Humanitext Reader

Polybius · The Histories §28.3.1-28.3.10

Roman Envoys in Greece and the Achaean League

Passage 1095 of 1311 · Greek

Summary

The Roman envoys Gaius and Gnaeus, sent to Greece by the proconsul Aulus, visited various cities to demand compliance with the senate's policy. Although they intended to accuse Lycortas, Polybius, and their party of non-cooperation at the Achaean assembly, they desisted due to lack of evidence and departed after a friendly meeting.

§28.3.1ὅτι Αὖλος κατὰ τοῦτον τὸν χρόνον ἀντιστράτηγος ὢν καὶ παραχειμάζων ἐν Θετταλίᾳ μετὰ τῶν δυνάμεων ἐξέπεμψε πρεσβευτὰς εἰς τοὺς κατὰ τὴν Ἑλλάδα τόπους Γάιον Ποπίλιον καὶ Γνάιον Ὀκτάουιον· §28.3.2οἳ πρῶτον μὲν εἰς Θήβας ἐλθόντες ἐπῄνεσαν καὶ παρεκάλεσαν τοὺς Θηβαίους διαφυλάττειν τὴν πρὸς Ῥωμαίους εὔνοιαν.
That at this time Aulus, being proconsul and wintering in Thessaly with his forces, sent out Gaius Popillius and Gnaeus Octavius as ambassadors to the districts of Greece; who, having first come to Thebes, praised and exhorted the Thebans to preserve their goodwill toward the Romans.
§28.3.3ἑξῆς δὲ τούτοις ἐπιπορευόμενοι τὰς ἐν Πελοποννήσῳ πόλεις ἐπιδεικνύειν ἐπειρῶντο τοῖς ἀνθρώποις τὴν τῆς συγκλήτου πρᾳότητα καὶ φιλανθρωπίαν, προφερόμενοι τὰ δόγματα τὰ μικρῷ πρότερον ῥηθέντα, §28.3.4ἅμα δὲ διὰ τῶν λόγων παρενέφαινον ὡς εἰδότες τοὺς ἐν ἑκάσταις τῶν πόλεων παρὰ τὸ δέον ἀναχωροῦντας, ὡσαύτως δὲ καὶ τοὺς προπίπτοντας.
Next, visiting the cities in the Peloponnese, they tried to demonstrate to the people the leniency and humanity of the senate, producing the decrees mentioned a little earlier, and at the same time they covertly indicated in their speeches that they knew those in each of the cities who shrank back from their duty, and likewise also those who rashly rushed forward.
§28.3.5καὶ δῆλοι πᾶσιν ἦσαν δυσαρεστούμενοι τοῖς ἀναχωροῦσιν οὐχ ἧττον ἢ τοῖς ἐκφανῶς ἀντιπράττουσιν.
And it was clear to everyone that they were no less displeased with those who shrank back than with those who openly opposed them.
§28.3.6ἐξ ὧν τοὺς πολλοὺς εἰς ἐπίστασιν καὶ διαπόρησιν ἦγον ὑπὲρ τοῦ τί ποτʼ ἂν ἢ λέγοντες ἢ πράττοντες εὐστοχοῖεν τῶν παρεστώτων καιρῶν.
As a result of this, they brought the majority of people into reflection and perplexity as to what they could possibly say or do to successfully meet the present circumstances.
§28.3.7οἱ δὲ περὶ τὸν Γάιον, συναχθείσης τῆς τῶν Ἀχαιῶν ἐκκλησίας, ἐλέγοντο μὲν βεβουλεῦσθαι κατηγορήσειν τῶν περὶ τὸν Λυκόρταν καὶ τὸν Ἄρχωνα καὶ Πολύβιον, §28.3.8καὶ παραδείξειν ἀλλοτρίους ὑπάρχοντας τῆς. τῶν Ῥωμαίων αἱρέσεως καὶ τὴν ἡσυχίαν ἄγοντας κατὰ τὸ παρόν, οὐ φύσει τοιούτους ὄντας, ἀλλὰ παρατηροῦντας τὰ συμβαίνοντα καὶ τοῖς καιροῖς ἐφεδρεύοντας.
And when the assembly of the Achaeans convened, Gaius and his colleague were said to have resolved to accuse Lycortas, Archon, and Polybius and their party, and to demonstrate that they were estranged from the cause of the Romans and were keeping quiet for the present, being not such by nature, but watching the turn of events and waiting for their opportunity.
§28.3.9οὐ μὴν ἐθάρρησαν τοῦτο ποιῆσαι διὰ τὸ μηδεμίαν εὔλογον ἀφορμὴν ἔχειν κατὰ τῶν προειρημένων ἀνδρῶν.
Yet they did not venture to do this, because they had no reasonable ground against the aforementioned men.
§28.3.10διὸ συναχθείσης αὐτοῖς τῆς βουλῆς εἰς Αἴγιον, ἀσπαστικήν τε καὶ παρακλητικὴν ποιησάμενοι τὴν πρὸς τοὺς Ἀχαιοὺς ἔντευξιν ἀπέπλευσαν εἰς τὴν Αἰτωλίαν.
Therefore, the council being convened for them at Aegium, after making their address to the Achaeans both friendly and encouraging, they sailed away to Aetolia.

Notes

  1. §28.3.1ὅτι — An introductory conjunction placed at the beginning of a chapter or section in excerpts or epitomes, introducing a noun clause standing independently, meaning "that...".
  2. §28.3.5δῆλοι πᾶσιν ἦσαν δυσαρεστούμενοι — A personal construction of the adjective δῆλος and the verb εἰμί with a participle (δυσαρεστούμενοι), where the adjective agrees with the subject. It is equivalent to an impersonal construction: "it was clear to everyone that they were displeased."
  3. §28.3.6τί ποτʼ ἂν ἢ λέγοντες ἢ πράττοντες εὐστοχοῖεν — A potential optative with ἄν (ἂν ... εὐστοχοῖεν) in an indirect deliberative question. It is not an optative of oblique mood triggered by the past tense of the main clause (ἦγον), but rather preserves the potential construction of the direct question. The verb εὐστοχέω takes a genitive object (τῶν παρεστώτων καιρῶν).

Cite this passage

Polybius, The Histories §28.3.1-28.3.10. Humanitext Reader, https://reader.humanitext.ai/en/text/urn:cts:greekLit:tlg0543.tlg001.humanitext-grc2:28.3.1-28.3.10

Please note the AI-draft status of the translation and the date accessed.

Translation, notes and summary are AI-generated drafts, revised through reader feedback.