§28.17.1οἱ δὲ περὶ τὸν Ἁγέπολιν ἀφικόμενοι πρὸς τὸν Κόιντον, καταλαβόντες αὐτὸν ἐν Μακεδονίᾳ πρὸς Ἡράκλειον στρατοπεδεύοντα διελέγοντο περὶ ὧν εἶχον τὰς ἐντολάς.
When Hagepolis and his colleagues arrived to see Quintus, finding him encamped in Macedonia near Heracleum, they spoke with him concerning the instructions they carried.
§28.17.2ὁ δὲ διακούσας οὐχ οἷον αὐτὸς ἔφη προσέχειν ταῖς διαβολαῖς, ἀλλὰ κἀκείνους παρεκάλει μηδενὸς ἀνέχεσθαι τῶν λέγειν τι τολμώντων κατὰ Ῥωμαίων, καὶ πολλὰ καθόλου τῶν εἰς φιλανθρωπίαν ἡκόντων ἐπεμέτρησεν.
Having heard them out, he not only said that he himself did not pay attention to the slanders, but also urged them not to tolerate anyone who dared to speak against the Romans, and added many other words of general friendliness.
§28.17.3ἔγραψε δὲ ταῦτα καὶ πρὸς τὸν δῆμον τῶν Ῥοδίων.
He also wrote to this effect to the people of Rhodes.
§28.17.4τοῦ δʼ Ἁγεπόλιδος ἐψυχαγωγημένου κατὰ τὴν ὅλην ἀπάντησιν ἰσχυρῶς, λαβὼν αὐτὸν κατʼ ἰδίαν εἰς τὰς χεῖρας ὁ Κόιντος θαυμάζειν ἔφη πῶς οὐ πειρῶνται διαλύειν οἱ Ῥόδιοι τὸν ἐνεστῶτα πόλεμον, μάλιστα τοῦ πράγματος ἐκείνοις καθήκοντος.
Since Hagepolis was greatly encouraged by the whole reception, Quintus took him aside privately and said that he wondered why the Rhodians did not attempt to reconcile the ongoing war, especially as this task was most appropriate for them.
§28.17.5πότερα δὲ τοῦτʼ ἐποίει τὸν Ἀντίοχον ὑποπτεύων μή ποτε κρατήσας τῆς Ἀλεξανδρείας βαρὺς ἔφεδρος αὐτοῖς γένηται, τοῦ πρὸς τὸν Περσέα πολέμου χρόνον λαμβάνοντος· §28.17.6ἤδη γὰρ τότε συνέβαινε συγκεχύσθαι τὸν περὶ Κοίλης Συρίας πόλεμον· §28.17.7ἢ θεωρῶν ὅσον οὔπω κριθησόμενα τὰ κατὰ τὸν Περσέα, τῶν Ῥωμαϊκῶν στρατοπέδων ἐν Μακεδονίᾳ παραβεβληκότων, καὶ §28.17.8καλὰς ἐλπίδας ἔχων ὑπὲρ τῶν ἀποβησομένων ἐβούλετο τοὺς Ῥοδίους προνύξας μεσίτας ἀποδεῖξαι, καὶ τοῦτο πράξαντας δοῦναι τοῖς Ῥωμαίοις ἀφορμὰς εὐλόγους εἰς τὸ βουλεύεσθαι περὶ αὐτῶν ὡς ἂν αὐτοῖς φαίνηται, τὸ μὲν ἀκριβὲς οὐ ῥᾴδιον εἰπεῖν, §28.17.9δοκῶ δὲ μᾶλλον τὸ τελευταῖον εἰρημένον, ἐξ ὧν ἐμαρτύρησε τὰ μετʼ ὀλίγον συμβάντα τοῖς Ῥοδίοις.
Whether he did this because he suspected Antiochus, fearing that if he gained possession of Alexandria he might become a formidable opponent to them, while the war against Perseus was dragging on— for indeed at that time the war concerning Coele-Syria was already in confusion— or because he saw that the issue with Perseus would be decided at any moment, now that the Roman legions were stationed in Macedonia, and having good hopes for the outcome, he wished to prompt the Rhodians to declare themselves mediators, so that by doing so they might give the Romans plausible pretexts for deciding about them as they pleased, it is not easy to say for certain; but I think rather the latter, as the events that befell the Rhodians shortly after bear witness to it.
§28.17.10οἵ γε μὴν περὶ τὸν Ἁγέπολιν ἐξ αὐτῆς βαδίσαντες πρὸς τὸν Γάιον καὶ πάντων τυχόντες τῶν φιλανθρώπων ὑπερβολικώτερον ἢ παρὰ τῷ Μαρκίῳ ταχέως εἰς τὴν Ῥόδον ἀνεχώρησαν.
Hagepolis and his colleagues, proceeding from there straight to Gaius and receiving an even more extravagant display of friendliness than from Marcius, quickly returned to Rhodes.
§28.17.11γινομένης δὲ τῆς ἀποπρεσβείας, καὶ τῆς τε διὰ τῶν λόγων φιλανθρωπίας καὶ τῆς διὰ τῶν ἀποκρίσεων εὐνοίας ἑκατέρων τῶν στρατηγῶν ἐφαμίλλου γενομένης, ὀρθοὶ καὶ μετέωροι ταῖς διανοίαις ἐγενήθησαν οἱ Ῥόδιοι πάντες, οὐ μὴν ὡσαύτως.
When the report of the embassy was delivered, and the friendliness in words and the goodwill in the replies of both commanders proved to be equally matched, all the Rhodians became excited and highly expectant in their minds, though indeed not all in the same manner.
§28.17.12οἱ μὲν γὰρ ὑγιαίνοντες περιχαρεῖς ἦσαν ἐπὶ τῇ φιλανθρωπίᾳ τῶν Ῥωμαίων, οἱ δὲ κινηταὶ καὶ καχέκται συνελογίζοντο παρʼ αὑτοῖς σημεῖον εἶναι τὴν ὑπερβολὴν τῆς φιλανθρωπίας τοῦ δεδιέναι τὴν περίστασιν τοὺς Ῥωμαίους καὶ μὴ χωρεῖν αὐτοῖς τὰ πράγματα κατὰ λόγον.
For the healthy-minded were overjoyed at the friendliness of the Romans, but the agitators and ill-conditioned concluded in their own minds that this excess of friendliness was a sign that the Romans feared the situation and that their affairs were not going according to plan.
§28.17.13ὅτε δὲ καὶ τὸν Ἁγέπολιν συνέβη παραφθέγξασθαι πρός τινας τῶν φίλων, ὅτι παρὰ τοῦ Μαρκίου κατʼ ἰδίαν ἐντολὰς εἴληφε μνημονεύειν πρὸς τὴν βουλὴν ὑπὲρ τοῦ διαλύειν τὸν πόλεμον, §28.17.14τότε δὴ τελέως οἱ περὶ τὸν Δείνωνα συνέθεσαν ἐν κακοῖς μεγάλοις εἶναι τοὺς Ῥωμαίους.
And when it also happened that Hagepolis dropped a hint to some of his friends that he had received private instructions from Marcius to suggest to the council the reconciliation of the war, then indeed Dynon and his party concluded absolutely that the Romans were in great difficulties.
§28.17.15ἀπέστειλαν δὲ καὶ πρεσβευτὰς εἰς τὴν Ἀλεξάνδρειαν τοὺς διαλύσοντας τὸν ἐνεστῶτα πόλεμον Ἀντιόχῳ καὶ Πτολεμαίῳ.
And they also dispatched ambassadors to Alexandria to reconcile Antiochus and Ptolemy in the war currently going on between them.