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Polybius · The Histories §30.3.1-30.3.9

Attalus Before the Senate and the Roman Retaliation

Passage 1145 of 1311 · Greek

Summary

Attalus addresses the Senate, claiming credit for his service in the war against Perseus and requesting aid against the Galatians and the gift of certain cities, while keeping silent about the division of the kingdom. The Senate treats him generously in anticipation of his demands, but upon his sudden departure, they break their promise and retaliate.

§30.3.1διόπερ εἰσελθὼν εἰς τὴν σύγκλητον ὁ προειρημένος συνεχάρη μὲν ἐπὶ τοῖς γεγονόσιν καὶ περὶ τῆς καθʼ αὑτὸν εὐνοίας καὶ προθυμίας, ἣν παρέσχετο κατὰ τὸν πρὸς Περσέα πόλεμον, ἀπελογίσατο·
Therefore, entering the Senate, the aforesaid Attalus congratulated them on what had occurred, and defended his own goodwill and zeal which he had displayed during the war against Perseus.
§30.3.2παραπλησίως δὲ καὶ περὶ τοῦ πέμψαι πρεσβευτὰς τοὺς παρακαθέξοντας τὴν τῶν Γαλατῶν ἀπόνοιαν καὶ πάλιν εἰς τὴν ἐξ ἀρχῆς αὐτοὺς ἀποκαταστήσοντας διάθεσιν παρεκάλεσε διὰ πλειόνων.
In like manner, he also entreated them at some length concerning the sending of ambassadors who would restrain the madness of the Galatians and restore them to their original status.
§30.3.3ἐποιήσατο δὲ λόγους καὶ περὶ τῆς Αἰνίων καὶ τῆς Μαρωνειτῶν πόλεως, ἀξιῶν αὑτῷ δοθῆναι ταύτας ἐν δωρεᾷ.
He also spoke about the cities of Aenus and Maronea, requesting that these should be given to him as a gift.
§30.3.4τὸν δὲ κατὰ τοῦ βασιλέως λόγον καὶ τὸν περὶ τοῦ μερισμοῦ τῆς ἀρχῆς εἰς τέλος παρεσιώπησεν.
But as to the discourse against the king and that concerning the division of the sovereignty, he kept completely silent to the end.
§30.3.5ἡ δὲ σύγκλητος ὑπολαμβάνουσα πάλιν αὐτὸν ἰδίᾳ περὶ τούτων εἰσπορεύσεσθαι, τούς τε πρεσβευτὰς συμπέμψειν ὑπέσχετο καὶ τοῖς εἰθισμένοις δώροις ἐτίμησεν αὐτὸν μεγαλομερῶς· ἐπηγγείλατο δὲ καὶ τὰς προειρημένας πόλεις δώσειν.
The Senate, supposing that he would come before them again in private on these matters, promised to send the ambassadors with him, and honored him generously with the customary gifts; they also promised to give him the aforementioned cities.
§30.3.6ἐπειδὴ δὲ παραυτὰ τυχὼν τῶν φιλανθρώπων ὥρμησεν ἐκ τῆς Ῥώμης οὐδὲν ποιήσας τῶν προσδοκωμένων, διαψευσθεῖσα τῶν ἐλπίδων ἡ σύγκλητος ἄλλο μὲν οὐδὲν εἶχε ποιεῖν, §30.3.7ἔτι δὲ κατὰ τὴν Ἰταλίαν ὄντος αὐτοῦ τὴν μὲν Αἶνον καὶ τὴν Μαρώνειαν ἠλευθέρωσεν, ἀθετήσασα τὴν ἐπαγγελίαν, τοὺς δὲ περὶ τὸν Πόπλιον Λικίννιον ἔπεμψε πρεσβευτὰς πρὸς τοὺς Γαλάτας.
But when, having immediately obtained these favors, he set out from Rome without doing any of the things expected of him, the Senate, frustrated in its hopes, could do nothing else, but while he was still in Italy, they declared Aenus and Maronea free, thereby breaking their promise, and dispatched Publius Licinius and his colleagues as ambassadors to the Galatians.
§30.3.8οἷς ποίας μὲν ἔδωκεν ἐντολὰς εἰπεῖν οὐ ῥᾴδιον, στοχάζεσθαι δʼ ἐκ τῶν μετὰ ταῦτα συμβάντων οὐ δυσχερές.
What kind of instructions they gave to these ambassadors is not easy to say, but it is not difficult to conjecture from what subsequently happened.
§30.3.9τοῦτο δʼ ἔσται δῆλον ἐκ τῶν πράξεων αὐτῶν.
And this will be clear from the events themselves.

Notes

  1. 30.3.1ὁ προειρημένος — Refers to the previously mentioned subject, Attalus. It points back to Attalus, who, having been persuaded by the physician Stratius in the previous chapter, abandoned his plan to request the division of the kingdom from the Senate.
  2. 30.3.2τοὺς παρακαθέξοντας ... ἀποκαταστήσοντας — Future participles used attributively to modify the noun πρεσβευτάς (ambassadors), expressing purpose ("ambassadors to restrain... and restore...").
  3. 30.3.7ἔτι δὲ κατὰ τὴν Ἰταλίαν ὄντος αὐτοῦ — A genitive absolute construction. The genitive pronoun αὐτοῦ refers to Attalus, serving as the subject of the participle ὄντος, which is distinct from the subject of the main clause, the Senate (ἡ σύγκλητος). It indicates that while Attalus had left Rome but was still within Italy, the Senate quickly took retaliatory measures.
  4. 30.3.8οἷς ποίας μὲν ἔδωκεν ἐντολὰς εἰπεῖν οὐ ῥᾴδιον — The relative pronoun οἷς refers back to the ambassadors (πρεσβευτάς) in the preceding sentence, serving as a connecting relative. It functions as the dative object of ἔδωκεν within the indirect question clause "ποίας ... ἔδωκεν ἐντολὰς" (what kind of instructions he gave).

Cite this passage

Polybius, The Histories §30.3.1-30.3.9. Humanitext Reader, https://reader.humanitext.ai/en/text/urn:cts:greekLit:tlg0543.tlg001.humanitext-grc2:30.3.1-30.3.9

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