Titus Livius (Livy), The History of Rome, Book 45
William A. McDevitte, Sen. Class. Mod. Ex. Schol. A.B.T.C.D., Ed.

23. "When Philip and Antiochus were subdued, we received from you very ample rewards. If the fortune of Perseus were such as yours now is by the favour of the gods and your own courage, and we were to go into Macedon, to the victorious king, to demand rewards from him, what merit should we have to plead? [2] Is it that he was aided by us with money or corn; with land or sea forces? Had we defended his garrison? where had we, either under his generals or by ourselves? If he should inquire where were our soldiers or ships acting in concert with his; what answer could we give? [3] Perhaps we might be pleading our cause before him, if successful, as we are now, before you. [4] All that we have gained by sending ambassadors to both, to mediate a peace, is, that we received no thanks from either party, and incurred from one of them accusations and danger. [5] Perseus, indeed, might justly object to us what you cannot, conscript fathers, that at the commencement of the war we sent ambassadors to Rome, promising supplies of all sorts requisite for the war, and engaging to be ready, as in former wars, with our docks, our [p. 2142]arms, and our men. It was your fault that we did not perform this, since you, whatever was the reason, rejected our assistance on that occasion. [6] We have, therefore, neither acted in any instance as enemies, nor been deficient in the duty of well-affected allies; but we were prevented by you from performing it. What then shall we say? Rhodians, has there been nothing said or done in your country which you disapprove of, and at which the Roman people would be justly offended? [7] Henceforth I do not mean to defend what has been done, (I am not so weak,) but to distinguish the cause of the public from the guilt of private men. For there is no nation whatever that has not, generally, some ill-disposed members, and always an ignorant populace. [8] I have heard, that even among the Romans there have been men who worked themselves into power by courting the multitude; that the plebeians sometimes seceded from you, and that the government was not always in your hands. [9] If it were possible for this to happen in a state so well constituted, who can wonder at there being some among us, who, out of a wish to gain the king's friendship, led our commons astray by bad advice? [10] Yet they effected nothing more than our remaining inactive, without infringing on our duty. I shall not pass by that, which has been made the heaviest charge against our state during the war. [11] We sent ambassadors at the same time to you and Perseus, to mediate a peace; and that unfortunate design was, by a furious orator, as we afterwards heard, rendered foolish to the last degree; for it is ascertained that he spoke in such a manner as Caius Popilius, the Roman ambassador, should have spoken, when you sent him to the two kings, Antiochus and Ptolemy, to induce them to cease from hostilities. [12] But still, whether this conduct is to be called arrogance or folly, it was the same towards Perseus as towards you. [13] States, as well as individuals, have their different characters; some are violent, others daring, others timid; some addicted to wine, others more particularly to women. [14] Fame says that the Athenian nation was quick and bold, beyond its strength, in beginning an enterprise; and that the Lacedaemonian was dilatory and backward in entering upon business, even when confident of success. [15] I cannot deny that Asia, throughout its whole extent, produces men too much inclined to vanity, and that the speech of even the [p. 2143]Rhodians is too much tinctured with vain-glory, because we seem to have the pre-eminence above the neighbouring states; [16] and that, too, owing not so much to our strength as to the marks of honour and esteem conferred on us by you. That embassy received on the spot sufficient reproof for its immediate misconduct, when it was dismissed with so severe an answer. [17] But, if the disgrace which we then suffered was too trifling, surely the present mournful and suppliant embassy would be a sufficient expiation for an embassy even more insolent than that was. Irritable men hate arrogance; men of sense despise it, particularly if shown in words; more especially, if it be shown by an inferior towards a superior; but no one has ever yet thought it deserving of capital punishment. [18] There was, in truth, danger lest the Rhodians should contemn the Romans! Some men have spoken, even of the gods, in terms too presumptuous; [19] yet we have never heard of any one being struck with thunder on that account.