ἱστορίαι Historiai
Liv. 36.28 The History of Rome, Livy; served verbatim
When they appeared before the consul, Phaeneas, the head of the deputation, made a long speech, adapted in various ways to mitigate the victor's wrath, and concluded by saying that the Aetolians committed themselves and all that they had to the honour and good faith of the, people of Rome. When the consul heard that he said.“B e a uite sure that these are the terms on which you surrender." Phaeneas showed him the. decree in which they were expressly stated.“Since then," he replied,“you do make this complete surrender, I require you to give up at once Dicaearchus, your fellow-citizen, and Menestus the Epirote "-he was the man who introduced a body of troops into Naupactus and drove the citizens into revolt-" and Amynander and the Athamanian leaders, who persuaded you to revolt from us." Phaeneas hardly allowed the Roman to finish his sentence before he replied:“We have not surrendered ourselves into slaverv. but to vour motection and aooa taitn. ana 1 am auite sure tnat it is Decause you ao not know us that you lay upon us commands which are opposed.to the usage of the Greeks." To this the consul retorted:“No, I do not trouble myself much as to what the Aetolians consider the usage of the Greeks as long as I follow the usage’of the Romans and impose my commands on those who, after being vanquished by force of arms, have just surrendered by their own formal decree. If, then, my command is not promptly obeyed, I shall at once order you to be thrown into irons." He then ordered fetters to be brought and the lictors to close round Phaeneas. Phaeneas and the other Aetolians were now thoroughly cowed, they at last realised their position, and he said that he and the Aetolians with him quite saw that they must carry out the consul's commands, but it was necessary that a decree to that effect should be made at a meeting of the national council. In order that this might be done he asked for a ten days' armistice. Flaccus supported the request, which was granted, and they returned to Hypata. Here Phaeneas reported to the inner council-known as the Apokleti-the commands laid upon them and the fate which had all but overtaken him and his colleagues. The magnates deplored the situation to which they were reduced, but they decided that their conqueror must be obeyed and that the Aetolians from every town should be summoned to a general council.

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

← Liv. 36.27 contents Liv. 36.29 →

Filed here — the addresses this episode attests; counted by the house’s first pass
Amynander — a candidate entry Dicaearchus — 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)