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Livy · History of Rome §42.14.1-42.14.10

Rejection of the Envoys and Honors for Eumenes

Passage 1604 of 1770 · Latin

Summary

Deeply moved by Eumenes' speech, the Roman senate rejects the defenses of Perseus's envoys and the Rhodians. Eumenes, as the target of their conspiracies, receives immense favor and the highest honors from Rome.

§42.14.1haec oratio movit patres conscriptos.
This speech moved the conscript fathers.
ceterum in praesentia nihil, praeterquam fuisse in curia regem, scire quisquam potuit: eo silentio clausa curia erat.
However, for the present, no one could know anything, except that the king had been in the senate house; so closed was the senate house under that silence.
bello denique perfecto, quaeque dicta ab rege quaeque responsa essent, emanavere.
Finally, when the war was finished, both what had been said by the king and what had been answered leaked out.
§42.14.2Persei deinde regis legatis post paucos dies senatus datus est.
Then, a few days later, an audience with the senate was granted to the envoys of King Perseus.
ceterum praeoccupatis non auribus magis quam animis ab Eumene rege, omnis et defensio et deprecatio legatorum respuebatur; §42.14.3et exasperavit animos ferocia nimia Harpali, qui princeps legationis erat.
However, as not only the ears but also the minds had been preoccupied by King Eumenes, every defense and entreaty of the envoys was rejected; and the excessive fierce arrogance of Harpalus, who was the chief of the embassy, exasperated their minds.
is velle quidem et laborare dixit regem, ut purganti, se nihil hostile dixisse aut fecisse, fides habeatur: §42.14.4ceterum si pervicacius causam belli quaeri videat, forti animo defensurum se. Martem communem esse et eventum incertum belli.
He said that the king indeed wished and was striving that credit should be given to him as he cleared himself, saying that he had neither said nor done anything hostile; but if he should see a cause for war being sought too obstinately, he would defend himself with a brave spirit; that Mars was common and the outcome of war uncertain.
§42.14.5omnibus civitatibus Graeciae atque Asiae curae erat, quid Persei legati, quid Eumenes in senatu egisset; et propter adventum eius, quem moturum aliquid rebantur, miserant pleraeque civitates alia in speciem praeferentis legatos.
It was a matter of concern to all the states of Greece and Asia what the envoys of Perseus and what Eumenes had done in the senate; and on account of his arrival, by which they believed something would be set in motion, most states had sent envoys pretending other pretexts in appearance.
§42.14.6et legatio Rhodiorum † erat hac falsa iturus princeps, haud dubius, quin Eumenes civitatis quoque suae crimina Persei criminibus iunxisset.
And there was also an embassy of the Rhodians, whose chief was about to go, having no doubt that Eumenes had joined the charges against his state to the charges against Perseus.
§42.14.7itaque omni modo per patronos hospitesque disceptandi cum rege locum in senatu quaerebat.
Therefore, in every way, through patrons and guest-friends, he sought an opportunity in the senate to debate with the king.
§42.14.8quod cum non contigisset, libertate intemperanti invectus in regem, quod Lyciorum gentem adversus Rhodios concitasset graviorque Asiae esset, quam Antiochus fuisset, popularem quidem neque Asiae ingratam populis — §42.14.9nam eo quoque iam favor Persei venerat — orationem habuit, ceterum invisam senatui inutilemque sibi et civitati suae.
When this had not fallen to his lot, having inveighed against the king with unrestrained freedom, because he had stirred up the Lycian nation against the Rhodians and was a heavier burden to Asia than Antiochus had been, he delivered a speech which was indeed popular and not unpleasing to the peoples of Asia— for the favor toward Perseus had already reached there too—but it was hateful to the senate and useless to himself and to his state.
§42.14.10Eumeni vero conspiratio adversus eum favorem maiorem apud Romanos fecit.
To Eumenes, indeed, the conspiracy against him created greater favor among the Romans.
ita omnes ei honores habiti donaque quam amplissima data cum sella curuli atque eburneo scipione.
Thus all honors were paid to him and the most ample gifts were given, along with a curule chair and an ivory scepter.

Notes

  1. 42.14.2praeoccupatis non auribus magis quam animis — An ablative absolute construction with the perfect passive participle praeoccupatis agreeing with both auribus and animis, with ab Eumene rege functioning as the agent.
  2. 42.14.3ut purganti, se nihil hostile dixisse aut fecisse, fides habeatur — Within the ut-clause, fides habeatur (that credit be given) governs the dative participle purganti (to him clearing himself), which refers to the king. The accusative and infinitive clause se nihil hostile dixisse aut fecisse depends on purganti, representing the content of the defense ("that he had neither said nor done anything hostile").
  3. 42.14.4ceterum si pervicacius causam belli quaeri videat, forti animo defensurum se — Indirect speech (oratio obliqua) continuing from dixit in 14.3. The subjunctive videat is the verb of the conditional clause within the indirect speech. The future active infinitive defensurum [esse] has the reflexive pronoun se (referring to Perseus) as its subject.
  4. 42.14.8quod cum non contigisset — A relative connection (quod) referring back to the opportunity to debate with the king mentioned in the previous sentence. Cum is the conjunction of time/circumstance governing the pluperfect subjunctive contigisset.

Cite this passage

Livy, History of Rome §42.14.1-42.14.10. Humanitext Reader, https://reader.humanitext.ai/en/text/urn:cts:latinLit:phi0914.phi001.humanitext-lat2:42.14.1-42.14.10

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