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Polybius · The Histories §35.2.1-35.2.15

Speeches of Celtiberian Envoys Before the Roman Senate

Passage 1259 of 1311 · Greek

Summary

The envoys from the Roman allies Belli and Titti, as well as those from the hostile Aravacae, are granted an audience before the Roman Senate and deliver speeches representing their respective positions.

§35.2.1ὅτι ἐπειδὴ οἱ Κελτίβηρες ἀνοχὰς ποιησάμενοι πρὸς Μάρκον Κλαύδιον τὸν στρατηγὸν τῶν Ῥωμαίων ἐξαπέστειλαν τὰς πρεσβείας εἰς τὴν Ῥώμην, οὗτοι μὲν τὴν ἡσυχίαν ἦγον, καραδοκοῦντες τὴν ἀπόφασιν τῆς συγκλήτου, §35.2.2Μάρκος δὲ στρατεύσας εἰς τοὺς Λυσιτανοὺς καὶ τὴν Νερκόβρικα πόλιν κατὰ κράτος ἑλὼν ἐν Κορδύβᾳ τὴν παραχειμασίαν ἐποιεῖτο. §35.2.3τῶν δὲ πρέσβεων εἰς τὴν Ῥώμην παραγενομένων, τοὺς μὲν παρὰ τῶν Βελλῶν καὶ Τίττων, ὅσοι τὰ Ῥωμαίων ᾑροῦντο, παρεδέξαντο πάντας εἰς τὴν πόλιν, §35.2.4τοὺς δὲ παρὰ τῶν Ἀραυακῶν πέραν τοῦ Τιβέρεως ἐκέλευσαν κατασκηνοῦν διὰ τὸ πολεμίους ὑπάρχειν, ἕως βουλεύσωνται περὶ τῶν ὅλων. §35.2.5γενομένου δὲ καιροῦ πρὸς ἔντευξιν, κατὰ πόλιν ὁ στρατηγὸς εἰσῆγε τοὺς συμμάχους. §35.2.6οἱ δὲ καίπερ ὄντες βάρβαροι διετίθεντο λόγους καὶ πάσας ἐξευκρινεῖν ἐπειρῶντο τὰς διαφοράς, §35.2.7ὑποδεικνύντες ὡς, εἰ μὴ συσταλήσονται καὶ τεύξονται τῆς ἁρμοζούσης κολάσεως οἱ πεπολεμηκότες, παραυτίκα μέν, ἐπανελθόντων τῶν Ῥωμαϊκῶν στρατοπέδων ἐκ τῆς Ἰβηρίας, ἐκ χειρὸς προσεπιθήσουσι τὴν δίκην αὐτοῖς. §35.2.8ὡς προδόταις γεγονόσι, ταχὺ δὲ πάλιν αὐτοὶ κινήσουσι πραγμάτων ἀρχήν, ἐὰν ἀνεπιτίμητοι διαφύγωσιν ἐκ τῆς πρώτης ἁμαρτίας, ἑτοίμους δὲ πάντας πρὸς καινοτομίαν ποιήσουσι τοὺς κατὰ τὴν Ἰβηρίαν, ὡς ἱκανοὶ γεγονότες ἀντίπαλοι Ῥωμαίοις. §35.2.9διόπερ ἠξίουν ἢ μένειν τὰ στρατόπεδα κατὰ τὴν Ἰβηρίαν καὶ διαβαίνειν καθʼ ἕκαστον ἔτος ὕπατον ἐφεδρεύσοντα τοῖς συμμάχοις καὶ κολάσοντα τὰς Ἀραυακῶν ἀδικίας, §35.2.10ἢ βουλομένους ἀπάγειν τὰς δυνάμεις παραδειγματιστέον εἶναι τὴν τῶν προειρημένων ἐπανάστασιν, ἵνα μηδεὶς ἔτι ποιεῖν θαρρῇ τὸ παραπλήσιον τούτοις. §35.2.11οἱ μὲν οὖν Βελλῶν καὶ Τίττων συμμαχοῦντες Ῥωμαίοις ταῦτα καὶ τὰ τούτοις παραπλήσια διελέχθησαν. §35.2.12ἐπὶ δὲ τούτοις εἰσῆγον τοὺς παρὰ τῶν πολεμίων. §35.2.13οἱ δʼ Ἀραυάκαι παρελθόντες κατὰ μὲν τὴν ὑπόκρισιν ἐχρῶντο τοῖς λόγοις ὑποπεπτωκότως καὶ ταπεινῶς, τῇ γε μὴν προαιρέσει [ὡς] διέφαινον οὐκ εἰκούσῃ τοῖς ὅλοις οὐδʼ ἡττωμένῃ. §35.2.14καὶ γὰρ τὰ τῆς τύχης ἄδηλα πολλάκις ὑπεδείκνυον καὶ τὰς προγεγενημένας μάχας ἀμφιδηρίτους ποιοῦντες ἐν πάσαις ἔμφασιν ἀπέλειπον ὡς ἐπικυδεστέρων αὐτῶν γεγονότων. §35.2.15τέλος δʼ ἦν τῶν λόγων· εἰ μέν τι δεῖ ῥητὸν πρόστιμον ὑπομένειν τῆς ἀγνοίας, ἀναδέχεσθαι τοῦτʼ ἔφασαν, τελεσθέντος δὲ τοῦ προστάγματος ἐπανάγειν ἠξίουν ἐπὶ τὰς κατὰ Τεβέριον ὁμολογίας αὐτοῖς γενομένας πρὸς τὴν σύγκλητον.
When the Celtiberians, having made a truce with Marcus Claudius, the commander of the Romans, dispatched embassies to Rome, they remained quiet, waiting in expectation of the decision of the senate. Marcus, on his part, made an expedition against the Lusitanians, and having taken the city of Nercobrica by force, took up his winter quarters in Corduba. When the envoys arrived in Rome, they received into the city all those from the Belli and Titti who favored the cause of the Romans, but they ordered those from the Aravacae to encamp on the other side of the Tiber because they were enemies, until they should deliberate on the whole matter. When the time for the audience arrived, the praetor in the city introduced the allies. Although they were barbarians, they delivered well-ordered speeches and tried to clear up all the points of dispute, pointing out that, if those who had made war were not repressed and did not receive fitting punishment, immediately, upon the departure of the Roman legions from Iberia, they would inflict vengeance upon them with their own hands, on the ground of their having become traitors; and that they would soon again start a fresh disturbance themselves, if they escaped unpunished for their first offense, and would make all the inhabitants of Iberia ready for revolt, as having proved themselves capable of matching the Romans. For this reason, they requested either that the legions should remain in Iberia and a consul should cross over every year to watch over the allies and punish the injustices of the Aravacae, or, if they wished to withdraw their forces, that they should make an example of the rebellion of the aforementioned people, so that no one would dare to do the like hereafter. Such, then, was the discourse of those of the Belli and Titti who were in alliance with the Romans. After this, they introduced the envoys from the enemy. The Aravacae, coming forward, in their external behavior used submissive and humble language, but in their real purpose they showed a spirit that did not yield at all nor confess defeat. For they frequently pointed out the uncertainty of fortune, and representing the past battles as doubtful, they left an impression in all of them of their having been more glorious. The conclusion of their speech was: if they must undergo any specified penalty for their ignorance, they said they would submit to it, but when the command was fulfilled, they requested to return to the treaty made with them in the time of Tiberius by the senate.

Notes

  1. 35.2.1ὅτι ἐπειδὴ — The introductory ὅτι indicating that the text is an excerpt (from the Excerpta). In translation, it is omitted as a grammatical particle and the sentence is translated directly starting from ἐπειδὴ.
  2. 35.2.7ἐκ χειρὸς προσεπιθήσουσι τὴν δίκην αὐτοῖς — The dative pronoun αὐτοῖς ("to them") refers contextually to the Roman allies (the Belli and Titti, who are the speakers), whom the hostile Aravacae would retaliate against directly, as implied by the preceding genitive absolute "upon the departure of the Roman legions" (ἐπανελθόντων τῶν Ῥωμαϊκῶν στρατοπέδων).
  3. 35.2.8ὡς προδόταις γεγονόσι — The dative participle γεγονόσι with ὡς, agreeing with the dative pronoun αὐτοῖς in 35.2.7. It expresses the subjective reason (ὡς) why the Aravacae would attack the allies, treating them "as having become traitors" by siding with Rome.
  4. 35.2.10παραδειγματιστέον εἶναι — An impersonal (or passive with the object "rebellion" ἐπανάστασις as subject) infinitive construction with the verbal adjective παραδειγματιστέον ("must be made an example of"). It depends on the main verb ἠξίουν ("they requested"), with the logical agent (the Romans) being omitted.
  5. 35.2.13τῇ γε μὴν προαιρέσει — The dative of respect προαιρέσει ("in their real purpose/resolve") is set in contrast with the preceding dative of respect ὑπόκρισιν ("in their outward behavior") by the particles μέν... δέ (γε μήν), highlighting the contrast between the external submission and internal defiance of the Aravacae.

Cite this passage

Polybius, The Histories §35.2.1-35.2.15. Humanitext Reader, https://reader.humanitext.ai/en/text/urn:cts:greekLit:tlg0543.tlg001.humanitext-grc2:35.2.1-35.2.15

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