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), 42.40

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[1] After there had been a silence for a moment,

What is awaited, I suppose,

said Marcius,

is a reply from us to your letter which you sent to Corcyra, in which you ask why we have

[2]

come in this fashion as envoys with soldiers and are sending garrisons to the several cities.

[3]

I hesitate to make no reply to this inquiry of yours, for fear of acting arrogantly, and also to reply truly, lest the reply seem to you, as you hear it, too harsh.

[4]

But since one who breaks a treaty must be rebuked either with words or with arms, as on the one hand I should prefer war against you to be entrusted to some other rather than to me,¹ so on the other hand I shall take upon myself the harshness of this speech to a guest-friend, however it may

[5]

be, as physicians do in applying somewhat painful remedies for the sake of a cure. From the time when you attained the throne the senate believes you have done one thing which you should have done, in that you sent envoys to Rome to renew the treaty;

[6]

yet even this, the senate considers, you should have failed to renew instead of breaking it after it had been renewed.

[7]

Abrupolis, the ally and friend of the Roman people, you drove from his kingdom;² the assassins of Arthetaurus you sheltered, so that it was obvious that you rejoiced,³ to say nothing more, in the

[8]

crime of those who had killed the prince most faithful of all the Illyrians to Rome; you went to Delphi with an army through Thessalian and Malian territory, contrary to the treaty;⁴

[9]

again, you sent help to the Byzantines, contrary to the treaty;⁵ you pledged by oath a secret alliance between yourself and the Boeotians, our allies, which was not permitted;⁶

[10]

as for the Theban envoys, Eversa and Callicritus, who were on their way to us, I prefer to ask who killed them than to make an accusation.

[11]

In Aetolia, who, if not your men, can seem to have brought about the civil war and slaughter of leading men?⁷

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.) — 42.40 focus

[1] cum paulisper silentium fuisset, “expectari nos” inquit Marcius “arbitror, ut respondeamus litteris tuis, quas Corcyram misisti, in quibus quaeris, quid ita legati cum militibus venerimus et praesidia in singulas urbes dimittamus.

[2] ad hanc interrogationem tuam et non respondere, vereor, ne superbum sit, et vera respondere ne nimis acerbum audienti tibi videatur.

[3] sed cum aut verbis castigandus aut armis sit, qui foedus rumpit, sicut bellum adversus te alii quam mihi mandatum malim, ita orationis acerbitatem adversus hospitem, utcumque est, subibo, sicut medici, cum salutis causa tristiora remedia adhibent.

[4] ex quo regnum adeptus es, unam rem te, quae facienda fuerit, senatus fecisse censet, quod legatos Romam ad renovandum foedus miseris, quod tamen ipsum tibi non fuisse renovandum iudicat potius quam, cum renovatum esset, violandum.

[5] Abrupolim, socium atque amicum populi Romani, regno expulisti; Arthetauri interfectores, ut caede, ne quid ultra dicam, te laetatum appareret, recepisti, qui omnium Illyriorum fidissimum Romanis regulum occiderant;

[6] per Thessaliam et Maliensem agrum cum exercitu contra foedus Delphos isti; Byzantiis item contra foedus misisti auxilia; cum Boeotis, sociis nostris, secretam tibi ipsi societatem, quam non licebat, iureiurando pepigisti;

[7] Thebanos legatos, Euersam et Callicritum, venientis ad nos, quaerere malo, quis interfecerit, quam arguere. in Aetolia bellum intestinum et caedes principum per quos, nisi per tuos, factae videri possunt?

[8] Dolopes a te ipso evastati sunt. Eumenes rex, ab Roma cum in regnum rediret, prope ut victuma Delphis in sacrato loco ante aras mactatus, quem insimulet, piget referre;

[9] quae hospes Brundisinus occulta facinora indicet, certum habeo et scripta tibi omnia ab Roma esse et legatos renuntiasse tuos.

[10] haec ne dicerentur a me, uno modo vitare potuisti, non quaerendo, quam ob causam exercitus in Macedoniam traicerentur, aut praesidia in sociorum urbes mitteremus. quaerenti tibi superbius tacuissemus, quam vera respondimus.

[11] equidem pro paterno nostro hospitio faveo orationi tuae et opto, ut aliquid mihi materiae praebeas agendae tuae apud senatum causae.”

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.) — 42.40 focus

[1]

cum paulisper silentium fuisset, “expectari nos” inquit Marcius “arbitror, ut respondeamus litteris tuis, quas Corcyram misisti, in quibus quaeris, quid ita legati cum militibus venerimus et praesidia in singulas urbes dimittamus.

[2] ad hanc interrogationem tuam et non respondere vereor, ne superbum sit, et vera respondere, ne nimis acerbum audienti tibi videatur.

[3] sed cum ¹ aut verbis castigandus aut armis sit, qui foedus rumpit, sicut bellum adversus te alii quam mihi mandatum malim, ita orationis acerbitatem adversus hospitem, utcumque est, subibo, sicut medici, cum salutis causa tristiora remedia adhibent.

[4] ex quo regnum adeptus es, unam rem te, quae facienda fuerit, senatus fecisse censet, quod legatos Romam ad renovandum iudicat potius quam, cum renovatum esset, violandum.

[5] Abrupolim, socium atque amicum populi Romani, regno expulisti; Arthetauri interfectores, ut caede, ne quid ultra dicam, laetatum appareret, recepisti, qui omnium Illyriorum fidissimum Romano nomini regulum occiderant;

[7] Thebanos legatos, Euersam et Callicritum, venientis ad nos, quaerere malo, quis interfecerit, quam arguere. in Aetolia bellum intestinum et caedes principum, per quos nisi per tuos factae videri possunt?

[8] Dolopes a te ipso evastati sunt. Eumenes rex ab Roma cum in ² regnum rediret, prope ut victuma Delphis in sacrato loco ante aras mactatus, quem insimulet, piget referre;

[9] quae hospes Brundisinus occulta facinora indicet, certum habeo et scripta tibi omnia ab Roma esse et legatos tuos renuntiasse.

[11] equidem pro paterno nostro hospitio faveo orationi tuae, et opto, ut aliquid mihi materiae praebeas agendae tuae apud senatum causae.”

Translations (2)

History of Rome Perseus (Spillan, D.; Edmonds, Cyrus; McDevitte, William A., translators. London: Henry G. Bohn, 1849-1868. (Bohn's Classical Library)) — 42.40 focus

[1]

After a short silence, Marcius began thus: —

I suppose you expect us to give an answer to your letter sent to Corcyra, in which you ask the reason, why we ambassadors come attended by soldiers, and why we send garrisons into the cities?

[2]

To this your question I dread either to refuse an answer, lest it should appear haughty in me, or to give a true one, lest, to your ears, it might seem too harsh.

[3]

But since the person who infringes a treaty must be reproved, either with words or with arms, as I could wish that the war against you had been intrusted to any other rather than to myself, so I will undergo the task, however disagreeable, of uttering rough language against my friend, as physicians, when they, for the recovery of health, sometimes apply painful remedies.

[4]

The senate is of opinion that, since you came to the throne, you have acted but in one particular as you ought to have done, and that is, in sending ambassadors to Rome to renew the treaty made with your father, —and yet it would have been better never to have renewed it, (they think,) than afterwards to violate it. You expelled from his throne Abrupolis, an ally and friend of the Roman people.

[5]

You gave refuge to the murderers of Artetarus, that it might appear that you were pleased at his assassination, to say nothing worse; though they put to death a prince, who, of all the Illyrians, was the most faithful to the Roman nation.

[6]

You marched with an army through Thessaly and the Malian territory to Delphi, contrary to the treaty. You likewise, in violation of it, sent succours to the Byzantians. You concluded by an oath a separate alliance with the Bœotians our confederates, which you had no right to do.

[7]

As to Eversa and Callicritus, the Theban ambassadors, who were slain in returning from Rome, I wish rather to inquire who were their murderers, than to charge any one of the crime. To whom else than your agents can the civil war in Aetolia, and the deaths of the principal inhabitants, be imputed? The country of the Dolopians was ravaged by you in person.

[8]

King Eumenes, when he was returning from Rome to his own dominions, was almost butchered, as a victim, at the altars in consecrated ground, at Delphi, and it grieves me to know the person whom he accuses.

[9]

With regard to the secret crimes which the host at Brundusium states in his communication, I take it for certain, that all the particulars were written you from Rome, and that your ambassadors reported them to you.

[10]

There was one way by which you might have avoided my speaking of these matters, which was, by not inquiring why we brought troops into Macedonia, or sent garrisons into the cities of our allies. When you had asked the question, it would have been more haughty to keep silence, than to answer according to truth.

[11]

Out of regard to the friendship derived to us from our fathers, I am really disposed to listen favourably to whatever you may say, and wish that you may afford me some grounds of pleading your cause before the senate.

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.) — 42.40 focus

[1]

After a few moments' silence Marcius said: "I suppose you are expecting me to give you a reply to the letter which you sent to Corcyra in which you ask us why we who are envoys have come with soldiers and are distributing garrisons in the various cities.

[2] Not to give you any reply would, I fear, be thought arrogant, whilst a truthful reply would pain you whilst you listened to it.

[3] As, however, he who breaks a treaty must be chastised either by word of mouth or by force of arms, and much as I could have wished that war against you had been entrusted to another rather than to me, I will discharge my task of telling my guest-friend some unpleasant truths, however matters stand, like physicians who administer disagreeable remedies to restore a patient's health.

[4] "As soon as you ascended the throne you did one thing which in the opinion of the senate you were right in doing, you sent an embassy to Rome to renew the treaty, but they hold that it would have been better not to renew it than to violate it after it was renewed. You drove Abrupolis, an ally and friend of Rome, out of his kingdom.

[5] You sheltered the assassins of Arthetaurus, showing that you were glad-I will not say more-that he was murdered. The man whom they killed was of all the Illyrian princes the most loyal to the cause of Rome.

[6] You marched with an army through Thessaly and the district of Malis up to Delphi, against the provisions of the treaty, and you also sent assistance to the Byzantines. You made a secret and separate treaty, ratified by an oath, with the Boeotians, our allies, which was forbidden. As for the Theban envoys, Euersas and Callicritus, who were murdered on their way to Rome, I prefer to enquire who killed them rather than to charge anyone with it.

[7] Who could possibly be considered responsible for the civil war in Aetolia, and the deaths of the leaders, unless it were your party? The devastation of Dolopia was your own doing.

[8] When Eumenes was returning from Rome to his kingdom he narrowly escaped being butchered at Delphi, like a victim on consecrated ground before the altar. I shrink from saying whom he accuses of this.

[9] I have certain proof that the secret crimes of which your friend at Brundisium gave us information were all communicated to you in writing by your friends in Rome and reported to you by your envoys.

[10] My saying all this might have been avoided by you, had you taken a different course and not asked us why the armies were coming into Macedonia and why we are stationing garrisons in the different cities. Had we kept silent, we should have shown you less consideration than we have done by a statement of facts.

[11] Out of regard for the friendship which we have inherited from our fathers I shall give you a favourable hearing, and I only wish that you may furnish me with some grounds for my pleading your cause before the senate."

Notes on the current edition

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

1. But later he did command the army, XLIII. xv. 3.

2. For this and the following accusations, cf. above xiii. 6-8 (speech of Eumenes).

3. B.C. 172

4. Cf. note 2, p. 397; Marcius has Perseus going in the reverse direction, cf. below ch. xlii. 1 and note 2.

5. A straining of the provision against waging war, XXXIII. xxx. 6.

6. No statement of this prohibition appears in either Livy's account of the treaty (XXXIII. xxx) or Polybius' (XVIII. 44), but it was standard Roman practice in the case of dependent cities to forbid them to make treaties with each other. Cf. VIII. xiv. 10.

7. Cf.

Titus Livius (Livy) Ab urbe condita 42.40

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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