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), 43.20

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[1]

After crossing the ridge of Mount Scordus, and passing through the desert regions of Illyricum, which the Macedonians had purposely made desert by ravaging, so that there might be no easy passage for the Dardanians to Illyricum or Macedonia, these envoys came at last with great toil to Scodra.

[2] King Gentius was at Lissus. Thither the envoys were summoned, and their message was given a favourable hearing; but the reply which they took away accomplished nothing; it was to the effect that Gentius did not lack the will to fight the Romans, but to try to effect his will he did especially lack money.

[3] These words the envoys reported at Stuberra to the king, who was at that moment engaged in selling the prisoners from Illyricum. At once the same envoys, with the addition of Glaucias from among the king's bodyguard, were sent back with no word about money, by which alone the poverty-stricken barbarian could be urged into war. ¹

[4] Thence, after ravaging Ancyra, ² Perseus led his army back again among the Penestae and, having strengthened the garrisons in ³ Uscana and in all the forts that he had captured round about it, retired to Macedonia.

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.) — 43.20 focus

[1] hi transgressi iugum Scordi montis, per Illyrici solitudines, quas de industria populando Macedones fecerant, ne transitus faciles Dardanis in Illyricum aut Macedoniam essent, Scodram labore ingenti tandem pervenerunt.

[2] Lissi rex Gentius erat. eo acciti legati, qui mandata exponentes benigne auditi sunt; responsum sine effectu tulerunt, voluntatem sibi non deesse ad bellandum cum Romanis; ceterum ad conandum id, quod velit, pecuniam maxime deesse.

[3] haec Stuberram rettulere regi tum maxime captivos ex Illyrico vendenti. extemplo iidem legati, addito Glaucia ex numero custodum corporis, remittuntur sine mentione pecuniae, qua una barbarus inops inpelli ad bellum non poterat.

[4] Ancyram inde populatus Perseus in Penestas rursus exercitum reducit firmatisque Uscanae et circa eam per omnia castella, quae receperat, praesidiis in Macedoniam sese recipit.

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).) — 43.20 focus

[1]

hi transgressi iugum Scordi montis, per Illyrici solitudines, ¹ quas de ² industria populando Macedones fecerant ne transitus faciles Dardanis in Illyricum aut Macedoniam essent, Scodram ³ labore ingenti tandem pervenerunt. lissi rex Gentius erat.

[2] eo acciti legati, qui mandata exponentes benigne auditi sunt; responsum ⁴ sine effectu tulerunt, voluntatem sibi non deesse ad bellandum cum Romanis; ceterum ad conandum id quod velit pecuniam maxime deesse.

[4] ancyram inde populatus Perseus in Penestas rursus ⁶ exercitum reducit firmatisque Uscanae et circa eam per omnia castella quae ⁷ receperat praesidiis in Macedoniam sese recipit.

Ab urbe condita libri, erklärt von M. Weissenborn Perseus (Weissenborn, W.; Müller, H. J., editors. Berlin: Weidmannsche Buchhandlung, 1873-1883.) — 43.20 focus

[1]

hi transgressi iugum Scordi montis per Illyrici solitudines, quas de industria populando Macedones fecerant, ne transitus faciles Dardanis in Illyricum aut Macedoniam essent, Scodram labore ingenti tandem pervenerunt.

[2] Lissi rex Gentius erat. eo acciti legati mandata exponentes benigne auditi sunt; qui responsum sine effectu tulerunt, ¹ voluntatem sibi non deesse ad bellandum cum Romanis, ceterum ad conandum id, quod velit, pecuniam maxime deesse.

[3] haec Stuberram rettulere regi, tum maxime captivos ex Illyrico vendenti. extemplo iidem legati addito Glaucia ex numero custodum corporis remittuntur sine mentione pecuniae, qua non data barbarus inops inpelli ad bellum non poterat.

[4] Ancyram inde populatus Perseus in Penestas rursum exercitum reducit firmatisque Uscanae et circa eam per omnia castella, quae receperat, praesidiis in Macedoniam sese recipit.

Translations (2)

History of Rome Perseus (Spillan, D.; Edmonds, Cyrus; McDevitte, William A., translators. London: Henry G. Bohn, 1849-1868. (Bohn's Classical Library)) — 43.20 focus

[1]

They crossed over the top of Mount Scordus, and through desert tracts of Illyria, which the Macedonians had laid waste, for the purpose of preventing the Dardanians from passing easily into Illyria or Macedon; and, at length, after undergoing prodigious fatigue, arrived at Scodra.

[2] King Gentius was at Lissus; to which place the ambassadors were invited, and received a favourable audience while stating their instructions, but obtained an indecisive answer: that

he wanted not inclination to go to war with the Romans, but was in extreme want of money to enable him to enter on such an undertaking, though he wished to do so.

[3] This answer they brought to the king at Stubera, whilst he was engaged in selling the Illyrian prisoners. The same ambassadors were immediately sent back, with an accession to their numbers in Glaucias, one of his body guards, but without any mention of money; the only thing by which the needy barbarian could be induced to take a part in the war.

[4] Then Perseus, after ravaging Ancyra, led back his army once more into Penestia; and having strengthened the garrison of Uscana, and the surrounding fortresses which he had taken, he retired into Macedon.

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.) — 43.20 focus

[1]

These envoys crossed the summit of Mount Scordus and made their way through the desert solitudes in Illyria, which the Macedonians had created in their systematic devastations to prevent the Dardanians from finding an easy passage into either Illyria or Macedonia.

[2] It was with the utmost difficulty that they at last reached Scodra. The king was at Lissus. He invited them there and lent a favourable ear to what they had been instructed to say. His reply, however, was one of noncommittal; he said that it was not the will to join in the war against Rome that was lacking; the greatest lack of all was the lack of money; this prevented him from attempting what he wished.

[3] This reply was brought to the king just when he happened to be selling the Illyrian prisoners. He at once sent the negotiators back again, together with Glaucias, one of his bodyguard, but without a mention of money; though without this the needy barbarian could not have been dragged into the war.

[4] After devastating Ancyra, Perseus led his army into Penestia and secured Uscana, and all the fortified places in its neighbourhood which he had captured, with garrisons, after which he returned into Macedonia.

Notes on the current edition

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

1. On Perseus' stinginess, cf. XLII. lxvii. 5 and the note, XLIV. xxvi. 1, Polybius XXVIII. 9; Plutarch, Aemilius xii. 4-xiii. 2 mentions the Bastarnae as also victims of Perseus' greed, and points out the contrast to Alexander the Great and Philip, his father, who disregarded money for the sake of conquest.

2. The situation of Ancyra is unknown; we cannot be sure whether it is a town, a district, or a mistake. In Polybius XXVIII. 8. 11, in place of a corrupt word ( e)pakkwnan ), Ursinus proposed reading e)p' )/Agkuran, on the basis of this reference in Livy; but modern editors prefer the emendation e)f' (/Gskana.

3. B.C. 169

Titus Livius (Livy) Ab urbe condita 43.20

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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