To return to the Illyrians. For a long time previously they had been in the habit of maltreating vessels sailing from <a class="linkToPlace" target="_blank" href="/place?placename=Italy&groupId=656&placeId=1199">Italy</a>,
and now while they were at Phoenice, a number of them detached themselves from the fleet and robbed or killed many Italian traders, capturing and carrying off no small number of prisoners.
The Romans had hitherto turned a deaf ear to the complaints made against the Illyrians, but now when a number of persons approached the Senate on the subject, they appointed two envoys, Gaius and Lucius Coruncanius, to proceed to <a class="linkToPlace" target="_blank" href="/place?placename=Illyria&groupId=647&placeId=1186">Illyria</a>, and investigate the matter.
Teuta, on the return of the flotilla from Epirus, was so struck with admiration by the quantity and beauty of the spoils they brought back (Phoenice being then far the wealthiest city there), that she was twice as eager as before to molest the Greeks.
For the present, however, she had to defer her projects owing to the disturbance in her own dominions; she had speedily put down the Illyrian revolt, but was engaged in besieging <a class="linkToPlace" target="_blank" href="/place?placename=Issa&groupId=653&placeId=1193">Issa</a>, which alone still refused to submit to her,
when the Roman ambassadors arrived by sea. Audience having been granted them, they began to speak of the outrages committed against them.
Teuta, during the whole interview, listened to them in a most arrogant and overbearing manner,
and when they had finished speaking, she said she would see to it that <a class="linkToPlace" target="_blank" href="/place?placename=Rome&groupId=935&placeId=1669">Rome</a> suffered no public wrong from <a class="linkToPlace" target="_blank" href="/place?placename=Illyria&groupId=647&placeId=1186">Illyria</a>, but that, as for private wrongs, it was contrary to the custom of the Illyrian kings to hinder their subjects from winning booty from the sea.
The younger of the ambassadors was very indignant at these words of hers, and spoke out with a frankness most proper indeed, but highly inopportune:
"O Teuta," he said, the Romans have an admirable custom, which is to punish publicly the doers of private wrongs and publicly come to the help of the wronged.
Be sure that we will try, God willing, by might and main and right soon, to force thee to mend the custom toward the Illyrians of their kings."
Giving way to her temper like a woman and heedless of the consequences, she took this frankness ill, and was so enraged at the speech that, defying the law of nations, when the ambassadors were leaving in their ship, she sent emissaries to assassinate the one who had been so bold of speech.
On the news reaching <a class="linkToPlace" target="_blank" href="/place?placename=Rome&groupId=935&placeId=1669">Rome</a>, the woman\'s outrage created great indignation and they at once set themselves to prepare for an expedition, enrolling legions and getting a fleet together.
Walbank Commentary