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Livy · History of Rome §42.29.1-42.29.12

Attitudes of Mediterranean Kings Toward the Macedonian War

Passage 1619 of 1770 · Latin

Summary

During the consulship of Licinius and Cassius, kings and states across the Mediterranean focus on the Roman-Macedonian war. The various monarchs deliberate on which side to support or whether to remain neutral based on their own diplomatic and strategic interests.

§42.29.1P. Licinio C. Cassio consulibus non urbs tantum Roma nec terra Italia, sed omnes reges civitatesque, quae in Europa quaeque in Asia erant, converterant animos in curam Macedonici ac Romani belli.
In the consulship of Publius Licinius and Gaius Cassius, not only the city of Rome nor the land of Italy, but all the kings and states that were in Europe and Asia, had turned their minds to anxiety over the Macedonian and Roman war.
§42.29.2Eumenen cum vetus odium stimulabat, tum recens ira, quod scelere regis prope ut victuma mactatus Delphis esset.
As for Eumenes, not only did his old hatred stimulate him, but also a recent wrath, because by the crime of the king he had almost been slaughtered at Delphi like a sacrificial victim.
§42.29.3Prusias, Bithyniae rex, statuerat abstinere armis et eventum expectare; nam neque Romanos posse aequom censere, adversus fratrem uxoris se arma ferre, et apud Persea victorem veniam per sororem impetrabilem fore.
Prusias, the king of Bithynia, had resolved to abstain from arms and await the outcome; for he thought neither that the Romans could deem it just for him to bear arms against his wife's brother, nor that, if Perseus were victorious, pardon would be unobtainable through his sister.
§42.29.4Ariarathes, Cappadocum rex, praeterquam quod Romanis suo nomine auxilia pollicitus erat, ex quo est iunctus Eumeni adfinitate, in omnia belli pacisque se consociaverat consilia.
Ariarathes, the king of the Cappadocians, besides the fact that he had promised auxiliaries to the Romans in his own name, ever since he was joined to Eumenes by affinity, had associated himself in all counsels of war and peace.
§42.29.5Antiochus inminebat quidem Aegypti regno, et pueritiam regis et inertiam tutorum spernens; et ambigendo de Coele Syria causam belli se habiturum existumabat gesturumque id nullo impedimento occupatis Romanis in Macedonico bello; §42.29.6quod ad bellum tamen omnia et per suos legatos senatui et ipse legatis eorum enixe pollicitus erat.
Antiochus indeed was threatening the kingdom of Egypt, despising both the childhood of the king and the laziness of his guardians; and by raising disputes about Coele Syria, he thought he would have a cause of war and would wage it with no impediment since the Romans were occupied in the Macedonian war; yet, for that war, he had eagerly promised everything to the senate both through his own ambassadors and in person to their ambassadors.
§42.29.7Ptolemaeus propter aetatem alieni etiam tum arbitrii erat; tutores et bellum adversus Antiochum parabant, quo vindicarent Coelen Syriam, et Romanis omnia pollicebantur ad Macedonicum bellum.
Ptolemy, on account of his age, was even then under the control of others; his guardians were preparing war against Antiochus to reclaim Coele Syria, and at the same time were promising everything to the Romans for the Macedonian war.
§42.29.8Masinissa et frumento iuvabat Romanos et auxilia cum elephantis Misagenenque filium mittere ad bellum parabat.
Masinissa was both helping the Romans with grain and preparing to send auxiliaries with elephants and his son Misagenes to the war.
consilia autem in omnem fortunam ita disposita habebat: §42.29.9si penes Romanos victoria esset, sua quoque in eodem statu mansura esse, neque ultra quidquam movendum; non enim passuros Romanos vim Carthaginiensibus adferri; §42.29.10si fractae essent opes Romanorum, quae tum protegerent Carthaginienses, suam omnem Africam fore.
But he had his plans so arranged for every fortune: if the victory should be in the hands of the Romans, his own affairs also would remain in the same state, and nothing further should be changed; for the Romans would not allow violence to be offered to the Carthaginians; if, on the other hand, the power of the Romans, which then protected the Carthaginians, should be broken, all Africa would be his.
§42.29.11Gentius, rex Illyriorum, fecerat potius, cur suspectus esset Romanis, quam satis statuerat, utram foveret partem, impetuque magis quam consilio his aut illis se adiuncturus videbatur.
Gentius, the king of the Illyrians, had rather given cause for being suspected by the Romans than resolved with certainty which side he would favor, and he seemed likely to join these or those more by impulse than by counsel.
§42.29.12Cotys Thrax, Odrysarum rex, clam Macedonum partis erat.
Cotys the Thracian, king of the Odrysae, was secretly on the side of the Macedonians.

Notes

  1. §42.29.3neque Romanos posse aequom censere — In indirect discourse (oratio obliqua). A governing verb of thinking (such as putabat) is omitted, and the pronoun 'se' (referring to Prusias) is understood as the subject of 'ferre'. The conjunctions 'neque... et...' link the two main clauses of the indirect speech.
  2. §42.29.5occupatis Romanis — An ablative absolute construction representing the cause or circumstance: 'since the Romans were occupied (in the Macedonian war)'. It provides the background for Antiochus' belief that he could wage his war without impediment.
  3. §42.29.7alieni etiam tum arbitrii erat — A genitive of quality (or description) predicate with the verb 'erat', indicating that the subject Ptolemy was still under the authority or control of others due to his young age.
  4. §42.29.9non enim passuros Romanos — An accusative and infinitive construction in indirect speech. The future active infinitive 'passuros [esse]' has 'Romanos' as its subject, and it governs the passive infinitive clause 'vim Carthaginiensibus adferri' (violence to be brought upon the Carthaginians) as its object.
  5. §42.29.12Macedonum partis erat — The word 'partis' (often alternating with 'partium' or 'partes') means 'factions' or 'sides'. Combined with the genitive 'Macedonum' and 'esse', it means 'to be on the side of the Macedonians' or 'to belong to the Macedonian party'.

Cite this passage

Livy, History of Rome §42.29.1-42.29.12. Humanitext Reader, https://reader.humanitext.ai/en/text/urn:cts:latinLit:phi0914.phi001.humanitext-lat2:42.29.1-42.29.12

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