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Polybius · The Histories §24.5.1-24.5.8

Embassy of Attalus and his Brothers to Rome

Passage 1054 of 1311 · Greek

Summary

Eumenes, following the treaty with Pharnaces, decides to send his brothers to Rome, where Attalus and his embassy are warmly received by the senate, which promises to send envoys to end the war.

§24.5.1ὅτι γενομένων συνθηκῶν πρὸς ἀλλήλους Φαρνάκου καὶ Ἀττάλου καὶ τῶν λοιπῶν, ἅπαντες μετὰ τῶν οἰκείων δυνάμεων ἀνεχώρησαν εἰς τὴν οἰκείαν.
[That,] when treaties had been made with one another by Pharnaces, Attalus, and the rest, they all withdrew with their own forces to their respective homelands.
§24.5.2Εὐμένης δὲ κατὰ τὸν καιρὸν τοῦτον ἀπολελυμένος τῆς ἀρρωστίας καὶ διατρίβων ἐν Περγάμῳ, παραγενομένου τἀδελφοῦ καὶ διασαφοῦντος περὶ τῶν ᾠκονομημένων, εὐδοκήσας τοῖς γεγονόσιν προέθετο πέμπειν τοὺς ἀδελφοὺς ἅπαντας εἰς τὴν Ῥώμην, §24.5.3ἅμα μὲν ἐλπίζων πέρας ἐπιθήσειν τῷ πρὸς τὸν Φαρνάκην πολέμῳ διὰ τῆς τούτων πρεσβείας, ἅμα δὲ συστῆσαι σπουδάζων τοὺς ἀδελφοὺς τοῖς τʼ ἰδίᾳ φίλοις καὶ ξένοις ὑπάρχουσιν αὐτῶν ἐν τῇ Ῥώμῃ καὶ τῇ συγκλήτῳ κατὰ κοινόν.
Eumenes, having been cured of his illness at this time and staying in Pergamum, when his brother arrived and made clear the details of the settlement, was pleased with what had happened and resolved to send all his brothers to Rome, hoping on the one hand to put an end to the war against Pharnaces through their embassy, and on the other hand being anxious to introduce his brothers to their personal friends and guest-friends in Rome, and to the senate in common.
§24.5.4προθύμων δὲ καὶ τῶν περὶ τὸν Ἄτταλον ὑπαρχόντων, ἐγένοντο περὶ τὴν ἐκδημίαν.
And since Attalus and his associates were also eager, they set about their departure.
§24.5.5καὶ τούτων παραγενομένων εἰς τὴν Ῥώμην, καὶ κατʼ ἰδίαν μὲν πάντες ἀπεδέχοντο τοὺς νεανίσκους φιλανθρώπως, ἅτε συνήθειαν ἐσχηκότες ἐν ταῖς περὶ τὴν Ἀσίαν στρατείαις, ἔτι δὲ μεγαλομερέστερον ἡ σύγκλητος ἀπεδέξατο τὴν παρουσίαν αὐτῶν·
When these had arrived in Rome, privately indeed everyone received the young men kindly, since they had formed associations with them in the campaigns in Asia; but still more magnificently did the senate welcome their presence.
§24.5.6καὶ γὰρ ξένια καὶ παροχὰς τὰς μεγίστας ἐξέθηκεν αὐτοῖς καὶ πρὸς τὴν ἔντευξιν καλῶς ἀπήντησεν.
For it offered them the greatest hospitality and provisions, and met them graciously for their interview.
§24.5.7οἱ δὲ περὶ τὸν Ἄτταλον εἰσελθόντες εἰς τὴν σύγκλητον τά τε προϋπάρχοντα φιλάνθρωπα διὰ πλειόνων λόγων ἀνενεώσαντο καὶ τοῦ Φαρνάκου κατηγορήσαντες παρεκάλουν ἐπιστροφήν τινα ποιήσασθαι, διʼ ἧς τεύξεται τῆς ἁρμοζούσης δίκης.
Attalus and his party, having entered the senate, renewed at great length their pre-existing friendly relations, and after accusing Pharnaces, they begged that the senate should pay some attention, through which he would meet with his fitting punishment.
§24.5.8ἡ δὲ σύγκλητος διακούσασα φιλανθρώπως ἀπεκρίθη διότι πέμψει πρεσβευτὰς τοὺς κατὰ πάντα τρόπον λύσοντας τὸν πόλεμον.
The senate, having listened kindly, replied that it would send ambassadors who in every way would put an end to the war.
καὶ τὰ μὲν κατὰ τὴν Ἰταλίαν οὕτως εἶχεν.
Such, then, was the state of affairs in Italy.

Notes

  1. §24.5.1ὅτι — The introductory conjunction used at the beginning of extracts in historical epitomes (Excerpta) to indicate the start of a narrative unit, carrying the nuance of "that...".
  2. §24.5.2παραγενομένου τἀδελφοῦ — Genitive absolute. The word τἀδελφοῦ is a crasis for τοῦ ἀδελφοῦ. It represents the arrival of Eumenes' brother (Attalus), distinct from the subject of the main clause.
  3. §24.5.3τοῖς τʼ ἰδίᾳ φίλοις καὶ ξένοις ὑπάρχουσιν αὐτῶν — The dative participle ὑπάρχουσιν (to belong to, exist for) functions substantively with the genitive αὐτῶν, meaning 'those who were their own personal friends and guest-friends'.
  4. §24.5.4ἐγένοντο περὶ τὴν ἐκδημίαν — An idiomatic expression where γίνομαι περί τι means 'to busy oneself with' or 'to set about' something. Here it means 'they set about their departure'.
  5. §24.5.7διʼ ἧς τεύξεται τῆς ἁρμοζούσης δίκης — The relative pronoun ἧς (feminine singular genitive) has ἐπιστροφήν (feminine noun) as its antecedent. The future verb τεύξεται (third person singular future of τυγχάνω) takes the genitive, which governs its complement τῆς ἁρμοζούσης δίκης.

Cite this passage

Polybius, The Histories §24.5.1-24.5.8. Humanitext Reader, https://reader.humanitext.ai/en/text/urn:cts:greekLit:tlg0543.tlg001.humanitext-grc2:24.5.1-24.5.8

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