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Polybius · The Histories §3.106.1-3.106.11

Election of New Consuls and Orders to Avoid Battle

Passage 265 of 1311 · Greek

Summary

Lucius Aemilius and Gaius Terentius are elected as the new Roman consuls, and the proconsuls are instructed to avoid a general engagement and stick to minor skirmishes.

§3.106.1τῆς δὲ τῶν ἀρχαιρεσίων ὥρας συνεγγιζούσης, εἵλοντο στρατηγοὺς οἱ Ῥωμαῖοι Λεύκιον Αἰμίλιον καὶ Γάιον Τερέντιον.
As the time for the elections was drawing near, the Romans elected Lucius Aemilius and Gaius Terentius as consuls.
ὧν κατασταθέντων οἱ μὲν δικτάτορες ἀπέθεντο τὴν ἀρχήν,
When they were installed, the dictators laid down their office.
§3.106.2οἱ δὲ προϋπάρχοντες ὕπατοι, Γνάιος Σερουίλιος καὶ Μάρκος Ῥήγουλος ὁ μετὰ τὴν Φλαμινίου τελευτὴν ἐπικατασταθείς, τότε προχειρισθέντες ὑπὸ τῶν περὶ τὸν Αἰμίλιον ἀντιστράτηγοι καὶ παραλαβόντες τὴν ἐν τοῖς ὑπαίθροις ἐξουσίαν ἐχείριζον κατὰ τὴν ἑαυτῶν γνώμην τὰ κατὰ τὰς δυνάμεις.
On the other hand, the previous consuls, Gnaeus Servilius and Marcus Regulus (the latter having been appointed after the death of Flaminius), were then designated as proconsuls by Aemilius and his colleague, and taking over the command in the field, they managed the military affairs according to their own judgment.
§3.106.3οἱ δὲ περὶ τὸν Αἰμίλιον βουλευσάμενοι μετὰ τῆς συγκλήτου τὸ μὲν ἐλλεῖπον πλῆθος ἔτι τῶν στρατιωτῶν πρὸς τὴν ὅλην ἐπιβολὴν παραχρῆμα καταγράψαντες ἐξαπέστειλαν,
Aemilius and his colleague, having consulted with the senate, immediately enrolled and dispatched the number of soldiers still lacking for the whole enterprise.
§3.106.4τοῖς δὲ περὶ τὸν Γνάιον διεσάφησαν ὁλοσχερῆ μὲν κίνδυνον κατὰ μηδένα τρόπον συνίστασθαι, τοὺς δὲ κατὰ μέρος ἀκροβολισμοὺς ὡς ἐνεργοτάτους ποιεῖσθαι καὶ συνεχεστάτους χάριν τοῦ γυμνάζειν καὶ παρασκευάζειν εὐθαρσεῖς τοὺς νέους πρὸς τοὺς ὁλοσχερεῖς ἀγῶνας,
They sent instructions to Gnaeus and his colleague under no circumstances to risk a general engagement, but to make the partial skirmishes as active and frequent as possible, for the sake of training the recruits and preparing them to be courageous for the decisive struggles.
§3.106.5τῷ καὶ τὰ πρότερον αὐτοῖς συμπτώματα δοκεῖν οὐχ ἥκιστα γεγονέναι διὰ τὸ νεοσυλλόγοις καὶ τελέως ἀνασκήτοις κεχρῆσθαι τοῖς στρατοπέδοις.
This was because it seemed to them that their previous disasters had occurred in no small measure because they had employed newly-levied and completely untrained forces.
§3.106.6αὐτοὶ δὲ Λεύκιον μὲν Ποστόμιον, ἑξαπέλεκυν ὄντα στρατηγόν, στρατόπεδον δόντες εἰς Γαλατίαν ἐξαπέστειλαν, βουλόμενοι ποιεῖν ἀντιπερίσπασμα τοῖς Κελτοῖς τοῖς μετʼ Ἀννίβου στρατευομένοις.
As for themselves, they dispatched Lucius Postumius, a praetor with six axes, giving him a legion and sending him to Gaul, wishing to create a diversion for the Celts who were serving with Hannibal.
§3.106.7πρόνοιαν δʼ ἐποιήσαντο καὶ τῆς ἀνακομιδῆς τοῦ παραχειμάζοντος ἐν τῷ Λιλυβαίῳ στόλου, διεπέμψαντο δὲ καὶ τοῖς ἐν Ἰβηρίᾳ στρατηγοῖς πάντα τὰ κατεπείγοντα πρὸς τὴν χρείαν.
They also took care for the recall of the fleet wintering at Lilybaeum, and sent to the commanders in Iberia all things that were urgently necessary for their service.
§3.106.8οὗτοι μὲν οὖν περὶ ταῦτα καὶ περὶ τὰς λοιπὰς ἐγίνοντο παρασκευὰς ἐπιμελῶς.
These men, then, were diligently occupied with these and the rest of the preparations.
§3.106.9οἱ δὲ περὶ τὸν Γνάιον κομισάμενοι τὰς παρὰ τῶν ὑπάτων ἐντολὰς πάντα τὰ κατὰ μέρος ἐχείριζον κατὰ τὴν ἐκείνων γνώμην·
Meanwhile, Gnaeus and his colleague, having received the instructions from the consuls, conducted all partial operations in accordance with their judgment.
§3.106.10διὸ καὶ τὸ πλείω γράφειν ὑπὲρ αὐτῶν παρήσομεν.
For this reason we shall pass over writing further about them.
ὁλοσχερὲς μὲν γὰρ ἢ μνήμης ἄξιον ἁπλῶς οὐδὲν ἐπράχθη διὰ τὴν ἐντολὴν καὶ διὰ τὴν τοῦ καιροῦ περίστασιν,
For nothing of a general nature or indeed worthy of record was achieved, owing to their instructions and the circumstances of the time.
§3.106.11ἀκροβολισμοὶ δὲ μόνον καὶ συμπλοκαὶ κατὰ μέρος ἐγίνοντο πλείους, ἐν αἷς εὐδοκίμουν οἱ προεστῶτες τῶν Ῥωμαίων· καὶ γὰρ ἀνδρωδῶς καὶ νουνεχῶς ἐδόκουν ἕκαστα χειρίζειν.
There were only numerous skirmishes and partial encounters, in which the Roman commanders gained credit; for they indeed seemed to manage each affair courageously and prudently.

Notes

  1. §3.106.1ὧν κατασταθέντων — A genitive absolute construction with a linking relative pronoun (ὧν), referring to the two newly elected consuls in the preceding sentence.
  2. §3.106.2οἱ περὶ τὸν Αἰμίλιον — Literally "those around Aemilius," an idiomatic Greek expression referring to Aemilius and his colleague (the newly elected consuls), or the new consuls led by Aemilius.
  3. §3.106.5τῷ καὶ τὰ πρότερον αὐτοῖς συμπτώματα δοκεῖν — An infinitive clause in the accusative led by the dative of cause (τῷ). The subject of the infinitive δοκεῖν is the accusative συμπτώματα (disasters), meaning 'also because it seemed to them that their previous disasters had occurred [due to...]'.
  4. §3.106.6ἑξαπέλεκυν ὄντα στρατηγόν — 'A general with six axes.' This is a Greek translation describing a Roman praetor, who possessed the right to be accompanied by six lictors bearing fasces with axes when commanding in the provinces or the army.

Cite this passage

Polybius, The Histories §3.106.1-3.106.11. Humanitext Reader, https://reader.humanitext.ai/en/text/urn:cts:greekLit:tlg0543.tlg001.humanitext-grc2:3.106.1-3.106.11

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