The History of Rome, Books 37 to the End: with the Epitomes and Fragments of the Lost BooksLivy
History
The History of Rome, Books 37 to the End: with the Epitomes and Fragments of the Lost Books
Livy
Rome -- History
provinces, where they disbanded all the old troops.
Shortly after the departure of the consuls, Cneius Manlius, the
proconsul, arrived at Rome; and, when an audience of the senate was
granted to him in the temple of Bellona, by Servius Sulpicius, the
prætor, after enumerating the services which he had performed, he
demanded that, in consideration thereof, public thanks should be offered
to the immortal gods, and permission be granted to himself, to ride
through the city in triumph; the greater number of the ten ambassadors,
who had been in the province along with him, opposed the grant, and
particularly Lucius Furius Purpureo, and Lucius Æmilius Paulus.
45. They alleged that “they had been appointed ambassadors in
conjunction with Manlius, to make peace with Antiochus, and to conclude
the terms of the treaty which had been entered on with Lucius Scipio.
That Cneius Manlius laboured to the utmost of his power, to confound
this peace, and to seize Antiochus by treachery, if he should put his
person in the consul’s power; but that he (Antiochus) having discovered
the treacherous designs of the consul, though frequently tempted by
proposals of a conference, had not only avoided the meeting, but even
the sight of him. That Manlius, desiring to cross Mount Taurus, was with
difficulty restrained by the entreaties of all the ambassadors, who
besought him not to brave the curse denounced in the Sibylline verses
against such as should pass those fatal limits. Nevertheless, he marched
his army thither, and encamped almost on the very summit where the
waters take opposite directions. As he could find no sort of pretence
for hostilities, the king’s subjects being perfectly quiet, he led his
army round to the Gallogræcians, against which nation war was waged,
without any decree of the senate, or order of the people. Which did ever
any general before presume to do in like manner, on his own judgment?
The latest wars were those with Antiochus, with Philip, and with
Hannibal and the Carthaginians; concerning all these the senate had
passed its decrees, the people their orders; several embassies were
previously sent; restitution demanded; and, finally, heralds were sent
to proclaim war. Now, Cneius Manlius,” said they, “has any one of these
proceedings been observed in the present case, that we should consider
it a war of the Roman people, and not a predatory expedition of your own
contrivance? But, were you even content with this? Did you lead your
army against those whom you had chosen to consider as enemies, by the
direct course; or did you ramble through every deflection of the roads,
when you stopped at every division of the way, in order that, to
whatever side Eumenes’s brother, Attalus, should turn his route, you the
consul, as an auxiliary in his pay, might follow with a Roman army? Did
you not traverse every recess and corner of Pisidia, Lycaonia, and
Phrygia; levying contributions from the tyrants and peasants in those
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