§36.14.1ὅτι Ῥωμαῖοι ἔπεμψαν πρεσβευτὰς τοὺς ἐπιληψομένους τῆς ὁρμῆς τῆς τοῦ Νικομήδους καὶ κωλύσοντας τὸν Ἄτταλον πολεμεῖν τῷ Προυσίᾳ, καὶ κατεστάθησαν Μάρκος Λικίννιος, §36.14.2ἄνθρωπος ποδαγρικὸς καὶ τελείως ἀδύνατος τοῖς ποσί, καὶ μετὰ τοῦτον Αὖλος Μαγκῖνος, ὃς κεραμίδος εἰς τὴν κεφαλὴν ἐμπεσούσης αὐτῷ τηλικαύτας καὶ τοσαύτας οὐλὰς εἶχε διὰ τῆς κεφαλῆς ὥστε θαυμαστὸν εἶναι πῶς ἐσώθη, καὶ Λεύκιος Μαλλέολος, ὃς πάντων ἐδόκει Ῥωμαίων ἀναισθητότατος ὑπάρχειν.
The Romans sent ambassadors to check the onset of Nicomedes and to prevent Attalus from making war on Prusias; and Marcus Licinius was appointed, a man suffering from gout and completely crippled in his feet, and after him Aulus Mancinus, who, a tile having fallen on his head, had such and so many scars across his head that it was a marvel how he survived, and Lucius Malleolus, who was deemed to be the most stupid of all Romans.
§36.14.3τῆς δὲ πράξεως προσδεομένης τάχους καὶ τόλμης ἐδόκουν ἀφυέστατοι πρὸς τὴν χρείαν εἶναι ταύτην οἱ καθεσταμένοι.
But as the business required speed and boldness, those who had been appointed seemed to be most ill-suited for this service.
§36.14.4διὸ καί φασι Μάρκον Πόρκιον τὸν Κάτωνα προσαγορευόμενον εἰπεῖν ἐν συγκλήτῳ διότι συμβήσεται μὴ μόνον ἀπολόμενον φθάσαι τὸν Προυσίαν, ἀλλὰ καὶ τὸν Νικομήδην γηράσαντʼ ἐν τῇ βασιλείᾳ· §36.14.5πῶς γὰρ οἷόν τε καταταχῆσαι, πῶς δὲ καταταχήσασαν ἀνύσασθαί τι τὴν πρεσβείαν, μήτε πόδας μήτε κεφαλὴν μήτε καρδίαν ἔχουσαν. —
Therefore they say that Marcus Porcius, surnamed Cato, said in the senate that not only would Prusias be destroyed beforehand, but Nicomedes would also grow old in his kingship; for how was it possible for an embassy to make haste, or, even if it did make haste, to accomplish anything, when it had neither feet, nor head, nor heart? —