- 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-lat2:24.19.1-24.19.11
- Generated
- Humanitext Reader · reader.humanitext.ai · 2026-10-26
The consuls Fabius and Marcellus besiege Casilinum. Despite Fabius's initial hesitation, Marcellus insists on continuing, and the town is captured during negotiations.
Q. Fabius consul ad Casilinum castra habebat, quod duum milium Campanorum et septingentorum militum Hannibalis tenebatur praesidio.
Quintus Fabius the consul had his camp near Casilinum, which was held by a garrison of two thousand Campanians and seven hundred of Hannibal’s soldiers.
praeerat Statius Metius missus ab Cn. Magio Atellano, qui eo anno medix tuticus erat, servitiaque et plebem promiscue armarat, ut castra Romana invaderet intento consule1 ad Casilinum oppugnandum.
Statius Metius, sent by Gnaeus Magius Atellanus, who was medix tuticus in that year, was in command, and had armed the slaves and the common people without distinction, so that he might attack the Roman camp while the consul was intent on besieging Casilinum.
nihil eorum Fabium fefellit. itaque Nolam ad collegam mittit, altero exercitu,2 dum Casilinum oppugnatur, opus esse, qui Campanis opponatur;
None of these things escaped Fabius. Therefore, he sent to his colleague at Nola, saying that while Casilinum was being besieged, there was need of another army to be opposed to the Campanians;
vel ipse relicto Nolae praesidio modico veniret,3 vel, si eum Nola teneret necdum securae res ab Hannibale essent, se Ti. Gracchum proconsulem a Benevento acciturum.
that either he himself, leaving a moderate garrison at Nola, should come, or, if Nola held him and affairs were not yet secure from Hannibal, he (Fabius) would summon Tiberius Gracchus the proconsul from Beneventum.
hoc nuntio Marcellus duobus militum milibus Nolae in praesidio relictis cum cetero exercitu Casilinum venit, adventuque eius Campani iam moventes sese quieverunt.
At this message, Marcellus, leaving two thousand soldiers in garrison at Nola, came to Casilinum with the rest of the army, and at his arrival the Campanians, who were already in motion, became quiet.
ita ab duobus consulibus Casilinum oppugnari coepit. ubi cum multa succedentes temere moenibus Romani milites acciperent vulnera, neque satis inceptum succederet, Fabius omittendam rem parvam ac iuxta magnis4 difficilem abscedendumque inde censebat, cum res maiores instarent;
Thus the siege of Casilinum began to be conducted by the two consuls. When the Roman soldiers, rashly approaching the walls, received many wounds there, and the undertaking did not succeed sufficiently, Fabius thought that they should abandon this small affair, which was as difficult as it was for great undertakings, and depart from there, since greater matters were pressing;
Marcellus multa magnis ducibus sicut non adgredienda, ita semel adgressis non dimittenda esse dicendo, quia magna famae momenta in utramque partem fierent, tenuit, ne inrito incepto abiretur.5
but Marcellus, by saying that many things, just as they should not be attempted by great generals, so when once attempted should not be abandoned, because great weight of reputation would result in either direction, insisted that they should not depart with the undertaking unaccomplished.
vineae inde omniaque alia operum machinationumque genera cum admoverentur Campanique Fabium orarent, ut abire Capuam tuto liceret, paucis egressis Marcellus portam, qua egrediebantur, occupavit, caedesque promiscue omnium circa portam primo, deinde inruptione facta etiam in urbe fieri coepta est.
When, therefore, the vineae and all other kinds of works and engines were being brought up, and the Campanians were entreating Fabius that they might be allowed to depart safely to Capua, when a few had come out, Marcellus occupied the gate by which they were coming out, and a slaughter of all without distinction began to take place first around the gate, and then, an entry having been made, even in the city.
quinquaginta fere primo egressi Campanorum, cum ad Fabium confugissent, praesidio eius Capuam pervenerunt. Casilinum inter conloquia cunctationemque petentium fidem per occasionem captum est, captivique Campanorum quique Hannibalis militum erant Romam missi atque ibi in carcere inclusi sunt; oppidanorum turba per finitimos populos in custodiam divisa.
About fifty of the Campanians who had come out first, having fled to Fabius for refuge, arrived at Capua under his protection. Casilinum was taken by opportunity during the conferences and the hesitation of those who were seeking protection, and the captives of the Campanians and those who were of Hannibal’s soldiers were sent to Rome and shut up there in prison; the crowd of townspeople was distributed among the neighboring peoples for custody.
- 24.19.2intento consule
Ablative absolute construction, with the noun 'consule' acting as the logical subject of the adjective 'intento' ("while the consul was intent on...").
- 24.19.3altero exercitu
Ablative governed by the impersonal construction 'opus esse' ("there is need of"). In direct speech, this would be 'opus est' with the ablative.
- 24.19.4veniret
Subjunctive imperfect representing an original imperative or hortatory subjunctive in indirect speech, following the secondary sequence introduced by the historical present 'mittit'.
- 24.19.6iuxta magnis
The adverb 'iuxta' used prepositionally ("equally with," "just as") governing the ablative 'magnis' (substantive neuter plural: "great undertakings").
- 24.19.7abiretur
Impersonal passive voice (from the intransitive verb 'abeo') in the subjunctive imperfect, meaning literally "lest it should be departed" (i.e., "lest they should depart").
Translated by Gemini 3.5 Flash (published 2026-05-25) · Revision history (1, latest 2026-09-21)
- 2026-09-21 AI review — note 1