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Livy · History of Rome §37.9.1-37.9.11

Unrest in Phocaea and Fleet Operations at the Hellespont

Passage 1334 of 1770 · Latin

Summary

While a pro-Antiochus rebellion arises in Phocaea, the Rhodian fleet sets sail early, and the Roman fleet under Livius moves to the Hellespont, securing the surrender of Sestus and preparing to besiege Abydos.

§37.9.1inter haec Phocaeae seditio orta quibusdam ad Antiochum multitudinis animos avocantibus.
Meanwhile, a sedition arose at Phocaea, since certain people were drawing the minds of the multitude away to Antiochus.
§37.9.2gravia hiberna navium erant, grave tributum, quod togae quingentae imperatae erant cum quingentis tunicis, §37.9.3gravis etiam inopia frumenti, propter quam naves quoque et praesidium Romanum excessit.
The wintering of the ships was burdensome, and the tribute was heavy, because five hundred togas had been requisitioned together with five hundred tunics; severe also was the scarcity of grain, because of which the ships and the Roman garrison also departed.
tum vero liberata metu factio erat, quae plebem in contionibus ad Antiochum trahebat; §37.9.4senatus et optimates in Romana societate perstandum censebant; defectionis auctores plus apud multitudinem valuerunt.
Then indeed the faction which was drawing the plebeians to Antiochus in assemblies was freed from fear; the senate and the optimates thought that they should persist in the Roman alliance; the authors of the defection had more influence with the multitude.
§37.9.5Rhodii, quo magis cessatum priore aestate erat, eo maturius aequinoctio verno eundem Pausistratum classis praefectum cum sex et triginta navibus miserunt.
The Rhodians, the more they had been inactive in the previous summer, the earlier at the vernal equinox sent the same Pausistratum as commander of the fleet with thirty-six ships.
§37.9.6iam Livius a Canis cum triginta navibus suis et septem quadriremibus, quas secum Eumenes rex adduxerat, Hellespontum petebat, ut ad transitum exercitus, quem terra venturum opinabatur, praepararet, quae opus essent.
Already Livius was heading from Canae to the Hellespont with his thirty ships and seven quadriremes, which King Eumenes had brought with him, so that he might prepare what was necessary for the passage of the army, which he believed would come by land.
§37.9.7in portum, quem vocant Achaeorum, classes primum advertit; inde Ilium escendit, sacrificioque Minervae facto legationes finitimas ab Elaeunte et Dardano et Rhoeteo, tradentis in fidem civitatis suas,
First he directed the fleets to the harbor which they call 'of the Achaeans'; thence he went up to Ilium, and after a sacrifice was made to Minerva, he kindly received the neighboring embassies from Elaeus, Dardanus, and Rhoeteum, which surrendered their states into his protection.
§37.9.8benigne audivit. inde ad Hellesponti fauces navigat et decem navibus in statione contra Abydum relictis cetera classe in Europam ad Sestum oppugnandam traiecit.
Thence he sailed to the mouth of the Hellespont, and, having left ten ships on guard opposite Abydos, crossed over with the rest of the fleet into Europe to besiege Sestus.
§37.9.9iam subeuntibus armatis muros fanatici Galli primum cum sollemni habitu ante portam occurrunt; iussu se matris deum famulos deae venire memorant ad precandum Romanum, ut parceret moenibus urbique.
Already as the armed men were approaching the walls, the fanatical Galli first met them before the gate in their solemn attire; they related that they, the servants of the goddess, came by command of the mother of the gods to entreat the Roman to spare the walls and the city.
§37.9.10nemo eorum violatus est.
None of them was harmed.
mox universus senatus cum magistratibus ad dedendam urbem processit.
Soon the entire senate with the magistrates came forth to surrender the city.
§37.9.11inde Abydum traiecta classis.
Thence the fleet crossed over to Abydos.
ubi cum temptatis per colloquia animis nihil pacati responderetur, ad oppugnationem sese expediebant.
There, when their minds had been tested through talks and no peaceful answer was returned, they prepared themselves for a siege.

Notes

  1. §37.9.1quibusdam ad Antiochum multitudinis animos avocantibus — An ablative absolute construction with the present participle `avocantibus` and the subject `quibusdam`. The verb `avocare` ('to call away, distract') here implies drawing the people's minds away from their alliance with Rome towards Antiochus.
  2. §37.9.5quo magis cessatum priore aestate erat, eo maturius — `quo... eo...` is a correlative construction expressing proportion ('the more... the more...'). `cessatum erat` is the impersonal passive of the intransitive verb `cesso` ('to loiter, be inactive') in the pluperfect indicative, referring to the Rhodians' previous inactivity.
  3. §37.9.7tradentis — The feminine accusative plural of the present participle `tradens` (utilizing the archaic and poetic `-is` ending instead of the classical standard `-es`). It modifies the preceding noun `legationes`.
  4. §37.9.9fanatici Galli — Here `Galli` does not refer to the geographical or ethnic Gauls (or Galatians), but to the castrated, ecstatic priests (Galli) of the 'Mother of the Gods' (Cybele), a deity of Asiatic origin.
  5. §37.9.11nihil pacati — The pronoun `nihil` ('nothing') is accompanied by the genitive of the neuter adjective `pacati` ('peaceful') functioning as a partitive genitive, meaning 'nothing of a peaceful nature (was answered)'.

Cite this passage

Livy, History of Rome §37.9.1-37.9.11. Humanitext Reader, https://reader.humanitext.ai/en/text/urn:cts:latinLit:phi0914.phi001.humanitext-lat2:37.9.1-37.9.11

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