Humanitext Reader

Livy · History of Rome §31.28.1-31.28.6

Alliances with Neighboring Kings and Philip's Preparations

Passage 1055 of 1770 · Latin

Summary

Following the successful Roman campaign, neighboring rulers offer alliance to the consul, who assigns them specific wartime roles alongside Attalus and Rhodes. Meanwhile, Philip prepares for war by securing strategic points and attempting to keep the Aetolians loyal.

§31.28.1hac satis felici expeditione bello commisso reguli ac principes accolae Macedonum in castra Romana veniunt, Pleuratus Scerdilaedi filius et Amynander Athamanum rex et ex Dardanis Bato Longari filius.
With the war thus commenced by this sufficiently successful expedition, the petty kings and chieftains neighboring the Macedonians came to the Roman camp: Pleuratus, the son of Scerdilaedus, Amynander, the king of the Athamanes, and Bato, the son of Longarus, from the Dardanians.
§31.28.2bellum suo nomine Longarus cum Demetrio, Philippi patre, gesserat.
Longarus had waged war in his own name with Demetrius, the father of Philip.
pollicentibus auxilia respondit consul, Dardanorum et Pleurati opera, cum exercitum in Macedoniam induceret, se usurum; §31.28.3Amynandro Aetolos concitandos ad bellum attribuit.
When they promised assistance, the consul replied that he would make use of the services of the Dardanians and of Pleuratus when he should lead his army into Macedonia; to Amynander he assigned the task of rousing the Aetolians to the war.
Attali legatis — nam ii quoque per id tempus venerant — mandat, ut Aeginae rex, ubi hibernabat, classem Romanam opperiretur, qua adiuncta bello maritimo, sicut ante, §31.28.4Philippum urgeret.
To the envoys of Attalus —for they also had come at that time—he gave instructions that the king, at Aegina where he was wintering, should await the Roman fleet, and that when this was joined, he should, by naval warfare as before, press hard upon Philip.
ad Rhodios quoque missi legati, ut capesserent partem belli.
Envoys were also sent to the Rhodians, that they might take their part in the war.
nec Philippus segnius — iam enim in Macedoniam pervenerat — adparabat bellum.
Nor was Philip preparing for war with less diligence, for he had already arrived in Macedonia.
§31.28.5filium Persea, puerum admodum, datis ex amicorum numero, qui aetatem eius regerent, cum parte copiarum ad obsidendas angustias, quae ad Pelagoniam sunt, mittit.
His son Perseus, who was still quite a boy, with some of his friends appointed to guide his youth, he sent with a part of the forces to occupy the narrow passes which are near Pelagonia.
§31.28.6Sciathum et Peparethum, haud ignobiles urbes, ne classi hostium praedae ac praemio essent, diruit.
Sciathus and Peparethus, by no means obscure cities, he demolished, lest they should be a prey and a prize to the enemy's fleet.
ad Aetolos mittit legatos, ne gens inquieta adventu Romanorum fidem mutaret.
To the Aetolians he sent envoys, lest that restless people should change their allegiance upon the arrival of the Romans.

Notes

  1. §31.28.2se usurum — The future active participle of *utor* (*usurum [esse]*), with the infinitive *esse* omitted in the accusative-with-infinitive construction (indirect speech) dependent on *respondit*. *se* is the accusative subject. The verb *utor* governs the ablative phrase *Dardanorum et Pleurati opera*.
  2. §31.28.3Amynandro Aetolos concitandos ad bellum attribuit — The gerundive (future passive participle) *concitandos* agrees with *Aetolos* (the object of *attribuit*), expressing purpose or assignment: 'he assigned to Amynander the task of rousing the Aetolians to war.'
  3. §31.28.3qua adiuncta — An ablative absolute construction containing the relative adjective *qua*, which refers back to *classem Romanam* in the preceding clause. It translates as 'after this [fleet] had been joined.'
  4. §31.28.6ne classi hostium praedae ac praemio essent — A double dative construction with *essent* (the subject being the two cities). *classi hostium* is the dative of reference, and *praedae ac praemio* is the dative of purpose or result: 'lest they should be a prey and a prize to the enemy's fleet.'

Cite this passage

Livy, History of Rome §31.28.1-31.28.6. Humanitext Reader, https://reader.humanitext.ai/en/text/urn:cts:latinLit:phi0914.phi001.humanitext-lat2:31.28.1-31.28.6

Please note the AI-draft status of the translation and the date accessed.

Translation, notes and summary are AI-generated drafts, revised through reader feedback.