- Source
- Titi Livi ab urbe condita libri editionem priman, Pars I-IV, Libri I-XL. Editio Stereotypica. Weissenborn, Wilhelm; Mueller, Moritz, editors. Leipzig: Teubner, 1884-1911.
- Translation
- AI-generated (gemini-3.5-flash) — machine translation; may contain errors
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- CTS URN
- urn:cts:latinLit:phi0914.phi001.humanitext-lat2:1.37.1-1.37.6
- Generated
- Humanitext Reader · reader.humanitext.ai · 2026-11-05
The Roman army defeats the Sabines by using a stratagem to burn the bridge behind the enemy on the Anio River, securing a decisive victory through the cavalry's exploits and enemy drownings. Tarquin then invades Sabine territory, defeating a hastily raised enemy force again and forcing them to sue for peace.
hac parte copiarum aucta iterum cum Sabinis confligitur. sed praeterquam quod viribus creverat Romanus exercitus, ex occulto etiam additur dolus missis, qui magnam vim lignorum, in Anienis ripa iacentem ardentem in flumen conicerent:1 ventoque iuvante accensa ligna et pleraque, in ratibus, inpacta sublicis cum haererent, pontem incendunt.
With this part of the forces increased, they fought again with the Sabines. But besides the fact that the Roman army had grown in strength, a stratagem was also added in secret, by sending men to throw a great quantity of firewood, which lay on the bank of the Anio, after setting it on fire, into the river; and with the help of the wind, the burning wood, most of it on rafts, when it drifted against the piles and stuck there, set the bridge on fire.
ea quoque res in pugna terrorem attulit Sabinis et fusis eadem fugam inpediit; multique mortales, cum hostem effugissent, in flumine ipso periere; quorum fluitantia arma ad urbem cognita in Tiberi prius paene, quam nuntiari posset,2 insignem victoriam fecere.
That circumstance also brought terror to the Sabines in the battle, and when they were routed, the same thing impeded their flight; and many men, though they had escaped the enemy, perished in the river itself; their floating arms, recognized in the Tiber near the city, made the illustrious victory known almost before it could be reported.
eo proelio praecipua equitum gloria fuit: utrimque ab cornibus positos, cum iam pelleretur media peditum suorum acies, ita incurrisse ab lateribus ferunt,3 ut non sisterent modo Sabinas legiones ferociter instantes cedentibus, sed subito in fugam averterent.
In that battle, the glory of the cavalry was outstanding: they say that, posted as they were on both wings, when the center line of their own infantry was already being driven back, they charged from the flanks in such a manner that they not only checked the Sabine legions which were fiercely pressing upon those who yielded, but suddenly turned them to flight.
montes effuso cursu Sabini petebant, et pauci tenuere; maxima pars, ut ante dictum est, ab equitibus in flumen acti sunt.
The Sabines sought the mountains in headlong flight, and a few reached them; the greatest part, as has been said before, were driven by the cavalry into the river.
Tarquinius instandum perterritis ratus, praeda captivisque Romam missis, spoliis hostium — id votum Vulcano erat — ingenti cumulo accensis, pergit porro in agrum Sabinum exercitum inducere;
Tarquin, thinking that he ought to press upon the terrified enemy, sent the booty and prisoners to Rome, and having set fire to the spoils of the enemy—this had been vowed to Vulcan—in a huge heap, proceeded to lead his army further into the Sabine territory;
et quamquam male gesta res erat nec gesturos melius sperare poterant,4 tamen, quia consulendi res non dabat spatium, iere obviam Sabini tumultuario milite iterumque ibi fusi perditis iam prope rebus pacem petiere.
and although the affair had been badly managed nor could they hope that they would fare any better, yet, because the situation gave no time for deliberation, the Sabines came to meet them with a hastily raised force, and being routed there again, their fortunes being now nearly ruined, they sued for peace.
- 1.37.1missis, qui ... conicerent
missis is interpreted either as a dative of the perfect passive participle with the omitted antecedent pronoun (such as iis), or as part of an ablative absolute. Here, it functions as a dative dependent on additur dolus ('a stratagem was added to those who were sent'), or 'by sending men'. The relative clause qui ... conicerent takes the subjunctive of purpose (conicerent).
- 1.37.2prius paene, quam nuntiari posset
The conjunction priusquam ('before') is separated (tmesis) into prius and quam, with paene ('almost') inserted between them. The verb in the subordinate clause, posset, is in the subjunctive (imperfect) because it implies possibility or anticipation, rather than a mere statement of temporal sequence.
- 1.37.3utrimque ab cornibus positos ... incurrisse ... ferunt
This is an accusative with infinitive (AcI) construction dependent on the main verb of reporting ferunt ('they say'). The subject accusative of the infinitive incurrisse is the participle positos (referring to the cavalry, equites), which is separated far from the infinitive. cedentibus is a dative present participle depending on instantes ('pressing upon'), meaning 'those who were yielding'.
- 1.37.6nec gesturos melius sperare poterant
In this accusative with infinitive clause, the reflexive pronoun se (the subject of the future active infinitive gesturos [esse]) is omitted. gerere (here as an ellipsis of rem gerere or used intransitively) means 'to wage war' or 'to conduct affairs', resulting in 'nor could they hope that they would fare any better'.