§XI#1"ὅτι Ῥωμαῖοι ταχέως αὐξανόμενον τὸν Περσέα ὑφεωρῶντο· καὶ μάλιστα αὐτοὺς ἠρέθιζεν ἡ τῶν Ἑλλήνων φιλία καὶ γειτνίασις, οἷς ἔχθος ἐς Ῥωμαίους ἐπεποιήκεσαν οἱ Ῥωμαίων στρατηγοί.
That the Romans were suspicious of Perseus, who was growing rapidly in power; and they were especially provoked by his friendship and proximity to the Greeks, against whom the Roman generals had caused hostility toward the Romans.
ὡς δὲ καὶ οἱ πρέσβεις οἱ ἐς Βαστέρνας ἀπεσταλμένοι τὴν Μακεδονίαν ἔφασκον ἰδεῖν ἀσφαλῶς ὠχυρωμένην καὶ παρασκευὴν ἱκανὴν καὶ νεότητα γεγυμνασμένην, Ῥωμαίους καὶ τάδε διετάρασσεν.
And when the ambassadors sent to the Bastarnae also stated that they had seen Macedonia securely fortified, with sufficient preparations and trained youth, this too disturbed the Romans.
αἰσθόμενος δʼ ὁ Περσεὺς ἑτέρους ἔπεμπε πρέσβεις, τὴν ὑπόνοιαν ἐκλύων.
Perceiving this, Perseus sent other ambassadors to dispel the suspicion.
ἐν δὲ τούτῳ καὶ Εὐμένης ὁ τῆς περὶ τὸ Πέργαμον Ἀσίας βασιλεύς, ἀπὸ τῆς πρὸς Φίλιππον ἔχθρας δεδιὼς Περσέα ἧκεν ἐς Ῥώμην, καὶ κατηγόρει φανερῶς αὐτοῦ, παρελθὼν ἐς τὸ βουλευτήριον, ὅτι Ῥωμαίοις δυσμενὴς γένοιτο ἀεί, καὶ τὸν ἀδελφὸν οἰκείως ἐς αὐτοὺς ἔχοντα ἀνέλοι, καὶ Φιλίππῳ τε παρασκευὴν τοσήνδε κατʼ αὐτῶν συναγαγόντι συμπράξειε, καὶ βασιλεὺς γενόμενος οὐδὲν ἐκλύσειεν αὐτῆς ἀλλὰ καὶ προσεξεργάσαιτο ἕτερα, καὶ τὴν Ἑλλάδα ἀμέτρως θεραπεύοι, Βυζαντίοις τε καὶ Αἰτωλοῖς καὶ Βοιωτοῖς συμμαχήσας, καὶ Θρᾴκην κατακτῷτο, μέγα ὁρμητήριον, καὶ Θετταλοὺς καὶ Περραιβοὺς διαστασιάσειε βουλομένους τι πρεσβεῦσαι πρὸς ὑμᾶς.
In the meantime, Eumenes, the king of Asia around Pergamum, fearing Perseus because of his hostility toward Philip, came to Rome and openly accused him before the senate, saying that he had always been hostile to the Romans, that he had murdered his brother who was well-disposed toward them, that he had assisted Philip when the latter was gathering so great a preparation against them, and that upon becoming king he had not relaxed it at all but had even added other preparations, and was excessively courting Greece, having allied himself with the Byzantines, Aetolians, and Boeotians, and was conquering Thrace, a great base of operations, and had Sown dissension among the Thessalians and Perrhaebians when they wished to send an embassy to you.
καὶ τῶν ὑμετέρων,
ἔφη,
φίλων καὶ συμμάχων Ἀβρούπολιν μὲν ἀφῄρηται τὴν ἀρχήν, Ἀρθέταυρον δʼ ἐν Ἰλλυριοῖς δυνάστην καὶ ἔκτεινεν ἐπιβουλεύσας, καὶ τοὺς ἐργασαμένους ὑποδέδεκται. διέβαλλε δʼ αὐτοῦ καὶ τὰς ἐπιγαμίας βασιλικὰς ἄμφω γενομένας, καὶ τὰς νυμφαγωγίας ὅλῳ τῷ Ῥοδίων στόλῳ παραπεμφθείσας.
"And from your," he said, "friends and allies, he has stripped Abrupolis of his principality, and Artetaurus, a dynast among the Illyrians, he killed by treachery, and has welcomed those who committed the deed." He also discredited his royal marriages, both of which had taken place, and the bridal escorts which were accompanied by the entire Rhodes fleet.
ἔγκλημα δʼ ἐποίει καὶ τὴν ἐπιμέλειαν αὐτοῦ καὶ τὸ νηφάλιον τῆς διαίτης, ὄντος οὕτω νέου, καὶ ὅτι πρὸς πολλῶν ὀξέως ἐν ὀλίγῳ ἀγαπῷτο καὶ ἐπαινοῖτο.
He also made a charge of his diligence and the sobriety of his way of life, though he was so young, and that he was quickly loved and praised by many in a short time.
ζήλου τε καὶ φθόνου καὶ δέους μᾶλλον ἢ ἐγκλημάτων οὐδὲν ὁ Εὐμένης ἀπολιπών, ἐκέλευε τὴν σύγκλητον ὑφορᾶσθαι νέον ἐχθρὸν εὐδοκιμοῦντα καὶ γειτονεύοντα.
Eumenes, leaving nothing undone that might cause jealousy, envy, and fear rather than actual charges, urged the senate to be suspicious of a young, highly esteemed, and neighboring enemy.
ἡ δʼ ἔργῳ μὲν οὐκ ἀξιοῦσα βασιλέα σώφρονα καὶ φιλόπονον καὶ ἐς πολλοὺς φιλάνθρωπον, ἀθρόως οὕτως ἐπαιρόμενον καὶ πατρικὸν ὄντα σφίσιν ἐχθρόν, ἐν πλευραῖς ἔχειν, λόγῳ δʼ ἃ προύτεινεν ὁ Εὐμένης αἰτιωμένη, πολεμεῖν ἔκρινε τῷ Περσεῖ.
The senate, while in fact not thinking it right to have a king who was prudent, industrious, and benevolent to many, rising so suddenly and being a hereditary enemy to them, at their side, yet using as a pretext the charges that Eumenes had put forward, decided to make war on Perseus.
καὶ τοῦτʼ ἀπόρρητον ἔτι ἐν σφίσιν αὐτοῖς ποιούμενοι, Ἅρπαλόν τε πεμφθέντα παρὰ Περσέως ἐς ἀντιλογίαν Εὐμένους, καὶ Ῥοδίων τινὰ πρεσβευτήν, βουλομένους ἐς ὄψιν τὸν Εὐμένη διελέγχειν, παρόντος μὲν ἔτι τοῦ Εὐμένους οὐ προσήκαντο, μεταστάντος δὲ ἐδέξαντο.
And keeping this still secret among themselves, when Harpalus was sent by Perseus to refute Eumenes, and a certain Rhodians ambassador, who wished to confront and refute Eumenes face to face, they did not admit them while Eumenes was still present, but received them after he had departed.
καὶ οἱ μὲν ἐπὶ τῷδε πρῶτον ἀγανακτοῦντές τε καὶ παρρησίᾳ χρώμενοι πλέον πολεμεῖν βουλομένους ἤδη Ῥωμαίους Περσεῖ καὶ Ῥοδίοις μᾶλλον ἐξηγρίωσαν· τῶν δὲ βουλευτῶν πολλοὶ τὸν Εὐμένη διʼ αἰτίας εἶχον ὑπὸ φθόνου καὶ δέους αἴτιον τοσοῦδε πολέμου γενόμενον.
And these ambassadors, being angry first of all at this treatment and speaking with frankness, further exasperated the Romans, who were already wishing for war, against Perseus and even more against the Rhodians; but many of the senators blamed Eumenes out of envy and fear as the cause of so great a war.
καὶ Ῥόδιοι τὴν θεωρίαν αὐτοῦ, μόνου βασιλέων, ἐς τὴν ἑορτὴν τοῦ Ἡλίου πεμπομένην οὐκ ἐδέξαντο.
And the Rhodians did not receive his sacred delegation, alone of all kings, sent to the festival of Helios.
αὐτὸς δʼ ἐς τὴν Ἀσίαν ἐπανιὼν ἐκ Κίρρας ἐς Δελφοὺς ἀνέβαινε θύσων, καὶ αὐτῷ τέσσαρες ἄνδρες ὑπὸ τὸ τειχίον ὑποστάντες ἐπεβούλευον.
He himself, returning to Asia, went up from Cirrha to Delphi to offer sacrifice, and four men lying in wait for him under the low wall plotted against him.
καὶ ἄλλας δέ τινας αἰτίας οἱ Ῥωμαῖοι ἐς τὸν Περσέως πόλεμον ὡς οὔπω κεκριμένον προσελάμβανον, καὶ πρέσβεις ἐς τοὺς φίλους βασιλέας, Εὐμένη καὶ Ἀντίοχον καὶ Ἀριαράθην καὶ Μασσανάσσην καὶ Πτολεμαῖον τὸν Αἰγύπτου, περιέπεμπον, ἑτέρους δʼ ἐς τὴν Ἑλλάδα καὶ Θεσσαλίαν καὶ Ἤπειρον καὶ Ἀκαρνανίαν, καὶ ἐς τὰς νήσους, ὅσας δύναιντο προσαγαγέσθαι· ὃ καὶ μάλιστα τοὺς Ἕλληνας ἐτάραττεν, ἡδομένους μὲν τῷ Περσεῖ φιλέλληνι ὄντι, ἀναγκαζομένους δʼ ἐνίους Ῥωμαίοις ἐς συμβάσεις χωρεῖν.
And the Romans also took up other pretexts for the war against Perseus as if it were not yet decided, and sent ambassadors to their friendly kings, Eumenes, Antiochus, Ariarathes, Massinissa, and Ptolemy of Egypt, and others to Greece, Thessaly, Epirus, Acarnania, and to as many islands as they could win over; which especially disturbed the Greeks, who, while pleased with Perseus because he was a philhellene, were forced, some of them, to come to agreements with the Romans.
ὧν ὁ Περσεὺς αἰσθόμενος ἔπεμπεν ἐς Ῥώμην, ἀπορῶν τε καὶ πυνθανόμενος τί παθόντες ἐκλήθονται τῶν συγκειμένων καὶ πρέσβεις κατʼ αὐτοῦ περιπέμπουσιν ὄντος φίλου, δέον, εἰ καί τι μέμφονται, λόγῳ διακριθῆναι.
When Perseus perceived these things, he sent to Rome, being at a loss and inquiring what had happened to them that they should neglect their agreements and send ambassadors against him who was a friend, when, if they had any complaint, it ought to have been decided by discussion.
οἱ δʼ ἐνεκάλουν ὅσα Εὐμένης εἴποι καὶ πάθοι, καὶ μάλιστα ὅτι Θρᾴκην κατακτῷτο, καὶ στρατιὰν ἔχοι καὶ παρασκευὴν οὐκ ἠρεμήσοντος ἀνδρός.
But they charged him with all that Eumenes had said and suffered, and especially that he was conquering Thrace, and had an army and preparations of a man who would not remain quiet.
ὁ δʼ αὖθις ἔπεμπεν ἑτέρους, οἳ ἐς τὸ βουλευτήριον ἀπαχθέντες ἔλεγον ὧδε· τοῖς μὲν προφάσεως ἐς πόλεμον, ὦ Ῥωμαῖοι, δεομένοις ἱκανὰ πάντα ἐς τὴν πρόφασιν ἐστίν.
He then sent other ambassadors again, who, being brought into the senate-house, spoke as follows: "To those who need a pretext for war, O Romans, everything is sufficient for the pretext.
εἰ δʼ αἰδεῖσθε συνθήκας οἱ πολὺν ἀξιοῦντες αὐτῶν λόγον ἔχειν, τί παθόντες ὑπὸ Περσέως αἴρεσθε πόλεμον;
But if you respect treaties, you who claim to make much account of them, what have you suffered from Perseus that you are raising war?
οὐ γὰρ ὅτι στρατιὰν ἔχει καὶ παρασκευήν.
Surely not because he has an army and preparation.
οὐ γὰρ ἔχει ταῦτα καθʼ ὑμῶν.
For he does not hold these against you.
οὐδὲ τοὺς ἄλλους κεκτῆσθαι βασιλέας κωλύετε· οὐδʼ ἄδικον ἀσφαλῶς ἔχειν ἐς τοὺς ἀρχομένους καὶ τὰ περίοικα, καὶ εἴ τις ἔξωθεν ἐπιβουλεύοι.
Nor do you prevent other kings from possessing them; nor is it unjust to keep oneself secure against subjects and neighbors, and if anyone from outside should plot against one.
πρὸς δὲ ὑμᾶς, ὦ ἄνδρες Ῥωμαῖοι, ὑπὲρ τῆς εἰρήνης ἐπρέσβευσε καὶ τὰς συνθήκας ἔναγχος ἀνεκαίνισεν. "
But toward you, O Romans, he sent ambassadors for peace and recently renewed the treaties."