Section 21
Original Latin
Mithridaticum vero bellum magnum atque difficile et in multa varietate terra marique versatum totum ab hoc expressum est; qui libri non modo L. Lucullum, fortissimum et clarissimum virum, verum etiam populi Romani nomen inlustrant. populus enim Romanus aperuit Lucullo imperante Pontum et regiis quondam opibus et ipsa natura et regione vallatum, populi Romani exercitus eodem duce non maxima manu innumerabilis Armeniorum copias fudit, populi Romani laus est urbem amicissimam Cyzicenorum eiusdem consilio ex omni impetu regio atque totius belli ore ac faucibus ereptam esse atque servatam; nostra semper feretur et praedicabitur L. Lucullo dimicante, cum interfectis ducibus depressa hostium classis est, incredibilis apud Tenedum pugna illa navalis, nostra sunt tropaea, nostra monumenta, nostri triumphi. quae quorum ingeniis efferuntur, ab eis populi Romani fama celebratur.
Musean translation
Complete machine-assisted Musean translation made directly from the Latin in Clark’s 1911 edition; source-language model review recorded. Perseus transcription: CC BY-SA 4.0, credited to the Perseus Project, Tufts University.
The Mithridatic War, great and difficult, fought with many turns of fortune on land and sea, has been portrayed in its entirety by Archias. Those books shed luster not only on Lucius Lucullus, a man of outstanding courage and distinction, but also on the name of the Roman people. For it was the Roman people, under Lucullus’s command, who opened Pontus, fortified both by the former wealth of its kings and by the very nature and position of the country. It was the army of the Roman people that, under the same commander, with no very large force routed the countless hosts of the Armenians. It is to the glory of the Roman people that the city of Cyzicus, our devoted friend, was rescued and preserved by his strategy from every assault of the king and from the very jaws and throat of the whole war.
Ours will always be the glory, ours the acclaim, of that incredible naval battle off Tenedos, where Lucius Lucullus fought and the enemy fleet was sunk, its commanders killed. Ours are the trophies, ours the memorials, ours the triumphs. Those whose talents exalt these deeds celebrate the fame of the Roman people.
Plain English translation
Complete machine-assisted Plain English translation made independently and directly from the Latin, not from the Musean edition; source-language model review recorded. Perseus transcription: CC BY-SA 4.0, credited to the Perseus Project, Tufts University.
Archias has also described the whole war against Mithridates. It was a great and difficult war, with many changes of fortune on land and sea. His books bring honor not only to Lucius Lucullus, a very brave and distinguished man, but also to the name of the Roman people.
Under Lucullus’s command, the Roman people opened up Pontus, which had been protected by its former royal wealth, by nature itself, and by its terrain. Under the same commander, an army of the Roman people, though not especially large, routed countless Armenian troops. It is to the Roman people’s credit that his planning rescued and saved the city of Cyzicus, our very close ally. It escaped the king’s full assault and the very mouth and jaws of the whole war.
That amazing sea battle near Tenedos will always be told and praised as our victory. Lucius Lucullus fought it; the enemy commanders were killed and their fleet was sunk. The victory trophies are ours. The memorials are ours. The triumphal processions are ours. When writers use their talent to celebrate these things, they spread the fame of the Roman people.
About this section
Section 21 is part of For Archias the Poet by Marcus Tullius Cicero. This page sets the Latin original beside 2 direct-source translations, so any line can be checked against the source. It is section 21 of 32 in the work, which is kept in the Roman tradition.
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