§29.7.1αὕτη καὶ μέχρι τίνος προύβη πάρεστι σκοπεῖν.
What this intercourse was, and how far it went, we may now examine.
ὅτι μὲν οὖν Εὐμένης οὐκ ἂν ἠβουλήθη Περσέα κρατῆσαι τῷ πολέμῳ καὶ γενέσθαι κύριον τῶν ὅλων, εὐχερὲς καταμαθεῖν·
That Eumenes indeed would not have wished Perseus to conquer in the war and become master of the whole, is easy to understand.
§29.7.2χωρὶς γὰρ τῆς πατρικῆς ἀλλοτριότητος καὶ δυσμενείας, ἣν εἶχον πρὸς ἀλλήλους, καὶ τὸ τῆς ἀρχῆς ὁμογενὲς ἱκανὸν ἦν ἀπιστίαν καὶ ζηλοτυπίαν καὶ καθόλου τὴν μεγίστην ἀλλοτριότητα παρασκευάζειν ἐν αὐτοῖς·
For apart from the hereditary alienation and hostility which they had toward each other, the very similarity of their sovereign power was sufficient to produce mistrust, jealousy, and in general the greatest alienation between them.
§29.7.3λοιπὸν ἦν ἐξαπατᾶν καὶ στρατηγεῖν ἀλλήλους διʼ ἀπορρήτων· ὅπερ ἐποίουν ἀμφότεροι.
The only thing left was for them to deceive and outmaneuver each other in secret; and this is what both were doing.
§29.7.4θεωρῶν γὰρ Εὐμένης δυσπαθοῦντα καὶ συγκλειόμενον τὸν Περσέα πανταχόθεν καὶ πᾶν τὸ παραγγελλόμενον ἐπιδεχόμενον χάριν τοῦ τὸν πόλεμον διαλύσασθαι καὶ διαπεμπόμενον ὑπὲρ τούτων πρὸς τοὺς στρατηγοὺς καθʼ ἕκαστον ἔτος, §29.7.5τοὺς δὲ Ῥωμαίους ὡσαύτως δυσχρηστουμένους τοῖς ὅλοις διά τε τὸ μηδὲν προκόπτειν ἐν τῷ πολέμῳ μέχρι τῆς Παύλου στρατηγίας καὶ διὰ τὸ τοὺς κατὰ τὴν Αἰτωλίαν μετεώρους ὑπάρχειν, §29.7.6ὑπέλαβεν οὐκ ἀδύνατον εἶναι τὸ συγκαταβῆναι Ῥωμαίους εἰς ἐξαγωγὴν τοῦ πολέμου καὶ διάλυσιν· §29.7.7πρὸς δὲ τὸ μεσιτεῦσαι ταῦτα καὶ συναγαγεῖν ἐνόμισεν αὑτὸν ἐπιτηδειότατον εἶναι.
For Eumenes, seeing that Perseus was in distress and hemmed in on all sides, and was ready to accept any terms imposed upon him for the sake of ending the war, and was sending envoys concerning this to the generals every year, and that the Romans likewise were in difficulties as a whole, both because they made no progress in the war until the consulship of Paulus, and because the people of Aetolia were in a state of suspense, conceived that it was not impossible for the Romans to descend to a termination and settlement of the war; and for mediating these matters and bringing them together, he thought himself to be the most suitable person.
§29.7.8ταῦτα δὲ συλλογισάμενος ἐφʼ ἑαυτοῦ κατεπείραζε τοῦ Περσέως διὰ Κύδα τοῦ Κρητὸς τῷ πρότερον ἔτει πόσου βούλοιτʼ ἂν ὠνήσασθαι τὴν ἐλ
Having reasoned thus within himself, he made trial of Perseus through Cydas the Cretan in the preceding year, asking for how much he would be willing to purchase the hope...