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Livy · History of Rome §38.37.1-38.37.11

Embassies from Asian Cities and Manlius' Settlements

Passage 1424 of 1770 · Latin

Summary

While Manlius is wintering in Asia, embassies from the cities west of Mount Taurus, as well as foreign kings, assemble to seek peace and pay tributes, prompting Manlius to proceed with settlement negotiations before returning to Apamea upon hearing of King Eumenes' arrival.

§38.37.1hieme ea, qua haec Romae gesta sunt, ad Cn. Manlium consulem primum, dein pro consule, hibernantem in Asia, legationes undique ex omnibus civitatibus gentibusque,quae cis Taurum montem incolunt, conveniebant.
In that winter in which these things were done at Rome, there assembled from all sides, from all the cities and nations which inhabit this side of Mount Taurus, embassies to Gnaeus Manlius, first consul, then proconsul, who was wintering in Asia.
§38.37.2et ut clarior nobiliorque victoria Romanis de rege Antiocho fuit quam de Gallis, ita laetior sociis erat de Gallis quam de Antiocho.
And just as the victory over King Antiochus was more glorious and honorable for the Romans than that over the Gauls, so for the allies the victory over the Gauls was more joyful than that over Antiochus.
§38.37.3tolerabilior regia servitus fuerat quam feritas immanium barbarorum incertusque in dies terror, quo velut tempestas eos populantis inferret.
For royal servitude had been more tolerable than the wildness of savage barbarians and the daily, uncertain terror which, like a tempest, the plunderers might bring upon them.
§38.37.4itaque, ut quibus libertas Antiocho pulso, pax Gallis domitis data esset, non gratulatum modo venerant, sed coronas etiam aureas pro suis quaeque facultatibus attulerant.
Therefore, as people to whom freedom had been given by the expulsion of Antiochus and peace by the subjugation of the Gauls, they had come not only to congratulate him, but had also brought golden crowns, each according to their means.
§38.37.5et ab Antiocho legati et ab ipsis Gallis, ut pacis leges dicerentur, et ab Ariarathe rege Cappadocum venerunt ad veniam petendam luendamque pecunia noxam, quod auxiliis Antiochum iuvisset.
Envoys also came from Antiochus and from the Gauls themselves to have the terms of peace declared, and from Ariarathes, the king of the Cappadocians, to beg for pardon and to expiate with money his offense in having aided Antiochus with reinforcements.
§38.37.6huic sescenta talenta argenti sunt imperata; Gallis responsum, cum Eumenes rex venisset, tum daturum iis leges.
On the latter, six hundred talents of silver were imposed; to the Gauls, the answer was given that when King Eumenes arrived, he would then give them their terms.
civitatium legationes cum benignis responsis, laetiores etiam quam venerant, dimissae.
The embassies of the cities were dismissed with friendly answers, even more joyful than when they had come.
§38.37.7Antiochi legati pecuniam in Pamphyliam frumentumque ex pacto cum L. Scipione foedere iussi advehere; §38.37.8eo se cum exercitu venturum.
The envoys of Antiochus were ordered to convey money and grain into Pamphylia, in accordance with the treaty agreed upon with Lucius Scipio; thither he declared he would go with his army.
principio deinde veris lustrato exercitu profectus die octavo Apameam venit.
Then, at the beginning of spring, having purified the army, he set out and on the eighth day came to Apamea.
ibi triduum stativis habitis, tertiis rursus ab Apamea castris in Pamphyliam, quo pecuniam frumentumque regios convehere iusserat, pervenit.
Having remained there for three days, he arrived on the third day's march from Apamea in Pamphylia, whither he had ordered the king's men to convey the money and grain.
§38.37.9duo milia et quingenta talenta argenti accepta Apameam deportantur; frumentum exercitui dividitur.
The two thousand five hundred talents of silver received were carried back to Apamea; the grain was distributed to the army.
inde ad Pergam ducit, quae una in iis locis regio tenebatur praesidio.
From there he marched to Perga, which was the only city in those parts held by a royal garrison.
§38.37.10appropinquanti praefectus praesidii obvius fuit, triginta dierum tempus petens, ut regem Antiochum de urbe tradenda consuleret.
As he approached, the commander of the garrison met him, requesting a period of thirty days to consult King Antiochus about surrendering the city.
§38.37.11dato tempore ad eam diem praesidio decessum est.
The time being granted, the garrison evacuated the city by that day.
a Perga L. Manlio fratre cum quattuor milibus militum Oroanda ad reliquum pecuniae ex eo, quod pepigerant, exigendum misso, ipse, quia Eumenem regem et decem legatos ab Roma Ephesum venisse audierat, iussis sequi Antiochi legatis Apameam exercitum reduxit.
Having sent his brother Lucius Manlius with four thousand soldiers to Oroanda to exact the remainder of the money which they had agreed to pay, he himself, because he had heard that King Eumenes and the ten commissioners from Rome had arrived at Ephesus, ordered the envoys of Antiochus to follow him and led the army back to Apamea.

Notes

  1. 38.37.3quo velut tempestas eos populantis inferret — The ablative relative pronoun quo refers to the antecedent terror, denoting instrument or cause. populantis is the accusative plural (archaic spelling for -es) of the present participle populans, functioning substantively to mean 'the plunderers' (the Gauls), serving as the direct object of inferret (with tempestas as the subject), expressing the idea of a storm dousing/bringing the plunderers upon them.
  2. 38.37.6cum Eumenes rex venisset, tum daturum iis leges — An indirect speech construction depending on the impersonal passive responsum [esse]. daturum [esse] is a future active infinitive with its subject (the general Manlius himself) implied. The subordinate clause verb venisset is a pluperfect subjunctive, representing a future perfect indicative (venerit) in direct speech shifted due to the historical sequence.
  3. 38.37.11ad reliquum pecuniae ex eo, quod pepigerant, exigendum — A gerundive construction with ad to express purpose ('to exact...'). reliquum is used substantively with the partitive genitive pecuniae, meaning 'the remainder of the money'. pepigerant is the pluperfect indicative of pango (to agree, bargain).

Cite this passage

Livy, History of Rome §38.37.1-38.37.11. Humanitext Reader, https://reader.humanitext.ai/en/text/urn:cts:latinLit:phi0914.phi001.humanitext-lat2:38.37.1-38.37.11

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