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Polybius · The Histories §29.6.1-29.6.6

Evidence of Secret Contacts between Eumenes and Perseus

Passage 1121 of 1311 · Greek

Summary

Through the contacts of Eumenes' subordinates with Perseus' side, Herophon's embassies, and the contrasting treatment of Attalus and Eumenes by the Romans, it becomes evident that some negotiation occurred between Eumenes and Perseus.

§29.6.1ὅτι μὲν οὖν Κύδας ὁ Κρὴς στρατευόμενος παρʼ Εὐμένει καὶ τιμώμενος ὡς ἔνι μάλιστα, πρῶτον μὲν πρὸς Ἀμφίπολιν παραγενόμενος Χειμάρῳ, τινὶ τῶν σὺν Περσεῖ στρατευομένων Κρητῶν, καὶ πάλιν πρὸς Δημητριάδι συνεγγίσας τῷ τείχει ἐκοινολογεῖτο τὸ μὲν πρῶτον Μενεκράτει, τὸ δὲ δεύτερον Ἀντιμάχῳ, §29.6.2εἴρηται·
That Cydas the Cretan, who was serving in the army of Eumenes and was held by him in the highest honor, first came to Amphipolis to meet Chimarus, one of the Cretans serving under Perseus, and again, approaching the wall at Demetrias, held communications, first with Menecrates and secondly with Antimachus, has been stated.
καὶ μὴν ὅτι δὶς Ἡροφῶν ἐπρέσβευσε πρὸς Εὐμένη παρὰ Περσέως, καὶ διὰ τοῦτο Ῥωμαίων οἱ πλείους ὑποψίαν ἔσχον οὐκ ἀπίθανον περὶ τοῦ βασιλέως Εὐμένους, δῆλον ἐκ τῶν περὶ Ἄτταλον συμβάντων·
Moreover, that Herophon went twice on an embassy from Perseus to Eumenes, and that for this reason most of the Romans conceived a not improbable suspicion about King Eumenes, is clear from what happened to Attalus.
§29.6.3τῷ μὲν γὰρ συνεχώρησαν καὶ παραγενέσθαι πρὸς σφᾶς εἰς τὴν Ῥώμην ἐκ τοῦ Βρεντεσίου καὶ χρηματίσαι περὶ ὧν προῃρεῖτο, καὶ τέλος ἀποκρίσεις δόντες αὐτῷ φιλανθρώπους ἀπέστειλαν, οὐδὲν οὔτε πρότερον οὔτε κατὰ τὸν πρὸς Περσέα πόλεμον ἀξιόλογον αὐτοῖς συνηργηκότα·
For to him indeed they permitted both to come to them in Rome from Brundisium and to transact business about what he preferred, and finally, giving him friendly answers, they sent him away, although he had assisted them in nothing of importance either previously or during the war against Perseus.
§29.6.4τὸν Εὐμένη δὲ τὰς μεγίστας χρείας σφίσι παρεσχημένον καὶ πλεῖστα συνηργηκότʼ ἔν τε τοῖς πρὸς Ἀντίοχον καὶ κατὰ τὸν πρὸς Περσέα πόλεμον οὐ μόνον τῆς εἰς τὴν Ῥώμην ἀναβάσεως ἐκώλυσαν, ἀλλὰ καὶ προσέταξαν μέσου χειμῶνος ὄντος ἐν ἡμέραις τακταῖς ἐκχωρεῖν ἐξ Ἰταλίας.
But Eumenes, who had rendered them the greatest services and had assisted them the most both in the war against Antiochus and in that against Perseus, they not only prevented from going up to Rome, but also ordered, although it was mid-winter, to depart from Italy within a fixed number of days.
§29.6.5ἐξ ὧν ὅτι μὲν γέγονέ τις ἐπιπλοκὴ τῷ Περσεῖ πρὸς τὸν Εὐμένη, διʼ ἣν ἐπὶ τοσοῦτον ἠλλοτριώθησαν πρὸς αὐτὸν Ῥωμαῖοι, προφανὲς ἐκ τῶν εἰρημένων·
From these facts, that some intercourse did take place between Perseus and Eumenes, owing to which the Romans became alienated from him to such a degree, is obvious from what has been said.
§29.6.6τίς δʼ
But what

Notes

  1. §29.6.2ὅτι μὲν οὖν ... εἴρηται — The long ὅτι clause beginning at §29.6.1 functions as the subject (noun clause) of the passive verb εἴρηται ('has been stated') in §29.6.2.
  2. §29.6.3συνηργηκότα — A perfect active participle in the masculine accusative singular. Although it does not agree in case with the preceding dative pronoun (τῷ μὲν ... αὐτῷ), it semantically modifies Attalus, functioning as a predicative modifier of the implied direct object of ἀπέστειλαν ('sent [him] away'), expressing concession ('although he had assisted...').
  3. §29.6.4μέσου χειμῶνος ὄντος — A genitive absolute construction consisting of the noun χειμών ('winter') and the participle ὤν ('being'). It expresses time ('in the middle of winter') or concession ('although it was mid-winter'), the latter being more appropriate to highlight the harshness of the Roman command.

Cite this passage

Polybius, The Histories §29.6.1-29.6.6. Humanitext Reader, https://reader.humanitext.ai/en/text/urn:cts:greekLit:tlg0543.tlg001.humanitext-grc2:29.6.1-29.6.6

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