Humanitext Reader

Polybius · The Histories §33.7.1-33.7.4

Roman Legation Dispatched against Prusias

Passage 1229 of 1311 · Greek

Summary

Upon the return of the Roman legates who reported Prusias' violence and contempt of the Senate's orders, the angry Senate immediately dispatched ten new legates to end the war and compel Prusias to make amends to Attalus.

§33.7.1ὅτι τῶν περὶ τὸν Ὁρτήσιον καὶ Αὐρογκολήιον παραγεγονότων ἐκ τοῦ Περγάμου καὶ διασαφούντων τήν τε τοῦ Προυσίου καταφρόνησιν τῶν τῆς συγκλήτου παραγγελμάτων, §33.7.2καὶ διότι παρασπονδήσας καὶ συγκλείσας εἰς τὸ Πέργαμον αὐτούς τε καὶ τοὺς περὶ τὸν Ἄτταλον πᾶσαν βίαν ἐνεδείξατο καὶ παρανομίαν, §33.7.3ἡ σύγκλητος ὀργισθεῖσα καὶ βαρέως φέρουσα τὸ γεγονὸς ἐξ αὐτῆς δέκα πρεσβευτὰς κατέστησε τοὺς περὶ Λεύκιον Ἀνίκιον καὶ Γάιον Φάννιον καὶ Κόιντον Φάβιον Μάξιμον, §33.7.4καὶ παραχρῆμʼ ἐξαπέστειλεν, ἐντολὰς αὐτοῖς δοῦσα διαλῦσαι τὸν πόλεμον καὶ τὸν Προυσίαν ἀναγκάσαι δίκας ὑποσχεῖν Ἀττάλῳ τῶν κατὰ πόλεμον ἀδικημάτων. —
That when Hortensius, Aurunculeius, and their colleagues arrived from Pergamum and made it clear that Prusias was treating the injunctions of the Senate with contempt, and that, in violation of the treaty, he had shut up both themselves and Attalus and his men in Pergamum, and had displayed every kind of violence and lawlessness, the Senate, being angered and taking the matter heavily, immediately appointed ten legates, namely Lucius Anicius, Gaius Fannius, Quintus Fabius Maximus, and their colleagues, and dispatched them on the spot, giving them instructions to put an end to the war and to compel Prusias to pay damages to Attalus for his unjust acts during the war.

Notes

  1. 33.7.3ἐξ αὐτῆς — Interpreted as a temporal adverbial phrase meaning 'immediately, on the spot' (ἐξ αὐτῆς [sc. τῆς ὥρας]). While it could grammatically refer to selecting legates 'from [the Senate] itself' (ἐξ αὐτῆς [sc. τῆς συγκλήτου]), the temporal usage is highly characteristic of Polybian style and fits the urgent context.
  2. 33.7.1-2διασαφούντων ... καὶ διότι ... — As objects of the participle διασαφούντων, a noun phrase (τήν τε τοῦ Προυσίου καταφρόνησιν) in the first part and a clause introduced by the conjunction διότι (used here like ὅτι to introduce a noun clause meaning 'that...') in the second part are coordinated. This structure of linking a noun phrase and a subordinate clause with a coordinating conjunction (καί) is used to present different aspects of the report.
  3. 33.7.4δίκας ὑποσχεῖν — An idiomatic expression (δίκην ὑπέχω) which usually means 'to submit to trial' or 'to suffer punishment,' but is used here in the active sense of 'to make amends' or 'to pay damages.' This interpretation is determined by the context of forcing Prusias to compensate Attalus (dative Ἀττάλῳ) for his injustices (genitive τῶν ἀδικημάτων).

Cite this passage

Polybius, The Histories §33.7.1-33.7.4. Humanitext Reader, https://reader.humanitext.ai/en/text/urn:cts:greekLit:tlg0543.tlg001.humanitext-grc2:33.7.1-33.7.4

Please note the AI-draft status of the translation and the date accessed.

Translation, notes and summary are AI-generated drafts, revised through reader feedback.