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Polybius · The Histories §32.6.1-32.6.9

Charops in Rome and the Senate's Response

Passage 1213 of 1311 · Greek

Summary

Charops frames and condemns the wealthy of Epirus to death, and then travels to Rome to seek approval for his actions, only to be rejected by prominent Romans and given an inconclusive answer by the senate. He conceals this rejection and falsely reports back that the Romans approve of his deeds.

§32.6.1ἐπειδὴ δὲ πάντας καὶ πάσας ἐξηργυρίσαντο κατὰ τὸ δυνατόν, εἰσῆγον εἰς τὸν δῆμον οὐδὲν ἧττον ἅπαντας τοὺς προγεγραμμένους. §32.6.2οἱ δὲ πολλοὶ τῶν ἐν τῇ Φοινίκῃ τὰ μὲν διὰ τὸν φόβον, τὰ δὲ καὶ δελεαζόμενοι διὰ τῶν περὶ τὸν Χάροπα κατέκριναν οὐ φυγῆς ἀλλὰ θανάτου πάντας τοὺς προσαγγελθέντας ὡς ἀλλότρια φρονοῦντας Ῥωμαίων. §32.6.3οὗτοι μὲν οὖν πάντες ἔφυγον, ὁ δὲ Χάροψ ὥρμησεν εἰς τὴν Ῥώμην, ἔχων χρήματα καὶ τοὺς περὶ τὸν Μύρτωνα μεθʼ αὑτοῦ, βουλόμενος ἐπισφραγίσασθαι διὰ τῆς συγκλήτου τὴν αὑτοῦ παρανομίαν. §32.6.4ἐν ᾧ καιρῷ κάλλιστον μὲν ἐγένετο δεῖγμα τῆς Ῥωμαίων αἱρέσεως, κάλλιστον δὲ θέαμα πᾶσι τοῖς Ἕλλησι τοῖς παρεπιδήμοις, μάλιστα δὲ τοῖς ἀνακεκλημένοις· §32.6.5ὅ τε γὰρ Μάρκος, ἀρχιερεὺς ὢν καὶ πρῶτος τῆς συγκλήτου γραφόμενος, ὅ τε Λεύκιος ὁ τὸν Περσέα νικήσας, μεγίστην ἔχων πίστιν καὶ δύναμιν, πυνθανόμενοι τὰ πεπραγμένα τῷ Χάροπι κατὰ τὴν Ἤπειρον ἐκώλυσαν εἰς τὰς οἰκίας αὑτῶν εἰσιέναι τὸν Χάροπα. §32.6.6οὗ γενομένου περιβοήτου πάντες ἐγενήθησαν οἱ παρεπιδημοῦντες περιχαρεῖς, ἀποδεχόμενοι τὸ μισοπόνηρον τῶν Ῥωμαίων. §32.6.7μετὰ δὲ ταῦτα τοῦ Χάροπος εἰσελθόντος εἰς τὴν σύγκλητον, οὐ συγκατέθετο τοῖς ἀξιουμένοις οὐδʼ ἐβουλήθη δοῦναι ῥητὴν ἀπόκρισιν, §32.6.8ἀλλὰ τοῖς ἀποστελλομένοις πρεσβευταῖς ἔφη δώσειν ἐντολὰς ἐπισκέψασθαι περὶ τῶν γεγονότων. §32.6.9ὁ δὲ Χάροψ ἀναχωρήσας ταύτην μὲν τὴν ἀπόκρισιν ἀπεσιώπησε, γράψας δὲ πρὸς τὴν ἰδίαν ὑπόθεσιν ἁρμόζουσαν ἀπήγγειλεν ὡς συνευδοκούντων Ῥωμαίων τοῖς ὑπʼ αὐτοῦ πραττομένοις.
And when they had squeezed money out of all the men and women as far as possible, they none the less brought all those who had been proscribed before the assembly. The majority of those in Phoenice, partly through fear and partly also cajoled by those around Charops, condemned all those who had been accused to death instead of exile, on the ground that they were ill-disposed towards the Romans. These men, then, all went into exile, but Charops set out for Rome, having money and those around Myrton with him, wishing to have his own lawlessness ratified by the senate. At which time there was given a most excellent proof of the Romans' policy, and a most beautiful spectacle to all the Greeks residing there, and especially to those who had been summoned. For Marcus, who was Pontifex Maximus and registered as the leader of the senate, and Lucius, who had defeated Perseus and possessed the greatest influence and power, having learned what had been done by Charops in Epirus, forbade Charops to enter their houses. When this became widely known, all those residing there were filled with joy, applauding the Romans' hatred of wickedness. And after this, when Charops entered the senate, it did not assent to his requests, nor did it wish to give a definite answer, but said that it would give instructions to the envoys being sent to make an inquiry concerning what had occurred. But Charops, having departed, kept silence about this answer, and having written one suited to his own purpose, reported that the Romans approved of the things being done by him.

Notes

  1. §32.6.2οὐ φυγῆς ἀλλὰ θανάτου — The genitives `φυγῆς` and `θανάτου` function as genitives of penalty with the verb of judicial condemnation `κατέκριναν`, indicating the sentence imposed (death instead of exile).
  2. §32.6.5τὰ πεπραγμένα τῷ Χάροπι — `τῷ Χάροπι` is a dative of agent accompanying the perfect passive participle `πεπραγμένα`, indicating that the actions were performed "by Charops."
  3. §32.6.7οὐ συγκατέθετο — The subject of the third-person singular verb `συγκατέθετο` is not explicitly expressed but is logically supplied as "the senate" (ἡ σύγκλητος) from the noun `σύγκλητον` in the preceding genitive absolute clause `τοῦ Χάροπος εἰσελθόντος εἰς τὴν σύγκλητον`.
  4. §32.6.9ὡς συνευδοκούντων Ῥωμαίων — The particle `ὡς` prefixed to the genitive absolute `συνευδοκούντων Ῥωμαίων` introduces a subjective or alleged reason, expressing a false assertion or pretense ("as if the Romans approved") rather than an objective fact.

Cite this passage

Polybius, The Histories §32.6.1-32.6.9. Humanitext Reader, https://reader.humanitext.ai/en/text/urn:cts:greekLit:tlg0543.tlg001.humanitext-grc2:32.6.1-32.6.9

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