§312ὁ δʼ Ἀντίοχος ἐκ Πισιδῶν ἐς τὴν Ἔφεσον ἐπανῄει, καὶ χρηματίσας τοῖς Ῥωμαίων πρέσβεσι Ῥοδίους μὲν καὶ Βυζαντίους καὶ Κυζικηνούς, καὶ ὅσοι ἄλλοι περὶ τὴν Ἀσίαν εἰσὶν Ἕλληνες, αὐτονόμους ἐπηγγείλατο ἐάσειν, εἰ γίγνοιντο αὑτῷ συνθῆκαι πρὸς Ῥωμαίους, Αἰολέας δὲ καὶ Ἴωνας οὐ συνεχώρει ὡς ἐκ πολλοῦ καὶ τοῖς βαρβάροις βασιλεῦσι τῆς Ἀσίας εἰθισμένους ὑπακούειν.
Antiochus returned from Pisidia to Ephesus, and having negotiated with the Roman ambassadors, he promised to allow the Rhodians, Byzantines, Cyzicenes, and all other Greeks around Asia to remain autonomous if a treaty were made between him and the Romans, but as for the Aeolians and Ionians, he did not concede this, on the grounds that they had long been accustomed to obey even the barbarian kings of Asia.
οἱ μὲν δὴ Ῥωμαίων πρέσβεις ἐς οὐδὲν αὐτῷ συμβαίνοντες (οὐ γὰρ ἐπʼ ἔργῳ συμβάσεων ἐληλύθεσαν ἀλλʼ ἐς ἀπόπειραν) ᾤχοντο ἐς Ῥώμην·
The Roman ambassadors, coming to no agreement with him (for they had not come for the purpose of making agreements, but to sound him out), departed for Rome.
Ἀντιόχῳ δʼ ἧκον Αἰτωλῶν πρέσβεις, ὧν Θόας ἦρχεν, αὐτοκράτορά τε στρατηγὸν Αἰτωλῶν Ἀντίοχον ἀποφαίνοντες, καὶ διαπλεῖν ἐς τὴν Ἑλλάδα ἤδη παρακαλοῦντες ὡς ἐπὶ ἔργον ἕτοιμον.
But ambassadors from the Aetolians, led by Thoas, came to Antiochus, declaring Antiochus to be the general-in-chief of the Aetolians and urging him to sail across to Greece immediately, as if to a ready task.
οὐδὲ εἴων ἀναμένειν τὴν στρατιὰν ἀπὸ τῆς Ἀσίας τῆς ἄνω κατιοῦσαν, ἀλλὰ τὰ Αἰτωλῶν ὑπερεπαίροντες, καὶ Λακεδαιμονίους ἐπαγγελλόμενοι σφίσι καὶ Φίλιππον ἐπὶ τοῖς Λακεδαιμονίοις τὸν Μακεδόνα, Ῥωμαίοις μηνίοντα, συμμαχήσειν, ἐπέσπερχον ἐς τὴν διάβασιν.
They would not even allow him to wait for the army coming down from Upper Asia, but exaggerating the affairs of the Aetolians and promising that both the Lacedaemonians and, in addition to them, Philip the Macedonian, who was angry with the Romans, would ally with them, they hurried him on to the crossing.
ὁ δʼ ἠρεθίζετο μάλα κουφόνως, καὶ οὐδὲ τοῦ παιδὸς αὐτῷ προσαγγελθέντος ἐν Συρίᾳ τεθνάναι τῆς ὁρμῆς τι ἐνδούς, διέπλει μετὰ μυρίων ὧν τότε εἶχε μόνων ἐς Εὔβοιαν.
He was provoked very easily, and without yielding any of his eagerness even when it was announced to him that his son had died in Syria, he sailed across to Euboea with only the ten thousand men he then had.
καὶ τήνδε μὲν αὐτὸς παρεστήσατο ἅπασαν, ἐνδοῦσαν ὑπὸ ἐκπλήξεως·
And he subdued the whole of it, as it yielded under panic.
Μικιθίων δέ, αὐτοῦ στρατηγός, τοῖς περὶ Δήλιον Ῥωμαίοις ἐπιπεσὼν (ἱερὸν δʼ ἐστὶ τὸ χωρίον Ἀπόλλωνος) τοὺς μὲν αὐτῶν ἔκτεινε, τοὺς δʼ ἐζώγρησεν.
Meanwhile Micythion, his general, falling upon the Romans around Delium (the place is sacred to Apollo), killed some of them and took others alive.
§313Ἀμύνανδρός τε, ὁ Ἀθαμάνων βασιλεύς, ἐς συμμαχίαν Ἀντιόχῳ συνῆλθε διὰ τοιᾶσδε προφάσεως.
Amynander, the king of the Athamanes, also entered into alliance with Antiochus for the following reason.
τῶν τις Μακεδόνων Ἀλέξανδρος, ἐν Μεγάλῃ πόλει τραφεὶς καὶ τῆς αὐτόθι πολιτείας ἀξιωθείς, ἐτερατεύετο γένος Ἀλεξάνδρῳ τῷ Φιλίππου προσήκειν, γενομένους τέ οἱ παῖδας ὠνόμασεν, ἐς πίστιν ὧν ἐλογοποίει, Φίλιππόν τε καὶ Ἀλέξανδρον καὶ Ἀπάμαν, ἣν Ἀμυνάνδρῳ πρὸς γάμον ἠγγύησεν.
A certain Macedonian named Alexander, who had been brought up in Megalopolis and deemed worthy of citizenship there, falsely claimed to be related to Alexander the son of Philip, and named his children Philip, Alexander, and Apama to give credit to his stories, and betrothed Apama to Amynander in marriage.
ἀγαγὼν δʼ αὐτὴν Φίλιππος ὁ ἀδελφὸς ἐς τὸν γάμον, ἐπεὶ τὸν Ἀμύνανδρον εἶδεν ἀσθενῆ καὶ πραγμάτων ἄπειρον, παρέμενε, τὴν ἀρχὴν διὰ τὸ κῆδος διοικῶν.
Her brother Philip, having escorted her to the marriage, when he saw that Amynander was weak and inexperienced in affairs, remained there, administering the kingdom because of the marriage alliance.
τοῦτον οὖν τὸν Φίλιππον ὁ Ἀντίοχος τότε ἐπελπίζων ἐς τὴν Μακεδόνων ἀρχὴν ὡς οἰκείαν οἱ κατάξειν, προσέλαβε τοὺς Ἀθαμᾶνας ἐς τὴν συμμαχίαν, ἐπὶ δʼ αὐτοῖς καὶ Θηβαίους, αὐτὸς ἐς Θήβας παρελθών τε καὶ δημηγορήσας.
Therefore Antiochus, holding out hope at that time to this Philip that he would restore him to the kingdom of the Macedonians as his own, won over the Athamanes into the alliance, and in addition to them the Thebans, having himself gone to Thebes and spoken to the assembly.
ὁ μὲν δὴ Θηβαίοις τε καὶ Ἀμυνάνδρῳ καὶ Αἰτωλοῖς ἐπὶ τοσῷδε πολέμῳ μάλα ματαίως ἐθάρρει, καὶ ἐς Θεσσαλίαν ἐσκόπει πότερον εὐθὺς ἢ μετὰ χειμῶνα δέοι στρατεύειν· Ἀννίβαν δʼ ἐπὶ τῇ σκέψει τῇδε ἡσυχάζοντα ἐκέλευε γνώμην πρῶτον ἐσενεγκεῖν.
He indeed, very foolishly, trusted the Thebans, Amynander, and the Aetolians for so great a war, and was considering whether he ought to campaign against Thessaly immediately or after winter; and he ordered Hannibal, who was keeping quiet during this consideration, to offer his opinion first.
§314ὁ δʼ ἔφη,
Θεσσαλοὺς μὲν οὐ δυσχερές, εἴτε νῦν εἴτε μετὰ χειμῶνα ἐθέλοις, ὑπάγεσθαι.
And he said: "It is not difficult to bring the Thessalians over, whether you wish to do so now or after winter.
τὸ γὰρ ἔθνος ἐκ πολλοῦ πεπονηκὸς ἔς τε σὲ νῦν καὶ ἐς Ῥωμαίους αὖ, εἴ τι γίγνοιτο νεώτερον, μεταβαλεῖται.
For this nation, having suffered for a long time, will change sides, now to you and again to the Romans if any change should occur.
ἤλθομεν δʼ ἄνευ τῆς οἰκείας δυνάμεως, Αἰτωλοῖς ἐπάγουσι πεισθέντες ὅτι καὶ Λακεδαιμόνιοι καὶ Φίλιππος ἡμῖν συμμαχήσουσιν· ὧν Λακεδαιμονίους μὲν καὶ πολεμεῖν ἡμῖν ἀκούω μετʼ Ἀχαιῶν, Φίλιππον δὲ οὐχ ὁρῶ σοι παρόντα, δυνατὸν ἐν τῷδε τῷ πολέμῳ ῥοπήν, ὁποτέρωσε προσθοῖτο, ποιῆσαι.
But we have come without our own proper force, persuaded by the Aetolians who urged us that both the Lacedaemonians and Philip would ally with us; of whom I hear that the Lacedaemonians are even warring against us with the Achaeans, and I do not see Philip present with you, who is capable, whichever side he might join, of turning the scale in this war.
τῆς δὲ γνώμης ἔχομαι τῆς αὐτῆς, τὴν στρατιὰν ἀπὸ τῆς Ἀσίας καλεῖν ὅτι τάχιστα, καὶ μὴ ἐν Ἀμυνάνδρῳ καὶ Αἰτωλοῖς τὰς ἐλπίδας ἔχειν, ὅταν δʼ ἀφίκηται, τὴν Ἰταλίαν πορθεῖν, ἵνα τοῖς οἰκείοις κακοῖς περισπώμενοι τὰ σὰ λυπῶσιν ἥκιστα, καὶ περὶ τῶν σφετέρων δεδιότες μηδαμοῦ προΐωσιν.
But I hold to the same opinion, to summon the army from Asia as quickly as possible and not to keep our hopes in Amynander and the Aetolians, and when it arrives, to ravage Italy, so that, being distracted by their own domestic troubles, they may harass your affairs least, and fearing for their own, they may not advance anywhere.
ὁ δὲ τρόπος οὐκέθʼ ὅμοιος ᾧ προύλεγον, ἀλλὰ χρὴ τὸ μὲν ἥμισυ τῶν νεῶν τὰ παράλια τῆς Ἰταλίας πορθεῖν, τὸ δὲ ἥμισυ ναυλοχεῖν ἐφεδρεῦον ἐς τὰ συμφερόμενα, αὐτὸν δὲ δὲ τῷ πεζῷ παντὶ προκαθήμενον τῆς Ἑλλάδος, ἀγχοῦ τῆς Ἰταλίας, δόξαν ἐμποιεῖν ἐσβολῆς, καὶ εἰ δύναιό ποτε, καὶ ἐσβαλεῖν.
But the method is no longer the same as that which I previously proposed; rather, half of the ships must ravage the coasts of Italy, and the other half lie in wait as a reserve for what may happen, while you yourself, stationed in front of Greece with all the infantry, near Italy, create the impression of an invasion, and if you ever can, actually invade.
Φίλιππον δὲ πειρᾶσθαι μὲν προσάγεσθαι μηχανῇ πάσῃ, πλεῖστον ἐς ἑκατέρους ἐν τῷδε τῷ πολέμῳ δυνάμενον· ἢν δʼ ἀπειθῇ, τὸν σὸν υἱὸν αὐτῷ Σέλευκον ἐπιπέμπειν διὰ Θρᾴκης, ἵνα καὶ ὅδε περισπώμενος οἰκείοις κακοῖς μηδὲν ᾖ τοῖς πολεμίοις χρήσιμος. τοσάδε μὲν ὁ Ἀννίβας εἶπε, καὶ ἦν ἄριστα πάντων· ὑπὸ δὲ φθόνου τῆς τε δόξης αὐτοῦ καὶ συνέσεως οἵ τε ἄλλοι καὶ αὐτὸς οὐχ ἧσσον ὁ βασιλεύς, ἵνα μὴ δοκοίη σφῶν ὁ Ἀννίβας τῇ στρατηγίᾳ προφέρειν, μηδὲ ἡ δόξα τῶν ἐσομένων ἐκείνου γένοιτο, μεθῆκαν ἅπαντα, πλὴν ὅτι Πολυξενίδας ἐπὶ τὴν στρατιὰν ἐς τὴν Ἀσίαν ἐπέμφθη.
And as for Philip, you must try to win him over by every means, since he has the greatest power for either side in this war; and if he refuses, send your son Seleucus against him through Thrace, so that he too, distracted by domestic troubles, may be of no use to the enemy." Hannibal spoke thus, and it was the best of all advice; but out of envy of his reputation and intelligence, the others, and no less the king himself, so that Hannibal might not seem to excel them in generalship, nor the glory of future successes belong to him, dismissed everything, except that Polyxenidas was sent to Asia for the army.