- 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-lat2:21.20.1-21.20.9
- Generated
- Humanitext Reader · reader.humanitext.ai · 2026-10-24
The Roman envoys visit the Gallic assemblies but are rejected when they ask them to deny passage to the Carthaginians. At Massilia, they learn that the Gauls have already been won over by Hannibal, and they return to a Rome tense with the expectation of war.
in iis nova terribilisque species visa est, quod armati — ita mos gentis erat — in concilium venerunt.
Among them a strange and terrifying sight was seen, because they came armed—for such was the custom of the nation—to the council.
cum verbis extollentes gloriam virtutemque populi Romani ac magnitudinem imperii petissent, ne Poeno bellum Italiae inferenti per agros urbesque suas transitum darent, tantus cum fremitu risus dicitur ortus, ut vix a magistratibus maioribusque natu iuventus sedaretur;
When, extolling in words the glory and valour of the Roman people and the greatness of their empire, they had requested that they should not grant a passage through their lands and cities to the Carthaginian who was bringing war upon Italy, so great a laugh is said to have arisen, accompanied by shouting, that the young men could scarcely be quieted by the magistrates and elders;
adeo stolida inpudensque postulatio visa est censere,1 ne in Italiam transmittant Galli bellum, ipsos id avertere in se agrosque suos pro alienis populandos obicere.
so foolish and shameless did the demand seem, to propose that the Gauls should not let the war cross over into Italy, but should turn it upon themselves and expose their own lands to be ravaged for the sake of other people’s.
sedato tandem fremitu responsum legatis est, neque Romanorum in se meritum esse neque Carthaginiensium iniuriam, ob quae2 aut pro Romanis aut adversus Poenos sumant arma;
When the clamour was at last quieted, answer was made to the envoys that there was neither any service of the Romans toward them, nor any injury of the Carthaginians, on account of which they should take up arms either on behalf of the Romans or against the Carthaginians;
contra ea audire sese, gentis suae homines agro finibusque Italiae pelli a populo Romano stipendiumque pendere et cetera indigna pati.
on the contrary, they heard that the men of their own nation were being driven from the lands and borders of Italy by the Roman people, and were paying tribute and suffering all other indignities.
eadem ferme in ceteris Galliae conciliis dicta auditaque; nec hospitale quicquam pacatumve satis prius auditum, quam Massiliam venere.
Almost the same things were said and heard in the other councils of Gaul; nor was anything hospitable or sufficiently peaceful heard until they came to Massilia.
ibi omnia ab sociis inquisita cum cura ac fide cognita: praeoccupatos iam ante ab Hannibale Gallorum animos esse; sed ne illi quidem ipsi satis mitem gentem fore — adeo ferocia atque indomita ingenia esse —, ni subinde auro, cuius avidissima gens est, principum animi concilientur.3
There, everything, having been inquired into by their allies with care and good faith, was made known: that the minds of the Gauls had already been preoccupied by Hannibal; but that not even to him himself would they be a sufficiently gentle nation—so fierce and untameable are their tempers—, unless from time to time the minds of their chiefs should be won over with gold, of which the nation is extremely greedy.
ita peragratis Hispaniae Galliaeque populis legati Romam redeunt haud ita multo post, quam4 consules in provincias profecti erant. civitatem omnem expectatione belli erectam invenerunt, satis constante fama iam Hiberum Poenos transisse.
Thus, having traversed the peoples of Spain and Gaul, the envoys returned to Rome not long after the consuls had set out for their provinces. They found the whole state excited in expectation of war, with a sufficiently constant rumour that the Carthaginians had already crossed the Ebro.
- 21.20.4censere
This infinitive acts in apposition to explain the subject postulatio. Dependent on censere are the negative clause ne... transmittant and the accusative with infinitive clause ipsos id avertere... obicere in parallel.
- 21.20.5ob quae
The relative pronoun quae refers back to the merits of the Romans and the injuries of the Carthaginians as its antecedent. The verb sumant in the relative clause is in the subjunctive of characteristic.
- 21.20.8ni... concilientur
A conditional clause in indirect speech (Oratio Obliqua) corresponding to the future infinitive fore (which would be erunt in direct speech). The present subjunctive concilientur represents a future condition transferred into indirect discourse.
- 21.20.9haud ita multo post, quam
A tmesis of the conjunction postquam (post... quam), accompanied by the ablative of degree of difference multo (literally 'not so much after than...'), meaning 'not long after'.