- 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
- Languages
- 日本語 · English · 简体中文 · 한국어
- CTS URN
- urn:cts:latinLit:phi0914.phi001.humanitext-lat2:10.35.1-10.35.19
- Generated
- Humanitext Reader · reader.humanitext.ai · 2026-10-22
The consul Atilius encounters the Samnites near Luceria, where a hard-fought and indecisive battle leaves the Roman camp in panic. The next morning, the consul rebukes and encourages the demoralized soldiers, leading them out to confront the enemy and prevent being blockaded.
alteri consuli M. Atilio nequaquam tam facile bellum fuit. cum ad Luceriam duceret legiones, quam oppugnari ab Samnitibus audierat, ad finem Lucerinum ei hostis obvius fuit. ibi ira vires aequavit;
For the other consul, Marcus Atilius, the war was by no means so easy. When he was leading his legions to Luceria, which he had heard was being besieged by the Samnites, the enemy met him at the border of the Lucerian territory. There, anger made their strength equal.
proelium varium et anceps fuit, tristius tamen eventu Romanis, et quia insueti erant vinci et quia digredientes magis quam in ipso certamine senserunt, quantum in sua parte plus vulnerum ac caedis fuisset. itaque is terror in castris ortus, qui si pugnantes cepisset, insignis accepta clades foret; tum quoque sollicita nox fuit iam invasurum castra Samnitem credentibus1 aut prima luce cum victoribus conserendas manus.
The battle was varied and doubtful, yet more sorrowful in its outcome for the Romans, both because they were unaccustomed to being defeated, and because, as they withdrew, rather than in the conflict itself, they realized how much more wounds and slaughter there had been on their side. Therefore, such a terror arose in the camp, which, if it had seized them while fighting, the defeat sustained would have been signal; even then the night was anxious for those who believed that the Samnites would immediately attack the camp, or that at first light they would have to engage with the victors.
minus cladis, ceterum non plus animorum ad hostes erat. ubi primum inluxit, abire sine certamine cupiunt; sed via una et ea ipsa praeter hostes erat, quam ingressi2 praebuere speciem recta tendentium ad castra oppugnanda.
There was less slaughter, but no more courage, among the enemy. As soon as it dawned, they desired to depart without a contest; but there was only one road, and that very one ran past the enemy, which they, having entered upon, presented the appearance of marching straight to attack the camp.
consul arma capere milites iubet et sequi se extra vallum; legatis, tribunis, praefectis sociorum imperat, quod apud quemque facto opus est.
The consul ordered the soldiers to take up arms and follow him outside the rampart; he commanded the legates, tribunes, and prefects of the allies what was necessary to be done by each.
omnes adfirmant se quidem omnia facturos, sed militum iacere animos; tota nocte inter vulnera et gemitus morientium vigilatum esse;
They all asserted that they indeed would do everything, but that the spirits of the soldiers were downcast; that they had kept watch all night among the wounds and groans of the dying;
si ante lucem ad castra ventum foret, tantum pavoris fuisse, ut relicturi signa fuerint;3 nunc pudore a fuga contineri, alioqui pro victis esse.
if the camp had been approached before light, there would have been so much fear that they would have abandoned the standards; now they were restrained from flight by shame, but otherwise they were as good as conquered.
quae ubi consul accepit, sibimet ipsi circumeundos adloquendosque milites ratus, ut ad quosque venerat, cunctantes arma capere increpabat:
When the consul received these reports, thinking that he himself must go around and address the soldiers, as he came to each group, he rebuked those who hesitated to take up arms:
quid cessarent tergiversarenturque? hostem in castra venturum, nisi illi extra castra exissent, et pro tentoriis suis pugnaturos, si pro vallo nollent. armatis ac dimicantibus dubiam victoriam esse;
Why did they delay and hold back? The enemy would enter the camp unless they went outside, and they would fight in front of their own tents if they refused to do so in front of the rampart. For those who were armed and fighting, victory was doubtful;
qui nudus atque inermis hostem maneat, ei aut mortem aut servitutem patiendam.
but for him who awaited the enemy naked and unarmed, either death or slavery had to be endured.
haec iurganti increpantique respondebant confectos se pugna hesterna esse, nec virium quicquam nec sanguinis superesse; maiorem multitudinem hostium apparere, quam pridie fuerit. inter haec adpropinquabat agmen;
To him thus chiding and rebuking, they replied that they were exhausted by yesterday’s battle, and that neither strength nor blood remained; that a greater multitude of the enemy appeared than had been there the day before. Meanwhile, the column was approaching;
et iam breviore intervallo certiora intuentes, vallum4 secum portare Samnitem adfirmant nec dubium esse, quin castra circumvallaturi sint.
and now, viewing things more clearly at a shorter distance, they asserted that the Samnites were carrying a rampart with them, and that there was no doubt but that they were going to enclose the camp.
tunc enim vero consul indignum facinus esse vociferari, tantam contumeliam ignominiamque ab ignavissimo accipi hoste.
Then indeed the consul cried out that it was an unworthy deed that such an insult and ignominy should be received from the most cowardly enemy.
“etiamne circumsedebimur” inquit “in castris, ut fame potius per ignominiam quam ferro, si necesse est, per virtutem moriamur?” di bene verterent; facerent, quod se dignum quisque ducerent:
”Shall we even be besieged,” he said, “in our camp, so that we may die of hunger through ignominy rather than by the sword, if necessary, through courage?” May the gods turn it to good; let them do what each deemed worthy of himself:
consulem M. Atilium vel solum, si nemo alius sequatur, iturum adversus hostes casurumque inter signa Samnitium potius, quam circumvallari castra Romana videat.
the consul Marcus Atilius, even alone if no one else should follow, would go against the enemy and would fall among the standards of the Samnites rather than see the Roman camp enclosed.
dicta consulis legati tribunique et omnes turmae equitum et centuriones primorum ordinum adprobavere.
The words of the consul were approved by the legates, the tribunes, all the squadrons of cavalry, and the centurions of the first rank.
tum pudore victus miles segniter arma capit, segniter e castris egreditur; longo agmine nec continenti maesti ac prope victi procedunt adversus hostem nec spe nec animo certiorem.5
Then, overcome by shame, the soldiers slowly took up arms and slowly marched out of the camp; in a long and disconnected column, sorrowful and almost conquered, they advanced against an enemy who was no more certain either in hope or in courage.
itaque simul conspecta sunt Romana signa, extemplo a primo Samnitium agmine ad novissimum fremitus perfertur, exire, id quod timuerint, ad inpediendum iter Romanos;
Therefore, as soon as the Roman standards were seen, immediately a murmur was carried from the front of the Samnite column to the rear, that the Romans had come out, just as they had feared, to obstruct their march;
nullam inde ne fugae quidem patere viam; illo loco aut cadendum esse aut stratis hostibus per corpora eorum evadendum.
that from that place not even a way of escape lay open; that they must either fall in that spot or escape by strewing the enemy and passing over their bodies.
- 10.35.3credentibus
Dative plural of the present participle used substantively. It functions as a dative of reference or possession with the predicate adjective sollicita or the verb fuit, meaning 'for those (the soldiers) who believed (the night was anxious)'.
- 10.35.4quam ingressi
The relative pronoun quam is in the accusative case, referring back to the antecedent via (road). The perfect participle ingressi (nominative plural of the deponent verb ingredior) agrees with the implied subject of the main clause (the Samnites), indicating that 'having entered upon it, they...'.
- 10.35.7relicturi signa fuerint
The apodosis of a past unreal condition in indirect speech. What would be relicturi signa fuerunt (or reliquissent) in direct speech is here expressed in the active periphrastic conjugation with the future active participle and fuerint (perfect subjunctive) in the result clause introduced by ut.
- 10.35.12vallum
Here vallum (usually 'rampart' or 'palisade') refers to the materials used to construct a rampart, specifically the stakes or palisade-piles (valli) carried by the soldiers, indicating that they were preparing to blockade the Roman camp.
- 10.35.17certiorem
The accusative singular comparative of the adjective certus (resolute, confident), modifying hostem. Combined with the preceding nec spe nec animo (neither in hope nor in courage), it indicates that the enemy was no more confident or resolute than the Romans themselves.
Translated by Gemini 3.5 Flash (published 2026-05-25) · Revision history (1, latest 2026-09-21)
- 2026-09-21 AI review — source 1