§315Ῥωμαῖοι δʼ ἐπεὶ τῆς ἐσβολῆς τῆς ἐς τὴν Ἑλλάδα Ἀντιόχου καὶ τῶν ἐπὶ Δηλίου Ῥωμαίων ἀναιρέσεώς τε καὶ αἰχμαλωσίας ἐπύθοντο, πολεμεῖν ἐψηφίσαντο.
When the Romans learned of Antiochus' invasion of Greece and the slaughter and capture of the Romans at Delium, they voted for war.
οὕτω μὲν ὁ Ἀντιόχου τε καὶ Ῥωμαίων πόλεμος, ἐκ πολλοῦ διʼ ὑπονοίας ἀλλήλοις γενόμενος, τότε πρῶτον ἀπερρήγνυτο ἐς ἔργον·
Thus the war between Antiochus and the Romans, which had long been brewing through mutual suspicion, then for the first time broke out into actual deed.
οἷα δʼ Ἀντιόχου τῆς τε Ἀσίας τῆς ἄνω πολλῶν καὶ μεγάλων ἐθνῶν καὶ τῆς ἐπὶ θαλάσσῃ, χωρὶς ὀλίγων, ὅλης ἐπικρατοῦντος, ἔς τε τὴν Εὐρώπην διαβεβηκότος ἤδη, καὶ δόξαν ἐπίφοβον καὶ παρασκευὴν ἱκανὴν ἔχοντος, πολλά τε ἄλλα καθʼ ἑτέρων ἐξειργασμένου λαμπρά, διʼ ἃ καὶ μέγας ἦν ἐπώνυμον αὐτῷ, τὸν πόλεμον οἱ Ῥωμαῖοι χρόνιον σφίσι καὶ μέγαν ἔσεσθαι προσεδόκων.
Since Antiochus ruled over many great nations of Upper Asia and almost the whole of the coastal region, with few exceptions, and had already crossed into Europe, possessing an imposing reputation and sufficient preparations, and had accomplished many other brilliant deeds against others, for which he was even surnamed the Great, the Romans expected that the war would be long and great for them.
φίλιππόν τε τὸν Μακεδόνα διʼ ὑποψίας εἶχον, ἄρτι ὑπὸ σφῶν καταπεπολεμημένον, καὶ Καρχηδονίους, μὴ οὐ πιστοὶ σφίσιν ὦσιν ἐπὶ ταῖς συνθήκαις, Ἀννίβου συνόντος Ἀντιόχῳ.
And they held Philip the Macedonian, who had recently been subdued by them, in suspicion, as well as the Carthaginians, fearing that they might not remain faithful to their treaties, since Hannibal was with Antiochus.
τούς τε ἄλλους σφῶν ὑπηκόους ὑπονοοῦντες, μὴ καὶ παρὰ τούτων τι νεώτερον ἐς τὴν Ἀντιόχου δόξαν γένοιτο, στρατιὰν ἐς ἅπαντας, ἐφεδρεύειν εἰρηνικῶς αὐτοῖς, καὶ στρατηγοὺς ἐπὶ τῇ στρατιᾷ, περιέπεμπον, οὓς αὐτοὶ καλοῦσιν ἑξαπελέκεας, ὅτι τῶν ὑπάτων δυώδεκα πελέκεσι καὶ δυώδεκα ῥάβδοις, ὥσπερ οἱ πάλαι βασιλεῖς, χρωμένων, τὸ ἥμισυ τῆς ἀξιώσεως ἔστι τοῖσδε τοῖς στρατηγοῖς καὶ τὰ ἡμίσεα παράσημα.
And suspecting their other subjects, lest some revolution should arise from them in view of Antiochus' reputation, they sent an army to all of them to keep watch peacefully, and generals over the army, whom they call praetors, because while the consuls use twelve axes and twelve rods, like the ancient kings, these generals have half of their dignity and half of their insignia.
ὡς δʼ ἐν μεγάλῳ φόβῳ, καὶ περὶ τῆς Ἰταλίας ἐδείμαινον, μὴ οὐδʼ αὐτὴ σφίσιν ᾖ πιστὴ ἢ βέβαιος ἐπʼ Ἀντιόχῳ.
And as they were in great fear, they even dreaded concerning Italy, lest it should not remain faithful or secure for them in the face of Antiochus.
πεζὸν δὴ πολὺν ἐς Τάραντα διέπεμπον, ἐφεδρεύειν τοῖς ἐπιοῦσι, καὶ νεῶν στόλος τὴν παράλιον περιέπλει.
Indeed, they sent a large force of infantry to Tarentum to lie in wait for invaders, and a fleet of ships sailed around the coast.
τοσόσδε φόβος ἦν Ἀντιόχου τὰ πρῶτα.
Such was the fear of Antiochus at the beginning.
ὡς δὲ αὐτοῖς τὰ ἐς τὴν ἀρχὴν συνετετάχατο πάντα, ἐπʼ αὐτὸν Ἀντίοχον ἤδη κατέλεγον ἀπὸ μὲν σφῶν αὐτῶν ἐς δισμυρίους ἄνδρος, ἀπὸ δὲ τῶν συμμάχων τὸ διπλάσιον, ὡς ἅμα τῷ ἦρι τὸν Ἰόνιον διαβαλοῦντες.
But when all their arrangements for the empire had been settled, they then enrolled against Antiochus himself about twenty thousand men from their own citizens, and twice as many from their allies, intending to cross the Ionian Sea at the beginning of spring.
§316καὶ οἱ μὲν τὸν χειμῶνα ὅλον ἐν τούτῳ παρασκευῆς ἦσαν, ὁ δʼ Ἀντίοχος ἤλαυνεν ἐπὶ Θετταλούς, καὶ γενόμενος ἐν Κυνὸς κεφαλαῖς, ἔνθα τὸ πταῖσμα τοῖς Μακεδόσιν ὑπὸ Ῥωμαίων ἐγεγένητο, τὰ λείπανα τῶν τότε πεσόντων ἄταφα ἔτι ὄντα μεγαλοπρεπῶς ἔθαπτε, δημοκοπῶν ἐς Μακεδόνας, καὶ Φίλιππον αὐτοῖς διαβάλλων οὐ θάψαντα τοὺς ὑπὲρ αὐτοῦ πεσόντας.
And they indeed spent the whole winter in this preparation, while Antiochus marched against the Thessalians, and having arrived at Cynoscephalae, where the defeat of the Macedonians by the Romans had occurred, he buried with great magnificence the remains of those who fell then and were still unburied, currying favor with the Macedonians and slandering Philip to them for not burying those who fell on his behalf.
ὧν πυθόμενος ὁ Φίλιππος, ἐνδοιάζων ἔτι καὶ περισκοπῶν ὁποτέρωσε προσθοῖτο, αὐτίκα εἵλετο τὰ Ῥωμαίων, Βαίβιόν τε στρατηγὸν αὐτῶν, ἄρχοντά τινος πλησίον στρατοῦ, καλέσας ἐλθεῖν ἔς τι χωρίον, πίστεις αὖθις ἐδίδου Ῥωμαίοις ἀδόλως συμμαχήσειν κατʼ Αντιόχου.
Learning of this, Philip, who was still hesitating and looking around to see which side he should join, immediately chose the cause of the Romans, and having invited Baebius, their general commanding a nearby army, to come to a certain place, he again gave pledges to the Romans that he would ally with them without deceit against Antiochus.
ἐφʼ οἷς αὐτὸν ὁ Βαίβιος ἐπῄνει, καὶ θαρρήσας αὐτίκα ἔπεμπε διὰ τῆς Μακεδονίας Ἄππιον Κλαύδιον μετὰ δισχιλίων πεζῶν ἐς Θεσσαλίαν.
Baebius praised him for this, and taking courage, immediately sent Appius Claudius through Macedonia with two thousand infantry into Thessaly.
καὶ ὁ Ἄππιος ἀπὸ τῶν Τεμπῶν Ἀντίοχον Λαρίσῃ παρακαθ ήμενον ἰδὼν πῦρ πολὺ ἤγειρεν, ἐπικρύπτων τὴν ὀλιγότητα.
And Appius, seeing from Tempe that Antiochus was encamped near Larissa, kindled many fires, concealing his small numbers.
καὶ ὁ Ἀντίοχος, ὡς Βαιβίου καὶ Φιλίππου παρόντων διαταραχθείς, ἐξέλιπε τὴν πολιορκίαν, πρόφασιν τὸν χειμῶνα ποιούμενος, καὶ ἐς Χαλκίδα παρῆλθεν, ἔνθα κόρης εὐπρεποῦς ἔρωτι ἁλούς, ὑπὲρ ἔτη πεντήκοντα γεγονὼς καὶ τοσόνδε πόλεμον διαφέρων, ἔθυε γάμους καὶ πανηγύρεις ἦγε, καὶ τὴν δύναμιν ἐς πᾶσαν ἀργίαν καὶ τρυφὴν ἐπὶ τὸν χειμῶνα ὅλον ἀνῆκεν.
And Antiochus, thrown into confusion as though Baebius and Philip were present, abandoned the siege, making winter his pretext, and withdrew to Chalcis, where, having fallen in love with a beautiful girl, though he was over fifty years old and conducting so great a war, he celebrated his marriage, held festivals, and allowed his army to sink into complete idleness and luxury during the whole winter.
ἀρχομένου δʼ ἦρος ἐμβαλὼν ἐς Ἀκαρνανίαν ᾔσθετο μὲν τῆς ἀργίας τοῦ στρατοῦ δυσέργου πρὸς ἅπαντα ὄντος, καὶ τότε τῶν γάμων αὐτῷ καὶ τῆς πανηγύρεως μετέμελεν·
But at the beginning of spring, having invaded Acarnania, he perceived the idleness of his army, which was inefficient for all operations, and then he regretted his marriage and the festival.
ὑπαγαγόμενος δʼ ὅμως τινὰ τῆς Ἀκαρνανίας, καὶ τὰ λοιπὰ πολιορκῶν, ἐπεὶ τάχιστα Ῥωμαίους ἐπύθετο περᾶν τὸν Ἰόνιον, ἐς Χαλκίδα ἀνεζεύγνυ.
Nevertheless, having brought some parts of Acarnania under subjection and besieging the rest, as soon as he learned that the Romans were crossing the Ionian Sea, he retreated to Chalcis.