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), 43.6

Search the Perseus Catalog for:

View: By Section

← Previous Next →

[1]

At the same time envoys from a large number of the states of Greece and Asia gathered in Rome.

[2] The Athenians were presented first; they pointed out that they had sent their whole fleet and army to Publius Licinius the consul and Gaius Lucretius the praetor;

[3] these officers had not employed their forces, but had ordered a hundred thousand pecks of grain; although they tilled a barren soil and supported even their farmers on imported grain, yet they had gathered this amount so as not to fail in their duty; ¹ and they were ready to furnish other things too which might be ordered.

[4] The Milesians, without mentioning anything which they had furnished, promised that if the senate wished to order anything for the war they were ready to furnish it.

[5] The envoys of Alabanda announced that they had built a temple to the City of Rome, ² and had established annual games in honour of that divinity;

[6] they had also brought with them a golden crown of fifty pounds' weight to place in the Capitol as a gift to Jupiter Greatest and Best, besides three hundred cavalry shields; these they would deliver to whomever the senate ordered. They asked permission to place their gift in the Capitol and to offer sacrifice.

[7] The same request was also made by the

[8] people of Lampsacus, who brought a crown of eighty pounds' weight, ³ and called to mind that they had abandoned Perseus, after a Roman army had come into Macedonia, although they had been subject to Perseus and previously to Philip. ⁴

[9] In return for this and for their action in furnishing the Roman generals with everything, they asked only that they might be admitted to friendship ⁵ with the Roman people, and ⁶ that if peace should be made with Perseus, provision should be made for them, to prevent their reverting to the control of the king.

[10] A kindly answer was given the other envoys; as for the Lampsacenes, the praetor Quintus Maenius was ordered to enroll them as allies. Gifts of two thousand asses apiece were given to all the envoys. Those from Alabanda were ordered to carry the shields back to Aulus Hostilius, the consul in Macedonia.

[11] Envoys from Africa also arrived, both Carthaginians and those of Masinissa together. The Carthaginian envoys reported that they had conveyed to the sea a million pecks of wheat and five hundred thousand of barley, in order that they might deliver it wherever the senate should determine;

[12] they said that this gift and act of duty of theirs was, they knew, less than a return for the favours of the Roman people and less than they would wish; but they had often, on other occasions when both peoples had been prospering, fulfilled the duties of grateful and faithful allies.

[13] Likewise the envoys of Masinissa promised the same total of wheat as well as twelve hundred cavalry and twelve elephants; ⁷ they requested the senate to order anything else which might be needed, for the king would furnish such things with as good a will as he gave what he, of his own accord, had promised.

[14] Thanks both to the Carthaginians and to ⁸ the king were expressed and they were asked to deliver what they had promised to Hostilius the consul in Macedonia. To each of the envoys a gift of two thousand asses was sent.

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.) — 43.6 focus

[1] multarum simul Graeciae Asiaeque civitatium legati Romam convenerunt.

[2] primi Athenienses introducti; ii se, quod navium habuerint militumque, P. Licinio consuli et C. Lucretio praetori misisse exposuerunt;

[3] quibus eos non usos frumenti sibi centum milia imperasse; quod, quamquam sterilem terram ararent, ipsosque etiam agrestis peregrino frumento alerent, tamen, ne deessent officio, confecisse; et alia, quae imperarentur, praestare paratos esse.

[4] Milesii nihil, quod praestitissent, memorantes, si quid imperare ad bellum senatus vellet, praestare se paratos esse polliciti sunt.

[5] Alabandenses templum Urbis Romae se fecisse commemoravere ludosque anniversarios ei divae instituisse;

[6] et coronam auream quinquaginta pondo, quam in Capitolio ponerent donum Iovi optimo maximo, attulisse et scuta equestria trecenta; ea, cui iussissent, tradituros. donum ut in Capitolio ponere et sacrificare liceret, petebant.

[7] hoc et Lampsaceni, octoginta pondo coronam adferentes,

[8] petebant, commemorantes discessisse se a Perseo, postquam Romanus exercitus in Macedoniam venisset, cum sub dicione Persei et ante Philippi fuissent.

[9] pro eo et quod imperatoribus Romanis omnia praestitissent, id se tantum orare, ut in amicitiam populi Romani reciperentur, et, si pax cum Perseo fieret, exciperentur, ne in regiam potestatem reciderent.

[10] ceteris legatis comiter responsum; Lampsacenos in sociorum formulam referre Q. Maenius praetor iussus. munera omnibus in singulos binum milium aeris data. Alabandenses scuta reportare ad A. Hostilium consulem in Macedoniam iussi.

[11] et ex Africa legati simul Carthaginiensium et Masinissae venerunt: legati Carthaginiensium tritici deciens centum milia et hordei quingenta indicantes se ad mare devecta habere, ut, quo senatus censuisset, deportarent;

[12] id munus officiumque suum scire minus esse quam pro meritis populi Romani et voluntate sua; sed saepe alias bonis in rebus utriusque populi se gratorum fideliumque socium muneribus functos esse.

[13] item Masinissae legati tritici eandem summam polliciti et mille et ducentos equites, duodecim elephantos; et si quid aliud opus esset, uti inperaret senatus: aeque propenso animo et, quae ipse ultro pollicitus sit, praestaturum esse.

[14] gratiae et Carthaginiensibus et regi actae, rogatique, ut ea., quae pollicerentur, ad Hostilium consulem in Macedoniam deportarent. legatis in singulos binum milium aeris munera missa.

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).) — 43.6 focus

[1]

multarum simul Graeciae Asiaeque civitatium legati Romam convenerunt.

[2] primi Athenienses introducti; ii se, ¹ quod navium habuerint militumque

[3] P. Licinio consuli et C. Lucretio praetori misisse exposuerunt; quibus eos non usos frumenti sibi centum milia imperasse; quod, quamquam sterilem terram ararent, ² ipsosque etiam agrestis peregrino frumento alerent, tamen, ne deessent officio, ³ confecisse; et alia quae imperarentur praestare paratos esse.

[4] milesii nihil, quod ⁴ praestitissent, memorantes, si quid imperare ad bellum senatus vellet praestare se paratos esse polliciti sunt.

[5] alabandenses templum Urbis Romae se fecisse commemoravere ⁵ ludosque anniversarios ei divae instituisse; et coronam auream quinquaginta pondo,

[6] quam in Capitolio ponerent donum Iovi optimo maximo, attulisse et scuta equestria trecenta; ea, cui iussissent, tradituros. donum ut in Capitolio ponere et sacrificare liceret, petebant.

[7] hoc et ⁶ Lampsaceni, octoginta pondo coronam afferentes, petebant,

[8] commemorantes discessisse se a Perseo, ⁷ postquam Romanus exercitus ⁸ in Macedoniam venisset, cum sub dicione Persei et ante Philippi fuissent.

[9] pro eo et quod imperatoribus Romanis omnia praestitissent, id se tantum orare, ut in amicitiam populi Romani reciperentur, et, si pax cum Perseo fieret, ⁹ exciperentur, ne in regiam potestatem reciderent.

[10] ceteris legatis comiter responsum; Lampsacenos ¹⁰ in sociorum formulam referre Q. Maenius praetor iussus. munera omnibus in singulos binum milium aeris data. alabandenses scuta reportare ad A. Hostilium consulem in Macedoniam iussi.

[11] et ex Africa legati simul Carthaginiensium et Masinissae venerunt: legati Carthaginiensium ¹¹ tritici deciens centum milia et hordei quingenta ¹² indicantes se ad mare devecta habere, ut, quo senatus censuisset, deportarent;

[12] id munus officiumque suum scire minus esse quam pro meritis populi Romani et voluntate sua; sed saepe alias bonis in rebus utriusque populi se gratorum fideliumque socium ¹³ muneribus functos esse.

[13] item Masinissae legati tritici eandem summam polliciti et mille et ducentos equites, duodecim elephantos; et si quid aliud opus esset, uti imperaret senatus: aeque propenso animo et ea ¹⁴ et, quae ipse ultro pollicitus sit, praestaturum esse.

[14] gratiae et Carthaginiensibus et regi actae, ¹⁵ rogatique ut ea quae pollicerentur ¹⁶ ad Hostilium consulem in Macedoniam deportarent. legatis in singulos binum milium aeris munera missa.

Ab urbe condita libri, erklärt von M. Weissenborn Perseus (Weissenborn, W.; Müller, H. J., editors. Berlin: Weidmannsche Buchhandlung, 1873-1883.) — 43.6 focus

[1]

multarum simul Graeciae Asiaeque civitatium legati Romam convenerunt.

[2] primi Athenienses introducti. ii se, quod navium habuerint militumque, P. Licinio consuli et C. Lucretio praetori misisse exposuerunt; quibus eos non usos frumenti sibi centum milia imperasse,

[3] quod, quamquam sterilem terram ararent ipsosque etiam agrestis peregrino frumento alerent, tamen, ne deessent officio, confecisse et alia, quae imperarentur, praestare paratos esse.

[4] Milesii nihil praestitissent memorantes, si quid ¹ imperare ad bellum senatus vellet, praestare se paratos esse polliciti sunt.

[5] Alabandenses templum Urbis Romae se fecisse commemoraverunt ludosque anniversarios ei divae instituisse et coronam auream quinquaginta pondo,

[6] quam in Capitolio ponerent donum Iovi optimo maximo, attulisse et scuta equestria trecenta: ea, cui iussissent, tradituros. donum ut in Capitolio ponere et sacrificare liceret, petebant.

[7] hoc et Lampsaceni octoginta pondo coronam adferentes petebant commemorantes discessisse se a Perseo,

[8] postquam Romanus exercitus in Macedoniam venisset, cum sub dicione Persei et ante Philippi fuissent.

[9] pro eo et quod imperatoribus Romanis omnia praestitissent, id se tantum orare, ut in amicitiam populi Romani reciperentur et, si pax cum Perseo fieret, exciperentur, ne in regiam potestatem ² reciderent.

[11] et ex Africa legati simul Carthaginiensium et Masinissae venerunt: Carthaginiensium tritici deciens centum milia et hordei quingenta indicantes se ad mare devecta habere, ut, quo senatus censuisset, deportarent.

[12] id munus officiumque suum scire minus esse quam pro meritis populi Romani et voluntate sua; sed saepe alias bonis in rebus utriusque populi se gratorum fideliumque socium muneribus functos esse.

[13] item Masinissae legati tritici eandem summam polliciti et mille et ducentos equites, duodecim elephantos; et si quid aliud opus esset, uti inperaret senatus: aeque propenso animo ea et quae ipse ultro pollicitus sit, praestaturum esse.

[14] gratiae et Carthaginiensibus et ³ regi actae, rogatique, ut ea, quae pollicerentur, ad Hostilium consulem in Macedoniam deportarent. legatis in singulos binum milium aeris munera missa.

Translations (2)

History of Rome Perseus (Spillan, D.; Edmonds, Cyrus; McDevitte, William A., translators. London: Henry G. Bohn, 1849-1868. (Bohn's Classical Library)) — 43.6 focus

[1]

Embassies from many states of Greece and Asia arrived at Rome at the same time.

[2] The first that had audience of the senate were the Athenians, who represented, that

they had sent what ships and soldiers they had to the consul Publius Licinius, and the praetor Caius Lucretius, who did not think proper to employ their forces, but ordered the state to furnish one hundred thousand measures of corn;

[3]

and, notwithstanding that they were the cultivators of a sterile soil, and that they fed even the husbandmen with imported grain, yet, that they might not appear deficient in their duty, they had made up

[4]

that quantity, and were ready to perform any other service that might be required of them.

[5] The Milesians, making no mention of their past services, promised to readily afford any assistance in the war which the senate should think proper to demand.

[6] The Alabandians said, that they had erected a temple to the city of Rome, and instituted anniversary games to her divinity; that they had brought a golden crown, of fifty pounds' weight, to be deposited in the Capitol, as an offering to Jupiter supremely good and great; also three hundred horsemen's bucklers, which they were ready to deliver to any person appointed to receive them;

[7] and they requested permission to lodge the said offering as intended, and to perform sacrifice.

[8] Ambassadors from Lampsacus, who brought a crown of eighty pounds' weight, made the same request, and represented to the senate that

they had renounced the party of Perseus as soon as the Roman army arrived in Macedon, though they had been under the dominion of that monarch, and formerly of Philip.

[9]

In return for which, and for their having contributed every assistance in their power to the Roman commanders, they only requested to be admitted into the friendship of the Roman people; and that, if peace should be made with Perseus, they should be exempted from falling again into his power.

[10] A gracious answer was given to the rest of the ambassadors, and the praetor, Quintus Maenius, was ordered to enrol the people of Lampsacus as allies. Presents were made to all, and two thousand asses were given to each. The Alabandians were desired to carry back the bucklers into Macedon, to the consul Aulus Hostilius.

[11] At the same time ambassadors came from Africa; those of the Carthaginians acquainted the senate that they had brought down to the sea-coast a million of measures of wheat, and five hundred thousand of barley,

to be transported to whatever place the senate should order.

[12]

They were sensible,

they said,

that this offer, and act of duty, were very inferior to the deserts of the Roman people, and to their own inclinations; but that on many other occasions, when both nations were in favourable circumstances, they had performed the duties of faithful and grateful allies.

[13] In like manner, ambassadors from Masinissa offered the same quantity of wheat, one thousand two hundred horsemen, and twelve elephants; desiring, that if he could be of service in any other particular, the senate would lay their commands on him, and he would execute them with as much zeal as if he had proposed them himself.

[14] Thanks were returned both to the Carthaginians and to the king; and they were requested to send the supplies, which they had promised, into Macedon, to the consul Hostilius. A present of two thousand asses was made to each of the ambassadors.

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.) — 43.6 focus

[1]

There was a gathering of numerous deputations from Greece and Asia in Rome.

[2] The Athenians were the first to obtain an audience. They explained that they had sent to the consul and the praetor what ships and soldiers they had.

[3] They had, however, made no use of them, but demanded 100,000 modii of corn. Though the soil which they tilled was unproductive and even the cultivators themselves had to be fed on corn from abroad, they had nevertheless made up the amount that they should not fail in their duty, and they were prepared to supply other things which might be required.

[4] The people of Miletus mentioned that they had not furnished anything, but expressed their readiness to carry out any orders the senate might wish to give with regard to the war.

[5] The people of Alabanda stated that they had built a temple to "The City of Rome" and had instituted annual Games in honour of that deity.

[6] They had also brought a golden crown weighing fifty pounds to be placed in the Capitol as an offering to Jupiter Optimus Maximus, and 300 cavalry shields which they would hand over to whomsoever the senate might name.

[7] They requested to be allowed to place the gift in the Capitol and to offer sacrifices.

[8] The deputation from Lampsacus, who had brought a crown eighty pounds in weight, made the same request. They explained that though they had been under the rule of Perseus and of his father Philip before him, they had revolted as soon as the Roman army appeared in Macedonia.

[9] In consideration of this and of their having given all possible assistance to the Roman commanders they made this one request that they might be admitted amongst the friends of Rome and if peace were made with Perseus they might be left out of the conditions so as not to fall again under the power of the king.

[10] A gracious answer was vouchsafed to the other deputations; in the case of the Lampsacans the praetor Q. Mucius was instructed to enrol them amongst the allied States. Each of the delegates received a present of 2000 ases.

[11] The Alabandians were told to take the shields to A. Hostilius in Macedonia.

Legates from Carthage and from Masinissa arrived simultaneously in Rome. The Carthaginians reported that they had taken down to the coast one million modii of wheat and half a million of barley, to be transported wherever the senate should order.

[12] They knew, they said, that this gift, which they regarded as a duty, was not adequate to the services which the Roman people had rendered, nor was it what they would have wished to give, but on other occasions, when both nations were in a prosperous condition, they had fulfilled the duty of loyal and grateful allies.

[13] Masinissa's representatives promised to furnish the same amount of wheat, 1200 cavalry and 12 elephants, and asked the senate to say if anything else was required, as he would supply that just as readily as what he had voluntarily offered Thanks were accorded to the Carthaginians and

[14] to the king, and they were asked to forward the supplies they had promised to the consul Hostilius in Macedonia. Each member of the legations received a gift of 2000 ases.

Notes on the current edition

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

1. B.C. 171

2. Such a temple had been built by Smyrna in 195 B.C. , Tacitus, Annals IV. 56. The conception of Rome as a goddess was quite un-Roman; it was invented by Greeks, adopted by Roman poets ( e.g. Vergil, Aeneid VI. 781-7, Lucan, Pharsalia I. 186-192), but not officially adopted as part of Roman religion till the reign of Hadrian (Cassius Dio LXIX. 4. 3). The divinity of cities, either personified or represented by their

Fortune,

seems like a last freakish form of the glorification of the

polls

found in Aristotle ( Politics I. i. 11:

Thus also the city-state is prior in nature to the household and to each of us individually. For the whole must necessarily be prior to the part ...

tr. Rackham, L.C.L. ).

3. Perhaps a gift to the goddess Roma, like the similar but more lavish gift of Rhodes when in the bad graces of the Romans (Polybius XXX. 5. 4).

4. This statement may be inaccurate; Lampsacus declared itself independent of Antiochus in 196 B.C. (XXXIII. xxxviii. 3) and when last heard of (XXXVII. xxxv. 2, 190 B.C. ) was apparently recognized as independent; perhaps Livy or his source has assumed that Lampsacus had abandoned Perseus at the time when it came forward as an ally of Rome.

5. Apparently they wanted an entente with Rome, without the precise and formal undertakings of an alliance ( societas). Usually,

friendship

and

alliance

go hand in hand ( e.g., XXXVI. iii. 8, XLV. xx. 8), but Rhodes maintained a state of

friendship

without alliance for 140 years (cf. below, XLV. xxv. 7-9) because, in the words of Polybius (XXX. 5. 8, tr. White, L.C.L.),

As they wished none of the kings and princes to despair of gaining their help and alliance, they did not desire to run in harness with Rome and engage themselves by oaths and treaties, but preferred to remain unembarrassed and able to reap profit from any quarter

; they sought alliance only when threatened with possible conquest as the alternative.

6. B.C. 171

7. He had previously sent a thousand cavalry, a thousand infantry, and twenty-two elephants (XLII. lxii. 2).

8. B.C. 171

Titus Livius (Livy) Ab urbe condita 43.6

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

Search the Perseus Catalog for:

Current edition Perseus

Notes on the current edition

Stable identifiers