ἱστορίαι Historiai
Liv. 34.49 The History of Rome, Livy; served verbatim
Quinctius was quite aware of their feelings on this question, and he frankly admitted that he would not have listened to any overtures of peace if this course would not have involved the destruction of Lacedaemon. As matters were, since Nabis could not be crushed without ruining a city of the first importance it seemed better to leave him weakened and almost entirely deprived of any power to嘀ure others rather than allow this city to succumb from the effect of remedies too strong for it and perish in the very process of recovering its liberty. After this review of the past he went on to announce his intention of leaving for Italy, taking the whole of his army with him. He told them that in less than ten days they would hear that the troops in occupation of Demetrias and Chalcis had been withdrawn, and they would see with their own eyes Acrocorinthus evacuated and handed over to the Achaean immediately. This would show the whole world whether 5奋‘ was the Romans who were in the habit of telling lies or the Aetolians, who in their public speeches had spread abroad the a mistake to entrust their liberties to Rome l only changed their Macedonian for Roman DeoDle never cared in the least what thev said tie aavisea the otner ztates to measure tneir friends by their deeds and not by their words, and so learn whom to trust and whom to beware of. They must use their liberty in moderation;under proper restraints liberty was a blessing to individuals and communities alike;in excess it was a danger to others and led to recklessness and violence on the part of those who possessed it. The nobility, together with the various classes of society in the different cities, must study to preserve internal harmony, and the States as a whole must endeavour after mutual concord. As long as they were of one mind neither king nor tyrant would ever be strong enough to hurt them, but discord and sedition gave every advantage to those who were seeking to destroy their liberty, since the party which -was worsted in a domestic struggle would rather join hands with a foreigner than submit to a fellow-citizen. It must be their care to defend and maintain the freedom which had been won for them by foreign arms and restored to them on the faith of a foreign power. Then the Roman people would know that the gift of liberty had been made to those who were worthy O and that their boon had been well bestowed.

The Greek stands ready in the workroom; the English is served. Both faces will read together.

← Liv. 34.48 contents Liv. 34.50 →

Filed here — the addresses this episode attests; counted by the house’s first pass
siege of Lacedaemon — a candidate entry

The History of Rome, Livy — translated by Rev. Canon Roberts, 1912
Apparatus shelf + pinned Wikisource — Livy, The History of Rome (Rev. Canon Roberts translation, Everyman's Library) · Rev. Canon Roberts, Everyman's Library (J. M. Dent & Sons / E. P. Dutton), first issue 1912; six volumes
license: public-domain (the Roberts translation's Everyman first issue is 1912, pre-1930; Wikisource dates the translation 1905 — either way decades inside the US public domain; digital-door text carries no additional rights)