- 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-lat2:2.46.1-2.46.7
- Generated
- Humanitext Reader · reader.humanitext.ai · 2026-11-03
The battle between the Romans and the Etruscans begins, and the Romans fight with unprecedented hostility. Quintus Fabius is killed, causing the Romans to waver, but the consul Marcus Fabius and his brother Caeso rally the soldiers by recalling their oath.
instruitur acies, nec Veiens hostis Etruscaeque legiones detractant. prope certa spes erat non magis secum pugnaturos, quam pugnaverint cum Aequis;1 maius quoque aliquod in tam inritatis animis et occasione ancipiti haud desperandum esse facinus.
The battle-line was drawn up, and neither the Veientine enemy nor the Etruscan legions declined the contest. There was an almost certain hope on their part that the Romans would fight no more with them than they had fought with the Aequi; they also believed that some greater outrage was by no means to be despaired of in minds so irritated and on so critical an occasion.
res liter longe evenit; nam non alio ante bello infestior Romanus — adeo hinc contumeliis hostes, hinc consules mora exacerbaverant — proelium iniit.
But the matter turned out far otherwise; for in no other war before had the Roman entered battle with more hostile feelings—so much had the enemy on one side by insults, and the consuls on the other by delay, exasperated them.
vix explicandi ordines spatium Etruscis fuit, cum pilis inter primam trepidationem abiectis temere magis quam emissis pugna iam in manus, iam ad gladios, ubi Mars est atrocissimus, venerat.2
Hardly had the Etruscans space to deploy their ranks when, the javelins having been thrown aside in the first confusion, rather cast away at random than hurled, the fight had already come to close quarters, already to the swords, where Mars is most fierce.
inter primores genus Fabium insigne spectaculo exemploque civibus erat. ex his Q. Fabium — tertio hic anno ante consul fuerat — principem in confertos Veientes euntem ferox viribus et armorum arte Tuscus, incautum inter multas versantem hostium manus, gladio per pectus transfigit;3 telo extracto praeceps Fabius in vulnus cadit.4
Among the foremost, the Fabian house was distinguished as a spectacle and an example to their fellow-citizens. Of these, Quintus Fabius—he had been consul three years before—as he went as a leader into the thick of the Veientes, was pierced through the breast with a sword by a Tuscan fierce in strength and skill of arms, while Fabius was moving incautiously among many bands of the enemy; when the weapon was drawn out, Fabius fell headlong upon his wound.
sensit utraque acies unius viri casum, cedebatque inde Romanus, cum M. Fabius consul transiluit iacentis corpus obiectaque parma “hoc iurastis” inquit, “milites, fugientes vos in castra redituros?5
Both battle-lines felt the fall of this one man, and the Roman was beginning to give way from that spot, when Marcus Fabius the consul leaped over the body of him who lay there, and presenting his shield, said: “Is this what you swore, soldiers, that you would return to the camp fleeing?
adeo ignavissimos hostis magis timetis quam Iovem Martemque, per quos iurastis? at ego iniuratus aut victor revertar aut prope te hic, Q. Fabi, dimicans cadam.” consuli tum K. Fabius, prioris anni consul: “verbisne istis, frater, ut pugnent, te impetraturum credis? dii impetrabunt, per quos iuravere;
Do you dread the most cowardly enemies so much more than Jupiter and Mars, by whom you swore? But I, unsworn, will either return as a conqueror or will fall here fighting near you, Quintus Fabius.” Then Caeso Fabius, the consul of the preceding year, said to the consul: “Do you believe, brother, that by those words of yours you will obtain from them that they fight? The gods, by whom they swore, will obtain it;
et nos, ut decet proceres, ut Fabio nomine est dignum, pugnando potius quam adhortando accendamus militum animos!” sic in primum infestis hastis provolant duo Fabii totamque moverunt secum aciem.
and let us too, as becomes leaders, as is worthy of the Fabian name, kindle the minds of the soldiers by fighting rather than by exhorting!” Thus the two Fabii rushed forward to the front with leveled spears, and moved the whole battle-line with them.
- 2.46.1non magis secum pugnaturos, quam pugnaverint cum Aequis
An accusative with infinitive (AcI) construction depending on the main clause prope certa spes erat, with the subject accusative Romanos (the Romans) omitted as the subject of the future infinitive pugnaturos [esse]. The perfect subjunctive pugnaverint represents a past action in indirect speech.
- 2.46.3cum pilis ... venerat
A "cum inversum" (inverted cum) construction, where the temporal conjunction cum is followed by the indicative pluperfect venerat, introducing the main action of the narrative after a main clause (vix... spatium fuit) that sets the stage.
- 2.46.4ex his Q. Fabium ... transfigit
A long sentence with complex modification. The main verb is transfigit at the very end, and its subject is ferox viribus et armorum arte Tuscus (a Tuscan fierce in strength and skill of arms), while Q. Fabium at the beginning is the direct object. Both principem... euntem and incautum... versantem are present participial phrases modifying the object Q. Fabium.
- 2.46.4in vulnus cadit
The preposition in with the accusative indicates direction/position, literally "falls onto his wound." It vividly describes the physical action of a man stabbed in the breast falling forward on his face, right onto the wound itself.
- 2.46.5fugientes vos in castra redituros
An accusative with infinitive (AcI) construction serving as the object of the verb iurastis (syncopated form of iuravistis). The pronoun vos is in the accusative as the subject of the future infinitive redituros [esse], with the participle fugientes agreeing with it.