§I"ὅτι Ῥωμαῖοι τοῦ Φιλίππου τοῦ Μακεδόνος τοῦ πολεμήσαντος αὐτοῖς πέρι πάμπαν ἐπολυπραγμόνουν οὐδέν, οὐδὲ σφίσιν ἐνθύμιος ἦν ὅλως πονουμένης ἔτι τῆς Ἰταλίας ὑπὸ Ἀννίβου τοῦ Καρχηδονίων στρατηγοῦ, καὶ αὐτοὶ μεγάλοις στρατοῖς Λιβύην καὶ Καρχηδόνα καὶ Ἰβηρίαν περικαθήμενοι, καὶ καθιστάμενοι Σικελίαν.
That the Romans concerned themselves not at all with Philip of Macedon who had made war against them, nor was he in their minds at all, while Italy was still hard pressed by Hannibal, the general of the Carthaginians, and they themselves were besieging Libya, Carthage, and Iberia with large armies, and settling the affairs of Sicily.
αὐτὸς δὲ Φίλιππος ἀρχῆς ἐπιθυμίᾳ μείζονος, οὐδέν τι προπαθών, ἔπεμπε πρὸς Ἀννίβαν ἐς τὴν Ἰταλίαν πρέσβεις, ὧν ἡγεῖτο Ξενοφάνης, ὑπισχνούμενος αὐτῷ συμμαχήσειν ἐπὶ τὴν Ἰταλίαν, εἰ κἀκεῖνος αὐτῷ σύνθοιτο κατεργάσασθαι τὴν Ἑλλάδα.
But Philip himself, desiring a greater empire, though he had suffered no prior injury, sent ambassadors to Hannibal in Italy, led by Xenophanes, promising to ally with him against Italy, if the latter would agree to help him subjugate Greece.
συμβάντος δʼ ἐς ταῦτα τοῦ Ἀννίβου καὶ ἐπὶ τῇ συνθήκῃ ὀμόσαντος, πρέσβεις τε ἀντιπέμψαντος ἐπὶ τοὺς ὅρκους τοῦ Φιλίππου, Ῥωμαίων τριήρης ἔλαβε τοὺς ἑκατέρων πρέσβεις ἀναπλέοντας, καὶ ἐς Ῥώμην ἐκόμισεν.
When Hannibal agreed to these terms, swore to the treaty, and sent back ambassadors to receive Philip's oaths, a Roman trireme captured the ambassadors of both parties as they were sailing back, and brought them to Rome.
ἐφʼ ᾧ Φίλιππος ἀγανακτῶν Κερκύρᾳ προσέβαλεν, ἣ Ῥωμαίοις συνεμάχει. "
At this, Philip in anger attacked Corcyra, which was allied with the Romans.
§II"ότι ἐνῆγε τοὺς Ῥωμαίους τὰ Σιβύλλεια εἰς τὸν Φιλίππου πόλεμον. ἔστι δὲ ταῦτα·
That the Sibylline oracles urged the Romans into the war with Philip.
"αὐχοῦντες βασιλεῦσι Μακηδόνες Ἀργεάδῃσιν, ὑμῖν κοιρανέων ἀγαθὸν καὶ πῆμα Φίλιππος.
They are as follows: "Macedonians boasting of Argead kings, to you ruling Philip is both a boon and a bane.
ἤτοι ὁ μὲν πρότερος πόλεσιν λαοῖσί τʼ ἄνακτας θήσει, ὁ δʼ ὁπλότερος τιμὴν ἀπὸ πᾶσαν ὀλέσσει, δμηθεὶς δʼ ἑσπερίοισιν ὑπʼ ἀνδράσιν ἐνθάδʼ ὀλεῖται. "
" §III"ὅτι Πτολεμαίου τοῦ βασιλεύοντος Αἰγύπτου πρέσβεις, καὶ σὺν αὐτοῖς ἕτεροι παρά τε Χίων καὶ Μιτυληναίων καὶ Ἀμυνάνδρου τοῦ Ἀθαμάνων βασιλέως, δίς, ἔνθα περ οἱ Αἰτωλοὶ τὰς πόλεις ἐπισκεψομένας ἐκάλουν, συνῆλθον ἐπὶ διαλλαγῇ Ῥωμαίων καὶ Αἰτωλῶν καὶ Φιλίππου.
Indeed, the former shall set rulers over cities and peoples, but the younger shall lose all honor, and, subdued by men of the West, shall perish here." That the ambassadors of Ptolemy, the king of Egypt, and with them others from the Chians, the Mitylenaeans, and Amynander, the king of the Athamanes, met twice for a reconciliation of the Romans, the Aetolians, and Philip, at the place where the Aetolians had called upon the cities to visit.
Σουλπικίου δʼ εἰπόντος οὐκ εἶναι κυρίου περὶ τῆς εἰρήνης τι κρῖναι, καὶ ἐς τὴν βουλὴν κρύφα ἐπιστέλλοντος ὅτι Ῥωμαίοις συμφέρει πολεμεῖν Αἰτωλοὺς Φιλίππῳ, ἡ μὲν βουλὴ τὰς συνθήκας ἐκώλυσε, καὶ τοῖς Αἰτωλοῖς ἔπεμπε συμμαχίαν πεζοὺς μυρίους καὶ ἱππέας χιλίους, μεθʼ ὧν οἱ Αἰτωλοὶ κατέλαβον Ἀμβρακίαν, ἣν οὐ πολὺ ὕστερον αὐτῶν Φίλιππος ἀποπλευσάντων ἀνέλαβεν.
When Sulpicius stated that he had no authority to decide anything concerning peace, and secretly wrote to the Senate that it was to the advantage of the Romans for the Aetolians to remain at war with Philip, the Senate prevented the treaty and sent an allied force of ten thousand infantry and one thousand cavalry to the Aetolians, with whom the Aetolians captured Ambracia, which Philip retook not long after they had sailed away.
οἱ δὲ πρέσβεις αὖθις συνῆλθον, καὶ πολλὰ φανερῶς ἔλεγον, ὅτι Φίλιππος καὶ Αἰτωλοὶ διαφερόμενοι τοὺς Ἕλληνας ἐς δουλείαν Ῥωμαίοις ὑποβάλλουσιν, ἐθίζοντες αὐτοὺς τῆς Ἑλλάδος θαμινὰ πειρᾶσθαι.
The ambassadors met again and spoke much in public, saying that Philip and the Aetolians, by differing with each other, were subjecting the Greeks to slavery under the Romans, accustoming them to make frequent attempts upon Greece.
ἐφʼ οἷς ὁ μὲν Σουλπίκιος ἀντιλέξων ἀνίστατο, τὸ δὲ πλῆθος οὐκ ἤκουσεν, ἀλλʼ ἐκεκράγεσαν τοὺς πρέσβεις εὖ λέγειν.
At this, Sulpicius stood up to speak against them, but the multitude would not listen to him, but shouted out that the ambassadors spoke well.
καὶ τέλος Αἰτωλοί τε πρῶτοι κατὰ σφᾶς, ἄνευ Ῥωμαίων, Φιλίππῳ συνέβησαν, καὶ πρέσβεις αὐτοῦ Φιλίππου καὶ Ῥωμαίων ἐπὶ διαλλαγαῖς ἀφίκοντο ἐς Ῥώμην.
And at last the Aetolians first, on their own account and without the Romans, came to terms with Philip, and ambassadors both from Philip himself and from the Romans arrived in Rome for a reconciliation.
καὶ ἐγένοντο συνθῆκαι Ῥωμαίοις καὶ Φιλίππῳ, μηδετέρους ἀδικεῖν τοὺς ἑκατέρωθεν φίλους.
And a treaty was made between the Romans and Philip, that neither side should wrong the friends of the other.
ἐς μὲν δὴ τοῦτʼ ἔληξεν ἡ Φιλίππου καὶ Ῥωμαίων ἐς ἀλλήλους πεῖρα πρώτη, καὶ τὰς συνθήκας οὐδέτεροι βεβαίους, οὐδʼ ἀπʼ εὐνοίας, ἐδόκουν πεποιῆσθαι. "
In this way, then, ended the first trial of strength between Philip and the Romans against each other, and neither side seemed to have made the treaty as something secure or out of goodwill.