§26.24.1per idem tempus M. Valerius Laevinus, temptatis prius per secreta conloquia principum animis, ad indictum ante ad id ipsum concilium Aetolorum classe expedita venit.
Around the same time, Marcus Valerius Laevinus, having first sounded the minds of the leading men through secret conferences, arrived with an equipped fleet at the council of the Aetolians, which had been previously summoned for that very purpose.
§26.24.2ubi cum Syracusas Capuamque captam in fidem in Italia Siciliaque rerum secundarum ostentasset §26.24.3adiecissetque iam inde a maioribus traditum morem Romanis colendi socios, ex quibus alios in civitatem atque aequum secum ius accepissent, alios in ea fortuna haberent, ut socii esse quam cives mallent; §26.24.4Aetolos eo in maiore futuros honore, quod gentium transmarinarum in amicitiam primi venissent: Philippum eis et Macedonas gravis accolas esse, §26.24.5quorum se vim ac spiritus et iam fregisse et eo redacturum esse, ut non iis modo urbibus, quas per vim ademissent Aetolis, excedant, sed ipsam Macedoniam infestam habeant; §26.24.6et Acarnanas, quos aegre ferrent Aetoli a corpore suo diremptos, restituturum se in antiquam formulam iurisque ac dicionis eorum —
There, when he had pointed to Syracuse and the capture of Capua into their protection as evidence of their success in Italy and Sicily, and had added that there was a custom handed down to the Romans from their ancestors of honoring their allies, some of whom they had admitted to citizenship and equal rights with themselves, while others they kept in such a condition that they preferred to be allies rather than citizens; he declared that the Aetolians would be held in all the greater honor because they were the first of the overseas nations to enter into friendship with them; that Philip and the Macedonians were troublesome neighbors to them, whose force and pride he had already broken and would reduce to such a state that they would not only evacuate those cities which they had taken by force from the Aetolians, but would have Macedonia itself harassed; and that he would restore the Acarnanians, whose separation from their body the Aetolians bore with regret, to their ancient status under their law and dominion.
§26.24.7: haec dicta promissaque a Romano imperatore Scopas, qui tum praetor gentis erat, et Dorimachus, princeps Aetolorum, adfirmaverunt auctoritate sua, minore cum verecundia et maiore cum fide vim maiestatemque populi Romani extollentes.
These words and promises of the Roman commander were confirmed by the authority of Scopas, who was then the praetor of the nation, and of Dorimachus, a leading man among the Aetolians, who extolled the power and majesty of the Roman people with less modesty and greater confidence.
§26.24.8maxime tamen spes potiundae movebat Acarnaniae.
However, the hope of gaining possession of Acarnania moved them most of all.
igitur conscriptae condiciones, quibus in amicitiam societatemque populi Romani venirent, §26.24.9additumque, ut, si placeret vellentque, eodem iure amicitiae Elei Lacedaemoniique et Attalus et Pleuratus et Scerdilaedus essent, Asiae Attalus, hi Thracum et Illyriorum reges; §26.24.10bellum ut extemplo Aetoli cum Philippo terra gererent; navibus ne minus viginti quinque quinqueremibus adiuvaret Romanus; §26.24.11urbium Corcyrae tenus ab Aetolia incipienti solum tectaque et muri cum agris Aetolorum, alia omnis praeda populi Romani esset, darentque operam Romani, ut Acarnaniam Aetoli haberent; §26.24.12si Aetoli pacem cum Philippo facerent, foederi adscriberent ita ratam fore pacem, si Philippus arma ab Romanis sociisque quique eorum dicionis essent abstinuisset; §26.24.13item, si populus Romanus foedere iungeretur regi, ut caveret, ne ius ei belli inferendi Aetolis sociisque eorum esset.
Therefore, the conditions under which they should enter into the friendship and alliance of the Roman people were drawn up, and it was added that, if they pleased and wished, the Eleans, the Lacedaemonians, Attalus, Pleuratus, and Scerdilaedus should be included in the same treaty of friendship, Attalus being king of Asia, and the others kings of the Thracians and Illyrians; that the Aetolians should immediately wage war with Philip on land; that the Romans should support them with no fewer than twenty-five quinqueremes; that of the cities starting from Aetolia as far as Corcyra, the soil, buildings, and walls, with the lands, should belong to the Aetolians, and all other booty to the Roman people; and that the Romans should exert themselves to ensure that the Aetolians should have Acarnania; that if the Aetolians should make peace with Philip, they should insert in the treaty that the peace would only be valid if Philip abstained from hostilities against the Romans, their allies, and those under their dominion; likewise, if the Roman people should enter into a treaty with the king, they should take care that he should not have the right to wage war on the Aetolians and their allies.
§26.24.14haec convenerunt conscriptaque biennio post Olympiae ab Aetolis, in Capitolio ab Romanis, ut testata sacratis monumentis essent, sunt posita.
These things were agreed upon, and two years later the written copies were deposited, by the Aetolians at Olympia, and by the Romans on the Capitol, so that they might be testified to by sacred monuments.
§26.24.15morae causa fuerant retenti Romae diutius legati Aetolorum.
The cause of the delay had been that the envoys of the Aetolians were detained longer at Rome.
nec tamen impedimento id rebus gerendis fuit: et Aetoli extemplo moverunt adversus Philippum bellum, et Laevinus Zacynthum — parva insula est propinqua Aetoliae, urbem unam eodem, quo ipsa est, nomine habet —, eam praeter arcem vi cepit et Oeniadas Nasumque Acarnanum captas Aetolis contribuit;
Nevertheless, this was no hindrance to the conduct of affairs: both the Aetolians immediately commenced war against Philip, and Laevinus took Zacynthus by force (this is a small island near Aetolia, having one city of the same name as itself), except for the citadel, and having captured Oeniadae and Nasus, belonging to the Acarnanians, he handed them over to the Aetolians.
§26.24.16Philippumque satis implicatum bello finitimo ratus, ne Italiam Poenosque et pacta cum Hannibale posset respicere, Corcyram ipse se recepit.
Believing that Philip was sufficiently occupied with the war with his neighbors so that he could not look back to Italy and the Carthaginians and his agreements with Hannibal, he himself withdrew to Corcyra.