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Livy · History of Rome §33.40.1-33.40.6

Antiochus' Reply to the Demands of the Roman Envoys

Passage 1158 of 1770 · Latin

Summary

Antiochus counters the interference of the Roman envoys, emphasizing his friendly relations with Ptolemy and asserting his legitimate historical rights over the lands that once belonged to Lysimachus, expressing his intent to rebuild Lysimachia.

§33.40.1adversus ea Antiochus mirari se dixit Romanos tam diligenter inquirere, quid regi Antiocho faciundum aut quousque terra marique progrediundum fuerit, §33.40.2ipsos non cogitare Asiam nihil ad se pertinere, nec magis illis inquirendum esse, quid Antiochus in Asia, quam Antiocho, quid in Italia populus Romanus faciat.
In reply to this, Antiochus said that he wondered that the Romans should inquire so diligently what King Antiochus ought to do or how far he ought to advance by land and sea, while they themselves did not reflect that Asia did not concern them at all, and that they had no more right to inquire what Antiochus was doing in Asia than Antiochus had to inquire what the Roman people were doing in Italy.
§33.40.3quod ad Ptolomaeum attineat, cui ademptas civitates querantur, sibi cum Ptolomaeo et amicitiam esse, et id agere, ut brevi etiam adfinitas iungatur.
As for Ptolemy, concerning whom they complained that cities had been taken from him, he said that he was on friendly terms with Ptolemy, and was taking steps so that in a short time even an alliance by marriage might be formed.
§33.40.4ne ex Philippi quidem adversa fortuna spolia ulla se petisse aut adversus Romanos in Europam traiecisse; sed qua Lysimachi quondam regnum fuerit, quo victo omnia, quae illius fuissent, iure belli Seleuci facta sint, existimare suae dicionis esse.
Neither had he sought any spoils from the misfortune of Philip, nor had he crossed into Europe against the Romans; but he considered that land which had once been the kingdom of Lysimachus—after whose defeat all his possessions had become by the law of war the property of Seleucus—to be under his own dominion.
§33.40.5occupatis maioribus suis rerum aliarum cura primo quaedam ex iis Ptolomaeum, inde et Philippum usurpanda aliena possessionis causa tenuisse.
Since his ancestors had been occupied with other cares, first Ptolemy, and then Philip, had held some of those places for the sake of usurping another's possession.
§33.40.6Chersonesus quidem et proxima Thraciae, quae circa Lysimachiam sint, quem dubitare, quin Lysimachi fuerint? ad ea recipienda in antiquum ius venisse et Lysimachiam deletam Thracum impetu de integro condere, ut Seleucus filius eam sedem regni habeat.
As for the Chersonese indeed, and the adjacent parts of Thrace which lie around Lysimachia, who could doubt that they had belonged to Lysimachus? He had come to recover them to their ancient right, and was rebuilding Lysimachia, which had been destroyed by an inroad of the Thracians, from its foundations, so that his son Seleucus might have it as the seat of his kingdom.

Notes

  1. §33.40.1mirari se dixit Romanos tam diligenter inquirere — An indirect discourse introduced by the main verb dixit. The pronoun se is the subject accusative of mirari, while Romanos ... inquirere is another accusative and infinitive clause functioning as the object or cause of mirari, creating a nested infinitive structure.
  2. §33.40.4suae dicionis esse — The predicate of the accusative and infinitive clause working as the object of existimare (an infinitive in indirect discourse introduced by dixit, with its subject se omitted). The phrase suae dicionis is a genitive of possession or characteristic, meaning 'to be under his own dominion'.
  3. §33.40.5usurpanda aliena possessionis causa — A construction of causa with the genitive to express purpose. While we would standardly expect agreement between the noun and the gerundive (usurpandae alienae possessionis causa), the manuscripts present an irregular case agreement or textual corruption. The sense is 'for the purpose of usurping another's possession'.
  4. §33.40.6quem dubitare, quin — A rhetorical question in indirect discourse. A direct third-person question (Quis dubitet...? 'Who would doubt...?') is expressed by the accusative and infinitive (quem dubitare) rather than the subjunctive when transferred into indirect speech. It is followed by quin with the subjunctive, typical after verbs of doubting with a negative implication.

Cite this passage

Livy, History of Rome §33.40.1-33.40.6. Humanitext Reader, https://reader.humanitext.ai/en/text/urn:cts:latinLit:phi0914.phi001.humanitext-lat2:33.40.1-33.40.6

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