§XVIII"ὅτι Γένθιος βασιλεὺς Ἰλλυριῶν ἑνὸς ἔθνους προσοίκου Μακεδόσι, Περσεῖ συμμαχῶν ἐπὶ τριακοσίοις ταλάντοις, ὧν τι καὶ προειλήθει, ἐσέβαλεν ἐς τὴν ὑπὸ Ῥωμαίοις Ἰλλυρίδα, καὶ πρέσβεις περὶ τούτων πρὸς αὐτὸν ἐλθόντας Περπένναν καὶ Πετίλιον ἔδησεν.
Genthius, the king of the Illyrians, a nation neighboring the Macedonians, having allied with Perseus for three hundred talents, of which he had already received a portion, invaded the Illyris under Roman rule, and imprisoned Perpenna and Petilius, the ambassadors who came to him concerning these matters.
ὧν ὁ Περσεὺς αἰσθόμενος οὐκέτι τὰ λοιπὰ τῶν χρημάτων ἔπεμπεν ὡς ἤδη καὶ διʼ αὐτὸν Ῥωμαίοις πεπολεμωμένον.
Perseus, when he learned of this, no longer sent the remainder of the money, on the ground that war had already been made against the Romans by Genthius himself.
ἐς δὲ Γέτας ἔπεμπε τοὺς ὑπὲρ Ἴστρον, καὶ Εὐμένους ἀπεπείρασεν ἐπὶ χρήμασιν ἢ μεταθέσθαι πρὸς αὑτόν, ἢ διαλῦσαι τὸν πόλεμον, ἢ ἀμφοτέροις ἐκστῆναι τοῦ ἀγῶνος, εὖ μὲν εἰδὼς οὐ λησόμενα ταῦτα Ῥωμαίους, ἐλπίζων δʼ ἢ πράξειν τι αὐτῶν ἢ τῇ πείρᾳ διαβαλεῖν τὸν Εὐμένη.
He also sent to the Getae beyond the Ister, and made a trial of Eumenes with money, to see whether he would change sides to him, or settle the war, or both withdraw from the contest; knowing well indeed that these things would not escape the notice of the Romans, but hoping either to achieve one of them or to bring Eumenes into suspicion by the attempt.
ὁ δὲ μεταθήσεσθαι μὲν οὐκ ἔφη, τάλαντα δʼ ᾔτει τῆς μὲν διαλύσεως χίλια καὶ πεντακόσια, τῆς δὲ ἡσυχίας χίλια.
Eumenes, however, said he would not change sides, but demanded fifteen hundred talents for the settlement of the war, and a thousand for neutrality.
καὶ ὁ Περσεὺς ἤδη Γετῶν αὑτῷ προσιέναι μισθοφόρους μυρίους ἱππέας καὶ μυρίους πεζοὺς πυθόμενος, αὐτίκα τοῦ Εὐμένους κατεφρόνει, καὶ τῆς μὲν ἡσυχίας οὐκ ἔφη δώσειν οὐδέν (αἰσχύνην γὰρ φέρειν ἀμφοῖν), τὰ δὲ τῆς διαλύσεως οὐ προδώσειν, ἀλλʼ ἐν Σαμοθρᾴκῃ καταθήσειν μέχρι γένοιτο ἡ διάλυσις, εὐμετάβολος ἤδη καὶ μικρολόγος ὑπὸ θεοβλαβείας ἐς πάντα γενόμενος.
And Perseus, having learned that ten thousand cavalry and ten thousand infantry of the Getae as mercenaries were already coming to him, immediately looked down on Eumenes, and said he would give nothing for neutrality (for it would bring shame to both of them), and that he would not pay beforehand for the settlement, but would deposit the money in Samothrace until the settlement was made; for he had already become unstable and stingy in everything due to divine madness.
ἑνὸς δὲ ὧν ἤλπισεν ὅμως οὐκ ἀπέτυχε, Ῥωμαίοις Εὐμένους ὑπόπτου γενομένου.
He did not, however, fail in one of the things he had hoped for, since Eumenes became suspected by the Romans.
Γετῶν δὲ τὸν Ἴστρον περασάντων, ἐδόκει Κλοιλίῳ μὲν τῷ ἡγεμόνι δοθῆναι χιλίους χρυσοῦς στατῆρας, ἱππεῖ δʼ ἑκάστῳ δέκα, καὶ τὰ ἡμίσεα πεζῷ· καὶ τοῦτο σύμπαν ἦν ὀλίγῳ πλέον πεντεκαίδεκα μυριάδων χρυσίου.
When the Getae crossed the Ister, it had been agreed that one thousand gold staters should be given to their leader Cloelius, ten to each cavalryman, and half that to each foot soldier; and the sum of all this was a little more than one hundred and fifty thousand pieces of gold.
ὁ δὲ χλαμύδας μέν τινας ἐπήγετο καὶ ψέλια χρυσᾶ καὶ ἵππους ἐς δωρεὰν τοῖς ἡγουμένοις, καὶ στατῆρας φερομένους μυρίους, καὶ πλησιάσας μετεπέμπετο Κλοίλιον.
But Perseus brought along some cloaks, gold bracelets, and horses as gifts for the leaders, and ten thousand staters in cash, and having come near, he sent for Cloelius.
ὁ δὲ τοὺς ἐλθόντας, εἰ φέρουσι τὸ χρυσίον, ἤρετο, καὶ μαθὼν οὐκ ἔχοντας ἀναστρέφειν ἐπʼ αὐτὸν ἐκέλευσεν.
The latter asked those who came if they brought the gold, and when he learned they did not have it, he ordered them to return to Perseus.
ὧν ὁ Περσεὺς πυθόμενος, πάλιν αὐτὸν ἐλαύνοντος θεοῦ, κατηγόρει τῶν Γετῶν ἐν τοῖς φίλοις ἐκ μεταβολῆς ὡς φύσεως ἀπίστου, καὶ ὑπεκρίνετο μὴ θαρρεῖν δισμυρίους αὐτῶν ἐς τὸ στρατόπεδον ὑποδέξασθαι, μόλις δʼ ἔφη μυρίους, ὧν καὶ νεωτεριζόντων κρατῆσαι δύνασθαι.
When Perseus heard this, being driven again by a god, he changed his mind and accused the Getae among his friends of having a faithless nature, and pretended that he did not dare to receive twenty thousand of them into his camp, but said that ten thousand were barely enough, since he could control them even if they revolted.
ταῦτα δὲ τοῖς φίλοις εἰπὼν ἕτερα τοῖς Γέταις ἐπλάττετο, καὶ τὸ ἥμισυ τῆς στρατιᾶς ᾔτει, τὸ χρυσίον τὸ γιγνόμενον ὑπισχνούμενος δώσειν.
Saying these things to his friends, he devised another story for the Getae, and asked for half of the army, promising to give the gold that was due.
τοσαύτης ἀνωμαλίας ἔγεμε, φροντίζων χρημάτων τῶν πρὸ βραχέος ἐς θάλασσαν μεθειμένων.
He was full of such inconsistency, regretting the money that had been thrown into the sea a short time before.
ὁ δὲ Κλοίλιος τοὺς ἀφικομένους ἰδὼν ἤρετο μετὰ βοῆς εἰ τὸ χρυσίον κεκομίκασι, καὶ βουλομένους τι λέγειν ἐκέλευε πρῶτον εἰπεῖν περὶ τοῦ χρυσίου.
Cloelius, seeing those who arrived, asked with a shout if they had brought the gold, and when they wished to say something, he ordered them first to speak about the gold.
ὡς δʼ ἔμαθεν οὐκ ἔχοντας, οὐκ ἀνασχόμενος αὐτῶν οὐδʼ ἀκοῦσαι, τὴν στρατιὰν ἀπῆγεν ὀπίσω.
When he learned they did not have it, not bearing even to listen to them, he led his army back.
καὶ Περσεὺς ἀφῄρητο καὶ τῆσδε συμμαχίας, πολλῆς τε καὶ κατὰ καιρὸν ἐλθούσης.
Thus Perseus was deprived of this alliance as well, which was large and had come at a crucial moment.
ὑπὸ δʼ ἀφροσύνης, ἐν Φίλᾳ χειμάζων καὶ στρατὸν ἔχων πολὺν Θεσσαλίαν μὲν οὐκ ἐπέτρεχεν, ἣ Ῥωμαίοις ἐχορήγει τροφάς, ἐς δὲ τὴν Ἰωνίαν ἔπεμπε κωλύειν τὴν ἀγορὰν τὴν ἐκεῖθεν αὐτοῖς φερομένην. "
Due to his folly, while wintering in Phila and having a large army, he did not overrun Thessaly, which supplied food to the Romans, but sent to Ionia to prevent the provisions being carried to them from there.
§XIX"ὅτι Παύλῳ ἐπʼ εὐτυχίας τοσῆσδε γενομένῳ τὸ δαιμόνιον ἐφθόνησε τῆς εὐτυχίας.
When Paullus was in the midst of such great good fortune, the divine power envied his prosperity.
καί οἱ τεσσάρων παίδων ὄντων τοὺς μὲν πρεσβυτέρους αὐτῶν ἐς θέσιν ἄλλοις ἐδεδώκει, Μάξιμόν τε καὶ Σκιπίωνα, τοὺς δὲ νεωτέρους ἄμφω συνέβη, τὸν μὲν πρὸ τριῶν ἡμερῶν τοῦ θριάμβου τὸν δὲ μετὰ πέντε, ἀποθανεῖν.
Although he had four sons, of whom he had given the elder two, Maximus and Scipio, to others for adoption, it happened that both of the younger ones died, one three days before his triumph, and the other five days after it.
καὶ τοῦτʼ οὐδενὸς ἧττον ὁ Παῦλος κατελογίσατο τῷ δήμῳ.
And Paullus accounted this to the people as no less important than anything else.
ἔθους γὰρ ὄντος τοῖς στρατηγοῖς καταλέγειν τὰ πεπραγμένα, παρελθὼν ἐς τὴν ἀγορὰν εἶπεν ἐς μὲν Κέρκυραν ἐκ Βρεντεσίου διαπλεῦσαι μιᾶς ἡμέρας, ἐκ δὲ Κερκύρας πέντε μὲν ἐς Δελφοὺς ὁδεῦσαι καὶ θῦσαι τῷ θεῷ, πέντε δὲ ἄλλαις ἐς Θεσσαλίαν παραγενέσθαι καὶ παραλαβεῖν τὸν στρατόν, ἀπὸ δὲ ταύτης πεντεκαίδεκα ἄλλαις ἑλεῖν Περσέα καὶ Μακεδόνας παραλαβεῖν.
For since it was the custom for generals to recount their achievements, he went to the forum and said: "I sailed from Brentesium to Corcyra in one day, and from Corcyra I marched in five days to Delphi and sacrificed to the god, and in another five days I arrived in Thessaly and took over the army, and from there in another fifteen days I captured Perseus and took over Macedonia.
οὕτω δὲ ὀξέως ἁπάντων ἐπιτυχὼν δεῖσαι μή τι τῷ στρατῷ συμπέσοι πρὸς ὑμᾶς ἐπανιόντι.
Having met with such swift success in all things, I feared lest some disaster might befall the army as it returned to you.
διασωθέντος δὲ τοῦ στρατοῦ περὶ ὑμῶν ἐδεδοίκειν,
ἔφη·
But when the army was saved, I was anxious about you," he said.
φθονερὸς γὰρ ὁ δαίμων.
"For the deity is envious.
ἐς ἐμὲ δὲ ἀποσκήψαντος τοῦ κακοῦ, καὶ ἀθρόως μοι τῶν δύο παίδων ἀποθανόντων, ἐπʼ ἐμαυτῷ μέν εἰμι βαρυσυμφορώτατος, ἐπὶ δὲ ὑμῖν ἀμέριμνος. ταῦτʼ εἰπών, καὶ καταθαυμαζόμενος ἐπὶ πᾶσιν, οἰκτιζόμενος δὲ ἐπὶ τοῖς τέκνοις, μετʼ οὐ πολὺν χρόνον ἀπέθανεν. "
But now that the evil has fallen upon me, and my two children have died in quick succession, I am indeed most unfortunate for myself, but untroubled on your account." Having said these things, and being greatly admired by all, and pitied for his children, he died not long after.