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Polybius · The Histories §31.20.1-31.20.6

Senate's Support for Younger Ptolemy and Cyprus Plans

Passage 1194 of 1311 · Greek

Summary

In the Roman Senate, while the ambassadors of both Egyptian kings trade hostile arguments, the Senate decides to support the younger brother and annul the alliance with the elder, prompting the younger Ptolemy to prepare for the capture of Cyprus.

§31.20.1ὅτι κατὰ τοὺς ὑποκειμένους καιροὺς ἧκον παρὰ τοῦ νεωτέρου Πτολεμαίου πρέσβεις οἱ περὶ τὸν Κομανὸν καὶ παρὰ τοῦ πρεσβυτέρου παραπλησίως οἱ περὶ τὸν Μένυλλον τὸν Ἀλαβανδέα.
At this same time, there arrived as ambassadors Comanus and his colleagues from the younger Ptolemy, and likewise Menyllus of Alabanda and his colleagues from the elder.
§31.20.2ὧν εἰσελθόντων εἰς τὴν σύγκλητον, καὶ πολλῶν λόγων γινομένων καὶ φιλαπεχθῶν κατὰ πρόσωπον εἰς ἀλλήλους, καὶ τῶν περὶ Τίτον καὶ Γνάιον ἀπομαρτυρούντων καὶ συνεπισχυόντων τῷ νεωτέρῳ μετὰ πολλῆς σπουδῆς, §31.20.3ἔδοξε τῇ συγκλήτῳ τοὺς περὶ Μένυλλον ἐν πένθʼ ἡμέραις ἀποτρέχειν ἐκ τῆς Ῥώμης, καὶ τὴν συμμαχίαν ἀναιρεῖν τὴν πρὸς τὸν πρεσβύτερον, πρὸς δὲ τὸν νεώτερον πέμψαι πρεσβευτὰς τοὺς διασαφήσοντας τὰ δεδογμένα τῇ συγκλήτῳ.
When they had entered the senate, and many hostile arguments had been exchanged face to face, and Titus and Gnaeus and their colleagues had testified and supported the younger brother with great zeal, it was resolved by the senate that Menyllus and his colleagues should depart from Rome within five days, and that the alliance with the elder brother should be annulled, and that they should send ambassadors to the younger to make clear the senate's decisions.
§31.20.4καὶ κατεστάθησαν Πόπλιος Ἀπούστιος καὶ Γάιος Λέντλος, οἳ καὶ πλεύσαντες ἐξ αὐτῆς εἰς τὴν Κυρήνην ἀνήγγειλαν τῷ Πτολεμαίῳ τὰ δεδογμένα μετὰ πολλῆς σπουδῆς.
Accordingly, Publius Apustius and Gaius Lentulus were appointed, who, sailing at once for Cyrene, reported the decisions to Ptolemy with great dispatch.
§31.20.5ὁ δὲ Πτολεμαῖος ἐπαρθεὶς εὐθέως ἐξενολόγει καὶ ταῖς ἐπιβολαῖς ὅλος καὶ πᾶς ἦν περὶ τὴν Κύπρον.
Ptolemy, highly elated, immediately began to enlist mercenaries and was heart and soul devoted to his designs upon Cyprus.
§31.20.6καὶ τὰ μὲν κατὰ τὴν Ἰταλίαν ἐν τούτοις ἦν.
And such was the state of affairs in Italy.

Notes

  1. 31.20.2ὧν εἰσελθόντων εἰς τὴν σύγκλητον, καὶ πολλῶν λόγων γινομένων... καὶ τῶν περὶ Τίτον καὶ Γνάιον ἀπομαρτυρούντων καὶ συνεπισχυόντων — A series of genitive absolute clauses (ὧν εἰσελθόντων... / γινομένων... / τῶν... ἀπομαρτυρούντων...) are coordinated to explain the circumstances and reasons leading to the main verb (ἔδοξε τῇ συγκλήτῳ). The relative pronoun ὧν functions as a connecting relative referring to the ambassadors mentioned in the preceding sentence.
  2. 31.20.3τοὺς διασαφήσοντας — The future participle with the article expresses purpose ("those who are to clarify / explain") modifying πρεσβευτάς.
  3. 31.20.4ἐξ αὐτῆς — An idiomatic adverbial phrase meaning "at once" or "straightway," originating from the ellipsis of τῆς ὁδοῦ ("straight from the road") or τῆς ὥρας ("straight from that hour").
  4. 31.20.5ὅλος καὶ πᾶς ἦν περὶ τὴν Κύπρον — The adjectives ὅλος (whole) and πᾶς (all) are coordinated to modify the subject predicatively, which combined with the prepositional phrase περὶ τὴν Κύπρον (concerning Cyprus) forms an idiomatic expression meaning "he was entirely devoted to" or "absorbed in" the affairs of Cyprus.

Cite this passage

Polybius, The Histories §31.20.1-31.20.6. Humanitext Reader, https://reader.humanitext.ai/en/text/urn:cts:greekLit:tlg0543.tlg001.humanitext-grc2:31.20.1-31.20.6

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