we ourselves, condemning our own rights, immediately and straightway, just like prisoners of war, prepare ourselves to be ready for every command, how will the Achaean nation differ from the Siceliots and Capuans, who are admittedly and for a long time enslaved?
§24.13.5"διόπερ ἔφη δεῖν ἢ τοῦτο συγχωρεῖν ὡς οὐδὲν ἰσχύει δίκαιον παρὰ Ῥωμαίοις ἢ μηδὲ τολμῶντας τοῦτο λέγειν χρῆσθαι τοῖς δικαίοις καὶ μὴ προΐεσθαι σφᾶς, ἔχοντάς γε δὴ μεγίστας καὶ καλλίστας ἀφορμὰς πρὸς Ῥωμαίους.
"Therefore he said that we must either concede this, that no right has any force with the Romans, or, if we do not even dare to say this, we must make use of our rights and not abandon ourselves, especially since we have the greatest and most honorable grounds in relation to the Romans.
§24.13.6ὅτι μὲν γὰρ ἥξει ποτὲ τοῖς Ἕλλησιν ὁ καιρὸς οὗτος, ἐν ᾧ δεήσει ποιεῖν κατʼ ἀνάγκην πᾶν τὸ παραγγελλόμενον, σαφῶς ἔφη γινώσκειν· "ἀλλὰ πότερα τοῦτον ὡς τάχιστά τις ἂν ἰδεῖν βουληθείη γενόμενον ἢ τοὐναντίον ὡς βραδύτατα;
For he said he knew clearly that this time will indeed come for the Greeks, in which it will be necessary of necessity to do everything commanded: "But would anyone wish to see this come to pass as quickly as possible, or on the contrary as slowly as possible?
δοκῶ μὲν γὰρ ὡς βραδύτατα.
For my part, I think as slowly as possible.
§24.13.7"διὸ καὶ τούτῳ διαφέρειν ἔφη τὴν Ἀρισταίνου πολιτείαν τῆς ἑαυτοῦ· ἐκεῖνον μὲν γὰρ σπουδάζειν ὡς τάχιστα τὸ χρεὼν ἰδεῖν γενόμενον καὶ συνεργεῖν τούτῳ κατὰ δύναμιν· αὐτὸς δὲ πρὸς τοῦτʼ ἀντερείδειν καὶ διωθεῖσθαι, καθʼ ὅσον ἐστὶ δυνατός.
"Therefore he said that Aristaenus' policy differed from his own also in this: for that man was eager to see the inevitable come to pass as quickly as possible and to cooperate with this to the best of his power; whereas he himself resisted this and pushed it away, as far as he was able.
§24.13.8οὐ μὴν ἀλλʼ ἐκ τῶν προειρημένων δῆλον ὡς συνέβαινε γίνεσθαι τοῦ μὲν καλήν, τοῦ δʼ εὐσχήμονα τὴν πολιτείαν, ἀμφοτέρας γε μὴν ἀσφαλεῖς· §24.13.9τοιγαροῦν μεγίστων καιρῶν τότε περιστάντων καὶ Ῥωμαίους καὶ τοὺς Ἕλληνας τῶν τε κατὰ Φίλιππον καὶ κατʼ Ἀντίοχον, ὅμως ἀμφότεροι διετήρησαν ἀκέραια τὰ δίκαια τοῖς Ἀχαιοῖς πρὸς Ῥωμαίους· §24.13.10φήμη δέ τις ἐνέτρεχεν ὡς Ἀρισταίνου Ῥωμαίοις εὐνουστέρου μᾶλλον ἢ Φιλοποίμενος ὑπάρχοντος.
Nevertheless, from what has been said, it is clear that it resulted that the policy of the one was noble, and that of the other decorous, but both indeed were safe; Therefore, although very great crises then surrounded both the Romans and the Greeks, namely those concerning Philip and Antiochus, nevertheless both of them preserved the rights for the Achaeans intact towards the Romans; and a certain rumor was current that Aristaenus was more well-disposed to the Romans than Philopoemen.