§40.57.1oppressit igitur necopinantes ignarosque omnes Perseus et regnum scelere partum invasit.
Therefore, Perseus overwhelmed everyone who was off their guard and ignorant, and seized the kingdom acquired through crime.
peropportuna mors Philippi fuit ad dilationem §40.57.2et ad vires bello subtrahendas.
The death of Philip was extremely opportune for the delay of war and for withdrawing forces from it.
nam post paucis diebus gens Bastarnarum, diu sollicitata, ab suis sedibus magna peditum equitumque manu Histrum traiecit.
For a few days later, the Bastarnae, who had long been solicited, crossed the Danube with a large force of infantry and cavalry from their own settlements.
§40.57.3inde praegressi, qui nuntiarent regi, Antigonus et Cotto: Cotto nobilis erat Bastarna, Antigonus e regiis unus, saepe cum ipso Cottone legatus ad concitandos Bastarnas missus.
Setting out in advance from there to report to the king were Antigonus and Cotto: Cotto was a noble Bastarnian, and Antigonus was one of the king's courtiers, who had often been sent as an envoy with Cotto himself to stir up the Bastarnae.
haud procul Amphipoli fama, inde certi nuntii occurrerunt mortuum esse regem; quae res omnem ordinem consilii turbavit.
Not far from Amphipolis, first a rumor, and then certain messengers met them, announcing that the king was dead; which event threw the entire order of the plan into confusion.
§40.57.4compositum autem sic fuerat, transitum per Thraciam tutum et commeatus Bastarnis ut Philippus praestaret.
Now the arrangement had been made as follows: that Philip should provide a safe passage through Thrace and provisions for the Bastarnae.
id ut facere posset, regionum principes donis coluerat, fide sua obligata pacato agmine transituros Bastarnas.
In order to be able to do this, he had conciliated the chieftains of the regions with gifts, pledging his own word that the Bastarnae would pass through in a peaceful march.
§40.57.5Dardanorum gentem delere propositum erat inque eorum agro sedes dare Bastarnis.
His purpose was to destroy the nation of the Dardanians and to give their land to the Bastarnae for settlements.
§40.57.6duplex inde erat commodum futurum, si et Dardani, gens semper infestissima Macedoniae temporibusque iniquis regum imminens, tolleretur, et Bastarnae relictis in Dardania coniugibus liberisque ad populandam Italiam possent mitti.
A double advantage was to arise from this: on the one hand, if the Dardanians, a nation always most hostile to Macedonia and threatening during the adverse times of its kings, were removed; and on the other, if the Bastarnae, leaving their wives and children in Dardania, could be sent to ravage Italy.
§40.57.7per Scordiscos iter esse ad mare Hadriaticum Italiamque; alia via traduci exercitum non posse.
The route to the Adriatic Sea and Italy lay through the Scordisci; the army could not be led across by any other way.
facile Bastarnis Scordiscos iter daturos: nec enim aut lingua aut moribus abhorrere; et ipsos adiuncturos se, cum ad praedam opulentissimae gentis ire vidissent.
The Scordisci would easily grant passage to the Bastarnae, for they differed neither in language nor in customs; and they would even join them when they saw them marching to the plunder of a most wealthy nation.
§40.57.8inde in omnem eventum consilia accommodabantur: sive caesi ab Romanis forent Bastarnae, Dardanos tamen sublatos praedamque ex reliquiis Bastarnarum et possessionem liberam Dardaniae solacio fore; §40.57.9sive prospere rem gessissent, Romanis aversis in Bastarnarum bellum recuperaturum se in Graecia, quae amisisset.
Therefore, plans were adapted to every eventuality: if the Bastarnae should be slaughtered by the Romans, yet the destruction of the Dardanians, the plunder from the remnants of the Bastarnae, and the free possession of Dardania would be a consolation; on the other hand, if they should succeed, while the Romans were turned away by the war with the Bastarnae, he would recover what he had lost in Greece.
haec Philippi consilia fuerant.
These had been the plans of Philip.