§29.24.1Μακεδονίᾳ ποιουμένου.
in Macedonia.
τῶν δὲ πολλῶν εἰς ἀπορίαν ἐμπιπτόντων, μὴ δόξωσι Ῥωμαίων ἀστοχεῖν, μεταλαβόντες τοὺς λόγους οἱ περὶ τὸν Λυκόρταν καὶ Πολύβιον ἐδίδασκον, §29.24.2ἄλλα τε καὶ πλείω προφερόμενοι καὶ διότι, τῷ πρότερον ἔτει ψηφισαμένων τῶν Ἀχαιῶν πανδημεὶ συστρατεύειν τοῖς Ῥωμαίοις καὶ πεμψάντων πρεσβευτὴν τὸν Πολύβιον, ὁ Κόιντος ἀποδεξάμενος τὴν προθυμίαν ἀπείπατο μὴ χρείαν ἔχειν τῆς βοηθείας, ἐπεὶ κεκράτηκε τῆς εἰς Μακεδονίαν εἰσβολῆς.
When the majority fell into embarrassment, lest they should seem to miss the mark with the Romans, Lycortas and Polybius and their party took up the discourse and instructed them, bringing forward other arguments and especially that, in the preceding year, when the Achaians had voted to join the campaign with the Romans with all their forces and had sent Polybius as ambassador, Quintus, while accepting their zeal, had declined, saying he had no need of assistance since he had succeeded in his invasion of Macedonia.
§29.24.3ἐξ ὧν ἀπεδείκνυσαν σκῆψιν οὖσαν τὴν Ῥωμαίων χρείαν πρὸς τὸ διακωλῦσαι βοηθεῖν.
From which they demonstrated that the Roman need was a mere pretext to prevent them from helping.
διὸ παρεκάλουν τοὺς Ἀχαιούς, §29.24.4ὑποδεικνύοντες τὸ μέγεθος τῆς περιστάσεως, ἐν ᾗ συνέβαινε τότε τὴν βασιλείαν ὑπάρχειν, μὴ παριδεῖν τὸν καιρόν, ἀλλὰ μνημονεύοντας τῶν ὁμολογιῶν καὶ τῶν εὐεργεσιῶν, μάλιστα δὲ τῶν ὅρκων, ἐμπεδοῦν τὰς συνθήκας.
Therefore they exhorted the Achaians, pointing out the magnitude of the critical situation in which the kingdom then happened to be, not to overlook the opportunity, but, remembering their agreements and benefactions, and especially their oaths, to maintain the treaties.
§29.24.5τῶν δὲ πολλῶν ἐπιφερομένων πάλιν βοηθεῖν, τότε μὲν οἱ περὶ τὸν Καλλικράτην ἐξέβαλον τὸ διαβούλιον, διασείσαντες τοὺς ἄρχοντας, ὡς οὐκ οὔσης ἐξουσίας κατὰ τοὺς νόμους ἐν ἀγορᾷ βουλεύεσθαι περὶ βοηθείας.
And when the majority were again inclined to send help, Callicrates and his party on that occasion threw out the consultation, by shaking the magistrates with the threat that there was no authority according to the laws to deliberate about aid in a regular assembly.
§29.24.6μετὰ δέ τινα χρόνον συγκλήτου συναχθείσης εἰς τὴν τῶν Σικυωνίων πόλιν, ἐν ᾗ συνέβαινε μὴ μόνον συμπορεύεσθαι τὴν βουλὴν ἀλλὰ πάντας τοὺς ἀπὸ τριάκοντʼ ἐτῶν, καὶ λόγων γινομένων πλειόνων, §29.24.7καὶ μάλιστα τοῦ Πολυβίου διοριζομένου πρῶτον μὲν περὶ τοῦ μὴ χρείαν ἔχειν τοὺς Ῥωμαίους τῆς βοηθείας καὶ δοκοῦντος οὐκ εἰκῇ ταῦτα λέγειν διὰ τὸ γεγονέναι τὴν παρελθοῦσαν θερείαν ἐν τῇ Μακεδονίᾳ παρὰ τῷ Φιλίππῳ, §29.24.8δεύτερον δὲ φάσκοντος, ἐὰν καὶ δέωνται Ῥωμαῖοι τῆς συμμαχίας, οὐ διὰ τοὺς διακοσίους ἱππεῖς καὶ χιλίους πεζοὺς τοὺς ἀποσταλησομένους εἰς Ἀλεξάνδρειαν ἀδυνατήσειν τοὺς Ἀχαιοὺς βοηθεῖν Ῥωμαίοις· καλῶς γὰρ ποιοῦντας αὐτοὺς καὶ τρεῖς ἄγειν καὶ τέτταρας μυριάδας ἀνδρῶν μαχίμων· §29.24.9εὐδοκοῦντες τοῖς λεγομένοις ἔρρεπον οἱ πολλοὶ πρὸς τὸ πέμπειν τὴν συμμαχίαν.
But after some time, an extraordinary assembly having been convened in the city of Sicyon, in which it happened that not only the council met but all those who were over thirty years of age, and many speeches having been made, and especially Polybius defining, first, that the Romans had no need of assistance—and he was thought to speak this not at random because of having spent the past summer in Macedonia with Philippus— secondly, asserting that, even if the Romans should need the alliance, the Achaians would not be unable to help the Romans on account of the two hundred cavalry and a thousand infantry to be dispatched to Alexandria; for, fortunately, they could bring into the field even thirty or forty thousand fighting men; approving of these statements, the majority inclined towards sending the allied force.
§29.24.10τῇ δὲ δευτέρᾳ τῶν ἡμερῶν, ἐν ᾗ κατὰ τοὺς νόμους ἔδει τὰ ψηφίσματα προσφέρειν τοὺς βουλομένους, οἱ μὲν περὶ τὸν Λυκόρταν προσήνεγκαν διότι δεῖ πέμπειν τὴν βοήθειαν, οἱ δὲ περὶ τὸν Καλλικράτην διότι δεῖ πρεσβευτὰς ἐξαποστέλλειν τοὺς διαλύσοντας τοὺς βασιλεῖς πρὸς τὸν Ἀντίοχον.
On the second of the days, on which according to the laws those who wished had to propose the decrees, Lycortas and his party proposed that they ought to send the aid, while Callicrates and his party proposed that they ought to dispatch ambassadors to reconcile the kings with Antiochus.
§29.24.11πάλιν δὲ τῶν διαβουλίων προτεθέντων ἀγὼν ἐγίνετο νεανικός· πολύ γε μὴν ὑπερεῖχον οἱ περὶ τὸν Λυκόρταν.
When the deliberations were again brought forward, a spirited contest arose; but Lycortas and his party were far superior.
§29.24.12αἵ τε γὰρ βασιλεῖαι συγκρινόμεναι μεγάλην εἶχον διαφοράν·
For the two kingdoms, when compared, presented a great difference.
§29.24.13ὑπὸ μὲν γὰρ τῆς Ἀντιόχου σπάνιον ἦν εὑρεῖν οἰκεῖόν τι γεγονὸς καθόλου πρὸς τοὺς Ἕλληνας ἔν γε τοῖς ἀνώτερον χρόνοις· καὶ γὰρ ἡ τοῦ τότε βασιλεύοντος μεγαλοψυχία διάδηλος ἐγένετο τοῖς Ἕλλησιν·
For on the part of the kingdom of Antiochus, it was rare to find any friendly act at all towards the Greeks, at least in former times; indeed, the high-handedness of the then reigning king had become manifest to the Greeks.
§29.24.14ὑπὸ δὲ τῆς Πτολεμαίου τοσαῦτα καὶ τηλικαῦτα τοῖς Ἀχαιοῖς ἐγεγόνει φιλάνθρωπα κατὰ τοὺς ἀνώτερον χρόνους ὥστʼ ἂν μηδένα πλεῖον ἀξιοῦν.
Whereas on the part of the kingdom of Ptolemy, so many and such great acts of benevolence had been rendered to the Achaians in former times that no one could demand more.
§29.24.15ἃ διατιθέμενος ὁ Λυκόρτας μεγάλην ἐποιεῖτο φαντασίαν, ἅτε τῆς παραθέσεως ὁλοσχερῆ τὴν διαφορὰν ἐχούσης·
Setting these forth, Lycortas made a great impression, inasmuch as the comparison presented a total difference.
§29.24.16καθʼ ὅσον γὰρ οὐκ ἐξαριθμήσασθαι ῥᾴδιον ἦν τὰς τῶν ἐν Ἀλεξανδρείᾳ βασιλέων εὐεργεσίας, κατὰ τοσοῦτον ἁπλῶς οὐδὲν ἦν εὑρεῖν φιλάνθρωπον ἐκ τῆς Ἀντιόχου βασιλείας ἀπηντημένον εἰς πραγμάτων λόγον τοῖς Ἀχαιοῖς. —
For in proportion as it was not easy to enumerate the benefactions of the kings in Alexandria, so absolutely was it impossible to find any friendly act from the kingdom of Antiochus met by the Achaians in terms of actual deeds. —