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Livy · History of Rome §34.30.1-34.30.7

Nabis Sues for Peace and Meets with Quinctius

Passage 1197 of 1770 · Latin

Summary

Nabis, driven to despair by the loss of Gytheum and the complete land and sea blockade, sues for peace and requests a meeting. With the agreement of the Roman council, Nabis and Quinctius meet for an interview in an intermediate area between their forces.

§34.30.1Nabis sicut primo adventu Romanae classis et traditione oppidorum maritimae orae conterritus erat, §34.30.2sic parva spe cum acquievisset Gytheo ab suis retento, postquam id quoque traditum Romanis audivit esse et, cum ab terra omnibus circa hostilibus nihil spei esset, §34.30.3a mari quoque toto se interclusum, cedendum fortunae ratus caduceatorem primum in castra misit ad explorandum, si paterentur legatos ad se mitti.
Just as Nabis had been terrified at the first arrival of the Roman fleet and the surrender of the towns of the maritime coast, so, though he had rested on a small hope because Gytheum was retained by his men, after he heard that this also had been surrendered to the Romans, and, since on land, with all around hostile, there was no hope, that he was also completely shut off from the sea, thinking that he must yield to fortune, he first sent a herald into the camp to find out whether they would allow legates to be sent to them.
§34.30.4qua impetrata re Pythagoras ad imperatorem venit nullis cum aliis mandatis, quam ut tyranno colloqui cum imperatore liceret.
This request having been granted, Pythagoras came to the general with no other instructions than that it should be permitted for the tyrant to speak with the general.
§34.30.5consilio advocato cum omnes dandum colloquium censuissent, dies locusque constituitur.
A council having been called, when all had decided that an interview should be granted, the day and place were appointed.
§34.30.6in mediae regionis tumulos modicis copiis sequentibus cum venissent, relictis ibi in statione conspecta utrimque cohortibus Nabis cum delectis custodibus corporis, §34.30.7Quinctius cum fratre et Eumene rege et Sosila Rhodio et Aristaeno, Achaeorum praetore, tribunisque militum paucis descendit.
When they had come to the hills of the intermediate region with moderate forces following, after cohorts had been left there in a position visible from both sides, Nabis with chosen bodyguards, Quinctius with his brother, King Eumenes, Sosilas the Rhodian, Aristaenus, the praetor of the Achaeans, and a few military tribunes, descended.

Notes

  1. §34.30.1sicut ... sic — The conjunctions sicut and sic are used correlatively, showing the contrast in Nabis's psychological states (the former being his terror at the arrival of the fleet and the surrender of the towns, and the latter his temporary relief at retaining Gytheum, followed by total despair).
  2. §34.30.2se interclusum — An accusative with infinitive clause (se interclusum [esse]), serving as the object of either audivit within the postquam clause, or of ratus ('realizing/thinking that...'). It is most naturally interpreted as coordinate with the preceding id quoque traditum ... esse, both governed by audivit.
  3. §34.30.3si paterentur — An indirect question clause introduced by the gerundive phrase ad explorandum ('to find out'). The imperfect subjunctive is used in accordance with the sequence of tenses (consecutio temporum) dependent on the past tense of the main clause (misit).
  4. §34.30.7descendit — Although multiple subjects, Nabis (in section 30.6) and Quinctius (in section 30.7), are coordinated, the verb is in the singular form (descendit). This is because the verb agrees with the nearest subject (Quinctius), or to suggest that their descents occurred individually.

Cite this passage

Livy, History of Rome §34.30.1-34.30.7. Humanitext Reader, https://reader.humanitext.ai/en/text/urn:cts:latinLit:phi0914.phi001.humanitext-lat2:34.30.1-34.30.7

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