Titus Livius (Livy), Ab urbe condita, Benjamin Oliver Foster, Ph.D. (Editor), Frank Gardener Moore (Editor), Evan T. Sage, Ph.D. (Editor), Alfred C. Schlesinger, Ph.D. (Editor), 38.31

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[1] ¹ —summoned it at Argos. When it was clear that almost all would assemble there, the consul, although he favoured the cause of the Aegians, also went to Argos; when the argument had begun there and he saw that the Aegian case was weaker, he gave up his purpose.²

[2] Then the Lacedaemonians diverted his attention to their own quarrels.³ The state was kept in anxiety especially⁵ by the exiles, a great part of whom lived in the fortresses along the Laconian sea coast, all of which had been taken away from Sparta. The Lacedaemonians, angered at this, in order that somehow they might possess free access to the sea, if ever they sent ambassadors to Rome or elsewhere, and at the same time that they might have a market and a place for the storage of foreign merchandise for necessary purposes, made an unexpected night attack on the coast town of Las and captured it. The townspeople and the exiles who lived there were at first terrified by this unlooked-for event; then, assembling at daybreak, with a slight effort they expelled the Lacedaemonians. Nevertheless, the panic spread to the whole sea coast, and all the forts and villages and the exiles whose residences were there sent a joint embassy to the Achaeans.

[3] XXXI. The praetor Philopoemen, who had from the very beginning championed the cause of the exiles and had always urged the Achaeans to diminish the power and influence of the Lacedaemonians, gave the complainants an audience before the council, and on his motion a decree was passed that, whereas Titus Quinctius and the Romans had put the fortresses and villages of the Laconian coast under the protection and guardianship of the Achaeans, and whereas, although under the treaty the

[4] Lacedaemonians were⁶ under obligations to let them alone, the village of Las had been attacked and men had been killed there, therefore, unless those who had been principals in and accessories to this act should be surrendered to the Achaeans, the treaty should be deemed to have been violated.⁷ Messengers were at once sent to Lacedaemon to demand them.

[5] This demand seemed to the Lacedaemonians so insolent and unmerited that if the ancient fortune of the state had continued they would without doubt have immediately taken up arms. The principal cause of the terror which struck them was that, if they once accepted the yoke by obedience to these first commands, Philopoemen would turn Lacedaemon over to the exiles, as he had long been planning.

[6] Mad with wrath, then, they killed thirty men of the faction with which Philopoemen and the exiles had shared any other plans, and decreed that the alliance with the Achaeans should be broken off and that ambassadors should at once be sent to Cephallania to surrender Lacedaemon to the consul Marcus Fulvius and the Romans and to implore him to come to the Peloponnesus to receive the city of Lacedaemon under the good faith and protection of the Roman people.

Ab urbe condita. Titus Livius (Livy). Benjamin Oliver Foster, Ph.D. (Editor), Frank Gardener Moore (Editor), Evan T. Sage, Ph.D. (Editor), Alfred C. Schlesinger, Ph.D. (Editor). Medford, MA. .

Sponsored by Perseus Project, Tufts University.

Funding provided by The National Endowment for the Humanities.

Current edition Perseus

History of Rome (English) (Foster, Benjamin Oliver; Moore, Frank Gardener; Sage, Evan T.; Schlesinger, Alfred C., translators. Cambridge, Mass.; London: Harvard University Press; William Heinemann, Ltd., 1919-1959. (Loeb Classical Library))

Editions (3)

Ab urbe condita Perseus (Pars I-IV, Libri I-XL. Editio Stereotypica. Weissenborn, Wilhelm; Mueller, Moritz, editors. Leipzig: Teubner, 1884-1911.) — 38.31 focus

[1] Philopoemen praetor, iam inde ab initio exulum causae et amicus, et auctor semper Achaeis minuendi opes et auctoritatem Lacedaemoniorum,

[2] concilium querentibus dedit, decretumque referente eo factum est, cum in fidem Achaeorum tutelamque T. Quinctius et Romani Laconicae orae castella et vicos tradidissent, et, cum abstinere iis ex foedere Lacedaemonii deberent, Las vicus oppugnatus esset, caedesque ibi facta, qui eius rei auctores adfinesque essent, nisi dederentur Achaeis, violatum videri foedus.

[3] ad exposcendos eos legati extemplo Lacedaemonem missi sunt. id imperium adeo superbum et indignum Lacedaemoniis visum est, ut, si antiqua civitatis fortuna esset, baud haud dubie arma extemplo capturi fuerint.

[4] maxime autem consternavit eos metus, si semel primis imperils imperiis oboediendo iugum accepissent, ne, id quod iam diu moliretur Philopoemen, exulibus Lacedaemonem traderet.

[5] furentes igitur ira triginta hominibus ex factione, cum qua consiliorum aliqua societas Philopoemeni atque exulibus erat, interfectis decreverunt renuntiandam societatem Achaeis legatosque extemplo Cephallaniam mittendos, qui consuli M. Fulvio quique Romanis Lacedaemonem dederent orarentque eum,

[6] ut veniret in Peloponnesum ad urbem Lacedaemonem in fidem dicionemque populi Romani accipiendam.

Ab urbe condita Perseus (Livy in Fourteen Volumes. Foster, Benjamin Oliver; Moore, Frank Gardener; Schlesinger, Alfred C., editors. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press; London: William Heinemann, Ltd., 1919-1959 (printing).) — 43.23 focus

[1]

Rex cum non ¹ minore vexatione iumentorum hominumque quam venerat in Macedoniam rediit; Appium tamen ab obsidione Phanotes fama ducentis ad Stratum Persei summovit.

[2] Cleuas cum praesidio impigrorum iuvenum insecutus sub radicibus prope inviis montium ² ad mille hominum ex agmine impedito occidit, ad ducentos cepit.

[3] Appius superatis angustiis in campo quem Meleona vocant stativa dierum paucorum habuit. interim Cleuas assumpto Philostrato, qui quingentos ex ³ Epirotarum gente habebat, in agrum Antigonensem transcendit. ⁴ Macedones ad depopulationem profecti;

[4] Philostratus⁵ cum cohorte sua in insidiis loco ⁶ obscuro consedit. in palatos populatores cum erupissent ab Antigonea armati, ⁷ fugientes eos persequentes effusius in vallem insessam ab hostibus praecipitant.

[5] ibi ad mille ⁸ occisis, centum ferme captis, et ubique prospere gesta re prope stativa Appi castra movent, ne qua vis sociis suis ab Romano exercitu inferri possit.

[6] Appius nequiquam in his locis terens tempus, dimissis Chaonum Thesprotorumque ⁹ et si qui alii Epirotae erant praesidiis, cum Italicis militibus in Illyricum regressus, per Parthinorum ¹⁰ socias urbes in hiberna militibus divisis, ¹¹ ipse Romam sacrificii causa redit.

[7] Perseus ex Penestarum gente mille pedites, ducentos equites revocatos Cassandream, praesidio ut essent, misit.

[8] Ab Gentio eadem adferentes redierunt. nec deinde alios atque alios mittendo temptare eum destitit, cum appareret, quantum in eo praesidii esset, nec tamen impetrare ab animo posset, ut impensam in rem maximi ad omnia momenti faceret.

Ab urbe condita libri, erklärt von M. Weissenborn Perseus (Weissenborn, W.; Müller, H. J., editors. Berlin: Weidmannsche Buchhandlung, 1873-1883.) — 38.31 focus

[1]

Philopoemen praetor, iam inde ab initio exulum causae [et] amicus, et auctor semper Achaeis minuendi opes et auctoritatem Lacedaemoniorum, concilium querentibus dedit,

[2] decretumque referente eo factum est, cum in fidem Achaeorum tutelamque T. Quinctius et Romani Laconicae orae castella et vicos tradidissent, et, cum abstinere iis ex foedere Lacedaemonii deberent, Las vicus oppugnatus ¹ esset, caedesque ibi facta, qui eius rei auctores adfinesque essent, nisi dederentur Achaeis, violatum videri foedus.

[3] ad exposcendos eos legati extemplo Lacedaemonem missi sunt. id imperium adeo superbum et indignum Lacedaemoniis visum est, ut, si antiqua civitatis fortuna esset, haud dubie arma extemplo capturi fuerint.

[4] maxime autem consternavit eos metus, si semel primis imperiis oboediendo iugum accepissent, ne, id quod iam diu moliretur Philopoemen, exulibus Lacedaemonem traderet.

[6] ut veniret in Peloponnesum ad urbem Lacedaemonem in fidem dicionemque populi Romani accipiendam.

Translations (2)

History of Rome Perseus (Spillan, D.; Edmonds, Cyrus; McDevitte, William A., translators. London: Henry G. Bohn, 1849-1868. (Bohn's Classical Library)) — 38.31 focus

[1]

The praetor, Philopœmen, —(who, from the beginning, had ever been a friend to the cause of the exiles, and had always advised the Achaeans to reduce the power and influence of the Lacedaemonians,) —gave an audience of the council to the ambassadors while making their complaints.

[2] There, on a motion made by him, a decree was passed, that,

whereas Titus Quintius and the Romans had committed their forts and villages, on the coast of Laconia, to the protection and guardianship of the Achaeans; and whereas the Lacedaemonians, according to the treaty, ought to leave them unmolested; notwithstanding which, the village of Las has been attacked by them and bloodshed committed therein; therefore, unless the authors and abettors of this outrage were delivered up to the Achaeans, the treaty would be considered as violated.

[3] To demand those persons, ambassadors were instantly despatched to Lacedaemon. This authoritative injunction ap- peared to the Lacedaemonians so haughty and insolent, that if their state had been in its ancient condition, they would undoubtedly have taken to arms.

[4] But they were principally alarmed by apprehensions, lest, if by obeying the first mandates they once received the yoke, Philopœmen should put the exiles in possession of Lacedaemon, a design which he had been a long time planning.

[5] Maddened therefore with anger, they put to death thirty men of the faction which had held some correspondence with Philopœmen and the exiles, and passed a decree, that the alliance with the Achaeans should be renounced, and that ambassadors should be sent immediately to Cephallenia, to surrender Lacedaemon to the consul Marcus Fulvius and the Romans, and beseech him to

[6] come into Peloponnesus, and to receive Lacedaemon under the protection and dominion of the Roman people.

History of Rome Perseus (Volumes 1-2. Roberts, Canon, Rev, translator. London, New York: J. M. Dent and Sons; E. P. Dutton and Co., 1912.) — 38.31 focus

[1]

From the first, Philopoemen had championed the cause of the exiles and had always tried to persuade the Achaeans to abridge the power and influence of the Lacedaemonians.

[2] He now summoned a council to hear the envoys, and on his initiative a decree was passed in the following terms: "Whereas T. Quinctius and the Romans have committed to the good faith and protection of the Achaeans the villages and forts on the coast of Laconia, and whereas the village of Las has been attacked by the Lacedaemonians who were bound by treaty not to interfere with them, and blood has been shed there, we decree that unless the authors and abettors of this outrage are surrendered to the Achaeans, the treaty shall be held to be broken."

[3] A mission was at once despatched to Lacedaemon to insist on this demand. So arbitrary and arrogant did it appear in the eyes of the Lacedaemonians that if that city had been in the position it once held they would undoubtedly have taken up arms.

[4] What they feared most of all was that if they submitted to the yoke so far as to comply with this initial demand, Philopoemen would carry out the policy he had long contemplated of handing Lacedaemon to the exiles.

[5] In a frenzy of anger they put to death thirty men who belonged to the party who were in league with Philopoemen and the exiles, and then passed a decree denouncing the alliance with the Achaeans and ordering the immediate despatch of a mission to Cephallania to make a formal surrender of Lacedaemon to the consul and to Rome, begging him to come to

[6] the Peloponnesus and receive their city into the protection and suzerainty of the people of Rome.

Notes on the current edition

Ab Urbe Condita With An English Translation, books 1-10, 21-45, with periochae 11-20

1. xxiv. 6 and the note.

2. Fulvius had evidently intended to oppose the proposal of Philopoemen at the meeting.

3. B.C. 189

3. In 195 B.C. Flamininus had concluded a treaty with³ Nabis, tyrant of Lacedaemon, in which it was provided, among other things, that Nabis should surrender his holdings on the coast (XXXIV. xxxv —xxxvi); the Achaean League had assumed, without explicit authority, so far as the evidence shows, the enforcement of this provision when, in 192 B.C., Nabis had undertaken to obtain an outlet to the sea (XXXV. xxv —xxx). After the assassination of Nabis by the Aetolians in the same year, Philopoemen had taken Lacedaemon into the Achaean League (XXXV. xxxvii. 2), where its status was somewhat uncertain. Philopoemen's own policy was definitely anti-Laconian, and the unsettled question of the banished Spartan aristocrats was a continual problem (XXXVI. xxxv. 7). Livy now recounts the history of Achaean —Spartan relations from this time to the holding of the council at which Fulvius was present.

5. B.C. 189

6. B.C. 189

7. The motion as quoted by Livy has the verbal characteristics of the actual decree. The treaty referred to was with the Romans, not the Achaeans, and the moral and legal right of the latter to enforce it is not unquestioned.

Titus Livius (Livy) Ab urbe condita 38.31

Benjamin Oliver Foster, Ph.D. (Editor), Frank Gardener Moore (Editor), Evan T. Sage, Ph.D. (Editor), Alfred C. Schlesinger, Ph.D. (Editor)

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