- 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-lat2:24.14.1-24.14.10
- Generated
- Humanitext Reader · reader.humanitext.ai · 2026-10-26
While the consul Fabius approaches Casilinum, Gracchus gathers at Beneventum and encourages his volunteer-slave soldiers by promising them freedom if they perform well in the next day's battle.
isdem diebus et Q. Fabius consul ad Casilinum temptandum, quod praesidio Punico tenebatur, venit, et ad Beneventum velut ex composito parte altera Hanno ex Bruttiis cum magna peditum equitumque manu, altera Ti. Gracchus ab Luceria accessit.
Around the same time, the consul Quintus Fabius came to attempt Casilinum, which was held by a Carthaginian garrison, and at Beneventum, as if by agreement, Hanno from the Bruttian territory with a large force of infantry and cavalry approached on one side, and Tiberius Gracchus from Luceria on the other.
qui primo oppidum intravit, deinde, ut Hannonem tria milia ferme ab urbe ad Calorem fluvium castra posuisse et inde agrum populari audivit,1 et ipse egressus moenibus mille ferme passus ab hoste castra locat.
The latter, who entered the town first, when he heard that Hanno had pitched his camp about three miles from the city near the river Calor and was devastating the territory from there, himself also went out of the walls and established his camp about a mile from the enemy.
ibi contionem militum habuit. legiones magna ex parte volonum habebat, qui iam alterum annum libertatem tacite mereri quam postulare palam maluerant.2 senserat tamen hibernis egrediens murmur in agmine esse quaerentium, en umquam liberi militaturi essent, scripseratque senatui, non tam quid desiderarent, quam quid meruissent:3 bona fortique opera eorum se ad eam diem usum, neque ad exemplum iusti militis quicquam eis praeter libertatem deesse.
There he held an assembly of the soldiers. He had under his command legions composed largely of volunteer slaves, who for two years now had preferred silently to deserve freedom rather than openly to demand it. Gracchus, however, as he was leaving winter quarters, had sensed a murmur in the column of those asking whether they would ever serve as free men, and he had written to the senate, not so much what they desired, as what they had deserved: that he had used their good and brave service up to that day, and that nothing was lacking to them to match the model of a regular soldier except freedom.
de eo permissum ipsi erat, faceret, quod e re publica duceret esse.4 itaque priusquam cum hoste manum consereret, pronuntiat tempus venisse eis libertatis, quam diu sperassent, potiundae.
Regarding this matter, permission had been given to him to do what he should judge to be in the interest of the state. Therefore, before he should engage with the enemy, he declared that the time had come for them to gain possession of the freedom they had long hoped for.
postero die signis conlatis dimicaturum puro ac patenti campo, ubi sine ullo insidiarum metu vera virtute geri res posset.
On the following day, they would fight, joining battle on a clear and open plain, where the matter could be conducted with true courage without any fear of ambushes.
qui caput hostis rettulisset eum se extemplo liberum iussurum esse; qui loco cessisset, in eum servili supplicio animadversurum;
Whoever brought back the head of an enemy, he would immediately order that man to be free; whoever abandoned his post, he would punish him with a slave’s punishment.
suam cuique fortunam in manu esse. libertatis auctorem eis non se fore solum, sed consulem M. Marcellum, sed universos patres, quos consultos ab se de libertate eorum sibi permisisse.5 litteras inde consulis ac senatus consultum recitavit.
Each man’s fortune was in his own hands. Not only he would be the sponsor of their freedom, but also the consul Marcus Marcellus, and the entire senate, who, when consulted by him, had left the decision regarding their freedom to him. Then he read aloud the letter of the consul and the decree of the senate.
ad quae clamor cum ingenti adsensu est sublatus. pugnam poscebant, signumque ut daret, extemplo ferociter instabant.
At this, a shout arose with immense approval. They demanded battle, and fiercely pressed him to give the signal immediately.
Gracchus proelio in posterum diem pronuntiato contionem dimisit. milites laeti, praecipue quibus merces navatae in unum diem operae libertas futura erat,6 armis expediendis diei quod erat relicum consumunt.
Gracchus, having announced the battle for the following day, dismissed the assembly. The soldiers, full of joy, especially those whose reward for their service, devoted for a single day, was to be freedom, spent what was left of the day in preparing their arms.
- 24.14.2ut Hannonem tria milia ferme ab urbe ad Calorem fluvium castra posuisse et inde agrum populari audivit
The conjunction ut with the indicative perfect (audivit) means 'when.' The object of audivit is the accusative and infinitive construction Hannonem ... castra posuisse et ... populari, reflecting the tense difference between the perfect infinitive posuisse and the present infinitive populari (deponent).
- 24.14.3qui iam alterum annum libertatem tacite mereri quam postulare palam maluerant
The conjunction quam connects the two infinitives mereri and postulare in comparison. The verb mereri means 'to deserve' or 'to earn by action,' indicating their preference to earn their freedom through merit before demanding it.
- 24.14.4non tam quid desiderarent, quam quid meruissent
These are indirect questions. Following the past tense of the main clause (the pluperfect scripserat), they use the subjunctive imperfect (desiderarent) and the pluperfect (meruissent), the latter indicating an action prior to the former (what they had already deserved through their actions).
- 24.14.5faceret, quod e re publica duceret esse
The subjunctive faceret is a substantive clause serving as the logical complement of permissum erat (with ut omitted). The phrase e re publica is an idiomatic expression meaning 'to the advantage of the state' or 'in the public interest,' functioning as the predicate of esse.
- 24.14.8quos consultos ab se de libertate eorum sibi permisisse
The relative pronoun quos refers to the antecedent patres (the senators) and functions as the subject of the accusative and infinitive construction in indirect speech. The participle consultos modifies quos, meaning 'who, having been consulted by him.'
- 24.14.10quibus merces navatae in unum diem operae libertas futura erat
The relative pronoun quibus is a dative (of possession or reference), showing to whom the freedom (libertas, the subject of futura erat) was to be a reward. The phrase navatae in unum diem operae is a genitive modifying merces (reward).